Day 1: The way there
Today is the day everybody was waiting for. At 2:30 am, we met at the Ascheberger Parkplatz and waited for our bus. After the bus arrived, we all got on board and took our seats. First, our bus driver told us about our route and how long it was going to take. After that, it became quiet. Most of the students were asleep at this point as the journey continued.
The first highlight of our journey was our stop in Belgium, which had a Starbucks and a Burger King. This was the place where we first had a good meal and restored our energy. Then the trip continued, but before we could board the ferry, we had to go through border patrol, where we had to show our passports. On the ferry, we had a mediocre meal that included a variety of English foods. At the end of our crossing, we watched the British coast get closer and closer. Upon our arrival in Dover, we saw the famous cliffs of Dover. Now, we had to endure another 2-hour bus ride to Eastbourne, the city where we will be staying this week. At the retail park, the guest families picked us up and drove us to our home for the week.
Day 2: Eastbourne
On our first day in Eastbourne we took a city tour on which we were told that Eastbourne is famous for its sunny weather and coming with that the tropical plants. We drove by the sovereign center which was opened by princess Diana and is used for activities such as swimming etc.. Eastbourne has, as we were told, a 6 km pebble beach on which we later had a little picknick eating our lunch made by our host families. Before that, we explored the city; some people may or may not have completed a rally. After our picknick we had free time where we just chilled on the beach waiting for our bus to pick us up which brought us to the next activity we had on our first day: The bus drove us to Beachy Head where we went hiking “for days“. Afterwards, we were driven home by our friendly bus driver and had dinner with our host families.
Day 3: Dover and Canterbury
On Tuesday, we were picked up by the bus at 7 o’clock in the morning at our bus stops. Afterwards, we made our way to Dover Castle. There, we explored the tunnel museum under the castle and learned a lot about English and German history. After that, we rode to Canterbury where we split our big group and had some fun freetime. Eventually, Starbucks fulfilled their job to spell the name Lucas in every wrong way possible (Lumus). Also, we saw a really funny looking house at Canterbury. At round about 4 pm we got on the bus to drive home.
Day 4: Brighton
On Wednesday we drove to Brighton.
We were all picked up by the bus at 9 am and arrived after a little nap.
In Brighton we first walked to the royal Pavilion.
Inside we did an audio tour with Lots of information about the pavilion and Georg IV. Every room has something special about it and mostly something Chinese.
The pavilion was used for many events like banquets because of its many individual rooms.
During wartime it was converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers.
In our free time most of us went shopping in a mall or walked through the lanes with many fancy little shops and cafes.
After 2 and a half hours and with only 2 pounds left we went to the famous Brighton pier where we had some more free time. While most of us enjoyed the arcade and rollercoasters, others got food at one of the many food stalls, sat down and chatted with friends or got souvenirs at small shops.
The teachers also had some fun and were “happy and glorious” as the seagull on the picture says:)
In the end we drove back to Eastbourne to prepare for our trip to London tomorrow.
Day 5: London
We knew that this day was going to be special, because today was the day that we visited London, the capital of the UK.
The day started with a final goodbye to our host families, and after a boring busride we went on the river cruise. The
final gap between the wonders of London and the boredem of the trip. The first thing we did was visiting the
breath taking and famous Towerbridge, which was built 125 years ago to ease traffic. Its towers are 65 Meters tall.
The journey up there was not easy, because we met our worst enemy: the stairs. After stairs upon endless stairs,
we were finally rewarded with a panoramic view at the top of the bridge. Finally, you could look at the engine
room of the tower bridge and buy some soveniers. At last we went through the Borough Market, a path filled with little stands, releasing beautiful scents into the air.
After a short break in front of Shakespeare’s famous Globe Theater, we walked all over London and over the next few hours we were at several locations, like the Millennium Bridge.
After a tiresome walk we were standing in front of the national museum, before taking a break in a park.
When we finished the nice break, we went to Buckingham palace.
At the very end of the trip we rode on the London Eye. On the way to the London Eye we also found Big Ben.
The London Eye was a huge problem for everyone struggling with a fear of hights, due to the enormous height of over 130 metres. After that we took the boat back to the bus and the day found its end.
Day 5 and 6 : The Way Back
… the end? Not so fast. There was still the small adventure of the way back.
From London off we drove into the night to take the ferry from Dunkirk at 10pm. Due to a small detour, we were a little pressed for time when we arrived at the ferry docks. There was some excitement whether we would catch it or have to wait for the next ferry the next morning! But thanks to our extremely well organized group we made it through all the checks in record time, teachers beaming with pride.
We arrived back in Dunkirk at 1am, most of us managed to sleep a little in some position or other on the bus ride back, and now we’re nearly there – just two hours to go!
