1st day:
We started our amazing trip to England at a quarter to seven a.m. in Pettenbach. While we were traveling to Vienna everyone was really tired, since we had to wake up much too early. As we arrived in Vienna we had to wait a little bit till we could fly. In the airplane we got a water bottle and a granola bar. After we landed, we went by bus to our school in Eastbourne. There we got picked up by our host families.
2nd day:
Our school day always started at 9 am, which was great. We got divided in two groups and then we went to our classes. The teachers told us a little about themselves and then we had to tell a bit about ourselves. We had five lessons. After school we explored Eastbourne. There we went shopping in the city and we were also at the pier. At the end of the day everyone drove home either by bus or train. We were a bit nervous about taking the right bus, but everyone succeeded.
3rd day:
On the third day, we went to Brighton. When we arrived, we first had some free time to explore the city. In small groups, we walked through the lively streets, went shopping, and looked for souvenirs, snacks, and little gifts for our families. Brighton has many cool and creative shops, and it was fun to discover new places together. We also stopped to eat something – some of us got fish and chips, others had burgers or ice cream. We enjoyed eating together, chatting, and relaxing in the sun.
After our free time, we went to the famous Brighton Pier. It was full of fun things to do. We started in the big gambling hall where we played arcade games like air hockey, racing, and claw machines. The lights, music, and colourful machines created an exciting atmosphere. Some of us even won small prizes.
Then we went on the rides outside. There were rollercoasters and other fun attractions. Julia screamed really loudly on the rollercoaster, and everyone laughed – it was one of the highlights of the day! Even those who were a little scared at first ended up trying something.
All in all it was an adventurous day, and in the evening we returned to our host families, tired but happy after so many great memories.
4th day:
On the fourth day, we went to London. We took the train from Eastbourne to London – the ride took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. When we arrived, we started with a boat tour on the River Thames. We saw many famous sights like Big Ben, the London Eye, and Tower Bridge. It was really cool to see everything from the water.
After the boat tour, we took a 45-minute ride on the Hop-on Hop-off bus through London. We sat on the top deck and saw more of the city. Then we had a short walk near a palace, where we saw the Kings Guards in uniforms. In the park nearby, we even saw squirrels running around – they were really cute and came very close to us.
Later we had some free time to go shopping. The streets were full of people and shops, and we bought souvenirs and snacks. In the evening, we took the train back to Eastbourne. We were tired, but it was an amazing day in London.
5th day:
On the fifth day, we were happy that we didn’t have to get up so early. We only had to be at the train station at 10 am, which was nice because most of us were still tired from our trip to London the day before. We met at the station, talked a bit, and then walked down to the sea.
After a few minutes we took a bus to the Seven Sisters. We walked along the top of the cliffs and had a great view of the sea. The white cliffs were fantastic. It was super windy there, our hair flew, and it was hard to hear each other. The hiking was very exhausting, but it was definitely one of the best things we saw in England.
After that, we went to a beach nearby. There we had some free time to relax. Some of us sat on the stones, others walked along the water or just enjoyed the view. The waves were loud and the wind didn’t stop, but it was still very peaceful and nice to be by the sea.
In the evening, we returned to our host families -tired, some of us with a sunburn but we all were glad that we had seen such a beautiful place.
6th day:
On the 6th day, we went to Hastings. We met at the train station and travelled to Hastings. Our first activity was a tour of the Smuggler Caves. The caves were dark and we learned about the history of smuggling in the area. It wasn´t very interesting, so we looked forward to the Hastings Aquarium. There we saw many sea animals like fish, sharks, and starfish. It wasn´t something new but we are always interested in seeing the pretty sea animals.
In the afternoon, we walked around Hastings town to explore and get to know the area. The boys spent a lot of time in the arcade playing games and trying to win prizes. They spent quite a bit of money but had a lot of fun.
In the evening, we returned to Eastbourne. Everyone was tired but happy after a great day in Hastings.
7th day:
On the 7th day, we had English lessons at the language school from 9:00 to 13:30. We did some talking and had listening, and writing exercises, and had fun in class even though we were a bit tired.
After lunch, we did a Town Trail – it was like a treasure hunt! We got clues and had to find different places in Eastbourne. Because we already knew the city, it was quite easy. We walked in small groups and tried to solve all the clues. The weather was terrible – it was so rainy! Everyone got wet, but we didn’t care too much.
Around four p.m., we had some free time for last minute shopping in Eastbourne.
In the evening, we went back to our host families and started packing our stuff. The week was almost over and everyone was sad but also a bit happy because we all were excited to see our families again.
8th day:
Then sadly it was time to leave. We said goodbye to our hostfamilies and they drove us to school where we had to meet up for the bus. The 8th day was a very long and tiring travel day. In the morning, we left Eastbourne and took the bus to London. The ride was a bit long, and we were all still very sleepy.
From London, we flew back to Vienna. The airport was busy, and we had to wait a lot, but everything went well. Most of us were tired and just wanted to get home.
After landing in Vienna, we still had one more journey left – the bus ride back to Pettenbach. That part felt really long because we were all exhausted and tired of travelling.
In the end, we were happy to be home, but also a bit sad that our trip to England was finally over. It was an amazing week full of memories.
Overall we visited famous cities like Eastbourne, London, Hastings and Brighton. We saw big sights like Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace or Covent garden, went around by bus, underground, train and even boat on river cruise over the river Thames. The worst part was maybe our lunches. Everyday, all of us got a packed lunch from our host family. That was mostly a sandwich and some crisps and not something we will miss that much. The best part for most was our walk to the Seven Sisters. The view was breathtaking there. The boys loved to feed the seagulls.
That was the best week ever!