Early on Wednesday 2 April, 17 pupils from KES and KEHS set off on the annual German exchange trip to Hamburg. The weather forecast had looked particularly promising and we were not disappointed – the temperatures on the first half of our stay were more Mediterranean than North German!
After settling in with the host families, we embarked on a very interesting programme of excursions. We travelled into the centre of Hamburg on two occasions and everyone was impressed at how beautiful it is, with the imposing Town Hall on the Rathausplatz, the many canals, and the large Alster lakes. The imposing buildings in the city centre very much reflect the history of Hamburg as a great trading member of the medieval Hanseatic League. Hamburg’s tradition as a trading city is still reflected in its huge harbour with gigantic container ships sailing in and out. We were able to view these at close range on our outing to the beach on the Elbe (Elbstrand) which we combined with visiting the Elbtunnel, a marvel of engineering which was built in the early 1900s. We certainly had to watch out for the cyclists whizzing through it at high speeds!
It was also great fun to visit the beautiful Hanseatic city of Lübeck on the Baltic coast, with its fascinating Old Town and its imposing merchants’ houses. The marzipan shop was a huge attraction! We then travelled on to Travemünde, a traditional beach resort on the Baltic, where we enjoyed playing team games on the extensive sandy beach.
When we were not out on trips, our pupils were attending lessons with their exchange partners in our partner school, the Gymnasium Oldenfelde in Hamburg-Rahlstedt. It was fascinating to see the many differences between the English and German school systems.
The warm and hospitable welcome which we all received culminated in the final evening, when we had a farewell party in the school. The German families brought in many traditional German dishes, and we were entertained by the presentations of the projects on German-English friendship which our pupils had prepared with their partners over the course of the week.
Thanks go to Frau Guschas at the Gymnasium Oldenfelde who set up the week’s programme of events for us, and Dr Blain, for organising the trip. Thanks also to Dr Amann and Frau Lürick for accompanying the trip. We hope that many pupils will sign up for the exchange trip in 2026, as it is a wonderful way to learn about German culture at first hand, and most importantly, to improve one’s language skills!
Dr Blain
