The Black Forest German Trip saw Year 7 pupils delving deep into the world of the Brothers Grimm whilst practising their German language skills (and of course eating lots of Wurst and Kuchen!).
Day One
We started with a visit to the historical city of Freiburg, where students were challenged to speak in German at the market in order to complete a quiz. Favourite purchases included eine Lange Rote and Bretzel, but the best experience was to be found when shopkeepers were charmed by these brave students talking to them in German. We then climbed the famous Münster and were rewarded at the top (335 steps - phew!) with breathtaking views over the majestic Black Forest.
Luckily the next stop was not as high - we headed to the Tierpark Mundenhof, where students raced to find the animals on their treasure hunt. By the time we got back, everyone was exhausted!
Day Two
The next day began early as we headed to the Schauinsland Region. First stop was the Black Forest Open Air Museum, where students got to grips with the ancient ways of life of the Black Forest, before churning and eating their own butter (delicious!). We then travelled up and down the mountains in a cable car (the scenery would have been great, but we could only see clouds!) before descending into the mines as we explored the world of German mining. Students were fascinated by the knowledgeable guides and keen to try and spot precious metals!
Tired, we returned to the hotel where students wrote their own versions of the tales of the Brothers Grimm, which were highly original and entertaining (and luckily not quite as gruesome as the originals!).
Day Three
Pupils were thrilled by Europa-Park, Germany’s largest theme park. The students were generally far braver than the staff and a firm favourite was the Silver Star ride. Mrs Kwan enjoyed the gentle boat ride while some students proved themselves to be absolute adrenaline junkies!
On the way home we continued the fun, awarding prizes for various competitions and being entertained by the fairytales which had been written earlier in the week. The ferry was another adventure, with students (carefully) reenacting famous scenes from Titanic and Pirates of the Caribbean on the deck (we decided that Jaws was best left for another day!).
Pupils had a wonderful time, commenting:
"The school trip to Germany was both a fun and educational trip that took us to the country’s captivating sights and immersive landscapes. I can say without hesitation that it was filled with experiences that I will not forget for a long time." J.S 7O
"My favourite part of the trip was when we went to the open air museum in Gutach. It was very interesting to learn about how the people of Germany [...] used to live. We got to explore a house from the time and even made butter. It was very fun." G.W 7T
"During my time on the Black Forest trip, I especially enjoyed the whole day spent at Europa Park going on as many rollercoasters as we could. I really enjoyed this day because Europa Park has this kind of feel to it that made it so magical; it is almost unreal. I loved going on Silver Star as the daring drop at the start made my heart thud as we got closer to it." L.M 7D
"The experience was amazing. And the hotel was so lovely and accommodating. They helped us get through the trip comfortably and easily. They even tried a dinner for the first time, ‘make your own burger’ and for a first, it was amazing!" S.D 7O
Thank you very much to all the students and staff involved – we couldn’t have done it without you!
