October half term saw the Upper Sixth Form Physics students travel to Switzerland to visit CERN. After a bleary-eyed meeting at 2:00 am, and an airport breakfast, the group travelled by train into central Geneva and checked into hostel. Following some struggles with the forbidden art of bed-making, it was off to the United Nations, the second largest UN campus after New York. Having admired the architecture and history of the place, we enjoyed a pub dinner and an early night.
The following day, the cohort visited CERN, beginning with the visitor centre (where Mr Hindocha provoked the ire of the reception staff) before a workshop where we constructed cloud chambers, observing the motion of subatomic particles. An intriguing talk preceded lunch, after which there was an opportunity to tour the facility, including a peek into the main control room. The day was closed out with bowling and pizza.
With half a day left in Geneva, on Saturday morning we split into groups and followed a trail of questions through the streets of the city centre, taking us through the old town of Geneva, as well as past the university campus and the Palais de Justice to arrive at the Jardin Anglais. A short boat trip across the Rhone delivered us back to the hostel, where we collected our belongings and made the return journey to the UK.
