Rhineland Trip

Helena: On the cold morning of 29 th October, 38 Year 8 and 9 students made their way to Stansted airport and then on to Frankfurt. We stayed in Boppard, a small, picturesque German town with a great view of the Rhine.

Alba: The day after we arrived we went to Marksburg Castle, which seemed very hostile and cold. I would not have liked to live there… However, the views of the Rhine below us were fantastic and the history behind the castle was very interesting. It was the only castle in the region that was never destroyed!

Helena: The following day was Halloween and we travelled to Cologne. We saw the twin spires of the gothic cathedral and had the chance to climb up 509 steps to the bell tower. The views were amazing but the height for some of us was overwhelming.

Alba: Of course, the trip’s highlight for me was visiting the amazing chocolate factory! It was mouth-watering to see the creamy, liquid chocolate being stirred in the machines. We learnt about how chocolate was made and its interesting history. I am never going to think about a chocolate bar in the same way again! It was more like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory than I ever imagined.

Alba: One of my favourite things about going on the trip was meeting our pen pals. We were all very nervous about meeting them at first and the first moments were quite awkward But soon we started chatting in a mixture of German and English and we all became great friends! I had a fun time wandering around Koblenz with them and I can’t wait to go on the exchange in Year 10!

Helena: On the way to the airport on our return trip, we went to a gem museum where we saw some of the most expensive gems in the world. We were particularly impressed by the diamonds! When we got back to England, we were happy to get back into our own beds but had really enjoyed the trip.

Helena, Year 9 and Alba, Year 8