The German group meets on Thursday afternoons when there is no speaker meeting. Our programme is based on an A level course with lots of scope for discussions.

Group visit to Hanover: June 2026

Each year, the German group enjoys a few days away in the land of Bratwurst and Bier.  This June, eight of us travelled to Hannover for a taste of life in Niedersachsen. As in previous years, much time was spent finding our way around and navigating the public transport system.  We spent a day in Hamelin, home to the legend of the Pied Piper and another day in the town of Goslar, in the foothills of the Harz mountains, famous for its association with witches’ sabbaths. Fortunately, no witches were in evidence, except in the gift shops!  The final day was spent exploring the famous Herrenhausen gardens, summer residence to rulers of the House of Hanover.  Spray from the magnificent fountains gave welcome relief from the heat.

We dined at nearby restaurants, enjoying a range of German and Mediterranean cuisine.  Breakfasts were taken at a local bakery/café, where we were spoiled by the huge range of fresh pastries and filled rolls, all surprisingly cheap.  Overall, this was an exhausting, but highly enjoyable trip. Next year, we shall explore another part of the country.  In the meantime, Prost!

Group visit to Hamburg: June 2025

We visited three Hanseatic ports in northern Germany this year.  We stayed in Hamburg, which combines a large port catering for multiple container ships with an elegant, international city boasting a wide river, lakes and many hectares of parkland.  From there we  enjoyed days out by train to Bremen and Lübeck.

Most German restaurants serve a predictable global cuisine and it’s becoming difficult  to find traditional German food though, not to be deterred, we found at least one establishment that sold time-honoured local dishes.

Group visit to Dresden: June 2024

The German group made its third trip to Germany in June. This year seven of us, including convenor Barbara Finlayson, visited Dresden, capital of Saxony and well known for the painstaking rebuilding of the historic centre that took place following its destruction during the war.

There were indeed many sights to visit, and we were very lucky that Reni Ducksbury’s cousin, who now lives in Dresden, was able to show us around and recommend places to see. In short, we all had a great time.

Group visit to Thuringen: June 2023

No fewer than nine of us journeyed to Germany for the second visit by the German group. The destination was the state of Thuringen. We stayed in Erfurt and travelled from there to Eisenach, famous for Wartburg Castle, and Weimar, well-known for its associations with Goethe, Schiller and the Bauhaus movement.

Barbara Finlayson, convenor of the group, said, “We all had a wonderful time, and I was so pleased to be able to show the group some of the many special sights in my home state of Thuringen.”

Group visit to Nuremberg: June 2019

Where better to practise speaking German than in Germany itself! That was our conclusion when in June 2019 almost all of us spent nearly a week together in Nuremberg, Bamberg and Regensburg. Apart from sightseeing around three of the handsomest cities in Germany, we surprised ourselves by managing to speak German to one another for about half the time.

“We now have such lovely memories of our days in and around Nuremberg,” said convenor Barbara Finlayson as we later sifted through their many photographs, including the one of Bamberg shown below.