CCW German Language Tour 2023

German Language Tour 2023 Student Reflections

German Language Tour

Tag Eins (Day One)

by Oscar Brundell Hallo von Deutschland!

Our trip started at Melbourne Airport at 2:30 in the morning! We were all exhausted but that didn’t matter because we were going to Germany! Luckily everything went really smoothly and nobody was late. The flight departed at 5:30 am exactly, which was good because we had a very short layover in Dubai, before our next flight to Frankfurt

The first flight from Melbourne to Dubai was 13.5 hours long, but to me, it felt like it was shorter compared to our next flight which was only 6 hours long. The food, which included nasi goring, profiteroles and other delicious dishes, was surprisingly good, and we really didn’t have any complaints We all tried to get as much sleep as possible trying to adjust our body clocks into German time.

We arrived in 42 degrees, Dubai at 1 pm and spent a quick two hours waiting for the next flight We explored the Dubai terminal, in groups The Dubai International Terminal can apparently hold up to 5000 people! It was by far one of the nicest airports I’ve been to, with palm trees and even a waterfall inside! By the time we boarded our flight to Frankfurt, we were all exhausted and the only thing keeping us running was Starbucks and the three hours of sleep

The six-hour plane trip to Frankfurt was the longest, most tiring flight I’ve ever been on. Our expected arrival time in Frankfurt was 8 pm, so if we slept on the plane we wouldn’t sleep when we arrived at the hotel, so we all tried our absolute hardest not to fall asleep Many hilarious photos of posing next to Indya and Sebastian, who had fallen asleep were taken.

We landed in Frankfurt surrounded by a thunderstorm, which meant we were stuck on the plane for another 30mins The rain was so torrential the plane was actually moving side to side and it ended up flooding the terminal causing the elevator and escalators to stop working. By then we were all zombies but at least we were in warm weather.

We met Finn at the arrival hall in Frankfurt, this was lucky because if we hadn’t, we would have spent ages navigating our way to the hotel. It definitely took some time to get used to the cars and buses driving on the opposite side of the road and having no pedestrian crossing lights, but it was all part of the adventure When we finally arrived at the hotel, they hadn’t yet discovered what air-conditioning was, we were already drowning in our own sweat and the idea of stepping into the 30-degree hotel (that felt like 100 degrees) made us want to cry. We were so tired that despite the heat, a bed was all we wanted. We all had cold showers in an attempt to cool off but as soon as we stepped out we began sweating again

As of now, it is 10 pm and we have to be up at 6 am to get ready for the train to Berlin. We can’t wait! Bis Bald!

German Language Tour

Tag

Zwei (Day Two)

by Indya Rossato

Hallo von Berlin!

I think everyone can agree the first night was sweltering hot as Germany doesn’t have airconditioning! But we were up bright and early and at the breakfast table at 6:30 am. The German buffet breakfast provided the norms but also cold meat, cheese and salad which was very different from being Australian.

After a quick adventure to reach the Bahnhof (train station) and a few extra risk assessments, we found our ICE train and we were off like the speed of light until our train was delayed and the journey stretched from 4 hours to 6 hours. Although it was not the journey we expected, we had some true cultural immersion and our eagerness got us to Berlin.

Upon meeting our guide Robert, we experienced the Berlin train system (UBahn and SBahn) and the tram lines. The complexity of the underground train system is like none other! It's definitely something you have to experience to fully appreciate and even just comprehend. You can travel to the city in a matter of minutes! In my opinion, it's very cool.

We checked into our hostel for the next three nights, the Generator Hostel, which is quite spacious until you enter the bathroom. (Frau Synnot and Frau Wyatt would certainly not agree, they have the “honeymoon suite” as Oscar calls it). The hostel is located on the East Communist side of Berlin and the area certainly gave us an insight into the lives in the 60s to 90s. Within minutes of checking in, we were off to experience Berlin.

Our guide Robert took us on a walking tour of Checkpoint Charlie, the only remaining border crossing from the Berlin Wall period, and The Holocaust Memorial which was very interesting as it is a field of concrete block open for the mind's interpretation, along the last remaining section of the Berlin Wall, Potsdam Platz, Alexander Platz und finally the Brandenburg Tor. We even had a quick stop at Bier Berlin, and even though the name suggests otherwise, some of us tried a traditional Berlin Currywurst (sausage with curry powder and sauce) for the first time.

After many kilometres of walking and many UBahns, we made it back to our hostel for dinner, which definitely brought some giggles. Now we are all cooling off for the night and hopping into bed ready for another big day tomorrow.

Guten Nacht von Berlin!

German Language Tour

Tag Drei (Day Three)

Hallo von Berlin (again)!

by Charlotte Roberts

What a day With minor jet lag still taking its toll, many of us woke to bright sunshine only to find it was still only 5 am. The rooms however were a fair bit cooler than the first night which hugely improved our overall opinion of this hostel. With an 8 am start for breakfast, another delicious buffet consisting of bread, fruit, cold meats and cheese, we started on our way to the REWE (a type of German supermarket) The plan was to spend five or so minutes there before moving on however the huge variety of German snacks and brands of food held us up an extra 15 minutes.

Continuing from our shopping adventures, we travelled by tram to the Gemäledgalerie where we spent the next few hours There would have been hundreds of paintings on display but it didn’t take too long before we started to notice a few things. 1) these artists, however good most of the painting was, could not draw babies, 2) the dogs were not too much better than the babies and 3) the stereotypical art gallery visitor stance is real Many of the paintings depicted different scenes of Jesus’s life from being a baby in the stable to hanging on the cross The paintings illustrated a range of ideas from heaven and hell to the consequences for traitors. I thought it was interesting to see how much of the paintings from back then have changed into what they are today, one of the biggest differences is that many of the paintings seen in the gallery were based around religion

We added to our already huge number of steps accumulated throughout the trip by walking to our next stop which was the German Spy Museum It was full of information on early-day codes, the inventors, odd places where cameras were hidden and many other interactive activities to do with spies. While it was interesting to learn about the many different ways that a person could spy, and there were many, I think many of us found the activities more stimulating with a laser maze to get through, unlocking a safe with a stethoscope and a secret passage through a fake ventilation tunnel

We spent the afternoon in the Berlin Tiergarten, a park that the royals used to hunt animals in as a pastime, which was just across the street from the Brandenburg Gate and also looking through shops with souvenirs that included miniature versions of the bear statues dotted throughout Berlin Dinner tonight was chicken burgers with gravy, sweet potato gnocchi, potato salad and cake for dessert I am finding it interesting the combinations of food that Germany serves such as the burgers with gnocchi and I hear that schnitzels with noodles are quite popular too.

