Goodbye Hamburg

Ohlsdorf Cemetery 

The past few days in Hamburg have been fairly nice. Thursday, I spent the majority of my day in the
Ohlsdorf Cemetery, the largest public cemetery in Germany. It was beautiful! Much like the last cemetery I visited, graves were decorated with shrubs, trees, and flowers, but this cemetery was huge! I didn’t even cover half of it even though I had been walking around for five hours. The sculptures were also impressive! This morning, I went to the Botanical Gardens in Klein Flottbek. There definitely were some beautiful spots

Organ pipes at St. Michael's church 

(took notes for my future garden), but I think the university is working on expanding it. So apparently, I spent most of the week trying to surround myself with nature. This is typical of me because nature calms me down quite a bit. I’m not a huge city girl, but the harbor was nice, and I loved St. Michael’s Church. Going up into the tower of the church was amazing too. It’s a toss-up between St. Michael’s Church and Ohlsdorf Cemetery for which was my favorite tourist attraction.

Klein Flottbek Botanical Gardens

Yesterday, I had some wonderful conversations on my long train ride to the Ohlsdorf Cemetery. Some kids (I presume they were around 9-years-old) sat across from me. The little girl was completely spying on my journal, so I called her out on it. “Das ist Englisch (This is English),” I said. “Du sprichst Englisch?(You speak English?),” she asked. “Natuerlich. Ich bin Amerikanerin (Naturally. I am an American.),” I replied. They were floored! I had impressed them. Now, to test my English, the little girl asked, “What is your name?” Of course, I responded. We had a small conversation about why I was in Germany and then they left. It was great! My first full German conversation (meaning more than just asking for directions or how much something cost). On the returning train ride, I met a band from Liverpool and a French college student who was pretty fluent in English. I talked with him for about thirty minutes. We discussed France, our college education, America, and how we both don’t know a lot of German. It was comforting to know I’m not the only one.

Claudia's Farewell Lunch

My last night in Hamburg was lovely. From my bedroom, I heard the familiar soundtrack of Downton Abbey, one of my current favorite shows. My hostess did not know what it was and alas! I told her we had to watch it. We split a bottle of French red wine and watched the first three episodes of the first season. Before I left for the botanical gardens, my hostess, Claudia, made us a “farewell” lunch. It consisted of a fried egg over this corned beef and potato mixture (what is basically like corned beef hash in America), super salty fish from the North Sea, and pickled beets. For dessert, it was a vanilla crème and a berry mixture in some sort of jelly. Overall, it was too much food for me, but it was pretty good. I did not like the fish…at all. With every bite, I felt my blood pressure rising so I just gave up on it. We hugged and I told her I’d keep her informed of my Germany adventures.

First Class on the ICE train

       I am now in Braunschweig, and will visit the Schimmel factory on Tuesday. I was supposed to tour the Grotrian factory tomorrow, but someone is sick so they've cancelled it. (Hoping for them to reschedule it) I'm only here for a week...and I hear there's a small castle, botanical gardens, and a large lake nearby! I had a lovely conversation (mostly in German, mind you) with a couple downstairs. They were so nice!

Braunschweig bedroom 

Cultural Differences to Note:
      So it got pretty warm today (around mid-70s) and people were still wearing coats, long-sleeves, and sweaters! While I was roasting in my tank-top and skinny jeans, the stocky fellow to my right had on a hoodie and seemed fine. I don't get it! Maybe they're really conservative... (will do more research)

Unrelated Story:
       I bought a bottle of water from McDonald's (one is in almost every train station), and this man just walked by and stole a woman's nugget! Like right off her tray, and he even said thank you, but clearly stole it. The lady looked flabbergasted and her friend just laughed, while I'm sitting there thinking Is this normal?? Nobody did anything and I guess there really wasn't anything to do. So just a fair warning to anyone planning on going to a McDonald's in Germany...guard your nuggets, people!

Is that the Sun??

