On 18th of October 2018 at 06:00 hours, Year 10 and Year 11 GCSE History and German students embarked on a thrilling four day trip to Berlin to learn more about some of the important landmarks of Germany’s famous past.
Accompanied by our amazing and extremely knowledgeable guide from Anglia Tours, Sam Noble, we gained detailed knowledge about the significance of the Reichstag - Germany’s parliament - the Brandenburg Gate and of course the Berlin Wall, to name a few. Soon after we arrived we quickly became accustomed to the public transport around Berlin. We travelled on trams, trains, buses, the metro and we even walked! This gave us an insight into modern life in Germany’s bustling capital.
We visited the Olympic stadium which was built for the 1936 Olympics and was used by Hitler as a venue to try to impress the world with his twisted propaganda. On a much more sombre note, we spent some time at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. We went to Gleis 17 platform which was used to transport trains carrying thousands and thousands of mostly Jewish people to their life of misery. Witnessing these places was extremely moving, unsettling and we all sympathised with those who lived and died during this period of inhumane atrocities. The discussions we had as a group were very enlightening as we tried to make sense of what happened throughout Germany’s history.
However the trip was not all doom and gloom! We enjoyed our time at the Hard Rock Cafe Berlin, dining out at various cafes and shopping in the streets of Germany’s capital, including a spree at Urban Outfitters! Many girls enjoyed having their picture taken with a trained rat, including Ms St Johnston. Overall, each girl has gained a much broader and deeper understanding of Germany’s history by visiting the monumental sites. The unexpected emotions and feelings that this experience evoked provide a new awareness and meaning behind the printed words in the textbooks. We would definitely recommend the trip to future year groups.
On behalf of all the Manor House students who participated in this incredible history trip we would like to say a huge thank you to Ms St Johnston, Mrs Grindrod and Mr Jones for being chaperones and organising this enjoyable and enlightening experience.
By Emma S and Freya P of Year 11