By Harry, 11G

I ought to be used to the early starts by now. Perhaps all Sutton Grammar trips abroad face the same unspoken requirement that boys must be woken before the sun rises to gather, half-asleep, at the check-in queue. Indeed the Berlin Trip this half term was no different, for it was a bleary eyed chorus that boarded BA978 on Thursday morning. After being woken by the -6°C German welcome, our group of Year 10 and 11 history students embarked on our first day of touring the great and historic city before us. We spent an hour at the infamous Alexanderplatz, a favourite amongst the fast food enjoyers and the poor student whose luggage fell victim to Heathrow’s luggage “handlers” and never made it onto the plane.

The evening involved visits to numerous key monuments including the impressive Brandenburg Gate and an unremarkable car park- formerly the site of the Führerbunker. The next two days yielded visits to some fascinating museums, including the rather eclectic Checkpoint Charlie museum and the intact section of the Berlin Wall near Bernauerstrasse. The preserved No Man’s Land, and the memorial to those who died trying to cross it, gave to all of us a keen sense of the shadow that communist East Germany leaves across Berlin even today. Our final day included a brilliant tour of the Olympiastadion, through both its Nazi origins and its footballing significance, a highly coveted Currywurst lunch, and, crucially, a harrowing visit to the icy concentration camp Sachsenhausen, heavy with the reminder of its brutal history.

I am sure that the lessons and impressions that the trip has left me with are echoed by all those that attended. I must mention our gratitude to the teachers who supported the trip, above all to Mr Marshall for organising it, and for his undoubtedly detailed descriptions of Berlin’s history. I cannot recommend this thoroughly enjoyable trip enough to any budding historian with this opportunity on the horizon.