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European Adventure for Linguists

12 July 2024

A cultural adventure awaited Year 9 and 10 linguists as they set off for an exciting trip to France and Germany. In spite of consistently damp weather spirits remained high, and here two pupils share their experiences of the cities of Colmar and Freiburg.

Rewind to Sunday 30 June and 34 Year 9 and 10 pupils were packed and ready to set off to Colmar! Bags in the hold, we departed from EHS at about 10:20pm towards the eurostar tunnel. After a quick pit stop at a service station and a driver swap at a Premier Inn, where we met our new driver, Jack - who even featured us in one of his TikToks (sound only, of course) - the adventure was truly underway.

After heading through border control, and under the channel crossing (looking out for sharks) we made it into France and were greeted with awful weather. Then a few service station stops later, we made it to Colmar. We didn’t have long to unpack before we headed to Restaurant Pfeffel to enjoy an evening’s meal of Alsace cuisine, before we headed back to the hotel to rest.

On the first day after a filling breakfast we headed across the German border into the city of Freiburg im Breisgau where we were greeted by an informative tour showing us the sights including a scenic McDonalds which was apparently the only one in the world without the golden arches. Then we headed over to the Schauinslandbahn – the longest cable car in Germany – to look at the views. Sadly the British weather followed us, and it started raining whilst we were taking a group photo, but we were still able to enjoy our lunch of some very expensive chips from the café (7 euros and 3 euros deposit!). Then we were handed cakes and eclairs for the long journey taken to have a look at the beautiful waterfall in Triberg, followed by the open air museum which was used more for photo opportunities than to learn actual history.

After that we headed for dinner at the Buffalo Grill where the teachers struggled with a long and complicated list of food orders from us pupils, and we had fun on the bucking bronco machine while we waited. Finally, we headed back to the hotel, where some of us went to bed later than recommended, which had knock-on effects for the next day.

The next morning, the latecomers were all greeted with a round of applause led by Senor Flox, and with that we made our journey to Chateau d’Haut Koenigsbourg castle. Once again, we were given a very informative audio tour in English. We trekked through many stairways, battlement-filled walls and a very small gift shop, all in the pouring rain. Later, our driver Jack took us to the town of Riquewihr where we were split into two groups: one would visit the town hall (which was basically a torture museum) while the other had free time to spend some money. The museum was gruesome to say the least but informative; we’d advise you not to step out of line, especially in French lessons, as teachers have learned all sorts of new techniques, none as painless as detention. The town, although rain-soaked, was beautiful; Disney fans will be interested to know that the live action set of Beauty and the Beast is based on this town! One ABBA record, a few lost phone scares and lots of puddles later, we were reunited with our coach and beloved baguettes for lunch. After some free time, we were once again given dinner at the lovely Restaurant Pfeffel. Then back at the hotel the teachers forcefully encouraged us to take the cake and eclairs they had forgotten to give out on the coach.

On our last day, we were taken to Europa Park. We were given free rein for the day’s activities, checking in for lunch and dinner, which was music to our ears as we took it upon ourselves to go on every ride possible. However, we were beaten by driver Jack who went on more rides than any of us. Knowing this, we all tried our hardest to keep going and made our way back to Ibis Budget Inn. Upon arrival, we headed to the Colmar sign where after some “skibidi photos” (as described by the teachers), we ran through a fountain. Soaked, we went on a carousel ride accompanied by Senor Flox followed by ice creams and Slushies. As we got back to our hotel and dragged our feet up the stairs, we started to realise this was our last day in France as we started packing our suitcases.

The next day was an early start as we all met at 6am and were off to the hyper market where we bought drinks and a few souvenirs. We once again headed through the eurostar tunnel to return home and just as we got out, it was time to watch the football. After a tough game with heavy sighs from our Senor Flox and Frau Cardellino, Spain won (as they should). Our last stop before home was the service station where we all lined up for another helping of our favourite dish - chips. We also bid farewell to driver Jack. We left a Conservative country and came back to a Labour one.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip, and we are all grateful to the MFL department for organising it, and to all the teachers that put up with us for the five days: Mr Shutt, Frau Cardellino, Frau Harpwood, Madame Barbet, Mrs Campbell and Senor ‘skibidi’ Flox. And to driver Jack for taking us there.

Written by Rosa Gurney and Zoe Teredesai

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