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Berlin Trip

Welcome to German Berlin Trip, October 2019

We’ve had a great first day in Berlin. After a very early start, we enjoyed hearing the stories of those who had tried to escape over the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989. It was amazing to see the outlines of buildings, fences and the remaining sections of the wall. Then on to the underground bunkers to explore the air raid shelters used during war time. A particular highlight was seeing the pneumatic post system in action. The day was nicely rounded off by a meal in Italian restaurant. Looking forward to exploring more of Berlin tomorrow!

Saturday 19 October

Well, what a marathon! We did 28000 steps today! The day began with a walking tour of Berlin, which was a great way to understand the geography of the Berlin wall. We learnt that the Brandenburg gate was within the Todestreife or death strip and therefore inaccessible for 28 years. Then in the afternoon we visited Panorama Berlin, a visual depiction of life at the border, before exploring Checkpoint Charlie, where we discovered some amazing escape stories. These included hiding in suitcases, next to car engines and even escaping by hot air balloon. Then we enjoyed seeing Berlin by night from the roof of the Reichstag.

Sunday 20 October

Our day began with an informative and reflective visit to Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp. We were astounded to see how close it is to the town, meaning that German people will have seen the prisoners being taken from the train station to the camp. We saw the cramped conditions the prisoners were kept in and learned about life in the camp, including a visit to the remains of the extermination building. We then travelled to Cecilienhof to learn about the Potsdam conference and see the rooms where Stalin, Churchill and Truman met. Our day finished with a leisurely cruise on the river Spree in the glorious sunshine. Perfect!

Monday 21 October

Today we found out more about life in Nazi Germany. We started our day with a tour of the olympic stadium, built to host the 1936 Olympics and to showcase German pride under Hitler’s regime. As a protected monument, it has a preserved facade, but inside is very modern and is the home stadium for Hertha Berlin. After a break for shopping and lunch, we explored the stories of those who had resisted in Nazi Germany, including the White Rose Movement. Tonight we are out to the Hard Rock Cafe, which we are very excited about! Lots of pictures of our trip can be seen on the MFL and History twitter feed.

Tuesday 22 October

We’re just finishing off our packing, before we enjoy our final day in Berlin. We’re looking forward to seeing the 360 degrees view of Berlin from Panorama Punkt, before learning about Germany under the Nazi regime at Topography of Terror. Then it’s shopping time! We’ll meet you at the arrivals lounge of Terminal 1 between 11.30pm and 12 midnight. We need to hand your child over in person. Bis bald!

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Cantabria Trip 2019

The Cantabria 2019 trip has arrived home safely after four fun packed days. The students were great and really immersed themselves in Spanish culture and practiced their language skills to the full! A huge thank you to Mrs Crowson and Miss Martinez for their excellent help, wonderful company and good humour.

Mrs Ryan

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Year 7 Trip to Rome

During February Half Term (9-12th April) the RS department took 32 students to the Italian city of Rome. The trip was organised to study the concept of ‘pilgrimage’, a topic Year 7 will study as part of their RS curriculum.

We had a jam-packed 3-day itinerary, attempting to squeeze in all the major sights the city has to offer: the Vatican, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Pantheon and many more!

Year 7 were impeccably well behaved and despite some downpours, fun was had by all staff and students.

We are looking forward to Rome 2020 already!

See our tweets from the trips here:

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Holland Hockey Tour

At the start of the Easter break the Year 9 & Year 10 hockey teams, accompanied by Dr Roberts, Mrs Hardicre, Mr Murray & Ms Egan, ventured to Holland on a sports tour. All of those involved enjoyed a fantastic, action packed five days which saw, six matches, two training session, a day exploring Amsterdam and a day riding the roller coasters at Efteling theme park. The students were a pleasure to take on a trip; they were a credit to the school and represented AGGS with pride. The Year 10 team won all three of their games against HC Spaarndam, KHC Strawberries & KHC De Kikkers; whilst the Year 9 team won one, drew one and lost one of their games. In addition they experienced some fantastic coaching from top level players, including current internationals, as well as seeing and using some exceptional facilities. The attached picture shows the two teams at the Wagener Stadion, one of the main stadia used by the Dutch national hockey teams. The other picture shows a signed shirt presented to us by the players of KHC Strawberries. It is a lovely memento of a fabulous tour as well as being indicative of the wonderful hospitality and friendship we received from everyone we encountered.

Huge thanks go to all those involved with the organisation and running of such a memorable few days in the sunshine.

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Art Trip to Rome

 

The Art trip group made it back safely from Rome despite the airport fire delaying their departure by 8 hours! Who knew a day in an airport car park could be such fun?

The students were a total joy as ever and the trip was wonderful from start to finish.

Ms Payne & Miss Taylor

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German exchange trip to Augsburg, Germany

We have arrived home safely after our week with Year 12 in Germany. The students very much enjoyed their stays with their host families. They successfully completed 4 days of work experience in a variety of placements including a vet’s practice, TV company, local newspaper, lawyers’ offices and a pharmacy.

Mrs. Bond and Mrs. Stokes