I am looking forward to what tomorrow will bring and am so glad that I get to go on this trip with some pretty amazing people.

Gute Nacht!

German Language Tour

I think today was not what we expected for German summer, rain forecast all day! We were all feeling a bit more energised with better sleep than the other nights as it was cooler We woke up to a nice breeze, but there was also rain which wasn’t expected to stop anytime soon. We woke up to another delicious breakfast with a variety of cereal, bread, fruit, cold meats and cheese. After breakfast, a few of us had to go to the German supermarket down the street mostly to buy ourselves umbrellas, as it wasn’t going to stop raining and had forgotten to bring one

We headed off early by tram to the DDR museum and while we were waiting we split up into little groups to do something in the time we had before our tour One group went to the church and got to hear some of the music they play and the other group went souvenir shopping Then we all got back and ready for our tour of the DDR museum. Most of us had already touched base on what life was like in former East Germany (known as the Deutsche Demokratische Republik), this gave us an even better understanding of it as we got to see items in real life and not just a textbook photo It was enjoyable because it was interactive and you saw a lot of the items they used back in those times (toys the children had, clothes they wore, and transport they had) which was really cool and interesting. After the tour, we all got lunch from the bakery and had to find some shelter from the rain as it just kept on getting heavier We had a break before heading off not too far to a couple of museums

We went to two museums in total, the Pergamon Museum and the Neues Museum. We got given a phone which had audio about some of the different monuments and statues we got to see in the museum It was very cool with different times and places artefacts and some looked so real as well as some very big monuments, but it was unfortunate that they were all mostly replicas and not the real thing. It was still interesting to hear about them and we also got to see a bust of Nefertiti! We couldn’t take photos of Nefertiti because it was not permitted, even though some did outside the room which we found to be quite rude

As we headed back, we went for another trip to the German supermarket where we bought food and drinks for our trip to Nuremberg which was the next day We were all happy to be back in shelter away from the rain that had been continually going throughout the day For dinner, we had a zucchini salad, scalloped potatoes and meat, with dessert being chocolate pudding and vanilla sauce. We are now getting ready for an early start tomorrow and can’t wait to see what Nuremberg has to offer.

Gute Nacht von Berlin

German Language Tour

Tag Fünf (Day Five) by

Finn Vogels

As you read, I sit on the window sill of our little cosy Hostel, writing about yet another day of memories.

What started off as an early rise, of around 5:30 am, we woke up to the German sun glistening through our small hostel room in Berlin. We were rushed to pack our bags and make our way to the Hauptbahnhof in Berlin. Yet we boarded the train, right on time! Or so we thought? Rambling through the carriages, with large pieces of language, blocking any pathway of someone passing through, everything was good, beginning to settle down, but something did not add up Until we realised we were on the wrong train carriage, rushing from carriage 33 to 23, within two minutes, each and every one of us hauling our own luggage! Although this was nerve-racking, looking back it was an epic adventure

Arriving in Nürnberg, we were instantly welcomed by the old township, the frolicking birds dancing amongst the tree and the company of other curious adventurous. Nürnberg truly is a magical place. Hauling our luggage into a taxi to drive to the hotel, as there were some steep climbs! Placing our luggage in the room and on we went to explore Nürnberg First, we toured around some of the old historical artefacts which lie within Nürnberg, ranging from the colosseum assembled under Hitler's reign, which can house up to 50,000 people and being able to see where Hitler arranged his order over Germany, causing nothing more than a mass genocide and terror

After our tour of Germany's history, we wandered through the Nürnberg trials museum, where we learnt about just some of the politics, laws, terror and truth which occurred during this time. Witnessing the Nürnberg court itself, sitting amongst the benches, and large glistening chandeliers was an experience to remember, as it is not till you witness it first-hand how real this all was. Learning about this history of the world is very fascinating, although we have had some very dark periods throughout, these monuments provide a basis for us to learn what is right and wrong and ultimately for us to remember the atrocities which took place in the stained history of the world

To end our day, we wandered the lively streets of Nürnberg, smelling the fresh breeze of air, snacking on some very ripe strawberries and having fun in the presence of such a special town Finishing the end of the day on a high we witnessed the sun trickling over Nürnberg We then found out that one of our teachers is a die-hard rugby fan!

Bis Morgen!

German Language Tour

Tag Sechs (Day Six)

by Zoe Doodewaard

Hallo von der Bahn zu Berlin (hello from the train to Berlin), Today was another successful day on our German Language Tour. We participated in exploring the lovely medieval city of Nuremberg and the train ride back to Berlin, where we meet our homestay families for the next 10 days.

Now, let’s start at the beginning. The day commenced at 8 am, which was a lovely sleep-in by the way. After we got ready for the adventures that were ahead of us, we made our way down the castle walls to the cafeteria. Breakfast consisted of cold meats, cheese, bread rolls, muesli, yogurt and a variety of delicious cakes; a very German breakfast. At 10 am, we gathered together to set up a game plan for the day. Our train ride wasn’t until 3 pm, so we had lots of time to kill. Once we got our instructions for the day, we set off to explore the fairytale-like city in groups. There were 3 rules we had to agree to. 1.) Buy some lunch before our return. 2.) Meet back at our accommodation before 1 pm. And 3.) At 11:30 am take an iconic Mrs Synnot selfie to verify our attendance. Camberwell’s teacher, Frau Walter, thought it was a good idea to make the selfie attendance a competition for the best selfie! And who doesn’t love a good old competition?

