Forty of our Year 9-11 German students recently enjoyed an action- packed five day long trip to Germany’s historic capital city. As well as immersing themselves in German culture and history, the young people had the opportunity to practise and perfect their German language skills.
Despite a very early start and a lot of travelling on Day One, the Lisburn party showed their stamina and competitive spirit during an evening trip to one of the city’s many bowling alleys.
Day Two got off to a great start with the popular ‘Fat Tire Bike Tour’ which gave the group a fun opportunity to explore this vibrant city, learn fascinating historical facts and visit many famous monuments including the Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial.
Some of the group even got a glimpse of King Charles and the then Queen Consort, Camilla as they arrived at the Hotel Adlon.
After a lunch stop to refuel, some serious souvenir shopping was undertaken in the ‘Ampelmann’ shop before a visit to the ‘Checkpoint Charlie Museum’ and an evening trip to the ‘Fernsehturm’, Berlin’s most impressive TV Tower, which offered spectacular views over the city.
The Lisburn group was much more subdued on Day Three during a sombre but fascinating trip to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and our sports fans certainly enjoyed the guided tour of the ‘Olympia Stadion’.
The Reichstag was another big hit with the Wallace group and the visit to the glass dome was magnificent.
Other cultural and historical highlights of the trip included poignant visits to the ‘Berlin Story Museum’ located in an underground bunker and the ‘Stasi Museum’.
One of the final visits of the trip was to the spectacular ‘Berlin Zoo’ which, despite the inclement weather, was a big hit with the Wallace group. As its website notes, “the Zoo Berlin is considered as most species rich in the world” featuring everything from gigantic elephants to charming meercats.
Year 9 Student Aaron Cooke commented:
“It was truly amazing be able to take part in this year’s Berlin trip. We had so much fun and made loads of memories. The highlight for me was definitely the TV tower. Being able to look out and see all of Berlin was an amazing spectacle that I will never forget.”
Year 10 students Lucie Toland and Alexa Yeung continued:
“Our favourite thing about Berlin was travelling around by underground. It is such an efficient method of transport and so easy to use. After being in Berlin for five days, we had discovered so much and we would definitely feel confident using it when we travel to Berlin again in the future.”
Annabel Wong in Year 11, added:
“I feel I have become so much more independent after our trip to Berlin and I know so much more about the German language and culture. I particularly enjoyed learning about the rich history of many of the fascinating buildings on the ‘Fat Tire bike tour’ that have survived the test of time.
All the students would like to thank Miss Ferguson, Miss Frey, Mr Beaton and Mr Monteith for giving up their time to take us to Berlin.”
Tour organiser Miss Kerrie Ferguson concluded:
“It was an absolute pleasure to spend 5 days in Berlin with such an exceptional group of young people. They were outstanding ambassadors for their school and the city of Lisburn and they fully embraced all that this wonderful city has to offer.”
Last modified: May 16, 2023
