Recap

Looking Back:

This trip was two of the best weeks of my life. I really do not know how to describe it. I made so many new friends, both from Pitt and Augsburg. The German students were all super nice and the best hosts for our two weeks in Germany. For my first time abroad, I could not have asked for a better experience. I got to see so much of Germany through the cultural visits and learned so much about business in other countries through the company visits. The food was nothing like I’d ever had before and I will miss it. Downloading recipes off the internet isn’t quite the same though. I can’t wait to go back to Germany, even though it probably won’t be for many years. The friends I made and the experiences I had will stay with me forever. Finally, thank you to Dr. Feick and Hillary for setting up such a great trip.

Final Day

Day 13: Friday 5/20/2016

Our final full day in Germany was very relaxing. After suffering through hotel breakfast for nearly two weeks, we could not take it anymore and decided to go out for breakfast. Apparently they don’t know what scrambled eggs and bacon are in Germany because at the place we went to all they had was 2 types of sausage and potato salad for breakfast. At least the sausage I did get was very good. After breakfast we decided to walk around Augsburg and buy some gifts for family and friends. Later that day was one of my favorite things of the trip. The Pitt students and some of the German Students got together in the park and grilled all kinds of sausages, burgers, and steaks. We also played soccer, which seemed very fitting being that soccer (or football) is so popular in Germany. It was awesome being able to just relax and chill. It almost felt like a summer afternoon since the weather was so nice as well. I can’t believe this trip is already over, it feels like it just started yesterday. Although, I am ready to go home for two reasons; good, filling breakfasts and being able to understand everything again. 

Typical sunset picture

Ulm

Day 12: Thursday 5/19/2016

The city of Ulm was the destination for today. Shortly after arriving, we met up with our tour guide and went on a city tour. By this point in the trip, a good deal of us were not too thrilled to be going on yet another walking tour of the city. While the city was very cool and I enjoyed walking around seeing the city, the tour guide was not the most entertaining, making it difficult to pay attention. Lunch was definitely a unique experience. We went to a place where the specialty was pancakes with the most outrageous toppings. I got a pancake that was about the size of a medium pizza, with creamed spinach, a fried egg, and bacon on top. It was very good and not like anything I’ve ever had before. The highlight of the day was the climb to the top of the Ulm Minster. After climbing 768 steps and being very sweaty, I finally made it to the top. The view was unreal. I could see in every direction for miles. Later that night we had our goodbye dinner with all of the German students. We gave each of the Germans in our group a Pitt t-shirt and in return we got some chocolate and a hand-written t-shirt. The time and thought that they put into it made it extra special. It was sad saying goodbye to some of our German counterparts because we had grown fairly close over the course of the past two weeks. 

All 768 steps worth of the Minster

Presentation Time

Day 11: Wednesday 5/18/2016

Today was one of the best days of the entire trip when it comes to weather. It was at least 70 and sunny all day and of course this was the day we stayed inside most of the time. I met with my group around 10 and we worked until 3 when the PowerPoint was due for the final project. Then after a brief 20 minute break to get changed, we regrouped and continued to rehearse our parts until we gave the presentation at 5. Since I hadn’t eaten since 12 I decided to bring some snacks to the presentations. I was the only one carrying a bag of cookies in with me, but oh well. I think the presentation went really well (hopefully Dr. Feick thinks the same). Afterwards, we got some dinner at what you could tell was a college restaurant; relatively cheap and a good portion. The food was good and it was nice being able to relax knowing the projects were done with. 

