Yes, there are both beaches and cherry trees in Hamburg.

Written by Martin Løfwall

But the fact is that the majority of the students actually did not know Hamburg at all, and in that way it suddenly becomes an "exotic" destination. Everything that is foreign and new is interesting, right? And yes, there is also something about the climate footprint. The 2.Y students went on a study trip by bus to Hamburg, and it was a great success. The social aspect comes to the fore when you can sit on the bus for a long time and have fun with each other - and then take a trip on the ferry too.

Granted, the weather was warmer than in Denmark, which also played a positive role. The cherry trees and spring flowers were in full bloom here south of Denmark, as well. Granted, Hamburg resembles Copenhagen and something we already know, but still not. Hamburg is a big city 1.5 times larger than Copenhagen. So everything is just bigger. A study trip should not only be academic, but also social, and yes, it should have a general educational perspective. We should experience the city we are in. We traveled with the subjects biology (field of study) and Danish. Since Hamburg is a big city, the program was also very diverse.

The first day we visited Hamburger DOM, which is a seasonal funfair in Hamburg (Hamburg's answer to Oktoberfest): there is Frühlingsdom, Sommerdom and Winterdom. The next day we had booked our own harbor tour with a Danish guide (yes, you can do that in Hamburg!), where we took a closer look at Europe's 3rd largest harbor from the water with the impressive large container ships. After a trip on the water, it was time for a visit to the interactive chocolate museum "Chocoversum", which was also interesting. Here we were introduced to the process of chocolate from cocoa bean to chocolate bar, and the students made their very own chocolate bar. Then it was time to visit one of Europe's most important art museums, the "Hamburger Kunsthalle". Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go through the entire museum, but we got a guided tour of the special exhibition "Illusion" with paintings, drawings, installation art and sculptures. A theme that is particularly relevant to our society these days. Can we count on what we see? What is real and what is illusion?

In addition to museums, Hamburg is also known as a cycling city - and especially outside Hamburg there are fantastic parks and green areas, not to mention the areas along the Elbe. We therefore rented bicycles for two days, which was a great success. 2.Y was happy to get on the bike and get some exercise and see more of Hamburg. We drove about 8-9 kilometers to Hagenbeck Tierpark, which is a family-owned zoo and animal park. Here we also had a guided tour, where the students were actively introduced to the challenges that zoos face - why do we have zoos, for example? What is their task today? The students were given different roles and debated the issues. Another destination on the bike trip was a visit to Hamburg's trampoline park - a fantastic active way to be together.

After that, the trip went through the enormous Altona Volkspark, which contains both forest, meadow, sports fields, bike paths and much more. The road led us to the Elbe, where in the good weather we settled down at the beach "Elbstrand" to the great joy of 2.Y. We had also made an effort to plan activities in the evening, so we took full advantage of Hamburg. We had two meals together at restaurants - at "Dein Alex" right on the Alster lake. The area resembles our own lakes in Copenhagen - and actually also the Lake Pavilion.

We had two big evening performances: first, the surprise for the students, G. Verdi's somewhat complicated opera "Il Trovatore" ("The Troubadour"). Opera is not usually the first choice for 17-18 year olds, but it is a pleasure to see that once you sit there, you surrender to the world of opera, you follow the exciting story and enjoy the sumptuous scenes. 2.y were dressed in their stiffest clothes - we had asked them to do so before leaving. They were ready for the surprise. It was an experience out of the ordinary - for most of them their first opera. Our last evening we enjoyed the musical "der König der Löwen" ("The Lion King"), which has played continuously in Hamburg since 2001! Here the students were more at home. And it was big, it was spectacular! So yes, an opera and a musical - it couldn't be more varied and generally educational. Our study trip was therefore a good mix of different activities, both of a physical and spiritual nature.

The students found out that nearby Hamburg contained an incredible number of facets, that there can be something interesting nearby – and that a study trip is first and foremost about experiencing something new, expanding your horizons together with your class. All skepticism about the city has disappeared like dew before the sun. So yes, a study trip to Hamburg can actually do something!