After Prom

We set sail on Tuesday, June 23^rd, for Berlin, Germany. There are four of us from the Engineering group going on to, what is being referred to as, the after prom party. We have multiple destinations, and in true American fashion, we’re going to as many places in as few of days as possible.

We went ICE, high speed, train from Leipzig to Berlin. It was a great time for me to catch up on my blogging since there are plugs on the train. When we arrived in Berlin we bought a one way ticket for the S-Bahn train, which is the local train similar to Chicago’s L. We arrived at the stop, and walked about 5 blocks to our hostel. We ate at a little Italian restaurant across the street, and settled into the hostel bar for a few last German beers. After a few quick Euchre games and good conversation with a man from Dublin, we were ready to call it a night.

We caught the local train to the airport and checked in. Ryanair is notorious for charging massive amounts of money for baggage, and we have clothes form the past six weeks. Some of us packed a little lighter then others. I came in on the low end at 18 kilos in my big backpack, and a 10 kilo bookbag. Frank came in on the high end at 36 kilos.

We arrived safely in Dublin around 11 am. We went to the tourist information desk, got bus passes, and made our way to downtown. But wait.... What's this? Something is tickling my ears.... Everyone is speaking english. You completely underestimate the power of eavesdropping until it's gone. We could now understand what everyone was saying on their phones. Absolutely weird feeling. As a group we're still speaking German in order to be polite, only to realize we're in a mainly english speaking country. We dropped our luggage off at the hostel and made for lunch. After an irish stew and a Guiness we sat in the park and enjoyed the cloudless sky until it was time to check in.

After we checked in we had some computer time in order to tell our parents that we were in fact alive, and to contact a few people that we knew in Dublin. Frank's cousin is studying abroad, and coincidentally, she is only a few blocks from our hostel, which is located next to the Temple Bar, the most pretisgious bar in Dublin.

A quick nap was in order after all of this. Three hours later, we got up checked our emails and headed out to meet frank's cousin and a few of her friends. We met them at the main entrance of Trinity College in Dublin, much to our surprise there were about 8 girls waiting there for us. We grabbed a quick bite at a pub, and we headed for the bars.

I must interject a little tid bit of information at this point. After being in Germany for 6 weeks, eating pork in everything, and drinking amazing German beer, our alcohol tollerance is a wee bit higher then ever in our lives. It takes a little more alcohol then normal for us to became inebriated. Also, Dublin is the most expensive city i have ever been to in my life. It is almost impossible to get a meal for under 10 Euro, or a beer for less then 3,50.......I spent way too much money in Ireland.

The next morning we woke up and Headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guiness Brewery, and the Jamison Distillery. The guiness brewery was very cool... They walked you through the entire process, then at the end, you are given a pint of guiness and taught how to taste it. The beer we drank was 4 to 10 days old; Absolutely Delicious, although i'm not a fan of the beer in the US and A.

After an afternoon of tourist attractions, we were ready for a nap, but that's just not our style. We set up a meeting time with the Trinity college girls, and got ready to go out. About 20 minutes later, all four of us had showered, musked up, and were ready to rock for the night. We bought some beer with our left arm, met up with the girls, and headed to their place to pregame. After a few games and much conversation we headed to an authentic Irish pub.

We got to the basement of the pub, where it was very dark ordered ourselves a guiness, and enjoyed the live music that was being played by a guitarist and a recorder player. Above is a video with not much to see, but lots to hear.

After a few drinks, and a few great songs, a man came running down the stairs screaming something. He had such a thick accent that it was very difficult to understand him. It almost sounded as if he said Michael Jackson is dead. That's obviously not possible, so we must have misunderstood him. NO! That's definatly what he said, he must have known we were American, and has decided to make it his mission to mess with us. When the band was done playing, he went up to them and told them. They announced it, there were cheers, and they immediatly began to play smooth criminal with the words, "Michael you ok? you ok Michael?" This was then shared with more laughs. When the band finished, we all headed for another bar, it was starting to get late and the four guys in the group had to be up at 4 in order to catch our flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. I had one last 5 Euro beer and started to say my goodbyes, which is difficult to do to a group of 8 girls. Dirk had put down about 8 guiness and was starting to show it, but Frank did not want to leave, and Jay was already home in bed. We got back to the hostel around 1, perfect! Three hours of sleep and a one hour plane ride. Frank rolled in about 3:30 just in time to wake up for the day. Let's just say Frank and Dirk were feeling a little rough the next day.

Appologies

Hello everyone. I would like to apologize for not having any posts up lately. We have been in 3 countries in 7 days, and to say the least, its a little bit hectic. I have written a few entries, but they're not up to standards yet with pictures, etc. As soon as i can i will get those to you. I am having a great time in the UK, and i have many great stories to tell all of you with adventures from Dublin, Loch Ness, London, and more. I promise to do that as soon as i can.