Final Company Visit

Day 10: Tuesday 5/17/2016

After a long 3 hour bus ride we arrived at PPG or Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. It was a bit strange being in Germany and visiting a company that started out in Pittsburgh. It was really interesting to hear about how PPG changed their business model over the years to go from producing mainly glass to producing mostly paints and coatings. I was also blown away by some of the things that PPG coats. I never even thought that some things were coated; for example the rubber around the door frames in cars is coated in something. It was also really cool to have such a high level executive speaking to us; the global supply chain manager. This was especially interesting for me because I am looking into supply chain as a major and got to hear what it is like first-hand. I never realized before how much stuff is involved in a supply chain like PPG’s. It seemed as if there is no scenario where they do not have a backup plan or some measure in place in case of something going wrong. After heading home my group went to Dennis’ flat to work on our project. I was super hungry after going hours without eating so I decided to buy a baked chicken from a food truck even after many recommendations not to. It was probably one of my better decisions this trip. It was so good and it was nice to have a more American food. I even ate two plates of the spaghetti bolognese that Dennis cooked for us just an hour later. We ended up working on our project for at least 5 hours that night. Hopefully it all pays off in the end. 

Can You Say Tourist?

Day 9: Monday 5/16/2016

Today consisted of numerous cultural visits. First, we visited Neuschwanstein Castle in the Alps. The views we encountered there were absolutely amazing. In one direction I could look out over the German countryside for miles and on the other were some of the tallest mountains I have ever seen. Some of them even had snow on them. Between seeing snow, a chair lift, and ski slope, it made me sad that I couldn’t go skiing; but I’ll be back some day to do that. The castle itself was magnificent.

How people were able to construct something like that in the 19^th century is mind-blowing. Not even just building it, but getting all of the materials up the steep hills and inclines must’ve been an engineering marvel. The inside of the castle was immaculate with all of the artwork and woodwork that was done. Everywhere you looked there was either a painting or some extremely detailed wood carvings. The tour guide told us that one room alone took 14 men four years to complete. Next, we went to and ate lunch in the little town of Fuessen. The town, in my opinion, looked like a much smaller version of Munich. However, it was very cool that the town was right at the base of the mountains and if you looked the one direction out of town the mountains shot up thousands of feet. The final stop for the day was at Wieskirche, at massive church in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. On the inside it was by far the most beautifully decorated church I have ever seen (and we’ve seen a lot of churches on this trip). I really do not know how to describe it, there were paintings and statues all over the walls and ceiling. For dinner we were on our own so Jan took a few of us to a Mexican place in Germany. Safe to say it was decent, but was definitely not the Mexican food we eat in the states for obvious reasons. 

Neuschwanstein castle

The inside of Wieskirche

Dachau

Day 8: Sunday 5/15/2016

One word to describe Dachau; eerie. Our day today consisted of visiting the first concentration camp set up by the Nazi party in 1933. Since I love World War 2 history I was super excited to finally get to visit a concentration camp. Well I guess as excited as one could be to visit a place where thousands of people were killed… but you know what I mean. I really liked being able to see the camp and learn about its history, however I did not like the tour guide at all. She did not let us stop and read any of the signs and we went faster than I felt we should have. It was a very surreal feeling standing in the gas chamber, the actual place where people were murdered about 75 years earlier. Also, seeing pictures of the piles of bodies was sickening. We were also told that the SS training grounds were right next-door to the camp. I understand why it was completely destroyed many years ago and the tour people don’t want to discuss it (the SS were truly sick, the worst of the worst of Hitler’s army), but I would have liked to see it because it is history. While it was a very sullen afternoon, it was very interesting and I now look forward to visiting other World War 2 historical sites like Normandy and other concentration camps. 

Looking down the center of the camp

Day in Munich

Day 7: Saturday 5/14/2016

Munich was where we spent our time today. We arrived in Munich around 11 after catching the train from Augsburg. I had never been on a passenger train like that so that was a cool experience although it was not nearly as exciting as I thought it’d be. After arriving in Munich we took a city tour where we walked through all of the old town of Munich. Once again, the architecture of this city was amazing and simply blew away the architecture in America. All of the shops and little stands selling food and other merchandise made it seem modern, but there was also the feel of older times. Following the tour, we were given a few hours of free time to do whatever we wanted in the city. I and a few others were starving so we found a traditional Bavarian restaurant and got schnitzel. It was so good I wanted to order more, but unfortunately didn’t want to spend the money. Then we climbed the 400 steps in the church tower to see some amazing views. On one side I got to see a great view of the town hall and on the other side I could see the Alps in the distance. After buying some souvenirs, Jan really wanted to show us where people surf in the river so a few of us made the hike to the park. The 20 minute walk was definitely worth it, the surfing was so cool and unique (when will I get to see surfing in a river again?). Finally, after eating at a really good burger place for dinner (it was nice having some more “normal” food) it was time to head back to Augsburg to wrap up a long day. 

