German Exchange Visit - from Phoenix 68 [published November 1968]

Probably the most unexpected event of the stay in Wetzlar this Easter was the weather. Most of us had been told to expect cold, wet weather by our exchanges, yet we arrived to find ourselves at the beginning of a heat wave, with temperatures in the seventies and eighties.

Two trips were arranged for us. The first was to Frankfurt, Rudesheim and Coblenz, the last two both being on the Rhine. Unfortunately, we were unable to see much of Frankfurt; however, our impression was of a large, modern and busy clty, with unexpected dark, narrow streets and old buildings. One of the older buildings is the house where Goethe, the famous German poet and writer, was born. Another is the cathedral, originally built In the ninth century, .where all the Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned.

On the way to Rüdesheim, from Frankfurt, we stopped at an extensive shopping centre, which seemed to be In the middle of nowhere. It had every possible shop and was very well planned: It was rather like something out of the future.

Rüdesheim is an old town, famous for its wine, with narrow streets and quaint buildings. It is possible to travel from the town up to a monument (and tea-room) high above it, by chairlift, which passes over the vineyards. The view from the top is marvellous.

We travelled from Rüdesheim to Coblenz along the Rhine, passed vineyards, fairy-tale castles set high above the river, and the famous Lorelei and Mouse Tower. At Coblenz, we spent.an hour on the river, but spent, unfortunately, no time in the city itself.

Our second outing was to Fulda, a Baroque town, and to the East - West border. At Fulda, we visited the town hall, the cathedral and part of the original Benedictine Abbey, founded by St. Boniface In the eighth century. We visited the border at two places. It was a rather unpleasant sight and a reminder that we were In a divided country.

Apart from these arranged visits, most of us were taken around the countryside and visited various places; one of us was even lucky enough to be taken to Heidelberg.

We all settled in well with their exchanges and their families and soon got used to the food, except the many different types of German sausage. Our visit helped improve our German, and few of us, I think, had difficulty in making ourselves understood.

Many thanks to Miss Bracken for arranging a highly successfulvlsit, and also to Mr. Gill for helping supervise(?) both us and his own pupils from Ealing Grammar School for Boys, who came with us.

Lindsay Churchill Vc