Travelling to Danzig
Yesterday we flew from Hamburg to Gdansk for our student exchange. There we were greeted with balloons and a warm welcome. Everyone got along well with their exchange students and the atmosphere was really good from the beginning. After that we drove home with our host families or did something together. In the evening we all met at school to get to know each other even better at various get-to-know-you games. In addition, there was a delicious cake buffet where we could spend the evening cosy. Overall it was a really nice first day and a great start to our student exchange. We are already looking forward to the next few days in Danzig!
Johanna, Marielies
Thursday, 24.9.
Today, we spent another nice day in Poland as part of our student exchange. In the morning, we went to school and had two lessons. After that, we did a city rallye. We had to solve different tasks and got to know the city better. Afterwards, we went to a church and watched an organ show. The music and the atmosphere were very impressive, and it was a nice experience. Now, we are having a barbecue together and spending some time with everyone. Overall, it was a fun and interesting day with many different activities.
Leni
Friday, 25.9.
On the day of the trip we all met at school and then we walked together to the train station in Oliwa. It was a nice walk, everyone was talking and it didn’t take that long. Then we took the train and drove for about 40 minutes until we got to Marienburg. When we finally got there, we got audioguides so we could go through the castle by ourselves. I think that was better than having a guide talk the whole time, because we could go at our own pace and look at whatever we wanted. The castle is really big and there’s a lot to see. The castle was divided into three parts and it took about two hours to see all of it , there were a lot of hidden doors and stairs we had to walk through and it was quite exiting to see how people lived in such extravagant places and how their days were.
Margo
Saturday, 26.9.
During our stay in GdaĆsk, we took part in a city tour through the Old Town. A female tour guide showed us around the city and told us many interesting things about its history which is in some parts also German. During the tour, we saw many old and beautiful buildings. The tour guide explained what some of the buildings were used for in the past and why they are important. We also learned more about the history of GdaĆsk and how the city has changed over time. One of the most interesting parts was learning about the old prisons and how prisoners were treated in the past. For example, we learned how prisoners were held and sometimes chained. These stories gave us a better idea of what life was like in GdaĆsk many years ago. We also visited different places and saw many sights in the Old Town. The explanations from the tour guide made the places more interesting because we learned the stories behind them. Overall, I really enjoyed the city tour. I found it interesting to learn about the history of GdaĆsk while seeing the old buildings and important places in the city. It was a good way to get to know GdaĆsk better.
Seyfettin
Report about the Museum of the Second World War in GdaĆsk During our stay in GdaĆsk, we also visited the Museum of the Second World War. The museum is located at Plac WĆadysĆawa Bartoszewskiego 1 in GdaĆsk. There, we learned a lot about the Second World War and what happened during this time. The museum had many different objects, pictures and information about the war. I found it especially interesting that the museum did not only show the major events of the war, but also explained how normal people experienced the war in their everyday lives. For example, we learned about the difficult conditions that families and children had to live with. We also saw many objects from that time that were connected to the war and the daily lives of people. This made it easier to imagine what life was like during the Second World War. Another important part of the exhibition was about the beginning of the Second World War and the events in Poland. It showed how strongly the war affected the population and many different countries. Overall, I found the museum very interesting and also quite thought-provoking. The many objects, pictures and explanations helped us to understand what the Second World War was like for people. The visit was therefore a good addition to our city tour of GdaĆsk.
Sunday, 27.9.
Family day. It was Sunday and my exchange partnerâs family went to church, so I got plenty of time at home. Afterwards, around 1 pm, me and my exchange partner met with some other friends and took a train to a city nearby – Sopot. Firstly we went to an illusion museum where we took a lot of cool pictures and had so much fun, we even got some free candy for writing a review. Then we took a little break and got us some coffee with cinnamon rolls. We divided us in two groups and some of us left. After spending so much time and energy in this museum we felt so hungry so we went to this really authentic pizzeria. The waiter spoke Polish, English, Italian and even German to us and the atmosphere and staff were very nice. The food was amazing as well. After being done with eating, we split up in two groups and went to the beach. It was so beautiful and peaceful and we also enjoyed the sunset, which made the sea look even better. We asked a stranger to take a picture of four of us together to have some beautiful memories from that day. Later in the evening we got on the train and went home. We were really tired but really happy.
Sofiia
Monday, 28 September
Today we went to the Westerplatte, to the Memorial there, and to the concetration camp Stutthof.
First, at 9am we went to Westerplatte, where the Second World War started. Two students gave a presentation about this and explained the meaning of the memorial (a sword in the ground).
After that we continued our trip to Stutthof. When we arrived we met our very nice guide, Wolfgang, and he showed us around the camp. He walked us through the ruins and rebuilts of the barracks, the gas chamber and crematory where we all held a moment of silence. He told us about the cruelty in the camp and about the brutality the Germans used even though the war was already over.
It was a very moving and interesting day and we learnt a lot.
Wencke
Tuesday, 29 September
Today was our trip to the Slowinsky National Park, the dunes of Leba at the Baltic Sea. The dunes are the highest in Europe and slowly cover a pine forest. Dead tree trunks are leftovers and look slightly bizzare.
We climbed the highest dune and jumped or rolled down some slopes until we continued to the beach where we had picknick. After that we walked around 5km back to a point where we were picked up by electric cars and brought back to our bus. In the evening we had our last dinner together with the Polish students in a restaurant. After that we went shopping a very last time or enjoyed one last evening at „home“.
Wednesday, 30 September
After we woke up, we packed our final things and ate our last breakfast with our host families. We said our goodbyes to the families and were driven to the airport. From there, we flew to Hamburg, where we took a regional train to the main train station in Hamburg. We took a train to the main train station in Bremen and finally boarded our train back to Bremerhaven, where we were welcomed by our families.
And now we are looking foward to April when we see each other again!
Nico
