On the final day of the Spring Term, 16 girls from Years 8 – 13 and four staff traveled to Leipzig and Berlin. Our first day in Leipzig began with a trip to a music museum where we saw some incredibly old and beautiful instruments. We then had a walking tour of Leipzig and in the evening we were treated to an inspiring concert in the Thomaskirche, performed by a choir from a specialist music school. At the end of the concert we went to the altar where J.S. Bach is buried. The evening ended with a lovely meal at the Ratskeller restaurant, where we enjoyed traditional German food including schnitzels!
The next day we had the privilege of performing in the Garden Room of the Mendelssohn House, where Mendelssohn spent the last few years of his life. In the evening, having traveled to Berlin by coach, we visited the Reichstag Building, home of the German Parliament, which was grand and much improved by our impromptu a capella concert!
On the Sunday, we had two concerts in Berlin. The first was a Sunday morning service in the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which has walls of blue stained glass and makes for a serene and sacred place to perform. The church was badly bombed in the war and the ruined building now stands beside the modern new church, where we sang. To witness two perspectives of the church and sing to a wholly German congregation was an incredibly moving experience, enhanced by such an amazing venue. The second church was the Marienkirche, an open, spacious, and classical church with a never-ending acoustic! This was our final performance and so it was very important to us that it ended the tour on a high. There were pieces sung by Choir and Schola, as well as a variety of solos and ensembles. We spent the evening cosied up in the basement of the hostel laughing our way through an evening of entertainment including photo competitions, singing and quizzes.
On the last day, having packed, we set off for a walking tour of Berlin. Once we reached the Brandenburg Gate, the weather started to brighten up. Our first stop was the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, with its dramatic grey masses of stone. Our guide explained in detail the German culture and history. We then went to a car park where Hitler’s bunker was located during the bombing of Berlin. This was amazing but slightly scary. We then went to Checkpoint Charlie, an iconic feature of Berlin’s sightseeing spots, as well as stopping off for a look in the Chocolate shop which contained table-sized chocolate models of the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag Building and the Berlin Wall. We also got to see the remains of the real Berlin Wall which was historic and powerful.
Anisha (Year 13), Rosie (Year 11) and Lizzie (Year 9)