Cheers,

Troy in Loch Ness

Bach N Buchenwald

On Thursday, June 18th, we had a short class day because we are headed to a Bach organ concert tonight. By now, our professors as well as the students are getting sick of class. They’re becoming much more lenient with everything.
The organ concert was very cool. It took place at St. Thomas’ cathedral where Bach used to write and perform his pieces. It was very relaxing and historically, pretty crazy to think about. They were times that I doubted there was only one organ player playing due to the intricacy of the pieces. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
After the Bach concert a few of us met up with Anne at the campus festival. There were lives bands, great food, and cold beer. The first band was a ska band and sounded similar to Sublime. The second was a light rock band and sounded eerily similar to Coldplay. Anne gave us a tour of the University’s facilities between the next set. When we returned there was no gear on stage. There was only a black barrier in the middle of the stage with the word PuppetMastaz on it. At this point we weren’t really sure what to expect. What we saw next cannot be described by words. All I can say is watch this video. INSERT VIDEO HERE>. It was about 23:00 when we arrived back home. Another exhausting day was in the books.
I don’t know how many times this happened, but it was often. In Germany you wake up thinking you overslept because of how light it is outside. When you roll over and look at your clock and its only 5:00 it hurts. But then you realize that you have 4 more hours to sleep. You put the mask, that you stole from the airplane, on and you go back to sleep.
Friday morning, it was off to Weimar; a quant little city with a great amount of historical significance. Weimar is the city located near Buchenwald, Germany’s biggest concentration camp in WWII. It was also the central point of command for the SS. We arrived, got on the bus, and ate lunch at there. We started the tour by watching a 30 minute movie about the camp to give us some background information.
Buchenwald was not a traditional concentration camp; it was a labor camp run by the SS from 1935 to 1941. It was built by political prisoners from stone quarried from a gravel pit nearby. It was originally built to house eight to ten thousand prisoners, but by the end of the war it had over 55,000 men; not including those 35,000 who died. It was a very different tour then we were used. It left me feeling deeply depressed; a feeling that I’ve never really felt before. It was very strange. It was unreal to think about how many people died in the very spot that I was standing. We saw the ovens that cremated the bodies, and the hooks that they used to hang people by; deeply disturbing to say the least.
Monday night we had our final dinner with the professors, the students, and our mentors. I had the Schnitzel, which was delicious. I gave my gift to Anne, which she loved. We ended up flipping through the Michigan books because she had many questions about it. I gave her an American $1 bill, because she had never seen one before as well. The dinner was followed by a sad night at Killy Willy pub. A night where drinks were shared and tears were shed; for none of us knew whether or not we'd see each other ever again.

Stay tuned: Tuesday we depart for Berlin. We fly to Dublin, Ireland. Then to Edinbrough, Scotland, and Finally to London, England. Should be very interesting to see the cultural differences. I will do my best to write on here, but i may not be able to until i return home.

Tchus!

Guten Appetit

I am procrastinating from doing my final papers for this trip, so I will blog a little bit. FOOD BLOG #2!

The Menu:

Drinks:

-Bier - I recently attended a Bier Festival in Leipzig. There were over 900 kinds of bier, and I did my best to get through the majority of them. Here are a few pictures of them.












Main Course:
BratWurst in a curry ketchup with a side of fried potatoes















Raw ground beef and onions topped with a raw egg. To be served on bread with butter and pickles. Raw ground beef is considered a delicacy in Germany. YUMMM.












Schnitzel with a side of potatoes and mixed vegetables smothered in a brown gravy. A lemon is squeezed on the top for enhanced flavor. AMAZING!

Final Day at BMW

On June 14th we had our last day at BMW. Stephen, Rueben, Frank, and Nikole worked so hard to make sure we get the most out of our time in the previous three days, so on the 4th day the theme was "experiencing the product". We weren't really sure what this was going to entail when we arrived, but we were all very excited.

When we arrived there were 5 cars lined up outside the conference room where we meet. We're going to get to ride in brand new BMWs in Leipzig, this is exciting. We began the lecture with their total quality systems, QC systems. After lunch we arrived back in the conference room where we found 5 more BMW employees. These men were going to accompany us on our adventures for the afternoon. For the entire afternoon we had five choices:

