Year 8 Christmas Market Trip : Dusseldorf 2023

The Christmas market trip to Düsseldorf was a great opportunity to see the real culture inside Germany. You get to hear the language and explore the lifestyle and the famous landmarks. For example, we had the chance to go visit the cathedral in Cologne (Köln) which is a key landmark and a beautiful building with beautiful architecture. On day one of our 4 day stay in Düsseldorf we experienced a German Christmas market which was a beautiful place, full of delicious German food and authentic German Christmas decorations. It also gave us the chance to practise speaking German and the phrases they use. On day 2 of our trip we visited the Lindt chocolate factory and museum, which was a favourite destination for many of us to enjoy our favourite chocolate. Even if you don’t like Lindt chocolate, it was a great opportunity to buy Christmas gifts for friends and family. On our travels we also visited our partner school who threw us a surprise Christmas party. This was a great chance for us to meet and experience what life is like in a German school and to meet the penfriends we have been writing to for a year, since we started learning German. One of the most fun things we were able to do on the third day of our stay was visit the German school again but this time we experienced 2 lessons and saw how the lessons were different to school in the UK. After lessons we visited Phantasialand and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring this famous German theme park and seeing all the different stalls and shops that were available. On our last day, just before we started our journey back to the UK, we went up the TV tower (Rheinturm). This was an amazing experience to see Germany from an eagle eye view. I would definitely say this trip is one people will never forget.

Marley Hattan 8 Gold

The German trip was so cool,
We got on the shuttle and the ferry,
At 9pm we swam in the outside pool,
The Weihnachtsmarkt was super merry,

Gymnasium am Neandertal was the partner school,
The endless amount of chocolate at the chocolate factory,
The people at Phantasialand wearing wool,
Standing on the glass in the Rheinturm felt like a victory.

The adventures in Cologne,
The wonders we saw,
The beautiful gemstone,
I love every minute I saw,

I would love to go back,
I would love to see it all again.

Evie Bowkett 8 Rot

On the 29 of November 2023 I experienced what it is like in Germany. I really enjoyed it and it was an amazing experience. Here are some things I enjoyed.

–Phantasialand
(my favourite ride was the train. It was unreal)
–Schokoladenmuseum
(the chocolate it was so delicious)
–Wasserpark
(waterpark I loved it!!!)
–Weihnachtsmärkte
(Christmas markets)

And that was only a fraction of all of the wonderful things we experienced there was so much. It was such an eye opening experience and I really enjoyed it and had so much fun.

I also met my German partner who is now my close friend and I’m very happy that I was able to meet her! When we visited the chocolate factory, I bought some Christmas presents, and in the cathedral, I lit a candle for my grandma. I was also lucky enough to try some
new German foods, such as a Bratwurst (hotdog), fried Donut balls, Pretzels and more! If you get the opportunity to go on this trip, YOU SHOULD GO!

Jessica Drake 8 Rot

December
Unterricht (lesson)
Swimming
Schokolade (chocolate)
Exciting
Leicht (easy)
Dusseldorf
Ordnung (ok)
Rheinturm
Friendships

One of the things I liked the most about the German trip was the Christmas markets. They were so beautiful and unique and amazing smells surrounded me. The stalls were full of Christmas decorations and German food.

The thing that I enjoyed the most was going to Phantasialand and the swimming pool. I liked both of these places because they were both magical and exciting and in the theme park there were different areas like Mexico and Africa and when you entered that area it felt like you were being transported into that country. They had also paid a lot of attention to detail as there were even fake clothes hanging up on washing lines!

Issy Craig

On the trip I enjoyed the theme park the most and it was really fun.

Abigail Bacon – Sugrue 8 Rot

Our favourite thing on the German Christmas market trip was Phantasialand. We went to the theme park in Düsseldorf called Phantasialand and it was very fun. We also went to the waterpark near cologne and it was really fun. There were quite a few slides and 3 pools. One of my other favourite activities was the chocolate museum. There was a chocolate fountain and we got to try it on a wafer and it was so nice.

Mae Tallant 8 Rot

This trip was my first school trip and i was super nervous but it will be a very memorable trip i can’t choose my favourite thing but I absolutely loved Phantasialand. I also loved the Lindt factory and the water park and of course the markets. This trip has given me loads of new memories and is an unforgettable trip for me.

Maddie Deasey 8 Rot

On the German trip my favourite was Phantasialand which is a massive theme park in Germany that we visited. I loved it because the roller coasters were very fast and fun. I definitely recommend the park. It’s different from the theme parks I have been to in England because the roller coasters were a lot faster and more crazier. Overall a fantastic trip.

Sophie Mason 8 Rot

On the German trip I liked the water park, because it was fun and different to English ones.

I also liked the Rheinturn tower (TV tower) because it had good food and the lift was cool.

Daisy Goodwin 8 Rot

– Gymnasium am Neandertal – we went to the German school and we had a party then we did a scavenger hunt which I won!

– We went to Phantasialand and we went on lots of rides. They all went so fast it is so much fun

– The hostel was super cool and fun

– We went to the Lindt museum. I ate a lot of chocolate it was ‘lecker’

– The cathedral (Dom) was very big and interesting

– The Christmas markets were very fun

– The ferry on the way back was fun! (However on the way there we took the shuttle train which was much, much faster and only took around half an hour whereas the ferry took almost 2 hours

Florence Fisher 8 Rot

I enjoyed Phantasialand, because it was really fun and I had a great time with my friends, and the same goes for the waterpark. I also liked the school, because they threw us a whole party, which was nice. My friends and I had a great time and I will definitely recommend it to other German students.

Molly Hole 8 Rot

My favourite part of the German trip was Phantasialand. I enjoyed this because it was my first time going on the faster rides. My friends had encouraged me to go, and because my friend told me a story on how she tried her first big ride, I decided to go. I didn’t regret it at all. I also enjoyed it because I talked the most ‘Deutsch’. I had ordered; 4 big portions of fries with ketchup, 3 cokes and 1 Fanta. This made me really proud because I understood mostly everything they were saying, and most importantly they understood me.

Aleksandra Ivaskeviciute 8 Rot

I really enjoyed the Chocolate museum, where I saw the history of chocolate, how it was made, and also there I bought presents for my family.
Also I like TV tower and Phantasialand. The TV tower was amazing, it was high but the view from there was beautiful. Phantasialand was interesting and perfect, you can go for different activities depending on what you like.

Olena Sklyarenko 8 Rot