Y9 students visit Germany

The last weekend in April saw 53 Year 9 students set off on a five-day trip to the beautiful Rhine Valley in Germany. Once over the shock of a 1.15am start, the students and staff settled down for the 500 mile journey. The channel was like a mill pond, providing a very calm crossing to Calais and the journey through France, Belgium and finally into Germany was largely uneventful. We arrived at the hotel in time for dinner and our first taste of German cuisine – Schnitzel and chips!

Our first full day began with a long and steep walk up the side of the river valley for a lovely view of the Rhine. The early morning chill gave way to a lovely warm morning. Visibility was really clear and the views over the Rhine were spectacular.  Needless to say, we had the obligatory group photo and then walked down into the town of Rüdesheim through a vineyard which proved to be equally as steep.

After a spot of lunch and a chance to order an ice cream in German, it was only a short coach ride to the passenger ferry across the river to Boppard. It was here that the much-anticipated chairlift ride awaited.  However, the ferry had been involved in a collision a couple of weeks prior to our visit and was therefore ‘kaputt’. Alas, we had to abandon our planned crossing and instead we set off on an impromptu walk along the banks of the Rhine, which involved our students honing their stone-skimming skills and adding to their shell collections. Dinner at the hotel was early as we needed to travel to Koblenz for an evening of Bowling.

Day three involved an excursion to Cochem on the river Mosel where we enjoyed a guided tour of the town’s castle, followed by a couple of hours wandering around the quaint little town in the gorgeous sunshine. It also gave many of the students their first chance to sample the famous German delicacy of Currywurst mit Pommes (sausage in curry sauce with chips!).

The afternoon brought a visit to Deutsches Eck, the famous confluence of the Rhine and the Mosel rivers in the city of Koblenz – good for the geographers amongst us. That evening, our usual meeting room was unavailable as a group of 20 or so German pensioners, who were also staying in the hotel, were having a music and dance evening. Undeterred, a number of our students and staff joined in the dancing and a good time was had by all!

The fourth day brought Phantasialand theme park, which was perhaps the highlight of the trip for many. It was another warm, sunny day and students and staff alike had a great time. A quick stop at a supermarket on the way back to the hotel allowed the students to stock up on snacks for the journey home – the Haribo and chocolate aisles were stripped bare! The last evening involved a bumper quiz on the trip’s activities.

The final day was the long journey home and it was a tired but happy group of staff and students who arrived back at Vandyke, only a little behind schedule. I would like to express my thanks to Mrs Moody, Mrs Fox, Miss Nicole and Mr Cameron-Hall for all their support on the trip.

As for the students, this year I have to say a very special thank you to all 53 of them, who behaved impeccably throughout the trip. As we were departing, the owner of the hotel told me that the group of German pensioners had made a point of saying to him how polite and well-behaved the English teenagers had been! Such praise just reinforces what we already know – how fantastic our students are!

by Mr Phillips, Deputy Headteacher