Our trip is complete

Wow, what a great trip this was to Germany with the Goethe-Institut! I can't believe the great time that we had, and also the huge amount of information that we all learned. The time spent with these great colleagues from all over the country was perhaps even the best part of the trip. I will certainly miss being around the great people I met during our time in Germany together, and I will miss being in that great country. Hopefully somehow we will see each other again in the future.

To any newcomers to this blog: Please start reading at the bottom so you can go in chronological order. This blog was created to be daily communication with my students, family, colleagues, and friends, but now that my trip is over, it will remain up, unchanged, so that any interested parties can read it. Email me directly at mheiden@sbcglobal.net or mheiden@hse.k12.in.us with any questions or comments. Thank you.

A very full plane

We checked in at the airport today early and then walked around a bit before we reached our gate and found out that our plane was very overbooked. Sometimes airlines book more seats on a plane than are actually available, and this had happened on our flight. So, we thought that at least one of our group might not be able to get on the flight. But, then as we got ready to board the plane we found out that we might be able to volunteer to skip this flight and just fly home the next day. We would have all received about $1000 each along with a hotel and food allowance. So, several of us volunteered since $1000 sounded pretty good, but then they actually did have room for all of us, so we all got on the plane anyway. The flight was over an hour late leaving, but only arrived in Washington DC about 30 minutes late. Several of our group had very tight connections, so I hope they made it home OK. I am staying in the area for a while, so I just collected my belongings and headed out of the airport. You can see our 747 that we flew home on below.

Leaving Germany

Today we are up and ready to go to the airport for our flight from Frankfurt to Washington DC Dulles on Lufthansa flight 418. I am packed and ready to go, and I think all of my group mates are under the 50 pound requirement for checked luggage! We will take off at about 1:15 PM and get into Washington DC at about 3:40 PM. So, students, use your math ability to figure out how long the flight would be since Germany is 6 hours ahead of Washington DC local time. Who will post the correct answer first?

Heidelberg Castle

This afternoon we set out for Heidelberg on a private bus. It was a little more than an hour drive from Frankfurt, but it was nice to relax and talk to everyone. We were heading to visit the Heidelberg Castle, which is an amazing old castle that is partly intact overlooking the city. It was a lot of fun touring the castle, and then we had some time to do some shopping in the very busy streets of Heidelberg. This place is a tourist magnet! Below you can see a view of the city from the castle.

After this we had a tour of a local brewery, and even got to go behind the scenes to see how they accomplish their brewing. Germany is certainly known for its beer, and we got to hear all about how it is made. After our tour we had a very nice dinner and relaxed on our final night in Germany (for most of us). Several of our members are staying for some extra time in Germany or elsewhere in Europe, but the majority are heading out tomorrow. It was a great last night together as a group. In the photos below from our final dinner you can see a common theme from our dinners together--great conversation and excellent meals!

Frankfurt City Center

After a night of sleeping in wonderful air conditioning I awoke and headed out with the group to visit the Saint Nicolai Church in the old city center of Frankfurt. This is an old protestant (Lutheran) church that is actually led by a pastor from the United States. He moved to Germany with his wife, who is German, and has led this church for 20 years. He gave us some information about the history of the church, but also of the relationship between Germany and churches (for instance, churches are sometimes owned by the state, receive funding from the state, and German citizens pay church taxes for the church they belong to—there is not an actual separation of church and state in Germany). We got to hear some wonderful pipe organ music played by a Goethe-Institut official, as well as a tour of the upper walkway of the church. The picture below is from the top of the church looking out over the old square towards the modern Frankfurt area.

After this tour we walked around the old town and toured the Goethe House as well. Then, we had some time for lunch on our own. Well, Bill, Duncan, Lyndal, and I had a craving for doner kabobs, so we walked all over the place trying to find a Turkish restaurant. We finally got directions from a Turkish man and ended up eating our food right by our hotel. So, instead of walking all the way back to the rendezvous point, we walked to the hotel and called our guides. So, now we are back at the hotel waiting to head out to a castle this afternoon. It's been a nice final day in Germany so far.

