After an early wake up, a long drive to Dublin and the 2-hour flight to Berlin, the group of 40 Sullivan pupils and teachers finally stepped out of Berlin Tegel airport and the 2019 Year 11 History trip had begun.
Our first stop after leaving the airport was Potsdam for a quick lunch break before heading on to the Wannsee Conference Centre where the idea of The Final Solution was thought of. After some time in Wannsee to look around the exhibition, our group then travelled to the Olympic Stadium. We were able climb up the Bell Tower and saw fantastic views of Berlin.
Following dinner at our Hotel, next was a visit to a German Air Raid bunker to learn what it would be like staying there for hours at a time. Our first evening ended at the Reichstag which provided more Panoramic night time views of Berlin.
On the Saturday morning we headed to the Stasi Museum and then to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp which had a powerful effect. Despite there being only a few buildings and much open land and you could imagine the horrific events that happened there during the war.
That evening we went to an Escape Room, which all the group thought was amazing, and one of the highlights of the trip. Then it was on to a Greek restaurant for dinner that night.
Sunday was a busy day, with visits to the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, the Topography of Terror, including a section of the Berlin wall outside, Jewish Museum, as well as the Panorama Die Mauer, showing what Germany looked like between 1961 and 1989. Later that evening, there was some competitive bowling.
On the final day in Berlin, before catching our flight, the group did a bicycle tour of Berlin, which was very interesting and another highlight of the trip. Last of all, we finished off with some shopping in the centre of Berlin.
The pupils would like to thank Mr Armstrong for organising the trip and Miss Morgan, Mr Stevenson and Miss Jordan for their help running the trip.
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