And We're Off

May 19, 2008
by Hannah Rood

And we're off - to Germany that is. Currently sitting in the O'Hare Airport all patiently awaiting our flight. For those of you who have flown through Chicago you know it's always an adventure.

We will fly first to Frankfurt and then to Berlin, where we will spend seven days. The first week is packed with everything from bike tours, museums, and advertising agency appointments. Not to mention a trip to the Bundesrat, which is one of the five constitutional bodies in Germany. Another highlight will be a visit to the Volkswagen Autostadt. I said that they could just ship my car to me, but the group insisted we pick it up. There're all such angles! Even though I won't be picking up a car, for many German customers this is quite the experience. We will also tour "Die Welt"/Axel Springer Publishing House, which is the third largest newspaper in Germany. Visiting the GDR museum is something I personally am looking forward to. This interactive museum shows the reality of the struggles, differences and consequences of a time when Germany and its people were divided and lived in either East or West Germany.

Then its on to Munich for the second half of the trip, where we will be seeing things such as the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial site, a journalism school called "DJS" and the Neuschwanstein Castle, "Mad" King Ludwig's 19th Century Bavarian Palace. That's right I said CASTLE, and I'm positive my prince is awaiting my arrival or at least a jester, right? In any case, this entourage of 17 Nebraskans is off and on their way to conquer Germany. Tschuess Nebraska.