Friday 17th July 2009

Arriving at the shopping centre at 9 am proved a big mistake as none of the shops opened till 10am. When the shops opened everyone rushed to their favourite shops and spent the rest of their money. Having to back at the hotel by 11am we quickly moved on back to the hotel.

On the flight back home we went through alot of turbulance but seeing as we were Davison girls everyone found it so much fun. When we arrived at Heathrow we were lucky enough to see James May from Top Gear. The first thing everyone said was how cold it was, thats how we new we were back in England. How sad we were, we all wanted to go back to Germany.

The night we went BOWLING

I never knew there were so many ways to get a bowling ball down the lane, we certainly tried a few. From slow motion to lying on your belly the ways got even more complex each time. The free socks kindly given by the bowling alley was definately the highlight of everyones day. We had an a hour and half in bowling alley made some of the scores unbeatable, including four strikes in row by Sophie Williams.

Here is a short video:

TV Tower

After a depressing morning at the Concentration Camp and a historic afternoon at the castle, we walked to the TV tower in the middle of Berlin. Being over 286 steps and 368 metres high, we were glad they had an lift to rush us up. When we got to the top the views were overwhelming of this great city at night, we could could see everything, including the sites we where going to see on the tour the next day. Everyone managed to have fun at the top of the TV tower even if they were scared of heights, one group even had a photography competition going on. We were up their for about an hour and it is amazing how much one place can change in a scene at night.

Here is a video on the Tv tower- The only way is up....

Berlin Bike Tour

The lovely american tour guides of Fat Tire Bike Tours gave us a wonderful morning cycling around Berlin. They gave us an understanding of all the historical buildings and events that happened in the heart of Berlin. A three and half hour journey allowed us to see Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin wall, the Brandenburg gate and the old site of the Prussian Palace that was torn down by Communists. Jade and Anna were the lucky two to join the guides on the Tandem (bike made for two).

Overall it was a very enjoyable morning and everyone had a great time.

Here are the year 10 cycle group half way through their journey.

Sophie Charlottenburg Schloss

Everyone was a bit down hearted when they found out they were going to look aroud a castle. Yet when we arrived we were shocked by the sheer beauty of the building. The pure size of the building, just for one woman, Queen Sophie Charlotte, astounds you. Seeing how the rooms were so beautifully decorated reveals to you why Sophie Charlotte spent so much of her time there.
As you wander round the beautiful gardens you will see a lovely water fountain, and on a hot day you will not be able to resist the temptation to jump in and cool off. Many of us did. Just as Miss Seear and Miss Comben came over to have a quiet word, they saw Mr Mcdonald Bowyer (Deputy Head Teacher)joining in and taking photos for us. Over all we had very good day despite the muggy weather.



Your reporters from berlin, Sophie Williams and Ellie Kilby

Sachsenhausen Consentration Camp

"Arbeit Macht Frei" the famous statment at Sachsenhausen consentration camp, meaning ' work gives you liberty'. Of course this never came true. The atmosphere at the camp spoke for its self as all the girls wondered round the camp silenced by its daunting past. Whilst at the camp we were all given commentary hand sets so that we could understand what people really went through in this traumatic place. I don't think anyone will forget the hidden message being sent across by these abandoned buildings.





Written by Sophie Williams and Ellie Kilby your reporters from Berlin.

Spree Boat Trip Through The Heart Of Berlin

Much to our excitement we had the boat trip re-introduced into our schedule, much thanks to Grundschule am insulaner, our partner school in Berlin. After an intense train surfing competition on the U-bahn (underground) we met our german buddies and boarded the boat for our ride through the heart of the city. The hour long journey up the river spree seeing all the great sights along the way.