Germany 2026 – May 24
Today is our first day in Paris. We arrived at the airport early in the morning expecting to have to wait four hours to get through, but we were lucky enough to get it done in an hour. We then made our way to the hostel, where we encountered a few metro difficulties. After that, however, our day officially began.
Sleep deprived and fighting back the jetlag, we split into little groups to visit the city under the scorching weather. We went around the city, making our money’s worth on the metro card. We wanted to see as many things as possible, but Paris is such a big and beautiful city, we can only do so much.
After struggling to meet up as a big group at the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower to see it illuminated. Once again, we failed to meet up with everyone, so we watched the tower with the people we’d spent the day with. It was so impressive. Then we had to make our way back to the hostel, and we had to squeeze into the bus since it was the last one. We went to sleep so late, but it was worth it.
By Micaela R-A.
Germany 2026 – May 26
On our third day in Europe, we finally arrived in Gelnhausen with our friends. We went to the school, where we were welcomed by many people. Even the school band was there and sang a couple of songs for us. After the warm welcome, we took a short tour of the school and learned more about some of its programs. Then, we went to the forum for the first time to eat lunch. In the afternoon, we participated in a photo challenge around Gelnhausen in teams. At the end of the day, we went home with our host families to spend the evening with them.
By Camille M.
Germany 2026 – May 27
Frankfurt is such a beautiful city in Germany, and we had the wonderful opportunity to visit a museum during our stay. Lacey and I decided to take a 15-minute walk, enjoying the stunning scenery along the way. We admired the river, the charming surroundings, and the peaceful atmosphere. Then, as we turned to our right, we found ourselves standing in front of the Städel Museum, a magnificent museum that was hosting an exhibition from Claude Monet.
We originally planned to spend no more than an hour and a half there, but as we wandered through room after room filled with art, passion, creativity, and history, time seemed to disappear. What was supposed to be a short visit turned into three unforgettable hours. We admired masterpieces by several renowned artists, including paintings we recognized from our school projects, art history classes and personal research.
After leaving the museum, we continued our afternoon with a walk across the bridge. We listened to street musicians, and watched people pass by. Later, we treated ourselves to a small pastry and a cup of coffee.
Our day in Frankfurt was inspiring from beginning to end. As someone who loves art, it felt like stepping into the life of an artist for a day. Every moment from the museum galleries to the riverside walk and the cozy café filled me with creativity, gratitude, and happiness. It is a day I will remember for a very long time.
By Anaël
Germany 2026 – May 28
Initially, on this day the group was supposed to go to a German village named Ronneburg which had some huge, historical castles. However, because of the weather and the situation with the public transport, the plans changed to go to a different German village named Steinau and to cut the day early to allow everyone some shelter from the heat.
In Steinau, we started the day off by taking a train to the village and ended up stopping at a wonderful little bakery that Vera was a very big fan of. Then, we went to the castle in Steinau which was partly a little museum that had access to only a couple of rooms. But we were able to go up into a tower that was part of the castle that gave a great view of the village. It took many flights of stairs and determination to see this view.
Following visiting the castle, the group went to a museum of the Brothers Grimm. The museum was actually in the house that the Brothers Grimm grew up in, which was very interesting to see. During this museum visit, there was a little challenge to try to figure out some fairy tales the brothers had written with the help of some hints throughout the museum.
After visiting the Brothers Grimm museum, we set off to lunch. We got food at a little sandwich/pizza/pasta shop. It was wonderful. At this point in the day, everyone had the rest of the afternoon to themselves. Many had plans to go to Frankfurt to go shopping, to the lake, or to the public pool.
Because of the hot day, everyone was avoiding being outside. After, many people either had supper at their respective host homes or had a little barbeque with some friends. This day was so much fun, and I hope that next year’s group gets the chance and enjoys these castles and museums that were seen that day.
By Lacey C-E.
Germany 2026 – May 29
That day, we met at school and went to the train station together. We took the train to Heidelberg. While there, we visited a church and the famous castle ruins. Prince Frederick V built a beautiful garden here for the love of his life, Princess Elisabeth Stuart.
Then, we had lunch together at a trendy restaurant.
Then we had free time to explore the city before meeting at the Heidelberg train station to take the train back to Gelnhausen.
By Élisabeth H.
Germany 2026 – May 30
On Saturday of Buddy Weekend, a few of our friends, my buddy, and I all went to a flea market in Frankfurt together. The items for sale were really pretty, and I bought a few shirts and some jewelry.
