Thursday, May 12

Thursday was by far our longest day. After waking up at 6am, we left at 7 for a 3 and a half hour drive to Kronach in northern Bavaria to the Lear Corporation, one of the leading suppliers in automotive seating and now investing in audio for cars as well. Just like all of the other site visits, Lear went above and beyond to accommodate us, from having complementary beverages to some of the most senior people in the company taking time out of their very busy day to talk to us. Following the presentation of their company, we split up into 3 groups and were taken on a tour of the facilities, which I believe was the coolest one yet. Our first stop was in the audio testing center, where they had a 6-car garage, and multiple soundproof rooms to test the audio systems of cars, and the tour guide even let us go into one of those rooms and played music. I can honestly say that was the highest quality music I have ever listened to, and certainly makes it tough to just listen to my phone with headphones that barely block out any sound. The second stop on the tour was the audio systems factory, and it was set up in a production line layout. This was the first time I have seen what that layout looks like, and to actually see a product start as bits and pieces and become a state-of-the-art piece of machinery, which was very cool. We then got back on the bus and headed to Nuremberg, the second-largest city in Bavaria. Initially I just wanted to get back to Augsburg because I was so tired, but I’m glad we stopped in Nuremberg because it was unlike any city I have been to. I still can’t believe that 90% of the city was demolished in World War 2, and that they built it back exactly how it looked before the war, all the way down to the cobblestone streets. It was so picturesque, and the flowing rivers throughout the city only added to that feeling. I’m beginning to be more comfortable using my German, and for the first time ever I am actually enjoying speaking the language, and I hope that continues when I get home.