Day 9: A German Farewell

Yesterday's Fakuma show was such an amazing experience for us. It was neat to be able to see some stuff relevant to our major, and it was even more interesting interacting with people who spoke different languages. A small group of us went to a truly German-speaking restaurant in Kreuzlingen. The restaurant waitress could speak very little broken English, and when we went to read the menus, we had no idea what anything was. The head chef ended up being able to help us out by reading off the menu to us, explaining the deer dishes with the word 'Bambi'. It ended up being a delicious meal.

Today, we explored Konstance, Germany. It was a two minute train ride away from our hostel, and it was a lot more lively than Kreuzlingen. The main thing we saw there were the many small shops and plazas, along with their mall. In the evening, we had our farewell dinner at a German brewery. This was a good way for everyone to get together and talk about their individual experiences and tell the teachers likes and dislikes of the trip. Most of us were ready to be getting back to Erie, feeling homesick and missing good old Penn State Behrend.

Garret Decasper and Matt Mahouski on the ferry ride over to Fakuma. Apparently they have practiced for this pose ever since the release of The Titanic. "JACK, NEVER LET GO!"

Our hostel in Kreuzlingen.

Day 8: Kreuzlingen and the Fakuma Plastics Show

Another late night train ride and we arrived in Kreuzlingen. We immediately headed for the hostel in a mini death-march across the town. When we got there some of us decided to explore, but couldn't really find anything to do that didn't require a long walk or a train ride. So we hit the hay, which was a good idea because we had to be up early the next day. We woke up around 6:30 to travel to the Fakuma plastics show in Germany. In order to get there we first jumped on the train, then boarded a ferry, then took a bus. Once at the plastics show we were set free to explore the huge show on our own. I would say as a group, we had a great time. There were things at the show that impressed us and were really interesting. Some of us felt like geeks talking about plastic parts and trying to get the best samples (but afterall that was the main point of the trip!). After the show was over we took a bus, ferry, and train back to the hostel in Kreuzlingen. From there some decided to go to a neighboring city of Konstance and see some of Germany.

Aldo Kremmel, Aja Zanoni, and Graham Segal are pictured here outside of Arburg's exhibit at the show. Many students stopped by Arburg not only because they had some incredible stuff, but to thank them for donating some of the tickets to the group.

Day 7: Exploring the Mountains of Switzerland

One of the main attractions at Interlaken is obviously its mountains. After an attempt to go to the top of the largest mountain, we ended up saving our money and only traveling a portion of the way. Where we got off there were shops that lined the streets and the views were incredible. We saw cows and goats on the train ride up. Chalets lined the hillside. Some of us decided to stay on that portion of the mountain to eat a nice steak, yet others went back down and had a cheaper meal prepared at the hostel.

This is only a portion of the way up to the highest peak in Interlaken.

Day 6: Interlaken, Switzerland

After taking a late night train the previous day, we arrived in Interlaken, Switzerland. As part of the class for this trip, we were required to book our own hostel arrangements. Therefore, once off the train the group split up to go to their hostel destinations. After a night of sleep, we woke up to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Snow capped mountains could be seen from our hostel window. Some of us explored the town of Interlaken by bike, others went to supermarkets to try to avoid paying for another high priced meal.

This was the view we woke up to in the morning. Absolutely gorgeous.

Day 5: Touring Florence

After a great tour of Sacmi the prevous day, we were allowed to finally sleep in at our own discretion! Many of us were up early anyway because we wanted to see the city of Florence. The Duomo was the first stop for some of us because it was so close to our hostel. The dome was absolutely incredible. The basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is really amazing inside. There was a small fee to climb up the 463 stairs to the top of the basilica where you could then look out and see the whole city of Florence. The climb up was a different experience for us; there were small passageways and winding staircases, some of us taller ones even hit our heads on the ceiling at places during the climb. San Lorenzo is another church in Florence. This church was surronded by small street stand shops- the girls in the group loved these. They were able to purchase authentic Florence leather products as well as souvenirs. Later that night some of the group decided to experience a local college bar and take in the Florence nightlife, while others decided to have a nice relaxing night out on the balcony of the hostel.

Markets lined the streets next to San Lorenzo church. They seemed endless, containing leather goods, trinkets, and souvenirs.

We were greeted by these extravagant structures on the walk to our hostel. We were only about a 2 minute walk away!

















One of the churches in Florence-San Lorenzo.

Graham Segal, Aja Zanoni, and Aldo Kremmel at the top of the Duomo after a 463 step stair climb.

Day 4: Tour of Sacmi Plastics Company in Milano

The day started off early at 7:30 when we traveled to the train station. From there we boarded a train to Milano. In Milano we toured Sacmi, a plastics company in the area. The tour was great. Many of us were impressed by several things throughout the tour and also the hospitality of the employees. We got to explore the many machines they make, as well as the processes they are used for. For some of us this was the first realization that plastics is really a global industry. Some of the processes we saw at Sacmi are the same we use in Penn State Behrend's labs. After the long train ride back to Florence, we relaxed with a dinner provided by the hostel.

Below are a couple of group pictures, outside and inside the Sacmi plant.

