Felice Bianga:
Nach über 12 Stunden Anreise erreichten wir am Montag, den 03.11, England. Die berühmten White Cliffs of Dover empfingen uns und die Vorfreude auf die ereignisreiche Woche war riesig. Unsere erster Halt war das malerische Städtchen Canterbury. Dort besuchten wir die Canterbury Cathedral und viele kleine verträumte Gassen und Lädchen.
Detailreiche,riesige, farbenfrohe Glasfenster und verspielte Ornamente sorgten in der Kathedrale für eine imposante und zugleich beruhigende Atmosphäre.
Schiefe Häuser, winzige Türen und viele Klinkerbauten gaben der Stadt ein verspieltes Aussehen.
Nach unserem Aufenthalt in Canterbury ging es nun endlich nach London, wo wir unsere Gastfamilien kennenlernten.
Konrad Sießmeier, Simon Tschach, Justin Schulze, Sasha Böhme:
We started our trip through London at the O2 Stadium and took the Tube to the Tower Bridge, where we took some photos and were finally let off the hooks allowing us to explore London on our own. Our group consisted out of Finn, Fynn, Sasha, Lennox, Justin, Konrad, Leon and me - Simon. First we went to Borough Market, purchasing chocolate covered strawberries. Afterwards, we took the Underground Tube system and went to the Kings Cross Station, stopping briefly to take a picture of the famous Track 9 3/4 before moving on to the Arsenal Tune station. There we visited the Emirates Stadium before going all the way back to the Shard where we asked staff to let us in to take some pictures. Fynn still had an old 10 pound bill, which is no longer accepted in stores. We figured out tough that the Bank of England still takes this old money and exchanges it to a crisp new bill. We did exactly that, before taking the Tube to the Big Ben where we took pictures before moving on to the London Eye where we met the rest of our class again. We went on a ride and went back through the Tube to the O2 Stadium afterwards where our trip through London ended.
Hermine Müller:
Report: guided tour through Oxford
On Wednesday, 5th of November, we went to visit Oxford, which is a small town belonging to London. Although this town is pretty small, it is really famous. The reason for its popularity is its university, the University of Oxford. The first colleges were built in the mid-13th century, and the university grew steadily in the following decades, so today, it consists of 40 different independent colleges. There you can study almost everything you can possibly think of, the available courses seem to cover every topic. Popular courses are, for example, law and political science as well as English and modern languages, Roman and Greek literature, medicine, and a lot more.
Many famous authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings” or C. S. Lewis, author of “The Chronicles of Narnia”, got some inspiration for their books in Oxford, even Albert Einstein and Lewis Carroll, author of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, were educated there.
As the University of Oxford is divided in so many colleges spread all over the town, you walk across University’s campus when walking through Oxford’s streets.
We had a guided tour through Oxford, and our guide showed us a few of those countless colleges. Sometimes, you wouldn’t guess that a specific building actually is a college, e. g. who would indeed expect a college with a vast backyard behind an ivy-covered house? We most certainly didn’t and were totally taken aback when the guide told us. When walking from the ivy-covered college to another one we came across a bookshop called “Blackwell’s” where you can find every book ever printed and caught a glimpse on a vast library that you were allowed to enter as an Oxford-pupil only.
Having a guide who knew Oxford as well as the back of his hands, we were able to take a group photo in front of a Hogwarts Castle scenery and photograph the Hogwarts library window. Further on we passed the “Bridge of Sighs” connecting two parts of the University to see the house of Edmond Halley, who had discovered Halley’s comet, and walked around the central circular library building of Oxford. Altogether, there are 67 libraries in Oxford, our guide told us, which are connected by tunnels, so when walking along the streets, you constantly walk on top of a complex tunnel system.
Being in Oxford felt like having gone back in time. The Victorian houses, colleges, shops and libraries gave you the feeling that Queen Victoria’s and King Albert’s carriage might pass any time or some famous author would come across you having just got the idea for his future-world-famous book. Just like Lewis probably did when he had stepped out of his college and saw a wooden door across the street, carved with a lion, later called Aslan in the “Chronicles of Narnia”, and decorated with two Satires (half-human, half-goat creatures) as well as an enchanted looking streetlamp next to it.
The British Charm you could easily feel in this side lane continued in the restaurant we had traditional British Cream tea in. […]
Phelan Munzert, Arthur Höckner, Lennard Zündler, Max Reichmann
The quest for the perfect view
On Thursday, November 6, 2025, we met with all the students, who took part in the study trip, at 8:00 a.m. at the Baker Centre in London, from where our two-hour bus ride to the O2 Arena began. At the O2 Arena, we boarded the London Underground and traveled to London Bridge station. Then we walked as a group to the banks of the Thames, where group photos were taken in our classes with Tower Bridge in the background.
Afterwards, we had the opportunity of visiting Tower Bridge accompanied by our teachers or embarking on our own adventure through London. We opted for the latter and decided to visit The Shard, London's tallest building, to get the best possible view of the city. As we approached the enormous building, security guides immediately approached us and informed us that a visit was not possible due to a special event. They directed us to a similarly tall building in central London, and we instantly set off for it.
On our way, we passed many famous places, landmarks, and monuments, such as London Bridge and the Monument to the Great Fire of London. At the Fenchurch Building, better known as the Walkie-Talkie Building, we realized we needed tickets for it. However, we would have had to book them two weeks in advance, which we hadn't known. So we went to the nearest skyscraper, but we weren't allowed to go inside either.
After a long, desperate search, we were left with only one option: the Horizon 22 observation deck in the 22 Bishopsgate building. Upon arrival, our excitement was quickly dampened, as this attraction required an adult to enter. Our only option was to ask a stranger for a ride. So we did, and we were lucky, as we happened to approach two exceptionally nice Germans who agreed to accompany us. Once we reached the top, we enjoyed the best view of our lives, overlooking almost all of London. 254 meters above the ground, we saw numerous skyscrapers, Westminster Abbey with the Elizabeth Tower, the Tower of London with Tower Bridge, and the course of the Thames through London. It was truly fascinating, as the whole world suddenly seemed so small.
After saying goodbye to our "heroes," we headed towards the London Eye. On our way through London, we crossed the Millennium Bridge, which we all knew from the Harry Potter films. We passed the Tate Modern, and since we were hungry, we found a nearby restaurant and grabbed a bite to eat. Refreshed, we went to the London Eye, where we met up with the other students and teachers at 3:30 pm. In groups of about 20, we took a ride on the London Eye and enjoyed one last beautiful view of the British capital during sunset. To conclude this successful day, we took the underground back to the O2 Arena, where we had one last break before our journey back to Germany.
To sum up, this last day in London was the perfect end to an educational, exciting, but sometimes also quite tiring study trip.