FORTY St Mark’s pupils have returned from a five-day trip to Berlin. Arriving in the wet and windy German capital, the first stop was the iconic Olympic Stadium before getting stuck into the many other sights. The city is rich in history, and the trip allowed pupils to gain an idea of life in the former East Germany: they visited the Berlin Wall memorial on Bernauer Strasse; meandered down the Eastside Gallery (a portion of wall that is now one of the world’s largest open air art galleries); experienced aspects of East German life first hand in the DDR Museum; and took a 30 second elevator ride to the top of the 370-metre East Berlin TV Tower, Germany’s tallest structure. 

The city is rich in history, and the trip allowed pupils to gain an idea of life in the former East Germany: they visited the Berlin Wall memorial on Bernauer Strasse; meandered down the Eastside Gallery (a portion of wall that is now one of the world’s largest open air art galleries); experienced aspects of East German life first hand in the DDR Museum; and took a 30 second elevator ride to the top of the 370-metre East Berlin TV Tower, Germany’s tallest structure. 

Other highlights included a boat trip down the River Spree, the central Berlin aquarium and zoo, and the palaces of Potsdam. There was also a night-time tour of the Reichstag, Germany’s houses of parliament, where, despite the wind and rain, pupils were able to look out over Berlin from the roof and climb to the top of the glass dome.

German is a popular GCSE choice at St Mark’s, part of our broad and balanced curriculum. The annual Berlin trip gives pupils an opportunity to put into practice what they have learned. “It was a wonderful trip, with many chances to practise my German with locals,” says Amanda in Year 11. For Libby, the highlights were the stadium visit and the bowling on the final night: “a great educational experience.”