“After a smooth flight, we enjoyed a pleasant walk to the Youth Hostel where we were staying for the course of the trip. Setting out into town, we were captivated by the Jet D’Eau, a spectacular 140m high fountain initially invented to release pressure from an hydraulic power network. Panoramic views of the city were enjoyed from the top of Cathedral St Pierre and delicious ice creams ensued. A brilliant first day was topped off by fondue at the Paquis des Bains restaurant on the lake and a walk beneath the fountain which was illuminated green – a superb whilst rather damp experience!
Having eaten as much as possible at breakfast, we set off to the Science History Museum where particular fun was had on the Magdeburg Hemispheres! A visit to the United Nations via the Botanical Gardens was an enthralling experience for all, having the opportunity to listen into live conferences. After some free time, we reconvened at the Red Cross Museum for an audio guided tour and enjoyed a highly competitive time beating last year’s group on one of their interactive games! Another excellent day was rounded off by incredible quantities of roast chicken and chips at Chez Ma Cousine.
For our last full day, all of us were raring to go bright and early for the crux of the trip – our visit to CERN! Everyone seemed highly attentive, whether due to the mind-blowing physics or the need to soak up as much knowledge as possible for a quiz at the end of the day to win a Toblerone remains ambiguous. Nonetheless, a fantastic time was had visiting both the Data Centre and Antimatter Factory and seeing the groundbreaking discoveries underway. Whilst there, the Hadron Collider was active and there was a spectacular computer showing the unbelievable rate of collisions. These tours were followed by a fascinating, engaging lecture from a University of Sheffield PhD student called Lucy who has spent the past year working at ATLAS, part of the Hadron collider. In order to refuel after an intellectual day we loved our last night of fondue and burgers followed by a hotly contested quiz compounding knowledge obtained throughout the day.
A brilliant trip and huge thanks from all of the students go to Mr Clifford, Dr Jukes, and Miss McQuillan for giving us all such a fantastic few days away. Merci Beaucoup!”
Written by U6 student Ben H
