I collected a couple of snaps from my journey there, photos from plane windows are some of my favourites to take. After landing, we hopped onto a coach that would take us to the German school, where all our exchange partners were waiting. I wasn't too nervous, which surprised me. It took me a while to find her once we were released in the crowd of exchange partners, but we eventually recognised each other and hugged. We drove to their bakery first, then to their home, where I was guided around on a short tour before unpacking. She gave me her bedroom, which was lovely of her. I had brought some gifts for the family from England, to help break the ice if it was needed. A box filled with cakes, some different types of teas and shortbread.
The next day was possibly my favourite one. School took us to Mannheim Palace, where we dressed in traditional German clothing and learnt a simple dance. Boys sported frilly waistcoats of hideous patterns, and heavy dresses were hoisted upon the girls. We even had to carry those cage type things that women would wear years ago to make their hips look ridiculously large. We were taught a dance in the ballroom, and my dress was so lengthy I had to be cautious to gather it up in my hands. We didn't change from our costumes until after our tour which featured several stairs, not the most desirable object to encounter whilst being weighed down by an enormous frock. I was petrified to fall!
We then travelled by tram to Luisenpark, beautiful green grounds with a mini zoo, a serene lake offering boat trips and a dense forest among its wonders. Here, we spent the afternoon for our free time. We ate lunch on a bunch of deck chairs we found, my friends and I decided to play hide and seek it which really took me back to my primary school memories. It was so fun! I also remember exploring with another friend, and we were both in a really giggly mood, and created so many little jokes. Everything is so much better when you feel like that. I'm really sad that I didn't take any photos on that day, because I have so many happy memories.
Although the day after I took tons of photographs and that was when we went to Frankfurt. The day before was with only the English students, but this day the German students came along too. On our arrival, we were shown around Frankfurt's old town by the German history teacher. We got to admire the pretty buildings and go inside the politics building before scaling a towering church spire, in order to get the best possible views of the city. We were all exhausted by our arrival at the top, definitely worth it though!
Frankfurt really reflected everything I expected Germany to be. We then dragged our aching thighs to the film museum, where we were shown the sort of evolution of film making. We were able to stand in front of a green screen and see ourselves in a world where the ants looked down on us, and there were also loads of props and costumes from huge blockbuster productions like Star Wars. I also loved the mini theatre with the projector that displayed a funny little man dancing across the wall.
In our free time that day, we headed to the shops. I bought three little Christmas tree ornaments to take back home seeing as it was the festive season. We had half an hour to spare before we needed to meet up with the other students and the teachers, so we popped into starbucks and grabbed some hot chocolate to keep us toasty while we waited in the winter weather for everybody else to make an appearance.
I remember the coach ride back from Frankfurt included lots of singalongs with one of my best friends, and I just remember being very happy that night.
The weekend was a time for the host families to share their favourite gems of Germany. On the Saturday, my partner and I met up with some of my friends and their partners in a city called Ludwigshafen. We travelled by train, and just outside the station there were bungee trampolines and a mini fairground. We then headed to the shopping centre and picked up a few things as well as eating dinner at a little café. During our time in the mall, a traditional German Christmas market had been set up. It was a lovely experience to be in the country of its origin. I'm grateful that we went in the lead up to Christmas, because it really got me into the festive spirit. There were bright fairground rides including a carousel. After we'd spent a bit of time nosing around the stalls, we took a quick trip down to the river side that reflected the city lights and took a couple of snaps.
Then on the Sunday, we attended a dinner at a posh hotel that had been booked for the staff at the family bakery. There were beautiful gardens at the hotel, so my partner, her sisters and I played hide and seek. We then headed to the countryside and ended up playing mini golf at a course we stumbled across. I came second, which isn't bad for my first game!
The next day, we spent our time in Speyer, where the school and host families were based. We spent three lessons in their classes. Their English teacher was speaking nonsense! After that we walked down to the town hall to meet with the mayor, who told us about the history of Speyer and some interesting facts followed by some refreshments. In our free time, we went to a cute little café to treat ourselves with ice creams before popping down to the river Rhine for a boat ride.
On our last full day in Germany, we travelled to Heidelberg. We visited the student prison which had a really interesting history and every inch of every wall and ceiling was covered in ancient graffiti, the bridge, and the castle. It was a lovely way to end the exchange.
I had so much fun in Germany and was really impressed and grateful for all the day trips and activities the language teachers had planned for us. Thank you for reading and well done if you made it this far! Leave me a comment telling me your favourite place that you have travelled to!
Molly Rose x
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