School Trip to Germany
By Grace O’Sullivan TYB
During The Halloween midterm break fifty six Ard Scoil na nDeise students and
teachers departed from Dungarvan to Germany. As we flew into Munich it was
obvious we had left the rain and the clouds behind because the sky was blue and
the sun was shining brightly. Our adventures began with a guided tour of the city. We
got a real taste for the culture and history of Germany and a chance to practice our
German skills! That night there was a disco but after such an early start we were all
glad to see our beds and turn in for the night.
We awoke at 6.30am every morning to the sound of Ms Fox knocking at the door
and telling us to “rise and shine”. Unlike at home, the chorus of “five more minutes”
did not brush off with Ms Fox! Bleary eyed with sleep but extremely excited we
began by visiting the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany, at approximately
10,000 feet above sea level. We travelled up by cog railway and got a cable car
to the summit. When we reached the top we were able to eat some delicious food
and have an unruly snow ball fight which everyone really enjoyed. After a brisk walk
up to our next destination, Neuschwanstein castle, it was too late for a guided tour
however we had time for a quick group photograph!
We ended the day on a high note as we got the chance to see how well we could
ice-skate in the Olympic ice-rink. I have to admit we got a great laugh from seeing
Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Collins show casing their unique skating skills-let’s put it
this way, they won’t be representing Ireland in the winter Olympics anytime soon!
On Monday morning we headed for the salt mines in Berchtesgaden, where we
went deep into the mines fully kitted out in traditional miners dress. We then drove to
Salzburg to visit the birthplace of Mozart and do some shopping on the amazing old
narrow streets. On Tuesday morning I think everyone was delighted to splash out on
a major shopping spree. The journey to our second destination, Koblenz, was quite
long however it wasn’t so bad due to the excellent facilities along the motor way.
In the evening we saw a very competitive side to the teachers as they impressed us
with their bowling skills! We all had a really good time competing to be winner and
obviously the students had youth, skill and good looks on their side! On Wednesday
we had a cruise on the Rhine, followed by a very interesting visit to one of the
Rhinelands;’ famous castles, Marksburg.Our final day was spent in Phantasialand
one of Eurpoes finest leisure parks. We got to go on some really scary rides and put
our courage to the test.
The school tour was an amazing experience and it has to be said, we all arrived
back in Dungarvan shattered after an amazing trip. Due to Mrs O’ Sullivan and Mrs
Powers brilliant planning we were always occupied, they did a wonderful job in
planning a tour we will never forget.
|