1. See BMW quality processes
2. Check a defective car
   
3. Take a ride in a 1 series on the test track
4. Drive a Vehicle on the Autobahn
   
5. Drive a Vehicle on country roads

I began with the test track. They took the car up to 165 KM/H, took it into banked turns, over rough roads, slick roads, and inclines/declines. We then went into a pit to look at the underbody. After the road test, i went right for a vehicle to go on the autobahn. We got a 2009 X5 Deisel. The vehicle had an incredible amount of torque. Due to traffic conditions and wind resistance, however, i was only able to get the vehicle to about 200 km/h or 120 MPH. I haven't felt a rush like that since I drove my GTO. Even though i never went over the speed limit Mom. After the autobahn, i headed right for the country drive. I got in a 1 series convertable Deisel W/ an electronic step-tronic transmission. The country roads in Germany are very curvy, uneven, and very fun to drive on. I think Frank, my "shapron", had a good handle on the windshield while i was driving. I kept the RPM's high in order to avoid turbo lag; I drove that little BMW for everything it was worth. :)

By the time we finished all three drives, it was time for Dr. Heitmann's lecture on Modern American Car Culture to BMW. What a day a BMW.

German Born, American by Adoption

Apologies for the delay once again, but we have been unbelievably busy in the past couple of weeks. Let's start with a brief history lesson.

Contrary to popular belief, and unbeknown to our current jackass of a President, the automobile was not invented in America. The idea that Henry Ford invented the automobile is just introduced to us at a young age, so we, as Americans, know no differently. Henry Ford was an ingenius, motivated, and, at times, heartless man, that developed mass production methods for the world. He was thought as an idol to Adolf Hitler, and hated by all of his workers.

This past week we went on many day excursions. We first went to Stuttgart where we visited the Mercedes Benz museum. It was amazing to see all the historical cars, and how their models have developed throughout history. The first automobile is on display here and is an engineering marvel. You can see a picture on this in my facebook albums.

We headed out for a beer in downtown stuttgart where we found a bar called 'Classic Rock'. It was a very cool bar that played mostly American Rock, with delicious beer. We spent the night in a very nice hostel outside of town, where we met a few girls from Munich. We woke up very early to head to Munich for the Porsche and BMW museums. BMW was first on the agenda for the day. Munich is the world headquarter for BMW, and it is quite a visual marvel. They're neighbors with the 1972 olympic stadium, and they're headquarters' building is in the shape of four engine cylinders. Again, it was very interesting to see the evolution of the cars. It was also very interesting to see the significance that racing had on cars in the past. Most of the technological advances that were made on Automobiles were done by race teams, and later on were developed for consumer cars.

After a quick 3 hour tour of the BMW museum, it was time to go to Porsche. Dr. Heitmann had a contact at the Porsche Musuem, so we were lucky enough to have a guided tour of the entire facility by the director of the museum. This building is also an architectural marvel. The Germans seem to put the cost of the building on the back burner, and care more about the statement that the building makes. We were allowed into the museum's workshop to see many cars that were not allowed on display. We were also allowed into the archives, where Dr. Heitmann was given a copy of his Porsche's birth certificate. On our way out, we were given books by our guide. While walking out, Dr. Heitmann stopped to talk to a gentleman that was sitting in an office. Thinking nothing of it, we continued to walk. When he returned downstairs, i noticed that he had this man sign the inside of his book. Curiously, i asked him who the man was. He replied, "that was one of the lead engineers that designed the 911". For those of you that may not know, the Porsche 911 is the most prestigious models, and most definatly the only reason that Porsche continued to exist in post war Europe.

Thouroughly exhausted from over 9 hours in museums in the past two days, we headed back to our hostel for dinner. After dinner there was nothing on our minds but sleep; but that's not allowed. We call our professors, tell them to meet us at the Hofbrauhaus and we got on a tram into downtown. Professor Blust was leaving us the next day to head home for family events, so we needed to celebrate. PROST! After many liters of the most amazing beer i've ever tasted, we hear a ruckus coming from a few table down. Is that? Could it be? It is!! The American National Anthem was being sung, nay, screamed by at least 20 people down the balcony from us. We immediatly stand, remove our hats, and raise our glasses. Classic. We met a very weird man from Maryland, said good night to our professors, and headed home for the night. In Prague, our British friends taught us a new term. Tactical Chundar - Throwing up to make room, and thus drinking more. So after a tactical chundar from an unamed man, George, we were safe in bed.

The next morning we headed to the German Technology Museum, which can be compared to our Smithsonian. We all felt a little rough from the night before, including the professors. After seeing more historical vehicles and taking our tally up to 12 hours in museums, we were ready to head home.

The weekend in Leipzig was pretty mellow to say the least. We were all worn out.

Early the next week we drove to Dresden, Germany to see the "transparent" VW factory. It is called that because it has an unblievably large amount of glass. This can be seen by following link.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/vw_audi_central/vw_s_transparent_factory_feature/(page)/1

The VW Phaeton is produced here, almost entirely by hand. This is a very unusual way to produce cars, but with a sticker price of over 100,000 Euros, it's easy to see the luxurious side of a VW.

