Notes from Naumburg Part II and Halle

On day 3 of our visit to Naumburg, we went to a former concentration camp near Weimar called Buchenwald. It was a unique experience that we are all still processing. We did not feel it would be appropriate to describe in detail the experience here on the rotary blog, but if you would like to read about my personal experience from the visit, you can do so at my personal blog here: http://mccubbinstravel.blogspot.com

Following our trip to Buchenwald, we had a nice dinner with all the host families at our home. The next morning we spent a little time in the city and then it was off to Halle.

When we arrived in Halle, our first stop was to the Halloren chocolate factory. This chocolate factory was pretty impressive. It had gone through a few name changes due to potential discrimination during WWII. At that time, it was also illegal to make sweets like chocolate and so there was a large black market for it. Also for a brief time during WWII, the factory itself stopped producing chocolate and was used to produce things for the war. In the end, it continued as a chocolate factory and still is one of the more famous chocolate makers in this area. And maybe the coolest part of the museum (for me) was the fact that there was a entire room made of chocolate!

After the visit to the chocolate factory, we had dinner with our host families and then headed home for the evening.

Yesterday we took a day trip to Dresden. This city is amazing. It has a population of around 500,000 with 45,000 of those being students from the universities. The city was mostly destroyed during WWII but was reconstructed in 2001 in the same way as it was before the war, giving it a very historical look.

We started the day with a visit to the art museum, where there is a very famous Rafael painting, Sistine with Madonna. Unfortunately we could not take pictures in the museum, but it was quite impressive.

 

After a quick lunch, we then headed on a walking tour of the city. We saw many interesting things along the way, including a church that was reconstructed. The black stones from the church were what remained after the war. Each remaining stone was measured and then computer program was used to determine where those stones would have been located on the original church. The church was then reconstructed, with the black stones being from the original church and the white stones being used to replace the ones that were destroyed.

Inside the church are some amazing architecture and color. I think this is the first church where I have seen the use of pastel colors. It was truly beautiful.

Next we continued our tour and saw the famous opera house. We also saw many other historical buildings...too many to name.

Then we returned home and had dinner.

Today, we went on a city tour of Halle, which has a population of around 230,000. We saw some cool things, including an old cemetery and a castle that sits in the middle of the town.

My favorite part was learning about the history of G.F. Handel. He grew up in Halle, and they are very proud of him. The story is that he was playing the organ in the church (pictured below) at the age of 9. The duke heard the music , thought it was the usual organ player (who happened to Handel's father), and liked it so much that he wanted to give him a bonus. When he found out that it was his son playing the organ, he decided to pay to send Handel to a school for music. At first his father did not agree (he wanted Handel to study medicine) but eventually he agreed after some prodding from his wife.

After the city tour, we went home to pack, and then it was off to dinner and our final rotary meeting and presentation. This is our last blog update as in the morning we fly back home. We hope I have enjoyed our journey through Germany as much as we have!

 

Sara

 

Notes from Naumburg part I

Day 1

After arriving in Naumburg the previous evening, our first full day was spent as a vocational day followed by a club meeting. I spent my vocational day at the University of Leipzig where I got to see the mineralogy department. It was very interesting to learn about what they were currently researching. One of the projects involved old writings on clay pottery. Because papyrus was expensive, many ancient people used to write on their pottery instead. When archaeologists try to clean the mud off of these pots, they often remove some of the writing. So, instead they send it here to Leipzig where they take the sample and use IR Spectroscopy to create a computer image of what is underneath the mud. As you can probably imagine, mostly these are all random pieces of pottery, so it is sort of like a puzzle in trying to figure out which ones might go together.

Next we went to the library, which was too incredible for words to describe (but maybe these pictures will help).

Leipzig is one of the first places that started printing and selling books, shortly after the printing press was invented by Gutenberg. There is a special exhibit in the library of old books which were fascinating. Sometimes the books would have writing on the pages from students who took notes about the topic during a class.

From the library we went into the city center to have lunch and take a look around. Leipzig is known for so many things, and we only had a few hours, so it is impossible to provide a full picture...everything from Bach to Goethe to East/West history to Nazis to amazing architecture...I could have spent weeks there and still not seen everything!

After returning from Leipzig I had a brief hour to relax and then it was off to dinner and the rotary meeting. We exchanged flags, and then headed to one of the host families to watch the soccer game. Germany won (again) so they now advance to the semi-finals. Tomorrow we will see the church and cherry festival, followed by a concert in the evening.

Day 2

We started the day with a tour of the Naumburg cathedral. This church is amazing. It has four steeples, two built in the gothic style and two built in the classic style. We learned a lot about the history of the church, where Martin Luther appointed the first Protestant bishop. Inside the vault of the church is a very rare 4-nail cross...meaning that the feet of Jesus are not together so it takes 4 nails to hold him to the cross. Also different on this crucifix is the fact that his head is up and looking at you and there is no stab wound in his side.

