Year 12 Economics Frankfurt Trip review

Will & Ted

Thursday 30 th March

To commence the trip, the highspirited group of students took for the buses and headed towards Heathrow Airport. After a lengthy wait and many checks for passports, we boarded the short but eventful flight, (featuring a crying baby as well as a happy birthday rendition from the whole of the plane for birthday boy Tommy Whatton). After an hour, we touched down at Frankfurt airport, which was greeted with a warm applause for the pilot.

After a brief stop at baggage collection, we were greeted by our tour guide (and now fan favourite, Anne). We were directed to our coach and began the short journey towards our hostel, with music booming from the back of the coach, spirits were certainly high. As the coach came to a halt, we ascended upon our destination. Following a register, we were handed our room keys and headed up to the room for the evening in order to refuel for a big day ahead.

Friday 31st March

In the early hours of the morning, students were awakened by the persistent knocking of Mrs Carr and Mr Compton, signalling that it was time to get ready and head downstairs for breakfast. Following a continental breakfast, the students were requested to head upstairs in order to get prepared for the day ahead.

With bags packed, we got a taste of the extremely efficient German Tram System, heading for the Deutsche Bundesbank. After a few changes of tram lines, we arrived at the bank and were greeted by our knowledgeable lecturer ‘Kühne Andre’. He gave the students an hour and a half long but interactive lecture on the history of the Euro, as well as the past economy of Germany and the banking system in Europe. After the lecture, the students were offered the chance to take a look around the historical and educational museum of the bank. This featured description of the Hyperinflation crisis in Germany post WW1, as well as the first bank notes produced in Germany. The bank offered a useful insight into the past history of Germany’s economy and was extremely beneficial for the students understanding of the financial system in the country.

Following on from the bank, we took a short tram, followed on by an underground towards the main city of Frankfurt for an opportunity to get lunch and explore the culture of the city. Anne advised for many of the students to get a taste of the local cuisine, with market stalls present along the streets of the bustling city. Many of the students opted for the German sausage in a bun, known as a ‘Bratwurst.’ After lunch and free time, sights were set on the next destination. The Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the heart of the city centre was the next location for the students. Students were offered a chance to explore the museum and were able to actually overlook the trade floor and gain an insight into what working on the stock exchange looks like. After this interesting visit to the exchange, we headed towards the European Central Bank European Central Bank (ECB). After a lengthy security check, we were toured around the bank, and provided with discussions on the functioning and history of the bank.

Finally, the students took a brief walk towards the Kueche restaurant, where we were served up a 3-course meal of; Tomato soup to start, an authentic German Jägerschitzel for the main, followed by a chocolate mousse for dessert. Departing the restaurant, we took a tram back to the hostel and headed up to our rooms again after a very eventful and successful day.

Saturday 1st April

Our last full day of fun began with an insightful tour through the ‘Gutenberg Museum’ in Mainz. During this enthralling hour we discovered how the original printing press was invented and witnessed a live demonstration from Jean-Luc our tour guide.

To conclude this educational but tiring day we arrived at what appeared to be a warm and welcoming restaurant. To the slight disappointment of the team, we were served a sub-optimal knuckle of pork, alongside a green and brown salad. However, we did not let this dampen our spirits and we ate up quickly and made our way back to our hostel, to refresh for our final day!

Sunday 2nd April

Following on from this, we took the coach west towards the picturesque town of Rudesheim. After a short walk through the centre we arrived at a cable car which we took up the mountain, enabling us to take in the beautiful views. At the top Anne passed on her knowledge of the local area and information regarding the Unification of Germany Statue – a personal area of interest for us history students too!

Sunday commenced with the whole group packing our suitcases and reminiscing on what an incredible time we’d had so far, followed by another tasty breakfast. To the excitement of the majority of the group, first up on the itinerary was a tour around the Deutsche Bank Park –the home of Eintracht Frankfurt F.C. Felix (an ex Frankfurt ultra turned tour guide) gave us an extremely insightful tour all throughout the stadium, including a visit to the instadium museum and even the press room.

Before getting our final coach home, we visited the Frankfurt main tower – a beautiful example of modern architecture in Germany. Upon travelling to the top of the tower, we were greeted with the breath-taking view of the surrounding city, giving us a final glance at the place we had grown to love.

We then hopped aboard the coach to have a final few hours of free time before we made haste to the airport. Despite being eager to get on the plane, we had to burn quite a few hours as we managed to arrive super early for the flight! By boarding time, we were all very tired and looking forward to returning home. We will treasure this trip for the rest of our lives!