From Saturday, 23rd August 2025, to Friday, 30th August 2025, our class 9 trip to England took place, and with us were Mrs. Kessler, Mr. Fleischer and Mr. Averdunk. We started at 11 a.m. in Leipzig and, after a long journey through Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, and with the ferry crossing from Calais to Dover, we finally arrived at the Cavendish School of English in Bournemouth after about 20 hours. Shortly after, we were picked up by our host families, who gave us a warm welcome.
In every host family there were always between 2 and 6 people, and some even had pets, like we did. Our host family was very nice and talkative, especially when it came to their two Boston Terriers and old antique lamps.
After a good night’s sleep, each group still had time in the afternoon to explore the city of Bournemouth in groups of three on their own. In Bournemouth there is a huge beach, big houses and many shops to discover. The highlight for many was, of course, the beach, which was just perfect with the weather.
The next day every student first got a small lunch package for the day before we left at 8:30 a.m. for Portsmouth. Before that there was a short stop at the school to pick up our tour guide. In Portsmouth we went to the Historic Dockyard, where we learned a lot about the ships there. After the short history lesson we went to a shopping center, where we were allowed to go shopping in groups on our own.
Tuesday, the second day, was about knowledge and magic, because we went to Oxford, a highlight for all Harry Potter fans. Our walk started with a tour of the Oxford campus, which stretches across the whole city, with old buildings and many photo spots. But the entry to see the Oxford University from inside costs quite a lot, which stopped many from going inside. After many facts, we finally had free time to explore Oxford on our own. Many went into small shops, the shopping center or visited the university. All in all: a wonderful day.
The next day we went to Winchester, but before leaving we picked up our tour guide at the Cavendish School of English as usual. There we learned something about the history of the wives of Henry VIII, then we looked at Jane Austen’s house and got to hear a few facts about her. Despite the rain we didn’t miss the chance to look at the cathedral from the outside. With our newly learned knowledge we then quickly went into the city. But the day was not over yet. Actually, after exploring Winchester we would have tried out some beach games, but unfortunately it rained quite heavily now and then, so we had to cancel them. However, this gave us a bit more time with our host family before we all met again later for karaoke. There we were welcomed by the familiar face of the tour guide from our trip to Portsmouth, who also sang the opening song. We heard and sang many songs and also discovered many beautiful voices of others. After this exciting day we all fell into bed and looked forward to what the next day would bring.
On the second-to-last day in England we had two destinations after picking up our tour guide. First was Salisbury with its breathtaking cathedral. There we had the chance to look at the beautiful old architecture and learn something about the Magna Carta. When we were finished there, we were sent off in our small groups to look around the city and buy something small. But later we went on to Stonehenge. On the way there the tour guide told us that people back then transported the stones to their place. We drove with a bus up the small way and walked around in a circle to look at the huge stones. On our way back to Bournemouth something happened that no one expected! There was a small accident with the bus and another car. Luckily no one was hurt, and after the police checked the situation, we could continue driving.
Friday morning our last day in England began, and it was time to say goodbye to the host families, but of course only after they dropped us off with our luggage at the school. When everyone was there, we started our bus trip to London. When we arrived there, it felt like being in a movie, it looked exactly like you would imagine. That’s why we were even more excited to see more of this city, which we then did. We walked through a big park, where you could meet very tame animals like birds, ducks and squirrels. Our tour through London also took us to Buckingham Palace. But King Charles III was not in his palace with Camilla at that time, but probably on holiday in Scotland. The last stop was in front of the National Gallery. This was also the place where we were allowed to explore the city, to see closer places like Chinatown or Big Ben and of course to look into the shops. When we met again in the evening, we started our walk to the bus, which with a few small stops led us past Big Ben, the London Eye and Tower Bridge. Around 10:45 p.m. (English time) we all got on the bus and started our 20-hour journey back to Leipzig. When we crossed the border with the ferry at 3 a.m. (English time), most of us had already slept a bit and were ready to take on the rest of the bus and ferry trip.
Because of the time change from England to France, we arrived in France at about 6 a.m., got another lunch package given by the Cavendish School of English, and drove the rest of the way with one stop and a bus driver change back to Leipzig. The trip ended around 5:30 p.m. near our school, and we were picked up by our parents.
All in all, this trip to England was an experience that we will never forget. All participants are very thankful that they could take part in this trip, and we hope that the future students going to England will have just as much fun as we did.
Text written by Lorelai Riediger (9-6) & Neleh Tittel (9-2)
