Transition Year students and teachers from St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Castlebar had an action packed four day trip to Berlin over the Easter holidays. The European trip is a highlight of the Transition Year and is eagerly anticipated by the students. The students enjoyed a guided tour of the city, shopping in a flea market and a visit to the beautiful town of Potsdam and the New Palace in Sansscouci Park. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Tropical Island – an indoor beach resort build for the land-locked Berliners. Students also enjoyed a visit to Checkpoint Charlie and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum as well as a guided tour to a Stasi Prison. What made these tours much more enjoyable was the fact that the guides had their own personal or family stories to tell regarding the Berlin Wall and the prison. The European trip is an integral part of the Transition Year programme in St. Joseph’s with trips to Barcelona, Koblenz and Lake Garda in recent years.