The church is also well known for its large statue designs in the west choir area. What is unique about these statues is that they are not of saints but rather of people of the time the church was built who donated money to create the church. So basically the statues show the first donors.

Following the church tour we went to enjoy the festivities of the Cherry festival, starting with the parade. In this parade, they celebrate the medieval history of Naumburg with different groups each representing a different moment in history, culture, etc.

In the evening, we enjoyed a concert at the church of music by Bach (famous in this area because he was the head of the choir and composed many songs here in Naumburg). Following the concert, we headed to the cherry festival. Basically, this was a large carnival with rides and food and drinks, but also it included a bunch of tents each with different bands playing. The festival lasts for 4 days and it was a lot of fun!

 

We have still a day and a half in Naumburg, so one of us will update later about the rest of our stay here! Their is off to our last city, Halle, before returning home next Thursday! Hard to believe a month has almost passed since we left.

-Sara

Spedition in Duetchland

My first vocational visit was with a transportation company in Uelzen. I met with the owner, Hubert Kobernuss. His company is a family business with his older daughter starting to take a leadership role in the company. Mr. Kobernuss was very excited that she decided to join the company as he is trying to have more time away from the business. We had a long discussion about truck equipment, government regulations, driver recruiting challenges, and customer relationships.

Here are a few comparisons about trucking in U.S. and Germany. Trucks are allowed to travel 100 km/hr on the autobahn, which is 62.5 mph. Team Driving is not permitted since the truck must shut down each day. There are similar hours of service rules for driving limits per day and per week. One big distinction is all trucks must be equipped with electronic logs. Each driver has a plastic card to insert for tracking on duty time. The logs transmit times to the company and to the transportation authorities in the German government.

The trucks I observed on the autobahn were cabovers manufactured by Mercedes, Iveco, Volvo, and Scania. The box trailers are curtain side, which allows for convenient unloading from the side of the trailer with out a dock. The trucks and trailers are somewhat smaller than in the US but can still transport over 40 tons. The reason for the smaller equipment is that Europe is much more dense and narrow roads are common. The distribution networks seem to be more regionalized, which means shorter distances from shipper to customer.

I met with Wolfgang Hiller in Lunaburg and had the opportunity to test drive his Iveco cabover. It was an automatic. His company transports between Hamburg and Cologne. If one of his customers has a truckload shipment outside his lane, Hiller brokers it to another spedition (transportation) company. Both Hiller and Kobernuss also provide warehousing services to their customers.

My most recent visit was with Hahne near Goslar. Their company transports truckload, less than truckload, dumps, and has a retail fuel stop and truck wash too. Germany is currently testing larger hauling capabilities, but the transportation infrastructure is very tight in the cities. The German economy in this region of Lower Saxony seems to be doing well as all 3 companies have more opportunities than drivers. It was stated that a drop in the Euro currency will be favorable for German exports, but also results in fuel price increases.

Fuel efficiency is a top priority at these German spedition companies. Fuel metrics are posted each week for each driver. Drivers are paid a monthly salary but must earn a fuel efficiency bonus. Like in the States, the Geman managers are working to balance on time service for a profit while complying with the many regulations.

Joe Keller

 

Notes from Bernburg-Kothen

After a leisurely stay in Gottingen for our "mandatory rest period," we arrived in Bernburg Monday evening. We had a Rotary meeting which also involved the mayor and the press. Apparently, we are quite the celebrities here, especially Lindsey and her Zumba classes. I'll let her provide all the details on that for you.

Tuesday morning Debby, my host, and I went for a run/bike ride along the Saale River. It was great. One of the rotary members met us halfway for a water stop. He is a retired veterinarian, so he took our pulse to make sure we were okay and then stamped our hands with his seal to show we were healthy!

Later in the day we went for a city tour with Albert the Bear. We learned a lot about the history of Bernburg, which is part of the former East Germany. There is a large castle here, and it is guarded by both a moat AND a bear. Pretty cool! Following the tour we had lunch and then went on a boat ride on the Saale. The weather was perfect and we all had a wonderful time. We also got to hang out with Nico Hippe, who was one of the German GSE representatives to Illinois earlier this year.

Wednesday was our vocational day. I started my day at a Lutheran school where they combine the primary school (grades 1-4) with the kindergarten (ages 3-5). They also had a place for younger kids (ages birth-3). They are doing some very interesting things at this school, including the incorporation of green classrooms. They also do not use a bell to separate class time. Instead the teachers can spend as much time as they think is necessary for the students on each subject.