The Frankfurt Opera

We began our afternoon with a behind the scenes tour of the opera house with an official of the Frankfurt Opera, had a sit down discussion with the assistant director of the show, and even got to go back stage. It was a really interesting time as we learned about the Frankfurt Opera, and also got to see the stage being set up for the show. We had a nice dinner nearby, and then it was time for the show. Now, I knew we were in trouble when I heard that it was in Italian, but I knew we were really in trouble when I heard it was German-only subtitles. Also, one thing to learn about Germany is that they don’t air condition buildings like we do in the states. Often you see skyscrapers with their windows open. Now, this is great for saving energy, but not so good in an opera house with 1000 people and NO ventilation. So, it was hot, stuffy, and entirely in a language we didn’t understand—for three and a half hours! It was certainly nice and beautiful, but I would have been happy with 20 minutes or so of the performance. Still, it was a nice cultural evening even though I really didn’t understand a thing that happened during the opera except for what I gleaned from a summary of the story. As a side note, I am now on my third hotel room here in Frankfurt. The first two didn’t have air conditioning at all, so they have finally found me a room with AC, and I am very grateful! I guess the theme of the last few hours has been me seeking air conditioning.

Deutsche Bank

Today was our visit to Deutsche Bank to hear about their history, their current status, and to hear about Europe and its future as a union. Deutsche Bank is one of the largest banks in the world, and has really become an international bank, as compared to just a Germany bank. Deutsche Bank is also a major sponsor of this wonderful program that I have been on for these two weeks. After our talks by very well prepared presenters, we had a quick lunch before a tour of some of Deutsche Bank’s extensive art collection. Their art collection is situated throughout their buildings to brighten up the work environment. They are in a temporary building right now while their main towers are being remodeled. Still, this building is quite nice. Some of the art was quite impressive, but some was a little puzzling as well. I overheard one group member saying, “Germans are certainly financial geniuses, but they don’t know anything about art!” He was of course kidding as there was lots of beautiful art, but one piece that puzzled us is shown below:

This is simply a glossier place on the wall in the lobby, but it is considered a real piece of art and was made by a famous artist. Needless to say, we all don’t think it was worth any more than the paint that was used to paint it! But, to be fair, they had a lot of really beautiful modern art that really did make this building a very nice and pleasant place to work. Below you can see part of the group on their art tour around the building (notice the colorful piece of art to the right of the picture--this was hanging the lobby).

After our art tour we came back to the hotel to have a break before we head to the opera this evening. We are going to attend Don Giovanni by Mozart at the Frankfurt Opera. This opera is known to be very modern in its interpretations of operas, so it should be interesting. I just hope they have English subtitles or it will be a very long three hours! (Of course, it may be a very long three hours regardless!) Still, this is a cultural event that would be hard to attend if it wasn’t booked for us. One last picture from our day so far is below. It is part of the Frankfurt skyline. Frankfurt is the banking capital of Germany, and is home to its most international airport.

Germany Wins!

We of course went to eat at a restaurant that would show us the big game tonight. Germany played Turkey in the semifinal of the Euro Cup. This is a BIG deal here. Everyone in Germany watched this game, and everyone is very fired up. Germany did win 3-2 in a very exciting game, and then everyone here took to the streets to celebrate. It was getting quite rowdy in parts of Frankfurt as we headed back to our hotel. Most of the celebrators were just having clean fun though—lots of honking and cheering. I think the final game versus either Russia or Spain will be on the day I return from Germany (or perhaps the day after), so I will miss experiencing the final here in Germany. It would have been quite a scene if Germany won. You can see Tracy from our group below with two new friends watching the game.

On to Frankfurt

After our visit to the school we had a couple of hours to eat lunch (and of course ice cream) and shop before gathering our luggage and heading to the Hannover train station. We did have to say goodbye to our guide Garrit who has been with us since the beginning of the trip. He was a great guide so it will be sad to see him go. We also said goodbye to Nicola who was with us during our time in Hannover and did such a great job guiding us as well. Now we will have two new guides in Frankfurt. We boarded a train to Frankfurt, and a couple of hours later we were here in Frankfurt to check into our new hotel. You can see part of our group pulling their luggage on the way to the train station in Hannover.

