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Received Friday 3 October, 9.41am German time:
Good morning everybody. The trip to Berlin got off to a good start; we left Gatwick on time and arrived in Berlin courtesy of Easyjet at about 11am local time. We went straight away to our accommodation, unpacked quickly before making our way on the tram to Alexanderplatz.

We enjoyed Bratwurst which were absolutely delicious and some people had two (no names mentioned!). After this we all went to the television tower; said to be one of the tallest in Europe. The high speed elevator took us to the top in no time at all. Here the circular glass dome afforded us a spectacular panoramic view of the city. The architecture although varied is noticeably dominated by the utilitarian high-rise blocks of the GDR era.

We then went onto the town hall where a helpful tour guide gave us a most interesting tour which included a concise history of Berlin's recent history as we looked around a very elegant if ornate buiding of the late 19th century.

Later we visited the oldest district in Berlin, dating back to the 11th century.

Supper and bed did not come too soon after such an early start.

Over and out. Tschüs.

Received from Mrs Hickson Saturday 4 October, 8.50pm German time:
Yesterday was re-unification day: a public holiday here in Germany. There were many people on the streets of Berlin. It was therefore an appropriate day to visit that part of the Berlin wall that still stands after its demise in November 1989 but the 3rd of October has been nominated as the official day to celebrate this momentous occasion.

On arrival at Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous of the crossover points from East to West which was in the American sector, several cars from 1950 and from the then Eastern block were driven to this point. Here is where a house has been converted into a museum to show the passage of events that led to the eventual removal of the wall. There were many artefacts from the pre-unification period alongside some very poignant stories of those who lived through this period. The children were intrigued to learn of the hardships of those who on one morning in August 1961 wöke up to find their country divided by a wall that separated East from West. Most importantly families were cut off from each other with little hope, at that time, of being reunited.

After this rather sobering experience we visited the Brandenburg Gate where we had lunch. Following this we had a rather unique opportunity to visit The Reichstag, the German parliament: a buiding re-designed by the British architect Norman Foster. Our children were intrigued by the graffiti left by some of the soldiers from the then USSR after the end of WW2, on stones of the original building that Foster in his re-contruction had uncovered. Our guide, because it was a public holiday was able to take us through the building without there being other members of the public. We all sat in the debating chamber and the children asked many searching questions which served to demonstrate their high level of interest.

After this we climbed to the top of this modern but beautiful building with its mirrored internal cone, similar to The Gherkin in London. The glass dome at the top of the building gave yet more wonderful views over Berlin. It was appropriate as we were in the area, to visit the newly constructed Holocaust Memorial; quite remarkable in its design and supported by a well considered archive of documents and photographs. This allowed our children to hear from children who lived through this time. Far from being horrifying it was a sensitive reminder of the courage of so many at this time.

A reviving walk in wonderful Autumn sunshine along the River Spree took us back to the Nikolaiviertel, one of the oldest and most picturesque quarters of the city. Here we enjoyed a great supper with Mr and Mrs Murdock in a cosy, traditional restaurant; an unexpected treat. After a late evening it was thought that the children would be ready for bed...but being kids...!

Today we visited The Berlin Story Museum. This museum employs some of latest exhibition techniques to illustrate Berlin's history from the 13th century. It was both enlightening and engaging and yet again our chldren demonstrated a curiosity that was most rewarding.

After lunch, supplemented by some McDonalds fries, we made our way to a local market before spending two or more hours in the famous Berlin Zoo. Whatever our own feelings might be about zoos in principle, this particular zoo housed an amazingly wide variety of animals who were all in very good condition. Berlin zoo has an amazing record for producing the young of endangered species.

Having said good-bye to the Headmaster and his wife who return home early tomorrow we are now back at base camp ready for another action packed day tomorrow.

Mrs Reid must be congratulated for having researched some of the best things to do in our short stay in this history filled capital of Germany.

Tschüs for now. Auf Weidersehen.

Instalment 3, received from Mrs Hickson Sunday 5 October, 6.20pm German time:
Last but one day on our trip and although a wet and cold one we managed to dodge the showers.

We started our day with a visit to the very beautiful palace of Frederick II. With the assistance of audio guides we toured the right wing of the palace, seeing the exquisite baroque state rooms with the very ornate decoration which had a lot of French influence of the period since Frederick was a great francophile and it is said he spoke French better than German. Certainly the library was filled with books mostly written in French. The latter part of the tour took us to the Winter rooms which were smaller and mainly furnished in warm reds with stoves in each room. If this Autumn day was anything to go by, which was cold enough, then it can only be imagined how much colder Winter must be and so the stoves in the absence of central heating would have been a necessity. How ordinary citizens of that time would have coped it is hard to imagine.

After lunch we took a long boat trip back. Knickerbocker glories were favourite on board and many of the kids had the good sense to share these!

On arrival at our docking place we found some rather unusual gift shops where most of the children were able to find a little something for the folks at home.

Tomorrow we will visit a local school before leaving for the airport and home, So Easyjet permitting we will see you all tomorrow.

Goodnight.

Final instalment, received Monday 6 October:
Yesterday, our last day in this memorable city could not have been more enjoyable. A visit to a school might not sound as if it would be one of the highlights of the trip but this most certainly was. On arrival we were greeted by the Headmistress before we went to meet the class with whom we were to spend the morning.

No uniform was worn by the pupils and there was very little to indicate from the attire that the children were in school especially as all the children wore slippers indoors. However, the children were most welcoming and we were greeted with short speeches prepared in the most beautiful English and presented with much charm and sincerity.

Our children were paired by a system of numbers with our host class and they spent a little while getting to know their opposite numbers. After a short tour of the school, a clean but utilitarian building with little colour, the children shared break time in a play area that was not large but had been planned very imaginatively.

We met together after break and the host children produced fabulous cakes and biscuits they had made at home during the previous weekend. Our children could not believe their eyes. Following this we sang songs together and one might have expected some dissent amongst the 'cool' members of the group but none of it, everybody joined in and it was quite amazing to see children who not long before had been relative strangers sharing a very special moment and, in fear of sounding sentimental, it was very heartwarming.

Already, we had been overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality of all those we had met but as we were leaving, each child produced a wrapped present, bought with their own money, to give to the child they had befriended. It was a display of true generosity especially when one understands that some of these children had very little themselves.

And so it was back to the hotel to collect our luggage and then to the airport. We bade a fond farewell to Berlin from the air as the sun set over the city. We had seen so much in our few days; there was much to think about, past and present. The children have had a rare opportunity to see a country that has had to weather so much adversity and not so very long ago!

Our thanks once again to Mrs Reid for such good research and planning; we could not have done more in the time allowed.

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