At first, we were a bit sceptical about what to do as it was a Sunday and most shops were closed. My group, consisting of Elsa, Ronja and me, decided to make a run to Starbucks for a quick refresher. We then went to the park and enjoyed the outstanding view of this breathtaking city, while also brainstorming the best selfie for our competition. By the time we were done, it was 11:30 am, which, if you remember from before, was now time to take the iconic Mrs Synnot selfie. Before we were about to press the button, Oscar came around the corner and decided to join our selfie. Once we were proud of the iconic selfie, we press send and made our way back to the city centre to look for some lunch. Oscar joining us of course. Because we were in Germany, we wanted to experience the full Deutschlander life, and we decided to go for Bratwurst. There was a little restaurant near our accommodation which was perfect. It was very special as it was our first time eating in a restaurant in Germany. We of course ordered Bratwurst with sauerkraut and Kartoffelsalat. The sauerkraut and Kartoffelsalat were delicious but the Bratwurst was not what we were expecting, but it was still very very yummy. After paying the check, we went and got a gelato from the nearby ice cream shop. I got lemon and mango, which was again very delicious. As we still had an hour left until we had to go back, we decided to explore some small streets of Nuremberg. Which was a fantastic idea because the streets were some of the most beautiful streets we’ve set eyes on.

Finally, it was 1 pm so we had to make our way back to the castle-like accommodation. As we still had two hours till our train, the way to the train station was like a breeze, no one was stressing unlike on the way to Nuremberg.

Now, sitting on the train, looking out to the beautiful countryside, our homestay families waiting for us at the Berlin / Wartenberg train station. While my eyes are tired, my mind is full of excitement for what awaits us for tomorrow’s adventures.

P.S. Sitting in bed after meeting our host family, which was very daunting. Charlotte and my family cannot speak English so communication is very hard. But other than that dinner was delicious and the people are very nice. Now, my eyes are extremely tired and all my mind wants to do now is sleep. So, this is guten Nacht.

Auf Wiedersehen

German Language Tour

Tag Sieben (Day Seven) by

Sophie Bussell Hallo!

Wow, what a day! Right now, it is pouring down with rain as thunder rumbles in the sky. Welcome to German weather!

The day started off to a rocky start with many of us exhausted and everyone coming from Homestay families to the Sprachschule, for our morning lesson at 9.30 am. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is awesome being in Germany, but gee whiz! Learning the language is so hard, especially when our teacher didn’t speak English and we were stuck guessing the answers to quite a few unfamiliar questions!

Luckily we all survived and were excited for the next part of our day where we were supposed to go to the Futurium However, there were a few obstacles that got in our way and we didn’t end up making it there So instead, we got to shop at a fancy mall called KaDeWe Like, talk about posh living and fancy people! That place was big but the prices were bigger! It was epic and we all had an amazing time!

We finished shopping and went outside to relax on a nice bit of grass under a shady tree, which we thought was a nice place to chill out Well, we got that one wrong! No sooner had we all spread ourselves out and laid down on the grass, were we told that the grass was full of ticks!!! Like can you believe it! With lots of running, laughing and shrieking, we all clambered off the grass and started brushing ourselves down, whilst looking for ticks on our skin and clothes

After settling down again we made our way to the teacher's hotel called Titanic, before returning to our accommodation for the night, as it started to bucket down with rain.

I know I can speak for all of us when I say that we will be very happy when we get to sleep tonight, after such a long day!

Bis später!

German Language Tour

Tag Acht (Day Eight)

by Sebastian Carlesso Hallo!

After we had a comfy sleep in our luxury suite at the Pegasus Hotel, we started the day early at 7 am, where we headed to breakfast for our lovely selection of sour yogurt, sandwiches and cereal

After a quick talk about the day, we packed our lunches which consisted of some breakfast food and a bag filled with wondrous treats. As usual, Oscar led us to the U-Bahn where we caught our trains to the language school

At school, we talked about ending words and when to you use them, such as der, die and das, we then learnt about the departure and arrival of planes and how to answer questions.

For recess, we opened our bags filled with goodies and headed to the balcony where we enjoyed watching a thunderstorm surround the city of Berlin.

We finished language school at 12 45 and headed right to the market where we brought some local fruits like strawberries and raspberries We slowly made our way back to our hostel, where most people took some time to relax before we had to take off again for a guided tour of the Bundestag building We learnt all about the cultural significance, the heritage and the construction of the building This led us to the dome of the building where we had a friendly chat with a security guard and 15 photos later a hilarious photo of Frau Synnot and Frau Wyatt jumping in front of the Reichstag Dome. Afterwards, we headed back towards the hostel where we had a wonderful dinner followed by an early night for the big day ahead of us

Bis Morgen

German Language Tour

Tag Neun (Day Nine) by Elsa Wilkinson

Willkommen zu Tag neun!

We started the day off this morning with another breakfast of (can you guess) salami, cheese, bread, fruit, muesli and orange juice Then we navigated our way from our hostel to the Sprachschule The train journey takes around 30 minutes switching between trains and walking to and from stations It’s a great way to see the city! Today's temperature was much cooler than it has been. So it made travelling around the city much easier.

Today at school we practised the perfect tense We worked on using ‘Weil’ in a sentence when asking and answering questions and learnt some general vocabulary and phrases that we can continue to use on our travels. It’s safe to say we are all brain-dead!

