Third Year students had another full itinerary on day two of our European trip.
Today we crossed the border and went to the French city of Strasbourg. Strasbourg is historically significant in the EU, with France and Germany having fought to claim the city for hundreds of years. It is for this reason that the EU Parliament is located here.
Today, students initially visited « La Petite France » in the city centre, before briefly seeing the Cathédrale de Strasbourg and exploring the famous Strasbourg Christmas market in the city centre.
After this, we visited the « Les Secrets du Chocolat » chocolate museum. We learned about the history of chocolate, watched a demonstration of chocolate items being made and, of course, sampled some delicious chocolate items! France boasts a long-standing tradition of gastronomy and chocolate-making, while hot chocolate is commonly drunk by the French during « le goûter », or snack time.
Finally, we visited the European Parliament building in Strasbourg. Students were given a tutorial on the history of the EU and the symbolism of its flags by our experienced guide, before we stopped for some photos in front of them in class groups.
The main chamber of the Parliament is called the ‘Hemicycle’, where MEPs debate and vote on legislation and policies, among other things. Our guide also explained the very important work carried out by interpreters in the Hemicycle chamber and highlighted the importance of learning languages while at secondary school, and where they can take you!
All in all, we had a very varied and exciting day. Tomorrow we are visiting Europa Park, one of Europe’s top theme parks, and it should be an action-packed day!
