17 students attended the once-in-a-lifetime trip to Germany. The trip started off in Munich. There is quite a bit of history in Munich with its old cathedrals and churches. The tour group did a walk through of The Munich Cathedral and the Kreuzviertel. Munich also holds the world’s BMW Museum, along with the olympic arena opened in 1972. Students were given time to explore both locations. The showroom featured many new cars and vehicles of all kinds. Besides the automobile museum, the tour group stopped at the an artificial wave in Englischer Garten Sud. The wave is used for surfboarding year round, even in temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another stellar attraction the group went to was Neuschwanstein Castle. The journey begins at the bottom of the mountain and involves a brisk walk up to the castle.

Students were relieved to enter the castle, which luckily had heat. The castle had many unfinished portions because the King Ludwig II of Bavaria who was living there passed away in 1886, before construction was complete. The rooms that were finished though, were elegant with murals on the walls and colored glass chandeliers.

A very humbling experience for students was the visit to Dachau concentration camp. Dachau was a center where thousands upon thousands of innocent people died from starvation, abuse from officers, and illness during the Holocaust. Although it was an intense experience, it was important for students to see first hand what occurred.

One of the most beautiful and scenic cities students explored was Dresden. After World War II, almost all of the buildings in Dresden were destroyed. Since then the detailed architecture that once stood has been replicated to give the city its former glory. A few centuries ago when the original buildings were first built, detail in design, architecture, and even art were in style, so that is was remains in the city today with its replicas.

The last city students visited in Germany was Berlin. Berlin holds lots of history as well with the remnants from the Berlin Wall. Before checking out the city, Rochester students took part in home stays with German families. Students spent the day with their host student at their school,  and then spent the night at their host’s house to experience a full day as a European student. All of the students speak fairly good English, so language barriers were minimal. The last day of the trip is when the group did some sightseeing. Brandenburg Gate and The Reichstag Building were the first stops. Students were also given a few hours to explore on their own with friends.

After the trip ended, some students shared what they enjoyed the most. Freshman from Rochester Adams High School, Sam Deys said, “What I liked best about the trip was the overall experience. I got to eat a lot of foods I already love, but haven’t had in a while, and got to try new foods I have never had. Although it was freezing, we got to see so many places that were gorgeous with the surrounding snow. Meeting other people also made a major part of the trip, especially making new friends and creating a close relationship with our bus driver, Klaus. It was an experience that I greatly recommend taking part of” said Deys.

Sophomore Gabby Kitka from Stoney Creek High school also provided positive feedback. “My favorite part was probably the school day/home stay, because it made me realize how similar German teens and American teens really are. It made the world seem a lot smaller,” said Kitka.

The Germany trip was a major success and by the sounds of it seems like the attendees of the trip hope the delegation continues for future kids in years to come.