Then, we met up with some other friends and their friends to eat at an Italian restaurant. Since the restaurant was in a shopping mall, we did some more shopping.
At the end of the day, we went to a friend’s house to eat and talk about our day.
By Dafna G.
Germany 2025 – Day 8
Today I visited Frankfurt for the first time. I really loved it! The city is beautiful. I saw the river, some tall modern buildings, and an old church. It was nice to see both old and new buildings together. We also went to a big square with a white statue. Some German people were very friendly and told us the history of the place. I was happy to learn something new. It was very interesting, and I felt thankful to hear their stories. Something that surprised me was the train system. In Canada, we always have to scan a card or buy a ticket before getting on the train. But in Frankfurt, we just walked into the train without scanning anything. It felt strange but also easy and fast. I’m really thankful for this exchange in Germany. It was a great experience. I learned a lot and saw many new things. I think other students should try it too. If you like learning and traveling, you will enjoy it a lot!
By Najia
Germany 2026 – May 31
On the last Sunday of the German Exchange and Buddy Weekend, we took advantage of not having school and spent time with our German buddies. Everyone did something different suited to their interests and preferences. One large group of Canadian and German students went sightseeing at castles in the surrounding towns. Some Canadians did individual activities with their German buddies. Another group of three Canadians, which I was part of, went to Berlin. We visited the Berlin Museum of Jewish History, ate a traditional, hearty German meal, and walked around the city to experience Berlin under both sunlight and moonlight. We also experienced the joys of German public transportation. All in all, it was a beautiful day, thanks to the events and the weather.
By Léa I.
Germany 2026 – June 1
Today was a day mostly to prepare us for future travels and do some “housekeeping” as some call it. We mentally prepped for the difficult upcoming visit to the Dachau concentration camp memorial site the following day, along with minor details concerning the night train and our days in Munich and Venice.
We got to enjoy a free lunch at the forum, which was delicious (as always). I personally indulged in the vegetable spätzle, which is a traditional German pasta with vegetables and a yummy sauce!
Later in the afternoon we met up with our German buddies to play some bowling at Frankys. We all had a blast and got to enjoy spending time together, with some of us deciding to compete with ice cream on the line. I got to end off my day eating a traditional German supper at my buddy’s grandparents’ home! Some potato dumplings, fried gnocchi, a delicious salad and meat with a tasty brown sauce later, I was absolutely stuffed! All in all, it was a good day, and a slightly less busy one compared to the others!
By Alannah M.
Germany 2026 – June 2
Today is our last day with our friends. We had our last lunch at the Forum and prepared food for tonight’s goodbye supper. During the dinner, party music played in the background, and Canadian and German flags hung around the room. Everyone had brought food, so naturally, there was a lot of sausage. We also encountered a celebrity: the mayor of Wächtersbach, who delivered his speech in French to the best of his ability. We are grateful to the host families who made this experience possible. With great memories in mind, we packed our suitcases!
By Magalie C.
Germany 2026 – June 3
The 3 of June is the day we had to say our last goodbyes to our second families. We woke up very early, finalized packing our bags, said goodbye to our bed and the home, and went to the train station in Hanau. In the train station all the Canadians were present with their buddies, here we got the chance to say thank you and goodbye to all of the new friends we made, some people cried and some other kept their smile, everyone was tired, sad but happy and filled with new memories to share.
We took some last pictures and not long after the train arrived. It was a long train ride, about 4 hours, many people took the chance to keep sleeping and others to talk about their journey at their buddy’s house. When we arrived in the city, we went directly to the hostel and left our bags to be able to walk around the city with less difficulty. We visited a bit but didn’t go too far because some minutes after we arrived, a show was going to start. That show only happens once a day, so we didn’t want to miss it, that is the Glockenspiel Marienplatz. All was going well, the weather was looking nice, many people were around, however, right when the figures on the building started moving, rain started pouring. At first, it was ok, just light rain, but then it got heavier and stronger, which is why about 5-10 minutes after the show started, we decided to run and go to the restaurant to have a roof on top of our heads.
The food was excellent, many are traditional German food with traditional German drinks, the service was amazing, the place was very cozy. Then we had free time. Since it was Saturday and the stores were going to be closed on Sunday, many people decided to go on a shopping spree, some others walked around the city and explored the surroundings. We ate supper on our own, we had some suggestions given by the teachers, for my part my vegan friends looked online to see if there was any place near that she could eat, she found one and the rest simply followed. It was a day filled with tears from emotions but also from the rain, a day we will never forget.
By Amelia B. S.