Day 1: The journey (Sunday)

We started at 2:30 am at the main station in Karlsruhe. After about 8 hours we arrived in Dunkerque, where we took the ferry at 2pm. The weather and the wind were fantastic. After having been on the ferry for 2 hours we were in England. Two more hours and then we arrived at the host families where we got dinner and went to bed.

Day 2: Walk on the Seven Sisters and Eastbourne (Monday)

The Seven Sisters

The Seven Sisters are located between Eastbourne and Seaford. They are named “The Seven Sisters” because they are seven hills, which go up and down and which are 300 metres high. There is a visitor centre where you can see things people found on the beach.

Many people kill themselves as they jump down the cliffs and some people also died because of the erosions. There are flowers, which remind of the people who died. It is also a good place for photographers because there is the sea and you can see the whole of Eastbourne.

And if you aren’t a good photographer you can roll down the hills J.

by Emir, Andrey and Joshua

Day 3: Arundel Castle and HMS Victory in Portsmouth (Tuesday)

Arundel Castle

Arundel Castle is a restored medieval castle in Arundel (West Sussex). The name “Arundel“  is a composition of the river “Arun“ and the Old English word for river (del). Arundel Castle is one of the best preserved medieval castles in the world and also the most incredible castle of England. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery in 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally the castle was built as a mound castle on a moth and should protect the estuary against invaders. In the course of the centuries it was extended to a castle and was altered several times. Now it’s the seat of The Dukes of Norfolk.  Most parts of the castle can be visited for little money. Only the private rooms aren’t allowed to visit.

HMS Victory

MS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. It is the oldest ship and still in use. You can find it in Portsmouth, England with the HMS Warrior and the remains of the Mary Rose, a ship belonging to Henry VIII of England. Her most famous captains are Horatio Nelson, who died on the ship during the Battle of Trafalgar (in 1805), and Samuel Hood. After 1824 she served as a harbour ship. In 1922 she was moved to a dry dock at Portsmouth and preserved as a museum ship.

It has 6 decks, a length of 70m and a wide of 16m.

by Nikita

Day 4: London (Wednesday)

On Wednesday we visited London. On this day we had to wake up earlier than on other days. So my roommate (Isabel) and I were awake at half past five.
After we took a shower, had breakfast and packed our bags, we left at 7am for the meeting point.
Quarter past seven our bus arrived and the kids entered the bus. When every student was picked up, we drove to the supermarket to buy something to eat and finally it started!
’London we’re coming!’, someone shouted. We were very excited. After about one and a half hour we arrived without any traffic and any problems.
In London we visited the Tower of London; it’s a royal castle of the queens and kings which served as a prison and a fortress. There you could visit weapons and jewellery exhibition. I liked the jewellery exhibition most because everything was sparkling. Every crown was adorned with real diamonds and wonderful colors. It was so hard to believe that there are real crowns in front of you, because you often can see them made in plastic and glass.

The clothes of the kings and queens were fantastic! You get jealous if you consider that someone wore something beautiful like this in former times.
This fortress is located at the Thames, from there you can also see the Tower Bridge. On this place we took many group shots.
Then we made a ship ride on the Thames. After having seen lots of sights we also went to Buckingham Palace. I liked the guards there because they were so funny. The men stood there without any reactions and could withstand not to laugh when some of the student made jokes. Sometimes they moved and walked back and forth. At least they turned their guns and “freezed” again.
After this visit we had one hour time to stroll through the shops. Some of the kids bought I ♥ London T-Shirts and pullovers.
In the evening Hansi, our lovely bus driver, picked us up and we drove back to our families. We arrived at about 9pm. After this successful day Isabel and I were very tired and we immediately went to bed.

by Ani

After we visit the Tower of London, we took a boat to the direction of London Eye and Big Ben where we got out and walked to the Westminster Abbey.  It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site. The abbey is a Royal Peculiar and briefly held the status of a cathedral from 1540 to 1550.

The next sight was Trafalgar Square. In the middle of the place is statue with Lord Nelson which is 51 m high.

by Fabienne

The Tower of London:

The real name of the Tower of London is Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress and it is a historic castle next to the River Thames in the centre of London. The White Tower, which is the oldest part, was built by William the Conquerer in 1078. The Tower was used as a prison and lots of prisoners were tortured. The Crown Jewels are the most valuable things in the Tower. The oldest artifact is a spoon. Each king or queen got his own crown, so lots of crowns are in the Tower. But there are not only crowns in the Tower, but alo cloaks, spores and other things. The Tower is protected very well. The Beefeaters live next to the Tower.

The English-Club wants to thank the Förderverein very much for paying the costs for the Tower of London!!

The Tower Bridge:

The Tower Bridge was built from 1886 to 1894 and it is a combined bascule and suspension bridge over the River Thames in London. It is close to the Tower of London and that is the reason why it is called The Tower Bridge. It has become an iconic symbol of London and everybody knows this bridge. Cars can drive on the bridge and if big ships want to pass, the Tower Bridge is opened.

Big Ben:

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock in the Palace of Westminster in London. Its weight is 13,5 tons and the clock tower is the third-tallest-free standing clock tower. The tower was completed in 1858 and it has become the most prominent symbol of England.

Piccadilly Circus:

• Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster.
• It was built in 1819  to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly.
• In this context, a circus, from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction.
• The Circus is close to major shopping and entertainment areas in the West End.
• Its status as a major traffic intersection has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right.
• The Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of an archer popularly known as Eros.

Buckingham Palace:

• Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British Monarch.
• Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years.
• You can see the United-Kingdom flag when the queen is in the palace.

Day 5: Brighton (Thursday)

In Brighton we saw two famous sights. The first sight was the Royal Pavilion and the second sight was the Brighton Pier. The Royal Pavilion was visited by the whole group and we had a guide through one half of the Pavilion. The Brighton Pier could be visited in our free time and it was visited by most people.

The Royal Pavilion was a “party house” which was built by King George IV and the architect John Nash. From the outside it has the style of an Indian Palace but from the inside it has a Chinese style. With this rare design it is the most exotic palace in Europe. In 1850 Queen Victoria sold the Pavilion to the population of Brighton for 53000 pounds. Since the Second World War Brighton works on a restoration of the building.

The Brighton Pier is an amusement Pier for the whole family. It is the biggest and the best-known pier of England. It has two casinos, many roller coasters and kiosks, where you can eat something like Fish and Chips or doughnuts. At first there were two piers but one burnt down. It wasn't removed because it would cost too much.

We really liked Brighton, we had much fun at the pier's attractions, the Pavilion was interesting.

by Georg