An excited group of German linguists (aged 12-14) gathered at The Abbey at 4 am on Friday morning and boarded their coach to Germany. They arrived in Aachen in the early afternoon to begin a tour of the ancient cathedral. They learned a lot about Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire, saw the throne as well as the interesting octagonal cathedral. Afterwards they needed no encouragement to wander round the many lovely stalls and food stations around the Town Hall.
The next day to the sound of Mr Hammond summarising German history in 45 minutes, the girls travelled to Bonn where they began their journey in the museum of the history of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1945. Excellent accounts, pictures and sound shows enabled them to understand much of recent German history since then.
The next stop was the Christmas market in Bonn where they were also able to meander through the local shopping centre and practise their German. They then skipped along the Rhine with Mr Hammond (now a tradition for the trip), and reboarded to travel to Cologne to visit the cathedral and the crowded, beautifully-lit 'Weihnachtsmarkt' by night.
The girls enjoyed their traditional German dinners and were able to select from a large range of breakfast delicacies. On the final day they visited the 'Locked-in-Love' bridge over the Rhine where couples cement their relationships by putting a padlock on the bridge fence. The Boat Christmas Market was their next stop where they bought small items, then walked briskly along the Rhine to the highlight of the weekend - the Chocolate Museum! Here they were given a guided tour of cocoa production including a small factory, a chocolate fountain and were allowed to spend their remaining Euros in the shop.
Back to England via a quick stop for Frites in Belgium!
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