Our students arrived in Germany’s capital ready for the language, history and food. After our early start, the students’ spirits were immediately lifted when they discovered that Berlin sells pretzels the size of dinner plates and that its cuisine ranges from curry sausages to doner kebabs.
Our first stop was the DDR Museum which is an interactive journey into everyday life in the former East Germany. The thing that caught everyone’s attention was the Trabant, the iconic East German car which you had to wait 10 years for. Students eagerly climbed inside to test it out and drive through the streets of East Berlin.
Next we walked to the very lively Alexanderplatz which is home to two of the city’s most well-known landmarks, the World Clock and the TV Tower.
The next day we visited the Brandenburg Gate, the German Parliament and Checkpoint Charlie – the famous cold war crossing point. Things got very dramatic when we visited the wall Panorama Museum. It is a giant circular wall with a 360° scene of what life was like on both sides of the divide. The students were fascinated by the way the panoramic scene shifted from day to night as they walked around it.
Our visit to the East Side Gallery – the longest surviving section of the Berlin wall was another highlight, with the death strip on one side and thought-provoking artwork on the other.
Berlin was an exciting educational experience and every student was a great credit to the school
Here is what the students had to say about their trip:
I: “Ich bin ein Berliner.”
G: “Berlin ist besonders spannend.”
E: “Berlin war toll.”
L: “Das Essen war sehr lecker.”
Z: “Ich liebe Berlin.”
M: “Trotz des Wetters habe ich viel neue Geschichte gelernt. Es war echt unterhaltsam.”
S: “Es hat Spaß gemacht.”
R: “Die Currywurst war lecker.”