On Wednesday June 10th, we headed to Brandenburg, Germany. In this city holds the tool and die factory for BMW, as well as uncertain future of the Opel Company. Previously owned by the 'manufacturer formerly known as General Motors' (copyright T.S.O. 2009), Opel produces vauxals and opel in this plant. It was eerily similar to an American plant. Two motors screaming around beeping their horns, inventory sitting everywhere, and the same line setup. I felt like i was right at home.



After Opel we headed to Wartburg castle, where a semi-famous man by the name of Martin Luther translated bibles while being voluntarily imprisoned. It is a beautifully restored castle with violent stories and legends galore.








On Friday June 12 we were headed for Wartburg, Germany. Where the first Audi plant was, and now is a transportation museum. They had a large amount of Horch cars, as well as the communist produced Trabant; which sported an earth shattering 85 hp two cycle motor. They new German government lifted emission requirements on this vehicle to support its' past. They also had 4 of the most expensive cars in the world, my favorite being the Bugatti Veyron, which held the world record for the world's fastest car for quite sometime.

Friday night saw a night of Karaoke with two of our professors as well as our German student mentors. A great night to say the least.

Saturday was a night of teaching our German mentors and their friends great American drinking games. Followed by a night of dancing to German techno music on the stage at a club. Priceless to say the least.

What's Cookin' Doc?

The long awaited FOOD blog! I hope it's what your looking for. I will continue to gather data and may report on this topic again later on.

I've been in Leipzig for a few weeks now, and I've experienced a variety of foods. I've been to two countries and to many places throughout Germany, and I must say, I am impressed with the food here. Even cafeteria food is better then a mediocre meal in the states. I've eaten in cafeterias, street vendors, cafes, pubs, in my apartment, and in bakeries.
The language barrier is rather difficult to overcome when ordering food. Usually you can pick out what type of meat is in the dish, which is usually Pork. What you get with the meat is usually a different story. There are so many varieties on the potato or dumplings and vegtables that it's difficult to determine what you will get. This can be fun at times and at others, when your extremely hungry, it can be frustrating.

Here's whats on the Menu!

Menu:

Breakfast usually consists of Cold Cuts on fresh rolls. And by fresh i mean they came out of the oven no more then 3 hours prior. These rolls can also be eaten with Nuttella, a sweet hazelnut chocolate spread, or fresh jams. Cereal is also common here, however it is a secondary item. It is usually unsweetened and you can almost taste the fiber in it. The milk can be very good at times and very strange at other times. They have milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated until it's been opened. This milk reminds me of a slightly expired watered down skim milk. They have this milk because their fresh milk spoils in a few days.

Typical Breakfast:



Lunch is usually the hot meal of the day here in Germany. Donor Kebabs are a delicious fast and cost effective lunch solution. I've been told it's very similar to the Gyro, though I've never had one. It consists of shaved meat, usually beef, put inside a panini type of bread, filled with onions, lettuce, cabbage, and tomatoes, then smothered in a herb ranch dressing and a brown sauce that i would call a spicy curry sauce.

At restaurants, you can order most Italian dishes such as spaghetti, lasagna, or pizza. In my recent trip to Bavaria, Southern Germany, I ordered a traditional Oktoberfest meal, the Half leg of Pork. Obviously, it's a half leg of pork in a beer sauce reduction with two potato dumplings. These dumplings were very unusual however. They had the texture of wet cornmeal and they tasted like something I've never had before. Thank god there was enough meat on the bone to fill me up.

I've also ordered traditional foods for lunch. Bratwurst and potatoes are a very common dish. The potatoes seem to be fried with bacon pieces and grease. They are very delicious.


Here in Leipzig, dinner usually consists of more cold cuts, a few chips, and a joghurt. I make my sandwich on fresh rolls from the bakery down the street with salami and swiss cheese, and of course spicy brown mustard. The chips here can be very unusual at times. Paprika flavored chips are very common. They taste like a combination between barbecue and ketchup flavors. I have also had Balsamic vinegar flavored. (delicious). As well as Chili flavored tortilla chips, which are like a fresh bag of doritos.

Dessert is usually some form of homemade ice cream with an extravagant number of flavors. Below is a picture of a typical ice cream shop.


The Germans pride themselves on freshness. Everything must be fresh for the day in the morning. They don't put preservatives in anything! When you order lunch meats, you maybe order enough for dinner and breakfast. They also seem to grocery shop everyday, at least in the city. Grocery bags are .42 per bag, therefore you are encouraged to bring your own bags, and you must carry home everything that you buy. I feel your pain chelle.

Drinks are very expensive, and there are no free refills of ANYTHING! Tap water is not served, and ice is not put in any drinks. And yes, it is true, Beer IS cheaper than water.

If you have any questions about any of this, comment at the bottom, and I will do my best to answer.

Guten Appetite!