About to Go on a Big Journey - Travel blog
On June 10th, 27 of our students will set off on an unforgettable trip to England.With bags nearly packed and anticipation growing, everyone is looking forward to exploring new places, improving their English, and making great memories together.
We‘ll be sharing daily updates with impressions, experiences and activities - so stay tuned and follow along on our adventure!
- Barbara Howard -
Tuesday, June 10th
Today we started at 4:30 in Nauders. We drove three hours to the airport in Munich.
As soon as we arrived at the airport, we had our first problem. The checking-in process took us over one and a half hours. The person who checked us in took an eternity—Mrs. Howard even asked how we thought he had gotten his job. Luckily, a second person joined him to help with the check-in. We were probably going to be late and hadn’t even gone through the security check yet.
At security, everything went fine - except when Joel got drug-tested.
We took off at 11:05 and flew for about 2 hours and 40 minutes. As soon as we arrived in England, we noticed that the time was one hour earlier.
A bus picked us up at the airport and took us to Beachy Head.
Mrs. Howard told us to be careful because the stone is very fragile, and it is the third most popular spot for people to take their own lives.
It was quite pretty with the view of the English Channel. It was also very windy at Beachy Head.
In the evening, we were placed into our host families.
We think it was a nice day, especially when we met our family.
- by Ariana and Pia -
Wednesday, June 11th
On the 2nd day of our journey, we went to Worthing.
In the morning, we went to our school and got sorted into three groups. We did a lot of talking and stayed there for three hours until 12:15pm.
Shortly afterwards, we went to the train station, where a shocking accident happened on the platform. A seagull named Herbert got killed by the train. After this dramatic incident, we got on the train and went to Worthing.
When we got out of the train station, we walked around 10 minutes to get into the city centre of Worthing, where Mrs. Howard decided to let us have some time for ourselves.
At 15:30 we met again at a park in Worthing and went to the beach. Some of us decided to take a ride on the ferries wheel.
After that, we went to the Worthing Pier, where we had a wonderful view of the sea.
After that long journey we went gambling in an arcade, which was part of the Pier. Some of us got really lucky and some wasted their money. But after all, it was a pretty good experience.
In the end we arrived safely at our host families and had a wonderful dinner.
- by Valentina, Lina and Noemi-
Thursday, June 12th
On our third day in England, we went to Arundel.
In the morning we met at the school, where we did exercises about Worthing, London, a crossword and we talked a lot about us.
At 12 o'clock we walked to the train station of Durrington and the train took us to Arundel. From there, we strolled along the river Arun to the town of Arundel. There we split into two groups. The castle was very big and an interesting fact is that this castle belongs to the Howard Family. In there were many antique things and we learned about its history. Afterwards, we looked at the beautiful and big Arundel Gardens with many flowers and plants. The Gardens were stunning. At 4pm., we went to a fancy, little cafè and had an English Cream Tea which is a traditional drink in the UK . We also ate some scones. The Scones were filled with strawberry jam and clotted cream. They were very delicious. When we finished, we walked to Arundel Cathedral where we prayed for the dead seagull which is now named "Scuttle"(alias Herbert). In the evening, we caught our train back to Worthing and our host families picked us up. In the end, it was a very beautiful and sunny day, which we all enjoyed.
- by Sofia, Julia and Angelina 🎀✨ -
Friday, June 13th
On the fourth day of our England journey we couldn’t attend school due to an event being held there. So we went to Brighton instead. First, we went to the laines to go shopping. In Brighton, there are many different shops and you surely will find something you like.
After that we went to the Brighton Pier, where we got to check out all the rides. Some of our favourite ones were "Crazy Mice" and "Waltzer". We also particularly enjoyed the view from up in the air, it truly felt like we could see all the way to the other side of the coast. Additionally, we also spent a great deal of time in the arcade, where we played with all kinds of machines. It was really hot but the windy sea definitely made our stay more enjoyable. Sadly, some rides were closed for a bit but the pier was great nevertheless.
Later that evening, we went to the beach because it was very warm and we all wanted to cool down a bit. Emilia, Ewa, Jan and Ariana were the only ones who went swimming in the sea, whereas the other ones only dipped their feet in occasionally, because it was kinda cold.
Near the beach, many small restaurants were lined up. We bought ourselves some churros, which were awfully expensive but worth it. Later on, we fed the seagulls on the beach some crumbs of our leftover lunch packets. Suddenly, we were surrounded by a flock of seagulls. One of them even landed on Ariana, which she didn’t find nearly as amusing as we did.
After an eventful evening, we drove back to Worthing by train. While we were waiting, we were watching people and taking in all the new impressions of England. We thought it was beautiful that they were wearing whatever they wanted, and that they were not scared to express themselves.
When we finally got back home to our host family, we were tired but that didn’t keep us from playing several rounds of Jenga and Dobble with Ami and Alfi. It was incredible fun and it made the stay with our host family truly special.
- by Lena, Ewa, Tanja and Laura -
Saturday, June 14th
On our 5th day, we went to Brighton again. We started at 9:00 am. First, we visited the impressive Royal Pavilion and learned about its unique architecture and history by using an audioguide. Afterwards, we spent time at the beach, relaxing by the sea and enjoying the fresh air, although it was very windy. Later, we explored the modern shopping centre, where we had time to look around and buy souvenirs. It was a great day that gave us interesting new impressions and time to enjoy the city together.