Town hall in Munich

BMW

Day 6: Friday 5/13/2016

This was the first day we got to sleep in a little bit so that was very nice. Today was a day of BMW. First we walked through the BMW museum. I loved seeing all of the cars and how they have changed over the years. The new cars are so nice I wanted to buy one on the spot (mom you’ll see the credit card charge in a few days). The new i8 and the Rolls Royce are two of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. Also, seeing the BMW M series just added to my love for that car and my dream of owning one, one day. Next we toured the factory were they produce M4’s as well as a few other models. This was by far the coolest tour yet for a few reasons. First, seeing KUKA robots at work was really cool since we had toured their factory a few days earlier. Second, being able to follow how a car gets made starting with the pressing of aluminum to form the body and ending with workers testing the car was fascinating. The fact that every step is automated and done by robots is amazing. I also learned today that Jan is one of the worst golfers I have ever seen (he tried changing it to “most awesome”). 

Jan in front of an i8

Me with the Ryder cup

Jan's blog post

Day 5: Thursday 5/12/2016

…Lear…something…Nuremberg….After they finally arrived hours late that I had spent in a bar with friends, we met the group in the club. Everybody was already in a good mood thanks to mood enhancing beverages and despite the long day everybody still got so much energy. Even though the club is supposed to attract rather sleezy (that it?) people, the music was good and there were so many people there that nobody cared and just had a good time. Much of which I spent looking for the Americans, cause they wandered around in the club. Contrary to my imagination before meeting them, the Americans grew very fond of German beer and weren’t shy about tasting more that night. The time flew and at some point later at night we were dancing with strange people with strange drinks. At that point we left (or at least those who had managed to stay with the group). On our way home we decided to follow a famous German tradition – the drunken Doener (that’s probably not how you say it). It’s basically just a pound of salad and greasy chops of meat in a bun and it’s not German either – but there is nothing better when you are walking home after a night out. The Americans didn’t like it though. Guess there’s still stuff I need to teach them :P 

Written by:  Jan Herrmann

The longest day of the trip started out with almost missing the 6:50 bus after Christian set his alarm for 6:45 instead of 5:45. Luckily we woke up at 6:30 and just barely made it in time. After a 3 hour bus ride we arrived at Lear. It was really cool seeing how Lear makes the electrical systems for cars. Since Lear was my assigned company, I had to present the gifts to our hosts at the conclusion of their presentation. It was a little intimidating asking questions and speaking to men on such a high part of the corporate ladder, but it was not as scary as I had pictured. After having a very good lunch at Lear, we headed to the city of Nuremburg. Nuremburg was a beautiful city with the river running through the middle of it and all of the old-style architecture. It is crazy to think that about 90% of the city was destroyed in World War 2. It’s really sad seeing how a city with almost no military value was bombed to the ground. On the other side, it is amazing how the city was completely rebuilt to look like it did before the bombings through the use of city documents and pictures. Nuremburg was not like any American city. I really liked all of the old architecture, cobble-stone streets, and the overall feel of the city. Finally, I loved the restaurant we went to for dinner. It was a super authentic German restaurant and I thought the look/feel of the place was really awesome. 

Looking out over Nuremburg

Bratwurst

Day 4: Wednesday 5/11/2016

Today we listened to a talk by BMW and visited the KUKA factory. KUKA was by far my favorite tour so far. It was fascinating hearing about all of the applications for robots now and in the future. Plus, being able to see the KUKA robots at work making parts for other robots was very cool. I especially liked seeing the newest robot by KUKA; one that is safe to work around humans through the use of various sensors. The talk at BMW was all about innovation and how BMW is changing its business model going forward in order to compete in the electric car market. In addition, it almost seemed as though the presentation was one big ad to sell the new i3 and i8 electric cars. In between the two company visits a few of the German students took a few of us to a hidden gem in terms of food. It was a little market off of the beaten path that had some of the best food I have had yet. Having some authentic bratwurst was something I really wanted to do on this trip and I was so happy I found some. 