Day 3: Riots in Rome

Last night was definitely a new experience in many of our lives. When coming back to the hostel, we witnessed riots in Rome. There were dumpsters overturned and on fire, chaos in the streets, and tear gas going off in the distance. Upon returning to the hostel we decided it was a good idea to stay in for the night.

Day three began with a group trip to the Colleseum, where we took the annual group photo. From there we broke off into groups to further explore Rome. For most of us, this adventure started off by going to the famous Trivi fountain, then to the Pantheon and finally the Spanish Steps. A few people went to the Piazza Novano. After our day of exploration, we boarded a train in the late afternoon to Florence. After getting checked into the hostel in Florence, many of us went out for a quick bite to eat, and some of us went to a sports bar to try to catch some of the Steelers game. After that we were so exhausted that we decided to take it east and hit the hay early.

The aftermath of the riot was experienced the next day as we walked about Rome. These cars were only minutes of walking distance away from our hostel.

Not letting the riots stop us from getting the best experience we could in Rome, many students made light of the situation and continued to have a great time on the trip. Here is Katie Wolf and Garret Barna posing under some recent graffiti.

Day 2: Touring through Rome

Last night we ended the night with the best gelato we have encountered (coming from those who have been in Italy before). Today, many of us had our first experience on the Italian subway venturing to the Vatican. We went on a tour of the area, experiencing the state within the state of Italy. We then went to dinner as a group and returned to the hostel for some social time.

Having dinner in Rome.

A group of us in front of the Colosseum.

Day 1: Flight to Rome!

Day 1: The flight over to Rome went relatively smoothly. The only hiccup was a delay in the first leg of the trip from Erie to Philly. The long flight was grueling but was definitely worth the wait. All of us were so excited to get to Rome that we could barely sleep on the plane. We arrived in Rome at 9 a.m. local time, which would be around 3 a.m. back at Erie. From there we went to the hostel via train. After we were settled in, it was finally time to enjoy the culture. Many of us went and enjoyed local sandwich shops for lunch and then ventured to the Colosseum. From there we split up to explore the local surroundings and culture.

Pictures to follow!

BMW and Dachau

Yesterday we traveled to BMW in northern Munich for a tour of the museum and BMW World. The BMW establishment was located next to the Olympic Stadium, home of the summer Olympics just three decades ago. Along the tour, we experienced the long history of BMW, stemming from the first production models to future generations of Bavarian Motor Works vehicles.

Today we visited the very first concentration camp from World War II, located in Dachau. We experienced a thorough two-and-a-half-hour tour that explained the gruesome events that occurred on that very land. On the tour, we were led in the same gate as the prisoners and followed their initiation into the deadly regime. Over 42,000 prisoners perished before the U.S. troops liberated the establishment in 1945. It was not exactly our idea of a good time, but the experience left us with a much more profound understanding of how the prisoners were treated during World War II.

Tonight, we are on our way to Heidelberg for the last leg of our journey abroad.

The BMW World Building.

A full-scale clay model of a BMW.

One of the art cars at the BMW Museum.

The entry way in Dachau concentration camp. These are the same gates that the prisoners had entered just over 60 years ago.

A look down a hallway of prisoners' cells.

The ditch that is pictured shows how difficult it would have been for an inmate to escape. The canal is followed by a tall, electrically charged barbed wire fence which is also shown.

The most haunting site at Dachau was in the Crematorium.

First Night in Munich and Day One in Bavaria

We now know what Germany is all about. The scenery has changed very much since we left the more industrious western side of German, and have headed into Bavarian Germany. If you didn’t know already; Munich has a LOT to offer. Most of the group enjoyed getting out into the city to see it for ourselves. Just walking into the restaurants you can see how much different things are in southeast Germany. The majority of us enjoyed the local cuisine as we ordered the Bavarian feast which included things such as roast duck, fried pig’s knuckle, pork roast, dumplings, and beer gravy. We finished off the evening by taking a walk down by the most impressive building we have seen thus far: the Glockenspeil.

It is now Wednesday. We split up into smaller groups this morning and headed out on our chosen adventures. The majority took a train down near the Austrian border to see the AMAZING castles tucked nicely into the Bavarian Alps. Just remember: Pictures DO NOT do them justice.

Dr. Smith showing us where to see the castles.

Hohenschwangau Castle

A view of the southern Bavarian terrain from beside Neuweinstein Castle.

Neuweinstein Castle and the Alps.

Aachen University and End of the K-Show

Our K-Show experience is now over, but as a result of the two days spent there we were able to take with us exposure to several new advances in energy savings in the plastics industry, the growth in silicones, expansion of the medical plastics industry, and amazing automation. All of these relate to many of our senior projects.

Today was a very nice day in Germany. We woke up and packed our bags at our hostel in Aachen, and then proceeded to get on the bus to Aachen University. We spent a couple hours at the university as we toured their plastics engineering department and facilities. The fun fact of the day was that tuition there is only 700 euros per semester. We all decided that we just might move to Germany and finish our studies over here! After leaving the university we boarded a train to Munich where we will see classic Germany settled down near the Bavarian Alps.

Group photo in front of Aachen University.

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A view from one of the plastics labs at Aachen University.

Glockenspiel Tower in downtown Munich.