Intensive German Language Course in Hamburg and Berlin for students of Deutsche Schule Cali 

14.06 – 14.07.2022

First week (14.06 – 19.06)

The group of students and teachers from the German School in Cali arrived safely at Hamburg Airport in on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. On Wednesday the day started with the first German class right after breakfast. Here the students discussed what they have seen in Hamburg and they learned the names of the main sights in the city. They also studied how to introduce someone and describe their hobbies or favorite things. We were able to use the first words we learned after lunch on an excursion to Hamburg with our city guide „Hagrid“, who has many curiosities about the Hanseatic city to reveal.

The language course continued on Thursday morning and the students learned to ask and answer simple questions in German. They also learned how to find their way through Hamburg using directions.  In the afternoon they went back to Hamburg to stroll from the Speicherstadt with a side trip to the impressive Elbphilharmonie, along the Elbe to the Landungsbrücken with a view of the harbor. After so many new impressions and information enjoyed a delicious ice cream thanks to the hot weather.

On Friday, the day started with a little surprise: as is the tradition in Germany, all students were presented with a school cone. The energy that rose with joy was then immediately used in class to prepare for the upcoming excursions to Lübeck and the game park on the weekend. After lunch, which the children described as „the hit“, they went on an exciting canoe trip on a small river, where they even caught a small fish. This exciting and energy-sapping excursion was crowned with a well-deserved delicious barbecue.

On Saturday we visited in the morning the Kiekeberg Living History Museum and the kids had the opportunity to discover the Lüneburg Heath and Winsen Marshes areas between 1600 and 1970 with all their senses! An authentic village environment with more than 40 historic buildings and gardens. In the afternoon we visited the game park where the kids enjoyed to see and get very close to animals and also enjoyed the adventure corner.

Sunday, we went on a day trip by bus to Lübeck and the kids discovered the adorable city with a rally. We could experience the brilliance of the Holsten gate of Lübeck and many other places.

Second week (20.06 – 26.06)

Monday, we went to watch the Musical “Frozen”. A totally spectacular show! And an amazing skyline of Hamburg from the other side of the river Elbe. We hand a great time on the school visit at the “Gymnasium Hittfeld” where we got in touch with many German students who gave us a tour of the school, did a rally practiced sports with them and got even invited to a huge buffet with a lot of very tasty German pastry. Really delicious! And even more important, many new friendships were made.

Lüneburg was the destination of the trip after German class on Wednesday. There the group not only discovered the beautiful old town but also learned German in a playful way. We had great sunny weather in the small city famous for its beautiful architecture. It was a great finish of our first week in Germany associated with so many impressions, experiences, fun, challenges, sun and smiles.On thursday with the show of a traditional German “Puppentheater” (puppet theater). We watched the show “Max der Kugelkäfer” what was a lot of fun!

Afterwards we got ready for our three-day-trip to the North Sea. In Schillig we enjoyed our stay at our hostel which was located just right at the beach! We got to know “Ebbe & Flut” and had a tour through the “Watt” getting to know the nature of the German coast. We also enjoyed “Stockbrot” (campfire bread), played minigolf and let “Drachen fliegen” (kites fly). All in all, a stunning experience. On our way back, we stopped at Bremen and got to know its charming old town before we headed back to Hamburg.

Back in our hostel located right in the forest we learned a lot of new words about the environment just outside the door. We also learned about Hamburg’s history of migration at the Museum “BallinStadt” and had a fascinating Workshop at the museum of fine arts.

At the end of our first week, we followed the footsteps of the Vikings at “Haithabu” an Viking Age trading settlement and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Third week (27.06 – 03.07)

We spend the forst day of the week at our hostel located in the forest. We learned a lot of new words about the environment outside in nature. We also learned about Hamburg’s history of migration at the Museum “BallinStadt”. Wednesday we had a fascinating Workshop at the hamburger Kunsthallle, museum of fine arts. Where we even got to draw our own masterpieces!

on Thursday we followed the footsteps of the Vikings at “Haithabu” an Viking Age trading settlement and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On Friday we started as usual with a yummy breakfast and German class. After lunch, we went to Bad Segeberg to see the Karl-May-Spiele, a theatre festival about the Wild West. A great show! On Saturday, we visited the football stadium of St. Pauli and had a tour through the whole building and we even could visit the VIP-area. On Sunday we spent the day at the “Heide Park” one of the largest amusement parks in Germany and we had a blast there!

Fourth week (04.07 – 10.07)

On Monday we walked through the beautiful old tunnel below the river Elbe and visited the Miniaturwunderland. The kids really enjoyed it and were able to see monuments from all over the world. Furthermore, they could have a look at a volcanic eruption and the entire city of Hamburg. Tuesday, we visited the Museum of Chocolate (very tasty!) as well as tower of the iconic church “Michel” one of the most famous landmarks of Hamburg. On our last day we visited the Zoo “Tierpark Hagenbeck” and learned on a tour a lot of new things about animals from all around the world.

We spend the last half of the week in the capital of Germany, Berlin. Our centric hotel was located right next to the famous East Side Gallery. We discovered Berlin by foot and “U-Bahn” (metro). We went to see the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charly, Tränenpalast and climbed aboard a boat at the Spree. From there, we went on a tour along the river through the government district, past Friedrichstraße all the way to the historical Museum Island and back. Thanks to the wonderful weather, the trip was a great opportunity to relax but it was also a special part of the programme because we got to experience the capital from its waterways.

On the weekend, we had a tour of the city center from “Potsdamer Platz”, by “Brandenburger Tor” ending at the Alexanderplatz, which is a great place for shopping and buying souvenirs. We also got to see German parliament “Reichstag” and we went up to the glass dome of the building to have a great view of the city. We had another city tour in the west of Berlin getting to know the “Gedächtniskirche” as well as the “Siegessäule” and many other places.

Fifth week (10.07 – 14.07)

On Monday we went on a day-trip to Potsdam. We were very impressed by the “Neues Palais” of Frederick II that we discovered with the support of Audio-guides. It has giant rooms with beautiful walls, decorated with shells and silk and we almost felt like we took a time machine to the baroque period. Then we walked through the beautiful park with many plants, flowers and fountains to the famous castle “Sanssouci”. Afterwards we went to the old town of Potsdam and had a great time walking through the tiny and adorable streets.

On our last day in Berlin we checked out the “Naturkundemuseum” (museum of natural history) and were very impressed by the giant dinosaurs’ skeletons. In the afternoon we got our certificates and celebrated together with pizza and music the end of the course next to the river “Spree”.

Thursday was departure day. All the children went back to colombia with their backpacks full of souvenirs and amazing experiences.