Outside the KUKA factory

First Company Visit

Day 3: Tuesday 5/10/2016

Today we went to SGL: The Carbon Company, listened to a presentation on German immigration, and toured the Grand Hotel. Learning about all of the things SGL does with graphite and carbon fiber was very interesting. However, the most fascinating part was the presentation given to us about SGL’s business model. I could not believe how expensive it is to produce carbon fiber and it was interesting hearing about how they are shaping their business model to reduce costs and remain profitable. Also, hearing that the unemployment rate in Germany is 2-3% blew my mind. In addition, SGL gave us a lunch that was so good I wish I could eat like that every day. While, the German immigration talk was interesting, I was kind of disappointed. I thought it would be more on the current immigration topic and I was really excited to hear about how Germany is reacting to the current situation, but instead it was more on German immigration throughout history. Finally, I really did not like the tour of the Grand Hotel. While it was cool seeing all of the artists’ work, in my opinion it was wrong that we – all wearing at least $100 worth of clothes, were walking through looking at refugees and where they are living like they are animals at a zoo. Nonetheless, it was definitely an eye-opening and unique experience that I am glad I did. For dinner tonight we found a traditional Bavarian restaurant that was below ground level. It was probably the best food I have had so far. I love finding hidden gems and staying away from the very touristy and main stream restaurants. 

One of the rooms in the Grand Hotel

Augsburg Scavenger Hunt

Day 2: Monday 5/9/2016

Our first full day in Germany, we started off today with meeting our German group members and giving brief presentations on the basics of our company (mine is Lear). It seemed to me that our German counterparts are much more confident and comfortable when it comes to presentations. Also, it does not seem like they procrastinate at all like we do, they want to get it done with plenty of time to spare in order to make it as good as possible. Next, we toured the University of Augsburg and ate in the universities’ dining hall. Their University is much different than the University of Pittsburgh in terms of the campus layout; with their university being much more rural. Their dining hall is phenomenal compared to the one we have at Pitt. The food was much better and it did not feel like we were eating in the basement. Later in the afternoon we split into groups to do a scavenger hunt around the city of Augsburg. It was actually a lot of fun, even though my group was very bad at it. Our wonderful tour guide Jan managed to get us lost on our way to dinner which resulted in us being disqualified from the scavenger hunt. Oh well, we got to see more of the city. However, we will continue to razz him for it for the remainder of our trip.

Looking down one of the main streets

Very Long Day

Day 1: Sunday 5/8/2016

Today we arrived in Munich around 7:30 am after leaving Newark around 5:30 pm. It was a very hard and long day. I did not sleep at all on the plane ride here so currently I’m going on being awake for 30 hours straight which I never thought was possible. The tour around Augsburg was very cool. We got to see the center square, the town hall, and the Dom as well as tour through the Fuggerei. I was amazed at how big the church (the Dom) was on the inside with its big stained glass windows and numerous statues. In the town hall the main room was spectacularly decorated with gold covered designs and paintings all over the ceilings and walls. If our town meetings were held in rooms decorated like that I’d go to every single meeting! The Fuggerei was like stepping back in time with the tiny little flats and hearing all about the history of the Fugger family. I don’t know if I could live it a place that is as small as they were, but I guess 1 euro a year to live there can’t be beat.  I really enjoyed going into the bomb shelter that was inside of the Fuggerei. I love history and World War 2 so I found this to be especially interesting. Finally, the overall atmosphere of Augsburg amazed me with how different it is from cities in the US. It was so laid back and there were very few cars within the city; almost the complete opposite of cities back home. 

Ceiling of the town hall