VIDEOS

Though not necessarily in chronological order, here are some of the videos that we are taking of our trip across Germany. Every day is filled with new people and experiences. We hope this helps convey a bit more of our adventure.

After an engaging presentation at Enercon headquarters in Magdeburg, we were granted a most unusual privilege. Driving a short distance from their headquarters to one of their group installations (we would say wind farms), our team had the opportunity to tour a wind turbine – as in travel to the very top at 120 meters from the ground. You take an elevator (i.e. cigar tube big enough for 3 people – barely) until you reach the lower level of the nacelle. This is where your full body harness comes in handy, since you’re climbing the last 10 meters or so hooked into the ladder. Then it’s up and out for a spectacular view from on top. Thank you, Enercon. This was amazing!

Though it wasn’t part of our original itinerary, Joosten Connemann, to his credit, pulled a few strings and secured us passage on a high speed katamaran to Borkum. Borkum is one of the East Frisian Islands, very popular as holiday spots for Germans and tourists alike. When we got off the katamaran at Borkum, we got right back on a ferry as we were headed to dinner in the town of Delfzijl, Netherlands. It was the long way around, but worth every minute. What a great ride!

The museum and park at Kalkriese, called the Varusschlacht, illustrates the history of the famous Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. This was a pivotal point in what was to become German history where Germanic tribes routed and almost completely obliterated 3 Roman legions. It was also the deciding factor that led the Roman Emperor Augustus to abandon his conquest of the region East of the Rhine, known then as Germania. This video illustrates in impressive fashion the size of the Roman force defeated at Kalkriese – 3 legions, 6 cohorts of auxiliary troops, and 3 squadrons of cavalry. See more information at the museum website or the excellent wikipedia entry for the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

This was an excellent tour that took us from the original conception, prototyping, and finally full production of one of Germany’s most respected brands of shoes. Their facility in Sulingen is manufacturing men’s shoes, but they have quite the selection of women’s shoes as well produced at their other facilities. This video shows a very brief overview of their production floor. Note the self guided robot transport at one point in the video. Yes, I resisted the urge to ride it and shout, “Cowabunga!”.

Getting so sleepy. I stopped counting after 1500. These sheep are a special breed that can graze on the grasses and scrub that grow on the moor low lands. They are important in keeping the grasses in check so this area will stay a moor, and therefore a crucial breeding ground for a number of endangered species. That and the sheep are fun to watch and listen to.

In Bremen, the oldest part of the city is called the Schnoor – with very narrow streets and alleys. Arlen had found and shared with me a store that was as entertaining and inspiring as it is small. It’s called Atelier GAG. The man who runs the store on his own sells designs for paper sculpture that are both static and kinetic. Many of their designs are his own or his father’s creation. I highly recommend stopping in if you ever get the chance.

Courtesy of our Nordenham hosts, we were able to take an extensive, double-decker bus tour of the shipping harbor at Bremerhaven. The variety and number of items that we saw ready for import and export was amazing – automobiles from almost every major manufacturer, military and service vehicles, boats of all sizes, and shipping containers as far as the eye could see.

We had the opportunity to tour XSTRATA Zinc in Nordenham and view all aspects of their operations from ore transportation to refinement and finally casting. Towards the end of our tour we were able to observe them casting 2 ton ingots of pure (99.995%) zinc, with different configurations depending on the client and usage. Any tour that starts out by donning full protective gear – you know that’s going to be good.

On our way back to Nordenham from Tettens, we passed through the small town of Blexen. There we had the chance to walk around and view this beautiful Lutheran church. As with just about every garden (yard) we’ve seen here, the grounds were kept in immaculate condition. Very solemn, peaceful, and beautiful.