5th Year Poland Trip - March '24

On the 22nd of March, our 5th year students set off to Poland. They arrived at the airport bright and early at 6:45 a.m. for their 9:15 a.m. flight. They touched down in Krakow at 1 p.m. and set off on their sightseeing tour around Krakow, visiting the Church of St. Mary's. After a long day of travelling, they arrived at their hotel, Hotel Wyspianski for their evening meal and to wind down for the night.

Day two started off with breakfast in the hotel before hopping on the coach for their 1.5 hour journey to Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camp for a guided tour around the camp and museum. This was an enlightening experience as the 5th years got an insight into what life was like in these horrible camps. After their informative tour, they stopped off at McDonald's for lunch before the 1.5 hour journey back to the hotel they tucked into their dinner and went off to bed to get a good night's sleep before their busy day ahead of them.

Day three once again started off by getting breakfast at Hotel Wyspianski before heading off to the Wieliczka Salt Mines for another guided tour. After this, they headed off to Aqua Park Wodny. Before getting changed into their togs they sat down for lunch before having a fun-filled two hours in the three

swimming pools with a total area of 2,000m². The 29-metre long rapid river leads through a

cave with two waterfalls and the latest attraction the Wave Pool. After drying off the students headed to the nearby Schindler’s Factory Museum to learn about what life was like for not only the Jews but all the inhabitants of Krakow during World War 2. After this action-packed day, everyone was glad to head back to their hotel for their final evening meal of the trip and headed to their rooms for the night to pack their bags and recharge their batteries after their fun-filled day.

Day four, their last and final day began with their last breakfast in the hotel before departing their hotel and spending their leftover money in Galeria Kazimierz, a modern shopping centre for 3 hours. After emptying their wallets they headed to the airport to say farewell to Krakow. They hopped on their flight at 4.50 p.m. and arrived back in Dublin at 7 p.m.

Overall this was an amazing trip and the 5th years had plenty of fun while also learning about the rich history that Krakow has to offer. Thanks to Ms Noone for organising this amazing trip!

Report by Lauren O Leary (4th year)