An elementary school visit

Today we all checked out of our rooms and then stored our luggage for the day while we visited an elementary school called Fridtjof Nansen Schule. This was quite a school to visit because they are known as a very successful school, even though they have lots of different nationalities present in their school. Also, this school has new ergonomic furniture and some very innovative physical activity centers throughout the school. The school is trying many innovative ideas like having kids be very active through the school day. For instance, if a child needs to move during a math lesson, he/she could grab a timer and go and exercise in the hallway for 3 minutes. I visited a second grade classroom and found it to be very similar to an American second grade class, except that they were working on the multiplication and division facts for 7. That is perhaps a little more advanced than most of our second grade curriculum.

A Volkswagen Day

It was a Volkswagen day today. We boarded a train to Wolfsburg early and then had (too much!) time to walk around the city before our guided tour of the main Volkswagen plant. We had an excellent guided tour of the factory while riding in a customized Volkswagen Golf with several customized trailers. We rode in this nice comfortable vehicle while our guide drove us and talked to us about the automobile making process. It was a great tour, however we couldn’t photograph anything, so no pictures of the new Volkswagens rolling off of the assembly line. I do have a picture of the factory below though. This plant is the largest sized automobile plant in the world.

We then had lunch in the city and after that we went to Autostadt (Automobile City) which is right next to the automobile factory. This huge complex is Volkswagen’s delivery point for their cars (you can pick up your customized car here to much fanfare), a car history museum, a driving and education training ground for kids and adults, and a showroom for Volkswagen brands like Lamborghini and Bentley among several others. You can see a Lamborghini Diablo GT below that is #1 of only 80 produced.

Also, here are the two large storage columns that have the cars ready for pickup by its owner. They are constantly loading these up and unloading them automatically using robotics.
After our car day we were able to move up our departure time on the train back to Hannover so we can have an early dinner and then pack-up to leave for our next stop after a day of visiting an elementary school tomorrow. We head to Frankfurt tomorrow evening.

A new hotel room

I have been having a heck of a time connecting to the internet during my stay here in Hannover. My room's internet system didn't work, and then the wireless didn't work for me either. So, I finally switched rooms and now I have a REALLY beautiful room. And, I am back online!

This morning we are up early and ready to take a train to Wolfsburg to visit the Volkswagen Automobile Factory.

Unloading a gift!

Today was back to business for us as we got an early start and went out to visit a high school here in Hannover. We visited a gymnasium high school, which is the highest of the three levels of high schools here in Germany. These students have tested into these schools, and most will go onto college. It was certainly quite a bit nicer than the school we visited in Berlin. I did get to give away one of my presents that I brought on the trip for our speakers, so I am very excited not to carry it anymore. It was a picture book of Indianapolis, and you can see me giving it to the headmaster of the school below.

After that we went to more of a middle school and had lunch before a short tour. Lunch was catered in because in Germany they often do not have cafeterias in their schools.

Then came a short train ride to a nearby city called Hildesheim. We visited an office for ongoing teacher professional development and heard about their programs. Then we toured this quaint little city and saw its amazingly old timber buildings like the one below.

After that we headed back here in Hannover and then had dinner at a Spanish restaurant. We all shared lots of tapas before retiring for the evening. Tomorrow will be an early morning before we head to visit a Volkswagen plant.

A day of walking around Hannover

Today was a lazy Sunday afternoon with a late start out of the hotel after breakfast, and just a day of wandering around Hannover. We started at the rathaus (city hall), which was a magnificent building. One of the most interesting parts of this building was that inside it had models of Hannover from various years like the 1600s, 1930s, 1946, and present day. The 1946 model was particularly interesting to see because you could see how the city was bombed nearly to oblivion during WWII. It was bombed because it was making rail cars for the war, and because it was on a major rail line. You can see one view of that model below:

And a picture of the city hall from the front as well for you…

We continued to go around the city looking at the sights and sounds of the town. One really fun aspect of the city is its old world charm as seen in the picture below. Remember, all of this has been rebuilt since 1945.

Then we headed to a beautiful gardens for the afternoon and for lunch. For dinner we had Bavarian German food for dinner…very heavy meat and potatoes food that really put us all in the mood for sleeping after a full day of walking and relaxing on a Sunday.

In Hannover

I checked into my room, and I got lucky and got the best one. I have a balcony on the top floor as you can see below. I have had good luck with hotel rooms on this tour.

