Our Unforgettable Trip to England
We, the 9th grade, went to England for five days at the beginning of June. We started our journey on Monday morning in front of our school. Everyone was in a really good mood and excited to take this trip together. The bus ride was long, but we chatted a lot, listened to music or took naps. After we got through the border controls, which were a little nerve-racking for some of us, we took the ferry from Calais to Dover. The ferry was huge and impressive. Since the sea was calm (only a few of us got seasick), we arrived in Dover on time. Our first impression of England, the white cliffs of Dover, was beautiful. Finally, we arrived in Hastings around 7 pm – special thanks to Peter, our bus driver, for the safe journey! There we were picked up by our host families and we were all a little nervous.
The next morning everyone talked excitedly about the host families and the first evening they had spent with them. Most of us were quite happy, only a few students were less satisfied with their new home. On our first day in England we took the bus to Birling Gap, where we saw more beautiful white cliffs and took a walk along some of them. The views were amazing! After spending some time at the pebble beach we returned to Hastings. There, it was tea time! At the White Rock Theatre we were invited to learn about English Tea Time. We learned about etiquette during tea, what to talk about, how to prepare the tea and scones – and proper posture (your back needs to be perfectly straight and you cannot move your head). Then we had our afternoon tea just like real English people. In the afternoon we got to know the old town of Hastings in a guided tour. We learned a lot about its history in fishing and smuggling (there is a Fisherman’s Museum and a Shipwreck Museum documenting the maritime history of the town). Hastings is also known for the Battle of Hastings that took place nearby in 1066. Today you can still see the ruins of the Norman Hastings Castle. In the end, we got to explore the streets of Hastings a little more on our own, in small groups.
On Wednesday we visited Leeds Castle, which is situated between Dover and London. It was built almost 1000 years ago and has changed a lot in the course of the following centuries. In the 20th century, Lady Baillie renovated the castle and used it to entertain the rich and famous. Still today, many rooms look as if she still lived there. In the afternoon we had time to explore the extensive grounds of the castle. Some of us had a picknick on the new-mown lawn, others went into the maze and the grotto.
On our last day in England, the highlight – a trip to London! We had to leave for London early, because the bus ride took two hours. When we arrived, we walked along the Thames to the Millennium Bridge. From there we were allowed to explore the surroundings including the Tate Modern. Then we walked to the London Eye all together. It was very exciting to walk through England’s capital and see some of the sights that we had read about in our text books. During our 20-minute trip with the London Eye we were able to see the city from above. There were a lot of things to see, like Westminster and Big Ben. Afterwards we walked to Trafalgar Square with the famous Nelson Column. From there we were allowed to discover the city on our own. Some of us went to see the Buckingham Palace or other famous landmarks. And of course we did a bit of shopping for souvenirs. All in all the day seemed too short and we could have stayed in London much longer.
We saw a lot on our England trip, had fun with our classmates, got to know new people, and were able to speak English to real English speakers. We are all glad that we were part of this trip. We will never forget it!
