Early on the morning of Friday 20 October a party of 40 Year 8 and 9 pupils set off on a long coach journey heading for the Rhineland area of Germany, accompanied by Mrs Testoni-Ranken, Mr Morgan, Mr Deacon and Mr Ranken. Despite several traffic delays the group finally arrived at the hotel in IM Rheintal and enjoyed a very welcome hot dinner! Mrs Testoni-Ranken reports: “On the first full day in Germany we travelled to Cologne for a guided walking tour of the city, followed by a visit to the Lindt chocolate factory and museum. On the following day we took a short boat trip down the Rhine. Our destination was the historic and pretty town of Rüdesheim. There we visited the Siegfrieds Musikkabinett Museum, with its impressive collection of automated musical instruments gathered from around the world. A cable car ride took us up to the Niederwald recreational area and to the imposing statue of Germania. We then made our way back down on foot through the vineyards to the town and took the opportunity to practise our German further by ordering an ice cream. “Our final day was spent at the Phantasialand theme park near Bonn. The dry weather helped to ensure this was a hugely enjoyable day as well as a test for who has nerves of steel – not many boys braved the Talocan! “This trip has run successfully for many years and the boys again responded positively to the cultural and linguistic challenges on offer, recording many of their experiences in their study visit diaries. Many of the diary entries displayed a high level of language skill and all pupils have clearly benefited enormously in terms of their social and academic progress. Thank you to the team of teachers for all their hard work and enthusiasm in running the trip and providing such a wonderful opportunity.”