After checking in we went to dinner, and to watch the big soccer game tonight between Russia and Denmark. After dinner we walked around the town a bit to see part of a music festival that is happening now. Now, I am just getting ready for bed as I hear cars driving up and down the street honking like mad because Russia won the game tonight.

Berlin Departure

After an brief internet café visit, we met back at the hotel, retrieved our luggage, and headed via bus to the train station to go to Hannover. We said goodbye to our great tour guide Evelyn, who will continue her work on her Ph.D. after she recovers from her time with us! Then, we lugged our baggage to the train station, boarded a fast train that drove at a top speed of 228 KPH, and arrived in Hannover an hour and a half later. We then rode taxis to our hotel. You can see us below in the Berlin train station that is one of the busiest in Europe.

One last afternoon in Berlin

After our Trabant adventure Tracey and I headed towards Brandenburg Gate to find where Hitler’s bunker was located. This was the place that he hid during the end of WWII, and the place where he killed himself and had himself burned so he wouldn’t end up like Mussolini. We did find it, though perhaps fittingly it is simply a sign now. The bunker was blown up and filled in by the Russians (Soviets) and now has apartment buildings on top of it.

We got another look at Brandenburg Gate, and also at the new American Embassy that is just being finished now. It is located just beside Brandenburg Gate, and will be officially opened on this July 4th. President Bush will attend its official opening ceremony.

After a lot of walking around the city and stopping in various gift shops and other little stores, we did come to the Germany Historical Museum. This is a huge museum that you could spend all day inside, but we spent about 1.5 hours seeing the highlights. I enjoyed especially seeing the medieval armor as you can see below.

Driving a Trabant

Well, today was the big day! I have been looking forward to perhaps finding a way to experience a Trabant while I am in Germany, and the Trabi Safari was my chance. We had breakfast this morning and then checked out of our hotel, then Tracy (a teacher from Missouri) and I set out to drive a Trabant. I really wanted to do this tour, but unfortunately I can’t drive a manual transmission car. So, Tracy volunteered to go along with me and drive. Evelyn, our trusty tour guide, booked the event and Tracy and I rode the U2 (very appropriate) underground metro to the location of the Trabi Safari company. They have a huge parking lot full of these East German cars that have become a symbol of socialism and the East. These cars are very ugly, made of plastic, and very slow with a tiny two-stroke engine. Yet, to me, they are beautiful in a very kitschy way. Anyway, Tracy and I showed up, paid our money and then got instructions on how to drive the car. Tracy is a driving pro, so she had no trouble. Here is the company that sells the tour:

These cars are quite small and very quirky looking as you can see below.

We took off with a lead car leading the way, and us following with three more cars behind us. The tour was in English, with the tour guide in the lead car explaining all about the city as we drove by many important landmarks. It was quite an adventure with Tracy constantly shifting the car and both of us laughing almost constantly at absurdity of the time we were having. To add to our fun was that everyone one that we passed on the street started laughing at the cars, and even trying to get their cameras out quickly to take our pictures! We are now in quite a few tourists' scrap books.

We drove by all the important city landmarks and heard a lot of information. But, overall, it was the car that made it fun.

After a nice hour drive we pulled back into the parking lot and I got my chance at the wheel. I immediately stalled the car since I had no idea what to do, but on my second try to get it into gear I did manage to drive it around the parking lot in first gear before having Tracy park it in reverse.

It was a great time, and a real highlight of my trip. Below you can see part of the excellent lineup of Trabis that this company has, including some customized ones (I like the classic ones myself).

Leaving Berlin

We leave for Hannover today in the late afternoon via train, but first we have several hours of free time, and I am going to be on a Trabant tour of Berlin, among other things. So, google Trabant to find out a little bit about this car that has been a favorite of mine for a while. I will probably post next from Hannover late tonight.

A Revue Show

We went out for Thai food this evening for dinner, I had duck with sweet and sour sauce and fruit and vegetables. It was very good. After dinner we had the chance to see the Glanzlichter der Revue. This was a revue show that featured everything from trapeze artists to dancers and even chorus lines. It was quite a show that has been a Berlin tradition for years and years. Then, it was back to the room to see the end of the Croatia and Turkey soccer match. Turkey won in a shoot-out, so that means they are playing Germany on Monday night. This will be a huge game, but it will be even bigger because Germany has tons of Turkish immigrants. So, everyone will be excited for that game.