After all the luggage had been stowed on the coach, the long journey to England finally began on Sunday at 3:30 a.m. After the first ten hours, we finally arrived at the French harbor in Calais. We took the ferry at 3 p.m. and were so happy when we finally set foot on English soil. Our coach driver, Martin, had plenty of fun facts to share. From old legends about kings to carpeted bathrooms - he knew a lot! We finally arrived at 8 p.m. and were warmly welcomed by all of the host families.
The first attraction on our list was a small hike along Beachy Head. The view was stunning, even though our teachers - Mrs. Germer, Mrs. Spantzel, Mrs. Körber, Mrs. Platz, Mrs. Paudler, and Mr. Uhlworm - almost had a heart attack seeing us standing so close to the edge. Back on the coach, we were off to Brighton. There we had the chance to visit the beautiful Royal Pavilion and explore the streets of Brighton on our own.

The next day, we had a long drive ahead of us, heading to London. Once we arrived, we took a ride on the Thames Clippers to Shakespeare’s Globe. Running a little late, we sprinted into the museum, where our guide Martin was already waiting for us. After a short but very interesting tour through the Globe, we crossed the Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul’s Cathedral. We were absolutely stunned.

The following day started with a walk around the streets of Hastings. Then we all had to make a decision: Rugby and cricket or an English tea party? The students who went for cricket and rugby were coached by a young guy named Frankie, who tried his best to control the chaotic crowd of excited and maybe a little too motivated kids. After a few practice drills, everybody got a chance to try their luck in both a cricket and a rugby match. If you chose the tea party, you were greeted by Lady Rebecca, the owner of the tea shop. Between intense storytelling sessions and even a few costume changes, she was sipping her tea - every slurp accompanied by a high-pitched “Delicious!”. So, you could say that whatever you chose, you definitely had fun. In the afternoon, we explored the cozy city of Hastings on our own.

On Thursday, we woke up with a bittersweet feeling. We knew we had to say goodbye to our host families, but we were also very excited about our last day in the UK. The plan for today was to go to London one more time before heading home. Everybody experienced London a bit differently that day. Why? Oh, because we had eight hours of total free time! So off we went. Of course, I can’t tell you what all the groups did that day, but I feel like we all experienced London from a different angle and made good use of our time there. Finally, we all met again at 6:15 p.m. in Covent Garden, in front of the Apple Store. By now, it had started to get a bit chilly, and the sky was darkening. But we had one more thing to do – an amazing highlight. So the big, bubbly crowd made its way through the small streets of the East End until we were standing in front of the Cambridge Theatre, ready to go in and be enchanted by the musical Matilda. To be fair, we were all a bit exhausted from this day and the days before, but still eager to see what Matilda had to offer. Now, I can only state my own perspective at this point, but Matilda was one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen. There were breathtaking light shows accompanied by extremely talented actors and actresses – not to mention the incredible attention to detail in the stage design. Definitely worth seeing!

Outside the theatre, London’s nightlife was in full swing, so even getting to the subway station again was a challenge in itself. We finally arrived at the O2 Arena again, breathing in the fresh air one last time before sitting down in our seats, ready to go home. Once we got near Cologne, we had to say goodbye to our beloved driver Martin, who had taken us safely everywhere all week. He now headed back home as well, and a different driver took over. As you can imagine, the last four hours felt like an eternity. We finally arrived at around 6:15 p.m. in Weimar.

So, this was our trip to England. Unforgettable. Thank you to all the people who made it possible!

Leni Patenge and Marlene Stickert (9a)