With a start time of 1:30pm at the University, I was able to sleep a little later and take my time getting ready for the day and eating breakfast. Although I was excited about this, when I woke up I almost missed the rush of an early alarm and racing to make it down in time for the bus.
To make the most of our morning, majority of us walked over to the Schaezlerpalais museum right in Augsburg. There was a wedding at the museum which was so sweet, but it meant majority of the museum was closed for the occasion. We made the most of our time there by walking through all the rooms available and admiring the framed artwork, stopping to read any description in English. The most notable part of this museum was the final room filled with glass chandeliers, the most articulate crown molding, high ceilings with a mural on top, and the most gorgeous mirrors decorating the walls. This room was so unsuspecting being at the end of the very long hallway, but I was so grateful to have gone to the museum just to stand in those four walls.
We took the train to the University for our talk with William Wilkes from Bloomberg about the European automotive market. I enjoyed this talk because it didn’t focus on one particular company or trend in the market but instead gave me a more general understanding of where the automotive market is at currently. We learned more about how exactly Chinese competition is changing the market and why other automakers did not anticipate their premium market penetration.
After the talk we had some time to starting working on our project presentation with our groups. Since our site visit was not until the following week, my group decided to split up the different requirements of our presentation so everyone could begin researching and preparing on their own time. Then, we all walked around the city together and grabbed matcha with some friends from other groups as well! This was one of my favorite activities so far, because without help from a local, we would’ve never ventured out to this area of Augsburg. It felt like we were really starting to connect with the German students which was so special.
They took us on an extended tour of the city, where we stopped in different landmark churches and gardens to admire the city. With less on our schedule today, I really took time to appreciate the unique experiences I’ve had so far. When I was walking through the city center, I already started to feel nostalgic about leaving Augsburg and going back home. In a strange way, this emotion made me feel even more present which I wanted to carry into the busy days ahead.
