News & Events
03.03.2010
Berlin trip - Feb 2010
A large group of forty- two pupils and four staff set off on Friday 12th Feb for a four –day visit to Berlin. Despite the snow and cold temperatures, the aeroplanes and public transport were working smoothly and we managed to fly from Stansted airport to Berlin with no ‘hiccups’ or delays.
The hostel in Berlin was clean and modern and the pupils were quick to pick room-mates and unpack.
The Friday night visit to the T.V. tower by moon-light and in the snow was really special. We were able to get a panoramic view of the whole of Berlin lit up from Berlin’s tallest building. Even those pupils with a dislike of heights coped with the speedy lift and the view from the top. Travelling afterwards by tram, bus and Underground was a ‘first’ for most and was great fun. Amazingly no-one got lost in the dark.
The four- hour walking tour of Berlin on Saturday encompassed all the major landmarks such as the Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg gate, the Holocaust memorial, Potsdam Square and the Parliament building. Our tour guide gave us plenty of background information on the Berlin wall and its history. Due to the low temperatures and foot fatigue, we stopped off for coffee breaks and snack breaks at regular intervals!
Our shopping sessions proved very popular because the shops provided heating and seating. The upmarket shop KA-DE-WE and the EUROPA centre gave everyone the chance to buy gifts and to practice some language with real Germans.
The Saturday night bowling event and the quiz gave everyone the chance to compete for prizes, and to work in teams.
The visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration camp on the Sunday was an educational and moving experience, which will not be forgotten.
The Sunday evening visit to the cinema offered a more light-hearted event and as it was the Berlin film festival we were hoping to see some celebrities out and about. The films we chose to see were in German with no sub-titles, so well done to those who sat through the three hour version of AVATAR, Sherlock Holmes and Valentine’s day .
Our final visit of the four days was to the Zoo to see KNUT the bear and the vast collection of other animals. The snow was still thick on the ground and made a wonderful backdrop to the animal enclosures.
After much walking , photo-taking, laughter and eating, we returned to the U.K. and Langley, a very tired, but happy bunch.