Total immersion…

On arrival the visitors were met at Stansted airport, whisked off to ‘Julie’s Cafe’ in Epping for a cream tea, and then taken to their respective hosts who would be accommodating them for the week.

The programme included talks and discussions led by members of the Epping association during the weekday mornings, with the participants split into two groups to allow all to get the most out of the discussions. Much of the rest of the time was devoted to outings, some of them linked to the topics discussed. Other members of our association joined the visitors on these excursions.

At the Globe Theatre

In Shakespeare’s footsteps

The first full day, Thursday, featured sessions on British and German sport and on William Shakespeare. There was then a trip to the reconstructed Elizabethan Globe Theatre in Southwark, including standing places for part of a performance of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’. Some people then remained in a pre-digital era with a visit to the nearby Cahoots ‘Postal Office’ cocktail bar, which doubles as a museum of early telephones and postal services. That evening those with sufficient stamina met with some members of the Epping association for drinks at the Queen Victoria pub in Theydon Bois.

On Friday morning there was a talk about British gardens, including the author and garden designer Vita Sackville-West. This was followed by a trip to the Garden Museum, which is housed in the former St Mary’s Church next to Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Colchester: Britain’s first city

Roman gateway and Victorian water tower, Colchester

The other talk on Friday was about the Roman and mediaeval City of Colchester (originally Camulodunum), in preparation for a full-day visit there at the weekend.

Saturday was free time, and then on Sunday came the trip by car to Colchester, including a guided tour of all the major sights. www.visitcolchester.com/explore/colchesters-history 

On Monday it was back to the grindstone, with no fewer than three subjects for discussion – UK anniversaries in 2025 (including 200 years of railway history), English humour, and the Young V&A Museum. After lunch there was a visit to this museum, which is the recently refurbished east London offshoot of the main Victoria & Albert Museum and which challenges both children and adults to imagine, play and design. The group had fun with many of the exhibits there, including distorted mirrors and the ‘lopsided room’.

Tuesday was the last full day of the language course, with talks about the BBC (participants were intrigued by the sea areas used in the shipping forecast), and the 19th-century designer William Morris (who is less well known in Germany). The latter was followed by an afternoon visit to the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, with its current special exhibition ‘Morris Mania’, featuring his mainly floral designs in popular culture.

During their ‘spare’ time some of our visitors went on outings of their own – including a canal boat trip between Little Venice and Camden Lock, a visit to the Chelsea in Bloom flower festival, and some of the central London museums and other tourist attractions.

On Tuesday evening all eight of our German guests, together with no fewer than 29 of our own members, squeezed into the Theydon Oak in Coopersale near Epping for a farewell meal. Fortunately the room was big enough to accommodate all of us as well as a quiz night taking place at the other end! There were speeches by our respective chairpersons, Heike Lachowitzer and Barbara Scruton, including a vote of thanks to the joint organisers, Lis Goodwin and Graciela Schar, and everyone else who had helped with hosting, teaching, transport and more. Our president Humphrey Wheeler then presented certificates of attendance to the course participants.

On Wednesday morning our German friends were taken to the Epping Town Council offices at Epping Hall, and from there travelled on by minibus to Stansted for their return flight to Germany. Everyone felt that this had been another highly successful week – as always, it was not only an enjoyable and educational experience for the participants, but also an opportunity for ‘twinners’ from both our countries to renew their friendships and make new ones.

Farewell meal in the Theydon Oak