History Trip Europe

In April of this year, a group of 16 students accompanied by Mrs McDonald and Mr Rafferty set off on a three-week journey across Europe. Our first stop on our adventure was six days in London. From the moment we landed it was all go. London is an amazing city, where historic buildings and modern giants stand side by side. We were lucky enough to visit many of these landmarks such as the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Monument to the Great Fire of London, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Globe Theatre and, of course, Buckingham Palace. We also visited the Shard, the London Eye, Big Ben, History, National Art and V&A museums. We came across the New Zealand Memorial in Hyde Park Corner where we saw flowers laid in commemoration of the victims of the Christchurch mosque attack. With a quick trip on the Eurostar, we arrived in Paris, the city of love and the city of light. Three days to explore the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees and the Sacre-Coeur, these were definite highlights of our time in Paris. Of course, while we were there we had to go see the iconic Eiffel Tower. However, the defining memory of Paris is the day Notre Dame Cathedral went up in flames. We were there only hours before, admiring this historical building with its medieval architecture and stained glass windows.

After a long bus ride, we found ourselves in the medieval town of Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Germany. The village was charming and quaint, encircled by a timeless wall filled with colourful buildings and cobblestone lanes. Rothenberg is a place where even the most avid Christmas hater will fall in love as its spirit is immersed throughout the town. While in Germany we also visited the Nazi rally grounds in Nuremberg and the Dachau concentration camp. This was a very sombre but moving experience and gave us all an insight into the horror of war. Our last few days were spent in Munich, where we visited the BMW museum and celebrated Easter. The final destination of our trip was Rome. We visited several historical monuments such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps and the Vatican City. Lastly, we visited the beautiful renaissance building of the Roman Catholic church, St Peter’s Basilica. After a long trip home, we were all very tired but extremely grateful for this experience and the memories we created. A huge thank you goes to Mrs McDonald and Mr Rafferty for becoming our substitute parents and providing us with this rare opportunity.