After school, we travelled to the ‘Futurium’ While waiting outside the station Frau Synnot relived her past with a safe landing demonstration coupled with a demonstration of the physics of gravity. The Futurium was an interactive museum that showed us the threats and reality of our future. We got to participate in many interactive activities and read about both predictions and realities of our current society and way of life It made us question if a robotic future is a threat or a friend After spending an hour or so in the museum and even more time in the shop… we went back to the Bundestag to take some photos that we couldn’t take yesterday due to the weather

We then made our way back to the hostel, (we have the train routes down pat) and spent some downtime eating snacks and taking some well-deserved naps. After everyone was rested up we took a small lesson with Frau Beck before tucking into dinner Another successful day in Berlin!

Bis später

German Language Tour

Tag Zehn (Day Ten)

by Ronja Reynolds

Halli, Hallo!

Bread rolls, cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, hole cheese, salami, ham, jam and eggs are our typical deutscher breakfast Due to an earlier night, the enthusiasm was flowing from the group Even though we have taken a liking to the German breakfast, everyone is starting to get the craving for a good, old, cold milo and Vegemite toast. Leaving the hostel, we made our way to the Weberweise U Bahn train station taking our daily route to the Inlingua language school.

On arrival, we met with our new German teacher, whose enthusiasm towards teaching the German language is undeniable. Over the course of just four days, it is remarkable to see the difference in everyone’s understanding of what is being spoken and the pronunciation of German words.

Nearing the end of our class we were divided into pairs and had the task of finding out information about one another. Auf Deutsch, of course. Once our time was up we each had to stand in front of the class and inform everyone about our partner. For some, this was an easy task, however, for a few standing up in front of the class and presenting is daunting and even more so in a language foreign to you So a handful of students had to be brave and overcome this fear to present to the class In the end, each presentation was amazing!

After language school, we stopped for a quick lunch break, and then we all headed down for a look around the market. The food looked amazing! There were cheeses, fish, ice cream, fruit stalls, vegetable stalls, kebab stalls and so much more.

From the market, Jess guided us to the Deutsches Technik Museum Standing from the outside there is no telling how much information and how many models this museum could possibly hold.

Once debriefed by the teachers we were able to explore the first and second building for an hour and a half I started in the textiles area and was able to see the vast change in computers from the very first ones created. We were informed about how people would listen to music, how the first movies were filmed, how fabrics were produced and about Germany’s first radio broadcast, the Funkstunde Berlin

From textiles, we moved onto ships and were able to look at a multitude of ship models from all different time periods. Some of the models demonstrated the evolution of a boat's ability to travel faster depending on what sort of propellers it had We had the luxury of climbing aboard a life-size ship and were able to witness what the living conditions were like for people on ships Taking the elevator up to the next level, we arrived at a room full of planes. Some big, some small, and some full of holes And even flying cars! This section of the plane was by far one of my favourites along with the trains and steam engines

Walking out onto the outdoor terrace we were greeted with an amazing view of Berlin and a cool breeze I have to say that Germans should consider installing air-cons I have not been in a single building so far that has an aircon installed and we have been experiencing temperatures of up to 33 degrees.

Germans and their stairs Where do I begin with this one? I have never, ever in my life walked up and down so many stairs. Every building you enter is at the very least six storeys high. Now how many flights of stairs do you need to get up to the top? A lot! Just changing trains may involve up to four flights of stairs!

After a forty-five-minute rest, we all headed down to the study room for our evening revision session. The amazing Frau Beck continuously helps us and explains the German grammar we needed extra clarification on I absolutely love our little light bulb moments when Frau Beck teaches everyone a new little trick for the topic we are learning and everyone’s realisation of how much easier it is than what we thought.

Bis morgen!

German Language Tour

Tag Elf (Day Eleven)

by Oscar Brundell

Hallo von La Pegasus!

Well, it’s actually called ‘The Pegasus Hostel’ but it’s surprisingly nice and if you pretend there’s an infinity pool overlooking the city of Deutschland, with a rooftop terrace then it actually sounds really luxurious But in fairness the food is delicious, the rooms are comfortable and the staff are great We had an early start today at 7 am and I believe we're all excited about that weekend sleep-in tomorrow. Today was Ronja’s 16th birthday! So we all sang Happy Birthday in German. It went something like “Zum Geburtstag viel Glück, Zum Geburtstag viel Glück, Zum Geburtstag lieber Ronja, Zum Geburtstag viel Glück” Basically translating to, much luck on your birthday After our beloved buffet gourmet breakfast, we headed down to the U-bahn Station called Weberwiese and caught the U5 to Unter den Linden, then caught the U6 one stop to Stadtmitte and then the U2 7 stops to Wittenberg Platz This usually takes around 40mins

At school we revised comparative forms zum Beispiel gut, besser und am bestern, and we then did Maths! This was a little bit strange but it helped us revise numbers and how to add, subtract, multiply and divide For our break the brilliant teachers brought a cake in for Ronja’s birthday, it was delectable and a great way to spend 15mins on the balcony overlooking the city of Berlin For the last hour and a half of class, we revised families and then we split up in groups and read a series of stories about how these couples fell in love It’s amazing to see how much we’ve improved and how little we need to translate things because the main thing at our language school is that you can’t speak any English and you can’t translate anything into English.

After school, we headed towards the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a church built in the 1890s which was severely damaged during a bombing raid in 1943 and was never repaired It’s a fascinating reminder, that most of Berlin was destroyed after WWII but most buildings were repaired and you forget about the damage Germany sustained during the bombing raids of WWll. We then went into the modern church built next door to the Kaiser Wilhelm Church and it shows how ugly modern churches are compared to the olden days churches There was a choir raising money for a young Ukrainian who had lost her leg from a grenade blast. The choir sounded amazing and we were all sad we had to leave. Of course though when we tried to leave quietly, Mrs Wyatt and I got stuck and forgot that doors can actually be pulled in as well as pushed out but in the end a helpful American who had seen our struggle told us to pu

We then headed to the Mall of Berlin where we spent an hour shopping. It's always awesome spending time in the German shopping centre because it really immerses you in German culture Time really does go fast in Germany and before we knew it we had to meet again and head towards the Topographie des Terrors, which is both an indoor and an outdoor history museum. It’s located on the Niederkirchnerstrasse, formerly called Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse and was the site of buildings from the Nazi regime It was where the headquarters for the Gestapo and SS were located, and the museum was located in ‘No-mans Land’ during the DDR. The museum is very descriptive and is like a timeline depicting all the events that took place during the Third Reich.

