By Aaron P
Dear Diary,
Day 1: The first two days of the trip was the most exciting part; it was the journey to Strasburg which is situated in the East of France. The journey was 17 hours long, including a 2-hour ferry crossing. We set off from school just before 11pm and arrived in Dover the following morning in time for our morning ferry crossing to France!
Day 2: We arrived in Dover at 04:15 in the morning. We caught a ferry and sailed from Dover to Calais. The ferry crossing was a little choppy, but we still had fun! On route to Strasburg, we stopped at a scenic city called Laon which is where we stopped off for lunch. My friends and I enjoyed a plate of sushi before continuing our journey further east! Finally, we arrived at our hostel in Strasburg called Ciarus. This is where we were introduced to our rooms and unpacked our things. The final event of the day was the evening meal. We were served a local delicacy!
Day 3: We woke up early and refreshed after a good night’s sleep and had a nice French breakfast at the hostel. My favourite part was the croissants! We set off for a tour of the city of Strasburg. Now that we were more familiar with the surroundings, my friends and I grouped together and set off by ourselves to find some lunch. After this we had some more time to explore the wonder of Strasbourg and to buy souvenirs. In the afternoon we went on a river cruise, visited a cathedral, and took a closer look at the intricate architecture. Then it was time for more free time in the city. The area that stood out most to me was ‘Petite France’ as the scenery by the river was fantastic! Finally, to end our day we were lucky enough to go to a traditional restaurant called Flans, where we tried a French version of a pizza ’tarte flambé’.
Day 4: As before, we woke up early and were provided a nice breakfast in the hostel. As soon as possible we departed and arrived at La Montagne des Singes which is French for Monkey Mountain. We took a nice walk in the forest and took in the beautiful sites and looked at monkeys chasing each other in the trees. Once it was lunch there was a nearby cafe which served some local delicacies, including pretzles. During the second part of the day, we went to La Volerie des Aigles which is French for Eagle Park. The staff created an amazing show allowing the eagles to fly from one person to another. There were so many different breeds of eagles with different coloured feathers. Finally, we were taken to another restaurant called Brasserie de la Bourse. Here we ate a traditional scrumptious 3 course meal. We were given carrot soup, chicken with buttered pasta and chocolate pudding. Miam miam!
Day 5: We woke up and ate breakfast at the hostel. We left the hostel and set off for Freiburg which is in Germany. Once we arrived, we were given a tour of the city and then free time to find some lunch. Freiburg was a fantastic place, there were many dogs walking in the streets and the smell of German foods in the hazy air. I saw the most unusual thing in the city, there was a stream flowing across the streets. After our free time we departed Freiburg’s City centre and arrived at Schauinslandbahn which is a cable car with incredible views of the Black Forest. After the marvellous day, we left Freiburg and returned to Strasburg with an evening meal at the hotel. To make the evening interesting there was a quiz night hosted by the teachers. There were prizes for first, second and third place. Luckily, my team managed to win Lindor Squares for 3rd Place!
Day 6: As in previous days, we woke up and were given breakfast at the hostel. We arrived at the City of Triberg and looked at the waterfalls whilst going on a rural walk. After taking in the sights of the waterfall from the steep slopes we drove to the city centre. Then we had the opportunity to explore the place. After another fantastic day it was time to return to Strasbourg and have our dinner in the hostel.
Day 7: The routine for breakfast at the hostel continued. We departed the hostel and as soon as possible arrived at Europa Park which was the largest and certainly most exhilarating theme park in Germany. The teachers allowed us to have free time in the park to ride some of the amazing rollercoasters built. During this free time, we grabbed some lunch from one of the stalls set up in the theme park. After that we met up at a meeting point to check if we were having a fun time- which we certainly were! As before we had some more free time in the afternoon. Finally, after this day full of adrenaline, we said auf wiedersehen to Germany as we returned for our evening meal at the hostel and then packed to go home the next day.
Day 8: Unfortunately, it was the end to our fantastic trip and was time to go back to Nottingham. As in the first journey we drove to Calais and caught a ferry to Dover and then drove back to Nottingham High School. After 8 days away from our parents, we met up with them again and the trip was as its end. If I had to sum up the trip in one word, it would certainly be: exhilarating!
