Hello Hanover
Discover Germany 2011 - a group of 20 pupils and 4 teachers (5 pupils and 1 teacher from each school) from across the UK took part in the Discover Germany trip 2011 and spent four exciting days in Hanover and Wolfsburg. To find out more about the trip filled with cultural activities, excursions, and a visit to a German school, read what the participants wrote in their reports.
Off we go!
On hearing that we had been successful in our bid to participate in the Discover Germany 2011 visit to Hanover and Wolfsburg, 5 pupils were selected from a group of pupils who had applied for a place, supported by references from their teachers. The build-up to the visit was very exciting. Hendon School
It was with great excitement and anticipation that we boarded the London train on July 1st bound for Germany. With the exception of Mr Ross, none of us had ever been to Germany before and we weren't quite sure what to expect. We had images of men in leather shorts drinking beer and eating loads of sausages. We were excited as well as a little bit anxious about meeting the other members of the group. It was awkward at first but we soon all became friends. Perth Academy
Day 1: German food, Hanover City Tour and the Zoo
Our adventure started the next morning with our very first German breakfast. "I loved the cold meat and cheese. I ate much more than I normally do". Jamie, Perth Academy
It was the start to an active and full-on programme, which engaged the pupils from the outset, and offered a variety of opportunities to experience different aspects of life in Germany. First off was the tour of Hanover, with a visit to the palace and gardens. The "rote Draht" tour got them pointing out cognates left, right and centre, giving rise to their observation that there were lots of similarities between German and English. They couldn't believe how clean the streets were compared to London. Our pupils wondered at the amount of cyclists and the space. Hendon School
The itinerary was action-packed and full of variety. The students were very taken with Hanover itself – the guided tour was informative and enabled us to see some lovely parts. Half an hour into the tour my students were already commenting on how green it was and also how clean Germany is. We spent a little bit of free time looking around the shopping area, where the students were really interested to see what the current fashion was and also they remarked on the similarities and were quite surprised to see this. St Ives School
"My first impression of Hanover was that it was a very clean and interesting city". Innes, Perth Academy
Not as many people seemed to smoke. We loved all the art work which was very modern, and we loved the architecture, both old and new. Regent House Grammar School
Hanover Zoo
Hanover zoo in the afternoon was brought to life by a brilliant guide who kept the pupils enthralled. The high points were the gorilla, the polar bears and their transparent fur, giraffes and their hearts and the seals. Did you know that a polar bear's skin is really dark? We'd yet another delicious meal followed by a fun quiz in the evening. Hendon School
The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and have since passed on their new-found knowledge to their classmates! St Ives School