Before we knew it, it was 6 o’clock so Indya led us back to La Pegasus where we changed into our black attire and dined on the rooftop terrace.

Bis morgen!

German Language Tour

Tag Zwölf (Day Twelve) by Indya Rossato

Today we had a later start to the morning, 8:30 was a much better start in my opinion

Breakfast was the same, what a surprise! Although it was sehr lecker. We caught a train to Potsdam and Seb entertained the trains people with the wonders of Maths After an hour on the train, we reached Potsdam We were all very excited to reach Potsdam as most of us didn’t know the beauty that was to surprise us.

We began our 4km tour through the wonderful Potsdam castle and botanical gardens area We saw the Neues Castle, Potsdam University, Orangerieschloss, the botanical gardens in their glory and the Sans Souci palace. In my opinion, the Orangerieschloss was my favourite as it had beautiful gardens, water fountains and sculptures.

After the visit to the castle, we went into town and enjoyed some free time and lunch I shared a huge Döner Kebab with Charlotte that was so big it was impossible to consume. Others enjoyed other German treats such as Currywurst, Marzipan and Pommes. Charlotte, Ronja and I enjoyed shopping for sunglasses and exploring the wide and strange collection of hats Including a cap that doesn’t have a brim! After we spent money on chocolate and ice cream, we kept walking to the Dutch Quarter within we enjoyed the cobblestone paths, the cute little boutiques and the cool architecture. Our final hour in Potsdam we spent dancing to a busking band and enjoying our time all together After 13km of walking, we made our way back to The Pegasus

For dinner, we had Pizza with no chips although it was still very good! We finished off the night with a game of trivia Although the game was named trivia, Oscar's version of trivia wasn’t very trivial!

The Trivia consisted of three groups: Nice Agnes, Einstein's Bedtime and SNOTS and we had 38 questions. There was a range of questions regarding the trip, German translations, tongue twisters and sayings Congratulations to the winners Nice Agnes on 17 points, which consisted of Mrs Wyatt, Charlotte, Sarah, Elsa and myself Big shoutout to Oscar for the research for the game and for hosting an awesome night!

Time to enjoy our prizes!

Bis Bald!

German Language Tour

Tag Dreizehn (Day Thirteen)

Hallo Ihr lieben,

by Charlotte Roberts

Despite already being in Berlin for nearly two weeks, there is still so much left to see and explore. Every day has held new adventures but it is nice to have some consistency’s throughout the trip, one of them being the breakfast selections

It had been mentioned earlier in the week that a trip to church was required, so this morning a few of us left to attend St Marienkirche’s 10:30 Sunday service Dressed in varying standards of Sunday best, we navigated the train stations with ease, proving that practice does eventually make perfect While I think many of us had a limited understanding of the full service, we still enjoyed trying to keep up with all the songs and prayers. The highlight for me was definitely listening to the choir, children no older than 13, sing with the huge organ in the church The organ was said to be over 300 years old and even had a song performed in the church in honour of its 300th jubilee The church itself was stunning with soaring white ceilings and statues and paintings dotted throughout.

Being a Sunday, there are very few shops open due to German traditions so we took this opportunity to have a slow day, which was helpful to get through some washing and rest up for the full week planned ahead.

The afternoon activities were open for ideas and all the Cathedral College kids decided to go back to the Tiergarten for the rest of the day. We first stopped at an open area where there was live music and enjoyed a bratwurst mit brotchen. While it was no Bunnings snag it was still very delicious. We then left to visit the victory column which was located in the Center of the gardens It was made to commemorate Germany's victories against Denmark, Austria and France during the late 1800s It was an incredible structure with a huge gold statue on top and an intricate mosaic around the middle. There was also a chance to go to the top of the building. The only way up however was to climb the stairs in the middle, many, many stairs The view from the top though proved enduring the climb worthwhile, with a postcard-like outlook onto Berlin

Tonight’s dinner was bolognaise which was ‘sehr lecker’. After, Frau Beck had another tongue twister for us, in German of course, which almost put the English ones to shame All groups got through relatively well, however, our R rolling wasn’t quite up to German standards

With another day done and dusted the date of departure is coming around far too quickly for my liking, the week ahead however is sure to be packed to the brim to make the most of our time in Germany

Tschüss

German Language Tour

Tag Vierzehn (Day Fourteen) by Jessica Holland

Hallo Ihr Lieben,

We had to get back into the routine of waking up at 7 am for school after our sleep-ins over the weekend As usual, we woke up to our regular breakfast and got ready for our last few days of language school, this was our last half day

Looking back on last Monday at language school, you can tell just how much all of us have improved our understanding and pronunciation of German words We looked over the text we got on Friday and talked over what was stated in the text with a few prompt questions that were on the board to help us write some notes about it. We also did a few other worksheets and one sheet was creating the correct questions to the answer that was given, then depending on if you got sheet A or B you paired up and quizzed each other After our lesson, we all had our lunch and then head off to do a bit of shopping in our free time we had

Firstly we all made our way to ‘Destination 1’ which was Bikini Berlin which was a nice mall. We had an hour in there to shop and look around and there were even monkeys in the zoo out the back! After our time was up we made our way down the street to some other shops like the Berlin souvenir shops, Lego, Wrangler and more. We all met up at the Haribo shop which was so big and most of us got a supply of lollies there Then we made our way back to Inlingua where we met our guide for the East Berlin Wall guide

The Italian guide took us on the U2 to Gleisdreieck and then U3 to the end of the line. As we went along the wall looking at the different art pieces on the wall he told us some of the art piece's significance and message from the war For example, he talked about the image of the two politicians, Russian leader Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany’s SED party chairman Erich Honecker, and how they shared a kiss signifying a kind of socialist greeting. He also talked about the river and the confusion of where the border was and shared a story about it which was very interesting to hear In the story, there was a little boy who accidentally fell into the river but no one could save him even the soldiers because it would look like they were fleeing East Germany and would therefore get shot, so the boy unfortunately passed and that’s when they started making a border in the river. More artworks depicted so many different aspects of this time and was very interesting to learn more about the wall

When we got back we had a bit of time to relax before heading down to dinner which was exciting because the chips were back!! It was hamburgers and chips with pudding for dessert which was ‘sehr lecker!’

