HOHENZOLLERN Castle Report
by Cailan Alexander

Castles have always been enchanting places, filled with history and wonder. I was especially looking forward to visiting the castle, because I could finally realise my dream of being a Disney princess as I walked through the castle feeling as regal as Kate Middleton.

The journey to the top of the hill, where the castle stood covered in a light blanket of snow, brought more fond memories than the castle tour itself. For many of the students it was their first encounter with snow and it couldn't have been a more joyous occasion. The TSAP group had been waiting for snow since our arrival and as soon as we got off the bus the snowball fights started. Tubingen had a warmer winter this year so the group was unable to go sledding, because no snow had fallen. The snow brought out the inner child of most of us, while others just wanted to get out of the cold. The snow had a special effect on each of us; for some it was the feeling of a snow white Christmas, dreams of a Winter Wonderland and for the Game of Thrones fans they finally journeyed beyond the wall. The as we took each step closer to the castle door the temperature kept dropping, but that couldn’t stop us from taking a million pictures.

Finally, we reached the castle door. We were warned that the castle would be colder inside, and it definitely was freezing. As we glided through the rooms taking in a piece of history, all the students thanked their lucky stars that we have indoor heating in 2018. The walls and décor of the castle reflected its rich history and the courtyard was that of a Disney fairy-tale, alas the story had to come to an end. As we started our descend we could feel our feet numbing. We all ran towards the bus and in a few minutes we were all on our way to becoming toasty and warm.

It was one of the best experiences of the program, and we could finally put our winter coats to good use.