Today we went on a tour of Continental, and even though we got off to a slow start with some confusion at the entrance, it was an amazing tour. The factory that we went to was geared toward the production of computer chips that enable the technological functions in modern vehicles. The chips are not the only thing being produced, they also have parts of the area dedicated to research and development. Our tour guide was a retired electrical engineer of 40 years that enjoyed his job so much that he comes back to his old workplace every so often to give tours, like the one given to us. He was extremely knowledgeable, and even though he claimed that his English was not the best, he still was able to answer every one of our questions. He kept making jokes and when he was walking us through the factory, he was pointing out everything that might be relevant or that we would find interesting.

There were a significantly larger portion of women at this factory, and nearly half of those I saw during our tour were women. I felt much more comfortable in the space because of that. It might have something to do with the higher education requirements of the factory, with the electrical engineering focus, but I might offend some people if I said that. We were given the opportunity to get lunch at the company’s cafeteria, and it was phenomenal, which leads me to believe that this work environment would be much more enjoyable than MAN, at least for me personally.

In the town of Regensburg, we were given a tour of a central building to the town, with a long history dating back to the prince electors and the first emperor. We even toured a dungeon, where torture was conducted to encourage people to confess to their crimes. I found it interesting, however, that these people were able to be released if they professed their innocence three times. I was unaware that this was a rule that was employed anywhere. I am always amazed by the cultural and architectural differences between the US and Germany, and slightly jealous.