Bis morgen!

German Language Tour

Tag Fünfzehn (Day Fifteen) by Finn Vogels

Another day in Germany means another lived memory Every day we experience a new wicked memory, no one day in Deutschland is the same and not one photo can compare to the absolutely awesome time we are having.

I am going to skip the information about breakfast and our preparation because like every other day it encompassed the same, I will avoid the boring bits which no one desires to read. However, our day did start with a reversed train route, navigating multiple S-Bahns and U-Bahns, arriving successfully at our destination through the lead of Oscar

Today we had no more half-day sessions but rather a full day of learning German, although full days of learning German are not easy, it’s an important learning curve, and learning something new takes time Our first learning session included speaking about directions and how to ask for directions to a specific place After a 3-hour session, we wrapped up, thinking nothing more of just eating our lunch Until! Frau Seeger walked in the door, in shock, all Cathedral College kids ran towards her, what ended up being only a short stay, but a time to catch up on life with Frau Seeger was a good distraction from the strenuous 3 hours of learning which lay ahead of us During our afternoon session, we revisited directions and navigation but also explained a number of Sehenswürdigkeiten (sightseeing attractions). Our session ending at 17:15 saw many of us feeling a bit tired, making our way back through a variety of German transports, to arrive at our hostel, was nothing less than a delightful relief

Until next time, Tschüss

German Language Tour

Tag Sechszehn (Day Sixteen) by

Zoe Doodewaard

Hallo!

Today started off a little bit earlier, unlike the other days. After yesterday’s incident, with some trains not working and the trip to school feeling like a maze, we had to wake up a little bit earlier to be extra safe to not be late Anyway, the day started at 6:30 am Struggling to get out of bed, we all made our way down to breakfast. And like you have read many other times… breakfast consisted of cold meat, bread… I’m joking, you don’t have to read that again. After breakfast, like always, we head out the door Because of the train delays, we had to walk an extra 5 minutes to a different train station, Ostkreuz Then, stay on that line all the way to Zoologischer Garten We then had the option of catching another tram to our destination, Wittenberg Platz, but we decided to walk as it was only the next station over, some good exercise anyway.

Because we were half an hour early, we all wanted to visit the supermarket We bought snacks, drinks and fruit for class and lunch. Personally, I got an iced coffee as I was very tired and luckily it was the last day of language school.

At 9:30 am school commenced, for the first session of the day (9:30 to 11) we revised the questions for our upcoming test, which had questions like ‘What is the tram route from your hostel to language school?’ And ‘what is your favourite thing about Berlin?’ We of course had to answer them in German For our break, like usual, a couple of us hung out outside on the balcony, for the fresh air and the beautiful overlook of Berlin. The next session got underway, which included the 3 question test. We had to write 5 sentences for each question and use the things we learnt throughout language school. After the test finished, our fabulous teacher informed us of the next activity that we will be doing, which we will do in the afternoon session

After the quick brief on what was happening next, it was finally 12:45 pm. My favourite time, as we got to go down to the little shops, on the corner of Inlingua, and get Currywurst Like every other currywurst we have had, it was sehr lecker After our lunch break, which ended at 2 o’clock, we got straight into our activity. The task was to go into the KaDeWe aka Kaufhaus des Westerns (a department store). Go to the level you were assigned to. Find the coolest-looking thing, and work out what products our floor sold and so on And also do the same for the 6th floor Elsa and I had level 3, which was a women’s floor There were lots of designer brands and expensive things Did I mention it was a very expensiv ore, with top designer brands and lots of e

Once we had got the information we needed we headed back to school. Our next mission was to create and presentation about our floor We presented in front of the class and the 4 fantastic teachers, Frau Wyatt, Frau Synnot, Frau Walter and Frau Beck Elsa and I made a quick speech, in German of course, and made little props for the products that were on our level. We also had photos presented on the board to show our favourite items. After everyone completed and presented their presentation Our teacher, Frau Ideko, gave us all a certificate and a Kartoffel snack And with a quick photo with all of us, Inlingua school had officially finished Although it was very sad to leave, we are incredibly grateful for all that the two great teachers taught us. I think all of us have improved rapidly. After saying our goodbyes, we made our way back to la Pegasus. Before heading into the supermarket across the street, to grab a few snacks for the train ride tomorrow

For dinner, la Pegasus provided us with chicken, sausage, chips (of course ) and salad. But also, the teachers provided us with something. As we were doing our little mission in KaDeWe. Mrs Synnot and Mrs Wyatt had followed us and spied on us the whole time (I guess the spy museum did actually teach them something) After dinner, Mrs Wyatt and Mrs Synnot did a presentation like ours, they had taken photos of ridiculously expensive clothes presented them on their computer and talked about the clothes in German. Although their pronunciation could do with some work, I still think it was a pretty decent presentation It definitely made us all cackle

After packing our bags, we had showers and got ready for bed. We are all extremely tired and it’s an early start for the train ride tomorrow to Munich Although Munich is supposed to be beautiful and I am very excited about it, it is also the last destination of our trip Which means our tour is coming to an end. I have had the best time I could possibly have and, I would like to thank Mrs Wyatt and Frau Beck and all the people that put all their hard work into this trip and making it happen.

