Off to Berlin

After a short flight to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, we arrived in Berlin on the evening of Tuesday 31 October without Halloween mishaps. A coach took us to our hostel in the centre of the city where we quickly settled in and headed to bed, eager for our walking tour of the historical monuments the next day. Accompanied and toured by Hannah and Johnny, our tour guides, we visited Bebelplatz square and saw the instantly recognisable Berlin Cathedral, while also visiting poignant memorials such as Checkpoint Charlie and where the Berlin Mauer (the Berlin Wall) used to stand, this helped us understand the realities of living in Germany during the turbulence of the Twentieth Century. Hannah also explained how certain attributes from either side of Germany are still used in Berlin today, such as the famous ‘Ampelmann’ from East Germany.  Our tour ended at the iconic Brandenburg Gate which was certainly ‘selfie’ worthy!

After lunch, a short drive to Gleinicker Brücke – known as the ‘Bridge of Unity’ and also as ‘The Bridge of Spies,’ where Mr Mills held us spellbound – we crossed over it for a walk around Schloss Cecilienhof (where the Potsdam Conference was held in 1945) built by the Hohenzollern Family, the last ruling family of Prussia. A moment of reflection and remembrance was held as pupils were able to walk around Gleis 17 – Platform 17, where many of Berlin’s Jews were deported during the Second World War, the devastating history the rail tracks held and seeing it in real life was certainly a moving experience for all. After a delicious currywurst for dinner, we walked down the largest open gallery in the world, the East Side Gallery, pupils enjoyed walking down the street and were able to see the development of politics from the Cold War onwards in artworks of various mediums.

The most busy and pensive day started as we left our hostel and arrived at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Mr Hosking gave us an intriguing walking tour around the camp where we also visited the smaller museums within the premises. We ate a quick lunch at the Mall of Berlin, many pupils opted for kebab, a German original! The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe reflected a sentimental mood as we discussed what each of us thought the architect wanted to achieve as he previously stated anyone’s views at the memorial were open up to interpretation. This was followed by a trip to the momentous Reichstag building where we saw views of Berlin from the glass dome. A trip to the Topography of Terror, a memorial and museum based upon the SS Headquarters gave us an insight into being a member of the SS during the Nazi Regime and the effect the SS had on the general public. After dinner and a short ride on the U-Bahn, we arrived at Hackescher Market, the beginning of our counterculture tour, led by Hannah and Johnny, where we walked around Berlin and saw graffiti and artworks which taught us that Berlin is not only historical but a beautiful and diverse city with something for everyone.

Our third day started with a coach trip to a former Stasi Camp, in (what was) East Berlin. We learned about the effects of the Stasi on East Germany and how prisoners were treated whilst also learning about the different methods that the Stasi used to isolate the prisoners such as desensitising them by bringing them in at night or by driving around Berlin for three hours and pretending to arrive after a long drive. A coach drive back and we were able to eat lunch and to buy some souvenirs from our trip to Berlin, then the coach came to pick us up for the last time. We arrived at the airport and after a rapid flight, we arrived at Gatwick. We would like to thank all the teachers for organising and supporting this trip and also to Hannah and Johnny for being engaging tour guides.

By Kayla Prashad