Trim students recount 'fabulous" trip to Germany

During the recent mid-term break, a group of 32 students and their teachers from Boyne Community School in Trim spent four days in Berlin. Almost all who travelled are students of German and the trip was an opportunity to enhance their knowledge of that country"s history and culture. The group started the trip with a full day of sight-seeing. The first stop was the Treptower Memorial Park in memory of the Russian soldiers who died during the war. Other landmarks were Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, the Cathedral, remnants of the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie. The guide showed them places where people were shot and died while trying to escape from East Berlin. He also gave a very personal account of the night the wall came down. They also visited Tempelhof Airport, the scene of the first airlift of food in 1958, and where presidents Kennedy and Carter, and actress Marlene Dietrich once landed. This airport closed a few days ago despite public opposition to its closure. On day two, the students visited the Olympic Stadium, famous for Jesse Owens feats in 1936, and latterly for the World Cup in 2006. In the zoo there was a chance to see world-famous Knut, a polar bear abandoned by its mother two years ago. After that, they ascended the TV tower to enjoy panoramic views of the city and also visited Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp. They also visited Berlin. Finally, a morning spent shopping in the main street, the Kurfürstendamm, gave students some time to buy the essential presents for family and friends, before heading to the airport and home again to Trim. They were accompanied by their teachers, A McElroy, K O"Hanlon, M Heanue and Á Uí Eadhra.