P S I do have one piece of advice though: do not wear cheap pants while lunging, it will not end well

German Language Tour

Tag Siebzehn (Day Seventeen) by Sebastian Carlesso

Guten Tag!

We started with an early start of 7.30 am breakfast where we were greeted with the same old breakfast we have had for the last week After that, we packed our luggage and headed towards the coach where we drove to the main train station to catch the train to Münich, our final destination before heading home. The train ride consisted of the Year 11s doing Math homework and most of the Year 10s having a good sleep. We were all getting excited for arriving soon when the train came to a stop and no one knew why, but after a few checks with the driver we were on our way It took 5 hours to get to Münich (10 30-3 30)

We got off the train and navigated ourselves to the new hotel where we would be staying for the final nights The hotel rooms consisted of a lovely soft bed with an amazing bathroom which actually worked We all began to dress fancy for our first night out followed by a guided tour by the Night Watchman.

We left the hotel and guided ourselves to the restaurant where we were greeted with what looked like pasta but it really was Spätzle A traditional German dish made of potatoes and cheese After we finished eating we headed off to the train again where we met with the night watchman, who guided us around Münich telling us all about medieval times

He shows us where the castle wall was around the city and he shocked us all when he said “400m in diameter.” We were all expecting it to be bigger honestly! Furthermore, he told us about what the night watchman did and the jobs he had to do:

look out for murders/robbers watch out for fires and blow the horn to signal the town sing a cheerful song every hour of the night lock all 4 gates of the castle

Overall we all thought it was a great experience and we definitely learnt a lot while having fun. We headed back on the train to our hotel, we had a late night heading to bed at 11.30 pm and with another big day ahead of us tomorrow

Bis Morgen.

German Language Tour

Tag Achtzehn (Day Eighteen) by Sophie Bussell

Hallo von München!

I must say before I begin, that München is such a beautiful city. As whilst Berlin was amazing, Munich is so connected and really has a heart

We all woke up this morning for our breakfast at 7 30 am and despite a few of us accidentally sleeping in we all enjoyed the delicious breakfast that was on offer. With a huge variety of food and almost too much to choose from, we ate combinations of bread, cheese, salami, ham, tomatoes, cucumber, eggs, yogurt, fruit and cereal Along with a range of juices, teas and coffees

After putting on our sun hats and sunscreen, we stepped out into the town and boarded a train to the market square of Marienplatz. We walked over to a special fountain that you can drink from, planning to easily fill up our drink bottles for the day However, instead, we found a man washing his hair in the water instead Right in the middle of the street!

We wandered around the enormous market for a while before heading over to the clock tower called Old Peter We all wanted to climb to the top and see the amazing view but I don’t think we thought about how hard getting up there would be Now, when I say this I am not exaggerating as we literally had to climb up 16 levels and 306 steps! Like what! But don’t get me wrong, it was definitely worth it when you saw the view that was waiting for you Looking out over the whole city and all the buildings it was quite something special We could even see the German Alps with snow on them! Once we climbed back down we entered a beautiful church that had magnificent statues, architecture and paintings. Then, at 10.55 am we headed over to the town hall to see the clock strike 11 and hear the Glockenspiel music, whilst watching the statues turn around It was super cool! Some time was then allocated to explore the town and do any final shopping, before meeting back for the trip to Dachau.

We arrived at the Dachau concentration camp memorial and had the experience of seeing what life was like for the prisoners there in WW2 We learned how horrible and inhumane the conditions were, and that by 1934 there were over 30,000 people crammed in there, all of whom were faced with the poss education camp.

The words “Arbeit macht frei” meaning “work sets you free” on the entrance gate and the phrase “never again” serves as a reminder and an acknowledgment We finished looking around and sat out together on the grass to have some reflection time on the experience.

Heading back to Munich was much more complicated than getting there and luckily no one was left behind when the bus got too full and the driver forced some people to get out We then hopped on a train that turned out to not be working and had to switch to a different one quickly, for the remainder of the journey back. We were all relieved to find our restaurant for dinner called the Hofbrauhaus and sit down to relax and eat dinner Our 3 course meal consisted of potato soup, chicken and potato salad and Bayerisch Creme mit Früchten, (Bavarian cream with fruit) We also got to enjoy listening to the delightful music that was played by a band in the restaurant. I mean, talk about a fancy, special restaurant! It was so lovely!

However getting home required much more work and there were a number of misdirections before we finally made it back to our beautiful hotel

After the long day we were all exhausted and couldn’t wait to get into bed and go to sleep!

Bis gleich!

German Language Tour

Tag Neunzehn (Day Nineteen) by Elsa Wilkinson

We started off our morning with yet again a buffet breakfast It’s nearing our last days so I think we are all looking forward to eating Weetbix and Vegemite on toast in a few days. After everyone had finished getting ready, we made our way to our minibus that was going to take us to the village of Hohenschwangau where we were to begin the start of our last adventures

Our 2-hour long bus trip to Hohenschwangau was entertained mainly by the beautiful Alps and countryside, but also Oscar’s rapping. Upon arrival, we made our way to the ticket centre where we arranged what our game plan was going to be for the day We had 40 minutes to explore the small village, where many people went and sat by the lake and watched swans, walked to the Hohenschwangau castle or enjoyed food in little restaurants and cafes. We met back up before tackling the climb up to the main attraction; Schloss Neuschwanstein.

We managed to take a gazillion photos in front of the castle before actually venturing inside for our guided tour. The castle has been completely restored, but seeing as King Ludwig the Second had died at age 40 he never got to finish building it. We did however get to see multiple rooms including the study, ballroom/hall, kitchen and dining room

After the guided tour we walked up the hill even more and waited in line for half an hour to stand on the Marienbrücke A bridge that is 90 metres above the river that runs around the castle From here we got astounding panoramic views of the village, castle (of course) and even the lakes, rivers and mountains that cover the surrounding land.

