Students discover past and present Berlin

A recent trip to Berlin proved very popular with 35 Habs Girls students. Accompanied by four members of staff, the group arrived at Gatwick in the early hours and boarded a plane to the German capital. Landing at 11.30am, they left their luggage at their hotel and immediately set off exploring the historic city.

Starting with a walking tour of Berlin, the students took in many of the top sights, including the Empty Library memorial, sculpted in remembrance of the Nazi book burnings of 1933. Later in the evening, the group marvelled at the famous Festival of Lights at the Brandenburg gate.

The Berlin Wall and TV tower

On day two of the trip, the students attended language lessons at Interlingua Sprachschule. The classes involved a range of activities and lessons entirely in German. A visit then followed to the Jewish museum with its range of exhibits such as the holocaust tower, the garden of exile and interactive works that played traditional Jewish songs. The East Side Gallery came next, where artwork covered the remains of the fallen Berlin Wall, both beautiful and deeply meaningful.

The students then explored the shops of the Alexanderplatz, before enjoying a traditional German meal at the Hofbräu. The students made some truly memorable attempts at traditional German dancing, before capping off the evening with a trip up the iconic TV tower for some breathtaking views of night-time Berlin.

East meets West

Day three began with more language lessons, followed by a visit to a chocolate shop and the most noteworthy store of the trip. The Ampelmann shop sells products celebrating the red and green man from East German traffic lights. An experience in itself, it contained every Ampelmann-themed item imaginable. Later, the group walked to the top of the famous Reichstag and took in a stunning daytime view of the city, before embarking on a guided tour of the Berlin Wall remains, including the guard towers and a memorial to all those who attempted to cross.

On the fourth day of their German adventure, the students followed more morning language lessons with a trip to the DDR Museum, to see what life was like in East Berlin before the wall came down. Featuring photos, videos and clothing, the students explored a range of interactive exhibits. After the museum came a cruise along the River Spree, prior to an evening visit to the Mall of Berlin, with a chance to pick up souvenirs to take home.

Laughter in the laser maze

After some final language lessons on day five, the group took in the German Spy Museum, including some fun attempts to make it through the laser maze. With the lasers being invisible, students and staff tried all kinds of strange positions in order to evade them. A truly hilarious way to round off the trip.

All in all, the students experience in Germany offered the perfect blend of German lessons and cultural education, with lots of fun activities mixed in. Thank you to all the teachers who made the trip possible and our friends in Berlin for their warm hospitality.