German Markets Trips
Two weeks before the end of the school term a large proportion of the 2nd year woke early to take a ten hour marathon of a journey to the enchanting Christmas markets. There were the usual game boys, films and books accompanied by the sound of 2nd years buzzing with excitement. After a shuttle trip and a journey on a motorway that never seemed to end we finally arrived at our unexpectedly fancy looking hotel via France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The boys were then walked through the beautiful, sleeping town of Rϋdeshiem and even though we had just been on a coach for ten hours, we were all lively during our hilarious street snowball fight.
After our filling breakfast the next morning we walked literally across the street from our hotel onto the large boat that would take us down the River Rhine and allow us the opportunity to take many photos of the wonderful landscape. After the boat trip we walked up a tall hill and once at the top we all got our first glimpse of Germany, the stunning river and the glorious, snow-covered town below. After the long walk down the hill we were rewarded with a long drive back to our hotel and then a short walk to the musical instrument museum. Upon arrival we were amazed by these expensive instruments and perhaps even more by the guide’s accent.
Next up, the markets, really it is very hard to describe the markets to someone who has no idea what they are like. The atmosphere is more wonderful than at a football match, the shops filled with sweets, souvenirs, clothes, candles and many strange contraptions that captured our imagination. The next day we drove to a so called nearby market (by no means was it nearby!) but it was easily worth it. This market was bigger, it had even more sweets, souvenirs, clothes, candles than the one in Rϋdeshiem and many of us started the long process of buying gifts for the family. When we arrived back at our hotel we splashed into the small but lovely little pool and were packed in like sardines but it was still lots of fun.
Sadly the next morning was a horrible sequence of events. First an early morning wake up, then the realisation that we were leaving Germany and finally the ten hour drive back to England.
I speak for all the boys when I thank Mr. Easingwood, Mr. Laidlaw, Mrs Ralph and, especially, Mrs Heaf for organising the trip and executing it all so professionally.
Ryan Kochberg 2P
Just before Christmas, the Second Form visited the Rhineland, Germany, to sample the Christmas markets. On our first day, we went on a train ride around the famous German vineyards. The driver told us about the special wine that the town creates and how the painstaking process produces a beautiful product. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try any!
After this exciting trip, we went to a musical museum, which housed early musical automata (automatic musical boxes), one of which had many orchestral instruments inside it. We saw the early stages of the Edwin, and the gramophone, and then moved on to the smaller music boxes. Following the museum, we went out for our first taste of the markets. We split up into groups, and went shopping! The stalls were selling a variety of things, from potato pancakes to electrifying torches! It was a scene to remember!
The next day, we travelled on the coach to Trier, another place which housed Christmas markets. However, before going shopping, we went to the old Roman catacombs. This really was fun, since we could all play hide and seek underground, in a sort of maze.
It was now shopping time! The bright lights, delicious aromas, and the available metre of popcorn were an awesome sight, and also the one man band, who could not really sing…
The last day approached, and a boat trip was in store for us. It was really nice, standing on the top deck, eating our packed lunches on the tables provided. The trip ended and we started on what we thought was a short walk, but it ended up as a massive hike up a mountain, where falling down meant death! (The Second Master, responsible for Health and Safety at School, will be reassured to know that 2nd Formers can occasionally be prone to slight exaggeration. Ed.) Eventually, we got to the top, but had to go down, since the teachers didn’t want us to go any further.
So, the trip came to an end, our money well worth spent. If you have any spare time, and a bit of money at hand, go to the Rhineland in the Christmas, and you will truly see a spectacle of a lifetime.
Huai Phen 2R
On the 8th of December, 40 second and third formers ventured on a quest to the German markets – a traditional cluster of stalls set up every year. We started our journey at 6:45am; a throng of teenagers stumbled onto the coach, all with a hint of tiredness, but an eagerness for adventure. The coach journey was lively; Films, music, game consoles and phones were just some of the abundant antidotes used to forget the arduous journey. But after the near ten-hour expedition, including a shuttle trip from Folkestone to Calais, and a drive through France, Belgium and the Netherlands, we reached our hotel in Rüdesheim, Germany. Dinner was scrumptious, much better than any school trip food I have ever had, and the same applied to the room, which even included its own TV! After a short walk round the village we retired to our beds.
The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, we sailed down the River Rhine in a boat, on which we snapped away at the scenery with our cameras and slurped down some hot chocolate. Next, a challenge set us on a trek up a hill, only to get to the top, realise that we had reached a dead end, and clamber all the way down again. Once at the bottom our legs were aching, so the teachers decided on a train ride to lighten our sorrows, namely the Winzer Express. This was a train that rode through the vineyards of Rüdesheim, and gave us a chance to catch some glances at the town’s great scenery: including a statue created to give people hope. After the train journey, we headed to a museum, where all the instruments were self-playing. This included an ‘unaccompanied’ piano and an orchestra of fourteen instruments built into one contraption. Finally after a long day taking photos and listening to spooky instruments, it was time to face the German markets. The only way I could describe them is to say that they were like Santa’s Grotto in a fairytale world. There was food, souvenirs, clothes, candles and many more goodies to tantalise our taste buds. After a busy day of non-stop walking, we slept peacefully.
Roman ruins were first on the agenda the next day, in a little town called Trier. Here, we spotted the Roman baths and scurried through the never-ending maze of corridors and tunnels under the ruins. Afterwards, we hurried to the German markets of Trier, and a wall built by the Romans to show power to all who shadowed it. At this point we split into groups and wandered around the stalls. There was many a kind, ranging from food to souvenirs, from clothes to wooden animals, and from a shop devoted to gummy-bears to the German version of M&S. This continued back in Rudesheim, where we could decide finally what we should buy for our relatives, or, if this was not the case, swim in the hotel’s tranquil pool (that was until we jumped into it!).
The next day brought a miserable thought to all our minds – it was time to venture back to reality. Away from the sumptuous scenery and the mythical markets; back to school and ‘lifelong’ homework. But one thing was for certain – the trip was worth it. I would like to thank Mr Easingwood, Mrs Heaf, Mrs Morgan and Mrs Ralph for putting up with us for four whole days (trust me – it is hard) and to the coach driver who suffered the same sorrowful symptoms – just joking!
Kyle Da-Cunha 2S