The Kimberley School Newsletter July 2014 | Page 6

Modern Foreign
Languages
Koblenz
Trip 2014:
News

My name is Andy Vallance. I am
the coach driver who drove your
school to Koblenz last week. I do
not normally write to schools but
on this occasion I felt I had to, I
have been driving parties all over
Europe for the last 16 years and
the group who went to Koblenz
were the best I have met. The
students were so polite and their
behaviour was excellent, they are
a credit to your school.
The teachers on the trip were
also excellent, Mr Vinter was so
organised and so knowledgeable
about the area we went to and
generally a really nice person.
The other teachers were also a
credit to your school. They made
sure that all the students took part
in all the activities and made sure
that everybody was included.
I hope you do not mind me writing
this mail to you but I felt it was the
right thing to do. It was a privilege
to drive your group on the tour and
you should be so proud of the students and teachers. I have nothing
but praise for the group and I wish
them all the best for the future.
Thank you for your time and
please send my congratulations to
the group.
Andy Vallance

In June, a large group from Kimberley visited
Koblenz, a beautiful city at the confluence of the
Rhine and Moselle rivers. We stayed in a youth
hostel in an old fortress on the top of a huge rock,
accessible by a kind of lift on rails! We had a
cruise down the river on a large boat, passing the
famous Loreley rock, where we would picnic the
next day. There must have been a dozen castles
along the river gorge, set amidst the vineyards.
We also went to two castles, saw a local vineyard
and learned about winemaking. We also went
shopping and went on chair lifts to get some spectacular views over the Rhine. We
took the spectacular cable car over the Rhine at Deutsches Eck and also found time to
go swimming twice. In the evenings we had some free time but also did some extra
games, which were great fun. On the last night, everyone was presented with their unique
certificate and a fridge magnet showing the extraordinary location of our youth hostel and
Koblenz!
Everyone in our group was excellent company; they were the best ambassadors and
fully embraced the opportunities this trip offered them, in lovely surroundings and beautiful
weather.
This is what the students said about the trip:
It was great in Germany. The hot sun beating down on
my neck, traditional food at its best and swimming in
the pool. But the best part was the journey as everyone
was excited to go there. Jaque Crampton
Germany was an unforgettable experience, there
was not a dull moment. The view over Koblenz was
amazing and the weather was beautiful. I recommend
this trip to anyone who gets the chance. I’ll never
forget it. Catherine Saunders
The local people were really kind and welcoming
and everywhere we went was incredibly breathtaking and scenic. We got to try so many
different foods which were excellent! The whole trip was an amazing experience and I
would recommend it! Ruby Bramble