German Department take in the festive sights of Berlin
Denise Kohlhepp, reports on the German Department’s trip to Berlin: From 10th until 11th December, the German Department led an exciting, festive weekend trip to Germany’s capital, Berlin. Across the year groups, pupils had the great opportunity to leave campus and experience German culture around Christmas time, whilst at the same time gaining an insight into this fascinating historical city. We visited a few Christmas markets that were located between impressive historical buildings, such as the Deutsche Dom.
Pupils spent some time trying different foods at the stalls, looked at the hand-made crafts for sale and clearly enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere. We visited famous places such as the Reichstag Building and the Brandenburg Gate. Pupils could even see remnants of the well-preserved Berlin Wall and learnt about East Germany’s history in the Checkpoint-Charlie and DDR museums.
“The gleaming Christmas celebrations and the aroma of caramelised apples and hot dogs had our attention. We were given lots of time and freedom to wander through the marketplaces. After our first Christmas market we went to a chocolate factory which had famous landmarks made out of chocolate which were incredibly crafted…It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anybody.” Jasper Lloyd, Shell.
“It was fun and a good learning experience, and I would recommend it to anybody who enjoys German.” Felix Burton, Fourth Form.
“We had a great time and I wished we could have spent longer. We saw lots such as the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie…It was fascinating to see such a modern city while still being traditional and historically interesting. Defiantly a must see!” Alexander Koenig, Fourth Form.
You can view a gallery of pictures from the trip here.