We spent our last full day in Germany doing so much! And due to the heat, and several kilometres of hiking up the mountain everyone was so exhausted Let’s just say it was a very quiet two hours back to Munich ��. Where we were greeted with a wonderful bongo drum performance before getting in some last-minute snack shopping. (Straight to the chocolate aisle!) we then had our last chance to walk through Munich on the way to dinner Yet again, another traditional biergarten and German restaurant

Some of us played soccer in the park and sat chatting whilst waiting for our table to be ready. Although our food took a while to arrive, we kept each other entertained and enjoyed the atmosphere of our final night For dinner tonight we had: potato dumplings, roast pork and beef, bratwurst, chicken schnitzel, roast vegetables, and of course cabbage salad. Today was Sophie’s last night with us, so we said our goodbyes before catching our last U-Bahn back to our hotel for a much-deserved rest

Vielen Dank fürs Mitlesen, wir sehen uns in Australien �� (Thanks for reading, we will see you in Australia)

German Language Tour

Tag Zwanzig (Day Twenty)

by Ronja Reynolds

Halli Hallo!

After a late last night in Munich, we were granted the delight of a sleep-in. From around 8:30 in the morning, we all enjoyed our final Deutscher Frühstück

Heading back up to our rooms we were all in a mad dash to make sure our suitcases would fit the last gifts. Bags packed we all met out the front of our accommodation waiting for the bus.

The bus trip was a very quiet ride with almost everyone falling asleep Not quite how I pictured our final drive through Germany Arriving at the Munich airport, which happens to be quite a small airport, we checked in our luggage and headed through the security check.

With a few hours to kill before boarding, we all made use of the limited dining options. Everyone enjoyed their final German food, whether it be Currywurst, Pommes or Munich Pretzels

Finally, aboard we all settle down for our roughly 6-hour flight to Dubai. For our meal on the flight, we had the option of chicken curry with rice or lasagna. Both with a caramel, toffee pudding for dessert. We were either sleeping or watching movies from the large variety

Fortunately, we were landing in Dubai at night which was only around 30-35 degrees, in comparison to during the day of 45 degrees. We had roughly a 2-hour layover which left time for a quick snack shop and a little rest before boarding

Our flight from Dubai to Munich was around 13 and a half hours long. Once on board, many of us slept for the first 5 to 6 hours of the journey. Lots of movies were watched, some of us went wandering around the plane and others admired the view as we flew over Australia

A couple of hours before landing we witnessed a stunning sunset from the sky The orange and yellow light filled up the plane, leaving everyone wowed. No photo could do it justice but many of us tried the best we could for a decent picture.

An hour till arrival and everyone’s energy levels spiked Although everyone was sad to leave Germany, I think the thought of going home and being with family overruled the sadness. Once out of the plane, everyone was livelier than ever. Racing down the escalators. Speed walking to bag collection No one could wait to reunite with their families After a very smooth and stress-free bag check, we were walking the final stretch of our journey when everyone was greeted by their little or older siblings and parents. The realisation of how long we had been away really hit us.

After our reunions, we took our final German language tour photos It was very hard saying goodbye to our new friends from CGGS and their amazing teachers but we are already talking about a catchup.

Until the next German trip!

Bis bald Ronja

German Language Tour

Tag Einundzwanzig (Day Twenty-One) by Mrs Sue Synnot

Our German Language Tour has come to an end. As the final blog, the students decided on their “best of” and here is a summary.

Best meal or food

Traditional German currywurst

Our final dinner of schnitzel, pork knuckle, roast pork, dumplings

Döner kebabs

Pretzels

Fresh strawberries

Best Museum

Gemaldergalerie

Dachau memorial site

Neuschwanstein Schloss

Bundestag and Reichstag

Pergamon

Neues

Nuremberg and rally grounds

Orangerie-schloss at Potsdam

Futurium

Best View

Neuschwanstein Schloss

Marienbrücke bridge

Victory Tower in the Tiergarten

Altar Peter tower in Munich

Best Train Journey

Berlin – Nuremburg and the epic of the wrong carriage

Frankfurt – Berlin – seeing the scenery

Berlin – Munich

Best Berlin Activity

Sunday afternoon stroll through the Tiergarten

Bundestag and Reichstag tour including the dome

Going to a German Church service on Sunday

Walking tour with guide Robert

Shopping in the Mall of Berlin

All of them – sharing the experience with everyone

Best Activity not in Berlin

Night watch tour in Munich

Potsdam Palaces

Exploring Nuremburg

Eating lunch in Munich’s Altstadt

Funniest Memory

Too many! We laughed every day.

Losing a wheel on my suitcase (fondly known as the 3-legged dog or Dreity)

Tripping over my suitcase and landing on top of it

Water bottle drop at the Bundestag

American accents

Our Bundestag guide

Nights around the dinner table

Getting soaking wet on walking tour in Berlin

Highlights

Mein Highlight war es, Deutschland mit der erstaunlichsten Gruppen von Menschen und der Geschichte zu er leben (My highlight was to experience Germany with the most amazing group of people and history)

Mein Schönste Erinnerung war es sitzen am see in Hohenschwangau (My fondest memory was sitting by the lake in Hohenschwangau)

Mein Lieblins glanzpunkt war das Schloss im Nuremburg und der Sonnenuntergang, der Blick im Nuremburg (My favorite highlight was the castle in Nuremberg and the sunset, the view in Nuremberg)

Mein Highlight war durch Nürnburg spazieren(My highlight was walking through Nürnburg)

Mein Hohapunkt war alle neue mensche getroffen. (My peak point was meeting all the new people)

Die München verbrauchte zeit (The time spent in Munich)

Mein Höhepunkt für die Reise ist, dass ich neue Freunden gefunden habe. (My highlight for the trip is that I made new friends.)

Die Sprachschule war sehr toll und ich habe viel Deutsch gelernt. (The language school was very great and I learned a lot German.)

Thank you to everyone in the group for a fantastic three weeks full of amazing memories. P.S. Enjoy the “selfie roll”!