Day 5: Steps, Alps, and Chandeliers: A Day at Neuschwanstein

As a child, you always hear of castles and see them in movies, but to be in one was an entirely different experience. This morning we woke up pretty early and departed for the castle around 6:30 am. After arriving at the castle, the first thing you notice is the castle, but the more obvious…

Day 4: The Company That Builds the Robots That Replace Them

Today we visited Kuka. Kuka is an automotive company that focuses on robots that can build cars and various other products. They have machines that can range from 25,000 to 1 million dollars. The machines are mostly put together by humans, with some of the process being done by other machines. Kuka produces robotic arms…

Day 3: Robots, Rotations, and the Road Ahead: A Day at BMW

Today we toured our first facility.. The drive was about an hour long. After arriving at the BMW facility the first thing that stood out to me was the sheer size of the factory and the museum. As we entered,  I was astounded by the size of the operation. As soon as you enter the…

The Journey Comes to an End

Honestly this trip was a load of fun but it was very physically exhausting. Experiencing German culture was a great experience. Between the early mornings, long days, and constant travel, I was definitely feeling it by the time our free day arrived and definitely was excited to go home on Saturday.    As the trip started…

The Best View of the Trip

With no scheduled company visits or presentations, I decided to spend my free day in Salzburg, Austria with some of the other members of my group. We had heard good things about the city before the trip from the group before us, and since it was only a short train ride away, it seemed like…

Presentation Under Pressure

The best part about this day was easily the fact that we could sleep in. After waking up no later than 6am for the last 3 days, catching up on sleep was a relief to say the least. I met up with my group, we found a room and then wrapped up our presentation on…

The Visit I Had Been Waiting For

This had to be my favorite tour of the entire trip. Immediately when we got to the factory there was a show room and a gift shop that I naturally gravitated towards. Within the show room the first car that caught my attention was one of my dream cars, an Audi RS5 Avant. Its a…

The Technology Behind the Wheel

What was supposed to be a tour of the company Continental, turned into a rather different tour which I knew from the beginning was going to be completely different. Aumovio was actually a branch of Continental that had split off the company in September 2025.  The reason for the spin off was that the branch…

The Industry Behind Everyday Life

As compared to the other companies, MAN definitely offered a different perspective on the shifts in the automotive market that were the subject of everything we had seen so far. This company was a clear example of how the economy is dependant on industries and companies we do not normally see in commercials or think…

The Weight of History

When we got to the actual camps after all of the introductory talks and historical discussions, immediately the first thing that jumped out was how big this camp was. It was vast, spanning probably just as big if not bigger than the plot of land the Cathedral of learning was on which to me was…

Tourists, Tradition, and History

When we arrived at the city it immediately felt like I was walking into a museum and a city blended together. It was way more walkable than every city I have been in back in the United States. It was very easy to move through the city, more walkways, more methods of public transportation, bike…

Looking Beyond the Factory Floor

After seeing how companies operated internally for the last couple of days, we got to see a birds eye view of the broader automotive market from a market analyst from Bloomberg Financial. One of the things he mentioned was that broad shift in the geopolitical landscape with trade wars, embargos, and tariffs affecting everyone involved….

Germany Beyond the Factories

After being in factories and also being in Augsburg for the last 3 days, the trip to Neuschwanstein was not only a breath of fresh air, but a very surreal experience. Standing inside the castle did really feel like I was in some sort of retreat built for a king and I know why he…

Automation’s Human Side

One of the most interesting parts of visiting KUKA was realizing that even in a facility filled with advanced robotics, people still were the driving force behind the company. There was next to no automation in the company itself which I found quite ironic. The company was basically making all of their robots top to…

A Symphony of Machines

When we started the tour I was immediately amazed and more entertained than I had been the entire trip. The amount of robots (mostly from KUKA) that were automated and working on every single aspect of the cars was absolutely amazing to me and unlike anything I had ever seen before. Everything was working together…

Leaving with More Than I Brought

Looking back on the past two weeks, it is hard to believe that this experience is already over. When I first signed up for Plus3 Germany, I knew it would be an opportunity to learn about business and experience a new culture, but I never expected it to become one of the most meaningful experiences…

Breaking News: I Can do Hard Things!!!

Reflecting on my experience with Plus3 Germany since returning home, the biggest emotion I feel is gratitude. The German students who graciously welcomed us in, the cities we had the privilege of visiting, and the automotive companies who shared their insights with us made the trip special. Each time I told people I was going…

Day 13: We Made it… Presentation Day

I would be lying if I said I was excited for today. Not only because it involves a 30 minute presentation, but it also marks the end of our trip which I am definitely not ready for. We had a later start this morning, so Brooke and I headed down for breakfast around 9:30. My…