by Elif 13B and Naya 13E
“During the Christmas holidays, Year 13 Physics A-level students were given the opportunity to visit CERN in Geneva, Switzerland for an action-packed three day trip. On the first day we boarded our plane early in the morning and arrived in Geneva airport, extremely keen to explore the beautiful city. After dropping off our suitcases at the hotel, where we came across the stunning view of the streets below seen from our balcony, we set off to discover the area we would be staying in for the next two days, and we indulged in a lovely (rather expensive) lunch.
After recovering from the Swiss prices, we travelled across a lake on a little boat whilst the sun set, indicating the near end of our first day. The boat took us to a Christmas market, where we were met with glistening warm lights and a multitude of beautifully decorated stalls, selling various items ranging from hot chocolate, star lanterns and intricately woven jewellery.
On the second day we travelled to CERN and marvelled at the views of the city as we passed by. Upon arrival, we were given a tour around the antimatter factory, and were taught about the numerous experiments performed, including project ELENA. Afterwards, we were able to explore the interactive gallery consisting of many games and challenges that enriched our knowledge on the work carried out at CERN, including working together to spin a particle around an accelerator.
On the third day, we took the tram to the history of science museum, situated in a serene and charming park beside a lake. In the museum we were able to discover experiments about forces and learnt about the treacherous hikes made up the Swiss Alps. We headed down to the shore of the lake, admiring the shimmering waves knocking against the pebbles, before reluctantly returning to the hotel to sadly head back home from Geneva. Thank you very much to the teachers who organised and accompanied the trip.”
