5th Year and Transition Year Trip to Berlin
By Ruth Brady and Niamh Varley
(Transition Year students)
From the 23rd – 26th of April, a group of seventeen 5th year and transition year German language students, along with their teachers Mr. Clancy and Ms. Heneghan, journeyed on a European language tour to Berlin, Germany. The group set out on their voyage from the school at 2.30 on the morning of the 23rd of April. Everyone was thoroughly looking forward to enjoying the experiences and German culture they would encounter over the following few days.
The group was to spend four days exploring the city of Berlin and its outskirts. The adventures began at the crack of dawn and continued into the late evening and what action packed days they were! Berlin didn’t know what hit it!
After arriving in Schӧnefeld Airport in Berlin, the group headed straight for their quaint accommodation which was full of character. It satisfied every need they had except for the fact that there was unfortunately no elevator. Well, they were as fit as fiddles by the end of the trip from running up and down the flights of stairs!
The first activity arranged was a fully guided walking tour which covered many of the historical sights of Berlin including the Berlin Wall and the Brandenburg Gate. The group also experienced the sights of the Reichstag Government Buildings, Siegesӓule, a Memorial Garden, the Holocaust Memorial and the Topography of Terror. The walking tour was extremely informative and it was brilliant to help give the students a feel for the city. The students quickly got to grips with Berlin’s very efficient public transport system as they travelled on the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn train services everyday.
The next morning, Tuesday 24th of April, the group was up bright and early as they had another jam packed day ahead of them. The Checkpoint Charlie Museum was the first stop (of many!). The museum was steeped in history about the Berlin Wall and filled with many stories about the peoples’ troubles at that time. More stops during the day included Alexanderplatz, TV Tower, Kurfürstenstraβe and KaDeWe. The group also managed to pick up lots of souvenirs along the way. The students enjoyed visiting Madame Tussauds wax museum, where they got to pose with all their favourite celebrities! The fun filled day came to a close with a trip to a quaint, old cinema called the Odeon to see the movie ‘My Week With Marilyn’.
On the 25th of April, the group travelled to Sachenhausen Concentration Camp. This part of the tour was very sad and moving and it made all the stories about the concentration camps extremely realistic. Afterwards, they visited Berlin’s Olympic Stadium which lightened the mood hugely. Everyone was speechless at the sheer size of the breath-taking stadium and all its facilities. The final evening in Berlin was drawn to a close with a game of bowling which went down a treat! By the time the group arrived back to their beds, they were wrecked to say the least. Everyone fell asleep soon enough knowing they had an early flight back home the next morning.
Sadly the few days flew by faster then expected, with only photos left on the way home to remind them of the laughs they had and the memories they had made.
It was definitely a holiday everyone will all remember.
Sarah Quinn led the way winning both the 75m Junior Hurdles by a big distance and also the Junior High Jump, Aisling Joyce finished 2nd in the Junior 800m with a great performance, only being beaten by the All-Ireland Cross-country champ. Jamie Butler did well to finish 3rd in the Junior High jump.
