Being able to take part in such an amazing study abroad experience was something I could have only dreamed of until now. For starters, studying and traveling abroad was always one of those things that I knew I wanted to do, but was unsure of how to actually do it. So, when I found out…

Instead of me telling you what I did today in Germany, why don’t I show you. Watch my video blog (vlog) of the day we spent in Ulm. Click here to watch it or watch it below!      

This was a big day. It was mildly uneventful but important. The day started semi-early as we met around 9:30 for breakfast in the hotel and then headed to the university. From 10 am to right up to 5 pm, we worked on our presentation, with only a small break for lunch.  Lunch was at…

Today was the one of the most touristy days of the whole trip. We took a bus about two hours south to see Schloss Neuschwanstein. This is Neuschwanstein Castle, which was built for Ludwig II of Bavaria as an escape from his kingly duties. Ludwig was pretty crazy and the grandiose style of the castle…

This was the day I had been waiting for all along: the BMW Factory Tour and Museum. BMW world, which was where the tour began, was full of the entire BMW model lineup, as well as MINI and Rolls-Royce lineups. The factory tour was definitely the best of the trip and a great way to end…

Today was on the lighter side with regards of different things happening, which will be reflected in the length of this blog. We took a bus, yet again, to Dachau, which is a WWII concentration camp located a little north of Munich. I really did not know what to expect from this visit and tour…

Today was another adventure away from Augsburg featuring a trip to Munich. It was a special day in Munich today because they were celebrating a religious festival which required many people to dress traditionally in clothing such as lederhosen. We started our day running to catch the train from Augsburg to Munich. Our day in…

The day began with an early departure for SGL Group – The Carbon Company. SGL focuses mainly with production of carbon fiber and graphite materials and semi-finished products. The most interesting product to me would be the carbon ceramic brake discs for use is performance cars. Although the tour was mundane, we did get to…

Today we had a later start than usual, so it was nice to get another hour of sleep. Myself, being the picky eater I am was worried about this morning in particular, as we took a very scenic trip to Baindlkirch to get traditional Bavarian sausages and pretzels for breakfast. I’m usually a fan of…

Now for our second company visit, we took a small bus trip (nap trip) to Denklingen, which is south of Augsburg, to visit Hirschvogel. Hirschvogel does forging, both hot, warm, and cold, of parts for the automotive industry. The plant we visited was very vast and included a large variety of forging technologies. We started…

Today was the first company visit where we took the tram all the way to Faurecia. Faurecia is “a global leader, providing innovative solutions and qualitative equipments to the automotive industry.” The specific location that we visited was more focused on the R&D of exhaust components, where they perform heat testing and sound testing. I…

Yesterday was closed with going to sleep at about 9 p.m., which was much needed after that three-day-long day. Today was my first full day in Germany, which was exciting to say the least. It was an early start with hotel breakfast, consisting of one yogurt, one cup of tea, and one roll with Nutella…

Myself and the travel expert that I am learned that traveling is a lot more tiring than I had expected. I do not think I have ever been more sleep deprived in my life. It all started at 7 am (EST) when I departed my homestead in Clark Summit, Pennsylvania for the lovely Pittsburgh –…

Hey everyone! My name is Matthew Austin Galaydick. I am a first year student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, or SSOE, and I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I’m originally from Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Scranton (yes, that is the place from The Office and I don’t…