- by Jan -
Sunday, June 15th
Part I: Attractions
At first, we went to Tower Bridge and the building called “The Onion,” which is actually the modern town hall. Its round, layered design really does make it look like an onion, and it's located right beside the River Thames. Next to it was Tower Bridge again—it's a huge and iconic bridge in London, known for its twin towers and drawbridge mechanism. The architecture is striking, especially when you see it up close. If you want to go to the top of Tower Bridge, where there's a glass walkway and viewing area, you have to pay an entrance fee.
Next, we visited the London Eye. It’s a massive observation wheel located on the South Bank of the Thames, and the capsules give you a 360-degree view of the entire city. The view from up there is amazing—you can see famous landmarks, the winding river, and the rooftops stretching far into the distance.
After that, we saw Big Ben. It’s also very big, towering above the surrounding buildings. The clock face is beautifully detailed, and the chimes echo across the area. It’s surrounded by black and gold gates that add to its grand and historic appearance.
Then we went to Buckingham Palace. The exterior is impressive, with parts of the building decorated in gold. The front garden is full of perfectly arranged roses and manicured hedges, which make the place look elegant and royal. In front of the palace is a large statue of Queen Victoria sitting on a marble throne—we took a photo there to remember the moment.
Next was Madame Tussauds. From the outside, the building doesn't look especially large, but once you get inside, it's way bigger than it seems. The rooms go on and on, filled with incredibly realistic wax figures of celebrities, world leaders, athletes, and movie characters. One of the figures we saw was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - he looked so lifelike.
When we arrived, we were checked by security at the entrance. Then we walked in and were welcomed with a red carpet and flashing lights from fake paparazzi cameras—it really felt like we were stepping into a movie premiere, just like real celebrities.
There was also a chill indoor rollercoaster ride, which takes you through scenes showing what London looked like 400 years ago. The ride moves slowly and lets you take in all the historical details like the plague - it was so cool to see how the city evolved over the centuries.
They also had a 4D cinema experience. During the short film, we not only watched in 3D, but also felt physical effects like punches in our backs, gusts of wind, and sprays of water. It was totally immersive and made the whole thing feel real—it was awesome.
-by Emilia and Barbara-
part II - Overall Impressions
On day five we visited the capital city of England: London. It was a sunny and a little bit windy day. We met at the train station at 07:15. Then we travelled by train to London. One of our trains took us about 15 minutes longer than we expected. Because of that, we were in a bit of a hurry. When we arrived in London, the first thing we saw was the Shard. It is a building that looks like its name: a shard. Then we went to the onion, which is the city hall, and looked at it for a few minutes. From there, we could already see Tower Bridge in the distance. So we walked over it and made some great photographs. After the end of the Tower Bridge there was a coffee shop. Some of us got a coffee or a hot choclate and then the journey continued. From there, we and teachers had to go really fast to the London Eye. We had an appointment there, and because of the train delay we had to walk pretty fast. Luckily, we were there on time. After we passed some crowded lines and a small security check, we had a great view over the city. We could see a lot of famous sights from the capsules. The entire ride lasted about 25 minutes. On our way to St. James Park, we passed by the Houses of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower. Exactly the second we passed by, Big Ben started to ring. It was a beautiful sound. When we finally got to the park, we were allowed to chill, eat or drink something. We had time for about fifteen minutes. With full stomaches and relaxed feet, we visited Buckingham Palace. It was pretty crowded. The garden was gorgeous and it was interesting to look at the Royal Guards who weren‘t allowed to move. After that visit we went to a small souvenier shop in front of Madame Tussauds. A few of us got something for their families. With our teachers we went inside of Madame Tussauds. In there, we could walk alone and look at the different wax figures. The great end of the day was Covent Garden, the Stüssy and Supreme Shops. We begged our teacher to go with us to those two stores. So we split the group up. Some went to those stores and the others to Covent Garden. The ones that had been shopping first still went to Coven Garden afterwards. There we saw some great street artists. After a quite long journey Home by train our London day ended.
- by Elena and Ayleen -
Monday, June 16th
The day before our departure, we left school at 12:15 p.m.
After school, we took the train to Worthing. We were paired up and given a Worthing city quiz. Each of us enjoyed the quiz and learned a lot about Worthing. After we finished it, we were given almost two hours to eat or shop. But as is customary, the boys went to the pier to gamble away some money. Afterwards, we met up and found out who got most correct answers in the least amount of time (Lars and Nico were the winners). As it turned out, Lars and Nico were the winners and got to choose their favourite out of a large prize pool. Then, all the others could pick theirs in the order of their ranking. After the award giving, we took the train back and most of us were picked up by our host families. At the host families, we had to pack our suitcases, because we would be going home the next day.
- by Eliah, Yannis, and Joel -
Tuesday, June 17th
After a great school trip, it was finally time to fly home.
In the morning, we had breakfast with the host families and packed our bags. Everyone was a little tired, but also sad to leave. Our teachers checked if we had everything we needed, and then we took a bus to Heathrow Airport.
At the airport, we checked in as a group and got our boarding passes. The security check took some time, but everything went smoothly. After that, we had a little time to buy snacks and souvenirs.
When it was time to board the plane, we were all very excited. We sat in our seats, and we talked and listened to music during the flight. The view from the windows was amazing – we could see the clouds and even some mountains.
The flight took about two hours. When we landed in Munich, we waited for our bus to bring us home. We are happy to be home, but we will always remember this amazing trip!
- by Lorena, Emma and Anna -
