A visit to Germany that we’ll never forget!

13 Feb

As Thursday 5th February dawned little did the 56 students and staff bound for Berlin know how the next 48 hours would map out. Below is an account of a somewhat memorable trip!

We boarded the coach on Thursday morning with a sense of relief, having used an agency to hire the coach at short notice, as our planned coach company had recently gone out of business. We were delighted by good service and an unbelievably good journey to Heathrow. In fact, our only worry was that we had so much time to spare before check-in. A mention of some cancelled flights to Berlin caused interest, but no real disquiet. Mid-afternoon we boarded our flight, aware that adverse weather may delay our departure (Berlin had faced freezing weather and no flights were going in or out), but we were on the plane and on our way!

Unfortunately, our excitement and anticipation were premature. The flight was cancelled, and we had to ‘deboard’! As that was announced I felt 55 pairs of eyes turn my way! As the other staff supervised the students with their baggage collection, we spent time arranging an overnight hotel by the airport, and alternative flights the next morning. A very cramped bus took us to the hotel, where Mrs Syms-Evans skilfully roomed the students. After a long wait we had a buffet meal, and retired, tired but hopeful of an onward journey on Friday. Thankfully the airport hotel was extremely pleasant, which, after the day we’d had, was welcomed.

A 3.45am alarm call, and departure soon after 4am was the start of a long day. Through a combination of shuttle bus and night bus we made it to Heathrow, only to find that our re-booked flight apparently wasn’t! Thankfully we could be accommodated on a flight to Munich and then on to Berlin. I was naïve to think things may be getting simpler as we then found out that, for some reason, there was no space for one student on the flight. Pleas regarding the fact we were a school party had no impact, and after a phonecall to the parent concerned, one student, along with Mr Collins were booked onto a separate flight to Hamburg, for onward rail travel to Berlin. Meanwhile the rest of the group boarded a flight to Munich, with the staff on the aircraft appreciating our predicament, but warning us that flights to Berlin were in question.

Munich Airport was lovely! However, I saw little of it beyond the Lufthansa Service Desk, especially once our flight to Berlin was indeed cancelled. At least we were in Germany, but now had to get to Berlin. The decision was made that the train would be incredibly crowded (everyone who could, was getting the train to Berlin as the airport was closed), and that an epic coach trip was the only option. Soon after 2pm we boarded our coach and set off for the capital!

Bavaria was a winter wonderland, and we made good speed as we headed to Berlin. However, it was hundreds of kilometres, and the first sign did say 550 km to go! We settled in, and only had two stops, one of which had toilets that were most definitely unforgettable!

Meanwhile the ‘Hamburg Two’ had arrived in Berlin (although Mr Collins had had to stand most of the way) after a speedy rail journey. We were getting there, but the time went on and on. An arrival time soon after 9pm on Friday was our aim, and red lights/diversions meant it was nearer to 9.45pm when we arrived.

Our meal was re-booked for 10pm, and it was a 10 minute coach journey away. As we pulled in, a logistical machine swung into action and we offloaded all cases in 3 minutes. The bulk of the party then proceeded to a waiting second coach and headed off for a very delayed evening meal. Meanwhile, myself, Mr Collins and Sacha Neal from Year 12 used a shuttle run to put all of the cases in the hotel. We then dashed by taxi to join the meal! Around 11pm we were still eating. The restaurant staff were patient and welcoming, and the meal was appreciated by everyone. After a coach journey back to the hotel and check-in it was lights out, after a 21 hour day!!!

What to do with one day in Berlin – as much as possible. We were there and we were going to make the most of it! We did everything not cancelled by the weather, and more! I also made sure that each journey had a commentary so students could see just ‘how much history’ there was in Berlin.

Breakfast in the hotel.
Uberplatz and the Berlin Wall (the East Side Gallery is the longest surviving piece of the wall, and is covered in works of art), and the frozen River Spree
Unter den Linden – to see ‘Imperial Berlin’ and to hear about Bebelplatz, where the Nazis infamously ‘burned the books’.
Brandenburg Gate (avoiding the protest taking place nearby)
Ku’damm – to see one of the beating commercial hearts of the city.
The Wannsee House: A sobering pause to visit the house where the Nazis decided on the Final Solution. The contrast between the beauty of the location and building, and the horror decided within wasn’t lost on the students, who showed a quiet maturity as they looked around the exhibits in the building. What was most telling was the quiet as they boarded the coach.
The Olympic Stadium: Superb guided tours of the stadium, looking at its sporting role and its history. Highlights included going trackside, the chapel with walls of gold leaf, and the sheer scale of the building. The Olympic Stadium was built by the Nazis for the 1936 games, and students learnt more about how the building itself, and the games, were examples of how the Nazis used propaganda.

These two visits really helped emphasise the tactics the Nazis used to control Germany, a combination of terror and propaganda.

Then it was back to the hotel, and then on to our evening meal, where currywurst was an extremely popular choice! The location of the restaurant, at the base of the TV Tower in Alexanderplatz added to the experience, as the tower loomed like a ghostly presence in the mist.

Sunday went to plan! We departed the hotel and headed to the airport, taking in various sites on the way, such as the memorial to the Berlin Airlift.

It was a tired group that arrived back to School on Sunday evening, after a trip that none of us will forget in a hurry.

My thanks must go to everyone on the trip. The staff worked superbly as a team, handing all the changes with skill and calm, which was so important in the smooth running of the trip, and coping with admirable calm with all the changes involved in getting to Berlin. The students were a superb group of ambassadors for the School. They were where they needed to be, and when they needed to be there. They didn’t complain, they just ‘got on’, showing resilience, adaptability and maturity. In Berlin, their behaviour in the hotel and out and about was superb. As I said to the group, they didn’t just go to Berlin, they went to Germany. It was a real adventure, and memorable for so many reasons.

It hasn’t put us off going to Berlin, and we hope to go again in 2028. Hopefully next time we’ll get there as planned!!

Justin Barnett, Head of Humanities