BMW Plant in Leipzig

 Today we had another team challenge. We went to some fast food restaurants that we also have in the US and we were supposed to take pictures of the differences in theirs vs. ours. These chains change their menu to better suit the local consumers. In Europe to coke machines do not give ice. None of us like this. This picture was taken in Subway. They had some different things on their menu including ice cream, and cappuccinos. McDonalds serves beer, and so does Pizza Hut along with several others. The Pizza Hut had a to-go section with pizza to choose from as well as a nice sit down area that you ordered from a menu. We walked by and people were having beers for lunch...the culture is just different. Also my professor said that McDonalds is a very sought-after place of work in Europe, which is interesting. After the challenge we went to the BMW plant in Leipzig, which was awesome.

 We weren't allowed to bring our cameras in the production area, but we could take pictures in the lobby.

 You can see the unpainted body on the assembly line. It is headed to get a paint job.

 The plant was huge! The tour guide said we would walk 3.5 km during the tour.....gosh if we did. I was in heels....

 Another picture taken inside the lobby area.

And this is the outside. Of BMW's 22 plants this one is the newest and most state of the art. It was built in 2005. It was a really cool tour, although I didn't understand some of what was being said since I don't know much about cars. It helped that I could see right in front of me what was going on. My professor said that Germans are very technical, and that the tour guide thinks that we are really interested in that that stuff. That's interesting because I kept thinking during the tour that Dad would love all of it. We saw the car being made, starting at just pieces,  to a body to the wiring and the undercarriage assembly, paint job, etc. So much is done with robots, there is really not that much human work required. I think he said 97% automated which is amazing. Its funny to watch the robots because they seem human even though they are just arms. The coolest part was to see the paint job. The final clear coat goes on as a white powder and then it dries clear under the right temperature. There was a lot mentioned about how BMW is trying to be environmentally friendly. They have falcons on the top of the factory to kill pigeons. This is so that they aren't pooping on the newly made cars. Also, the grass around the factory is not mowed, it is trimmed by sheep that are kept on the premises! haha. He also mentioned that the agricultural area is not being harmed by their industrial presence. It has actually increased 60% since their being there, according to a professor at nearby university who runs tests. There are also several restaurants and workout facilities in the factory to accommodate the workers. The tour lasted a few hours, then we returned to the flat by dinnertime.

Me and a few girls went out to eat at a "Tex-Mex" restaurant. It's funny because I've only been away for 2 weeks and am already feeling like I will die without some Mexican food, haha. I ordered some chicken dish, which was very very good but definitely not the tex-mex that I am used to. I think it was more Spanish. It was funny to see a Mexican food menu in German. Tomorrow we go to a German Chocolate Factory. I am so excited I probably won't sleep tonight, haha jk. But seriously it will be great. There will definitely be samples :)