YEAR 10
The Sevenoaks Berlin trip exceeded all my expectations . The elaborate infrastructure of the city and the many levels of culture within its society cannot really be understood by poring over internet images . They most certainly do not do Berlin justice ! During the trip , we delved deeper into Berlin ’ s history ; to gain an overview of what the German side looked like in the Second World War was eye-opening and fascinating . On the first day , we visited a war museum where we had a tour explaining in detail stories and accounts of events and people that experienced them .
Day two entailed a trip to several tourist attractions , travelling between them all by boat , train and on foot . We saw the Brandenburg Gate and the German Parliament building ; we even got to go inside and climb up the big spiral on the top , encased by a huge glass dome . It was extremely impressive and the view from the top was spectacular . We also went up the huge television tower where we could see for miles . The teachers pointed out sites that we had been to already and where we were going next .
On day three we enjoyed a bike ride led by a tour guide who took us on a route around the city following some historic sites linked to the war . It enlightened us as to how difficult it was for the
people who had been suffering and really put it in perspective . Berlin is relatively flat and stays that way for miles , which is great for people with different abilities on a bike . This was one of my favourite aspects of the whole trip .
When we hit day four , we went on a small shopping trip near the city centre which we reached by train . The staff got us to use our German to navigate each other through the stations and transport network and we took it in turns to find the correct route . After shopping , we met with an expert on the Jewish outlook surrounding WWII who explained the whole journey for a large group of Jews who had suffered during the war . It was very interesting , and I felt it was important to widen my knowledge about such an influential war that shapes our lives today .
We were given lots of freedom to choose where to eat lunch each day , which was a great way to force us to use our German to read menus and order food .
I would really recommend this trip to anyone taking German at Sevenoaks . It is a great opportunity to widen your knowledge of German history , allowing you to understand a completely different aspect of the Second World War . It is also a great way to practise speaking German . It is a trip I will cherish as a highlight of my life at Sevenoaks .
Henry Palmer , Year 10
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