In the afternoon, we went to my host's work. He is in charge of a large bank. It was very interesting, and I even got to see the vault! (but if I tell you what was in there, I'd have to kill you...haha). Then we went to an old theater which does local and amateur performances. Following that, I went to the music school and sat in on a violin lesson. That was also fantastic to see, and the 8 year old student I saw was quite impressive!

Later, I went to the gym with my host, Helmut, and then we joined Lindsey for Zumba. There was a huge turnout and the newspaper was there as well. Finally, we ate dinner and had the chance to socialize with our host families and each other. Just when we thought we were going home, Debby, Tim, and I were kidnapped by our hosts and taken to Dr. Clemens' house. We got to taste wine that is grown in that region, and even though we were exhausted from the day and still needed to pack our luggage, we all enjoyed ourselves.

 

Then we had a transfer day from Bernburg to Naumburg. We left early in the morning and made a trip to Wittenburg, where we went on a tour of the city and walked in the steps of Martin Luther. It was very interesting and we had a great guide.

Sara

Notes from Goslar

Day 15

 

Goslar has become my new favorite city that we have visited here in Germany (previously held by Luneburg). We arrived and immediately had time with our host families. My family, Bettina and Carlos, along with their 4 children, 3 of whom still live at home (one girl age 19 and 2 twin boys age 15), were great! After a delicious lunch, we went out to do some sightseeing. First of all, Goslar sits along the edge of the Harz mountains, so the landscape is much different than what we have previously experienced. The town was also founded in 922 A.D., and there is a lot of history to be learned, especially regarding the mining history...too much to put in the blog but I recommend you do some googling!

 

Our sightseeing trip included:

• Kaiserpfalz, or The Imperial Palace, which had beautiful paintings depicting the history of Germany and of Goslar from the 19th century. The Romanesque Palace was built in the 11th century.

• St. Jakobikirche, which was originally an 11th century Romanesque church, but was converted into a Gothic hall church toward the end of the 15th century. It includes a famous Pieta by Hans Witten as well as a baroque alter and pews. It is the only Catholic church in Goslar (and they are few and far between here in Northern Germany since most are Lutheran).

• Restaurant Tower, which included a beautiful terrace lookout over the entire city.

 

After our brief tour, we had dinner and then headed back downtown for a public viewing of the Germany vs. Netherlands soccer match. It was quite entertaining!

 

Day 16

 

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Rammelsberg Museum, which is an old mine site that was in operation for more than 1000 years. Think about that for a minute...this ore mine was in operation from 968 a.d. until 1988. I was able to talk with Dr. Martin Wetzel about the educational programs that are used there. The museum itself is based on the actual mine site, which provides a feeling of what it was really like during the mining times. Each year, over 100,000 people visit the museum, a compilation of old miner and members of their families, tourists, and children's groups. The school programs are different depending on the age level, but they generally consist of an all-day visit and workshop at the museum. They also run the equivalent of summer camps, which serve over 800 children in two weeks, and they serve a radius of 100 km. Maybe most interesting was the fact that they train young students (which they call mine dwarfs) to be tour guides for the mines, especially during special occasions. It is an effort to help keep young people engaged and interested in the mining history of the town.

 

After our meeting with Dr. Wetzel, we had the opportunity to go on a tour of the facility and see the museum. We even got to go into the caves as well and see the large water wheels that were used to empty water from the mine. One of the coolest things about this is that the mine is so old, these massive wheels were built by hand in the mines...quite impressive.

 

Following my visit to the museum, we had our rotary meeting and presentation. Afterwards, Lindsey, Debby, and I went to the Monchehaus Museum Goslar (modern art museum) and then did some shopping around town. We then had a chance to spend time with our host families.

 

Day 17

 

Because of the history of Goslar as a mining town, we had the chance to visit some of its mining history as we drove through the mountains. We thought we would be doing some hiking today, so we were a little disappointed to be driving everywhere, but it did allow us to see more things.

 

For lunch, we stopped at this little shack on the side of the road for pea soup...when they first said we were going to have pea soup for lunch, we all gave them sideways glances, but then we found out that "pea soup" in Germany is made from chickpeas. It was quite delicious, and of course it came with sausage.

 

Then we drove some more to another place for dessert. This is why I will be fat when I return from Germany! Luckily we decided to split so none of us had to eat the whole thing.

 

After lunch we stopped at some sightseeing locations in the national park. We got to see Brocken mountain, which is the tallest mountain in this area.

 

Afterwards we returned to town where we explored a bit and then watched a chime display showcasing the mining history of the town.

 

Finally, we had dinner with all the host families and club president in a hotel which uses the old outer wall and tower from the town as part of its restaurant. And of course, Lindsey had to show everybody Zumba since everyone here keeps asking about it!

 

This weekend we have the district conference and then we finally have a scheduled rest period, which I know we are all looking forward to!

Sara