A group of 18 dedicated Germanists and 3 staff visited Vienna during the Easter break, marking the German Department's first adventure to the land of Mozart, Apfelstrudel and Lederhosen! There was only minimal Sound of Music singing - mostly led by Mrs Chubb with able assistance from musical star, Miss Sophie Brown.
The week was spent exploring the numerous sights Vienna has to offer, with the evening at Vienna's premier amusement park (Prater) being popular with all. Another highlight of the trip was Sophie playing the piano in the foyer of the Haus der Musik (music museum), some of the students indulging in Sachertorte (traditional Austrian chocolate cake) and getting to grips with the Viennese dialect.
Vienna was toured both on foot and by tram, which gave a brilliant insight into the beautiful historical centre of the city. The group also managed to use every underground line during the week - much to the delight of Mr Carr! The trip to the zoo, through the gardens of the Imperial palace of Schönbrunn gave ample opportunities to learn lots of words for animals and gave Mrs Chubb the chance to see a panda! The accommodation was wonderful and appropriately Kaiser Franz Josef-themed. The staff were friendly and gave the students plenty of opportunities to practise their German, as did numerous trips to the local Supermarkt!
The language lessons in the morning were run by Deutschinstitut Wien and were fun and informative (if not a little hard, according to select Year 10 pupils!). Mr Mutlow must be praised for his consistent grappling with the finer points of the German language. He has now mastered the use of 'Krankenhaus', but still needs to work on his prepositions. The trip was rounded off with a trip to the opera to see 'Die Fledermaus' and a day excursion to Bratislava in Slovakia, where the city was toured in an old bus, much to the amusement of all. This also gave the opportunity to realise how crucial Austria is in bridging the gap with Eastern Europe.
Plymouth College has definitely left its mark on the Austrian capital and the German department looks forward to visiting again.