       It is true that since I've been in Hamburg, I have not seen the sun until today. The first full day I had in Hamburg, it was in the 40s and raining. Today it was in the 60s and partly cloudy! Exponential improvement!
       Yesterday, I toured the Hamburg Steinway & Sons factory with a group of elderly tourist Germans. They were great! This one man, in his plaid tweed coat, always held the door open for the entire

Hamburg Steinway & Sons factory 

Evangelical Church cemetery in Diebsteich

group...American chivalry at last! Along the tour, I ran into Mr. Andy Horbachevsky again, who introduced me to Mr.Olaf Gube, the Vice President of Worldwide Manufacturing Strategies for Steinway & Sons . We discussed my project briefly and then I ran to go catch up with my tour group. The tour guide knew I was an American, so he made some American jokes and references along the way, which I understood. (point!)
        Which tour would I recommend?? I would say there are benefits to each...For example, in USA you got free protect-your-eyes-from-flying-wood-chips glasses, while in Hamburg you received free refreshments and treats afterwards. In USA, the tour is in English, but in Hamburg you get to take pictures. Just tour both!
        After leaving the factory, I decided to swing by (what I thought was a garden but was actually...) a cemetery. It was beautiful, with graves decorated with shrubbery, flowers, and trees.

at Alsterpark

      Today, I wandered through a part of Hamburg called Dammtor. This is where the University of Hamburg is located, so it felt somewhat at home to be on a campus again. While I could guess that most of the students speak English, I chickened out on talking to any of them. They had an air to them that made them seem unapproachable to common travelers such as myself. I did stumble upon a nice park called Alsterpark. There was a nice view of Alser lake, where I saw many sailors fighting to keep their sail from falling over. Entertaining.

Cultural Differences to Note: 
          Women do not wear their hair down when it's a rainy day (which makes sense), so for the first few days here I thought women didn't wear their hair down at all. Most women do have shorter (or soccer-mom) haircuts. Again, nobody smiles! However, if you are wearing the wrong shoes for the weather (aka I did not pack shoes for rain and cold), then women will give you pity smiles. Dogs are not on leashes so if you are terrified of dogs attacking you, don't go to Germany. At McDonald's, people come around and pick up your tray, so don't waste your time looking for a trash can...like I did.

Cultural Similarities to Note:
           In search of Wifi, I walked into a McDonald's and (because I'd feel guilty about using their internet without buying anything) I bought a Diet Coke and 4 nuggets. Behold! Both US and German McDonald's will give you ice in your drink! It's definitely only five ice cubes in Germany, but this is the first time I've seen ice cubes since I've been here.

McDonald's meal with ICE

Time to Jazz It Up!

      Today was definitely better than yesterday! I woke up to the sun shining around 6 am, which is weird if you are familiar with my sleeping habits. Around nine, Claudia offered to make me breakfast (for a price of 2.50 Euro). I was expecting an egg since she had asked if I liked them, but what I got was way more! Hot tea, bread, cheese, mysterious meat...it was all delicious!

Breakfast! 

Aboard the Ferry

         The ElbJazz Festival was not to begin until 2:00 pm, so I had more time than I had hoped to kill in the morning. What did I do? booked my next hotel and took a two-hour nap! After finally making it to the harbor in the chilly 40 degrees Fahrenheit and rainy weather, I checked in and boarded a ferry. (Don't worry, I was fully equipped with gloves, scarf, North Face, and umbrella). I passed over part of the Elbe River to get to the port, where there were three stages. My favorite band there was the Kyteman Orchestra. Consisting of brass, strings, voice, percussion, and one energetic conductor, this group was very entertaining. Everyone seemed moved by the music, including the crowd! The lead singer had a great presence, but seemed very humbled by the crowd's cheers and the way he congratulated the others in the group. It's nice to see a hip-hop group seem as a whole, instead of one person taking hold of the glory. At least most of the choruses were in English, so I would definitely check this group out!

Kyteman Orchestra

Nils Wülker

      I also saw performances by  Nils Wülker, Nils Wogram, Hayden Chisholm, and HFMT BigBand. I'm only upset that I couldn't see more of the concerts. I did not want to be out after dark and many were the same time as others. Still worth it! Some free concerts are being performed tomorrow, so I might go check it out again. For lunch...Currywurst! Delicious!

Nils Wogram, Hayden Chisholm, and HFMT BigBand

Currywurst

More pictures on the "Gallery" page!










Cultural Differences to Note:

ElbJazz Bag-Hat

      As instructed by a VT professor of mine, I people-watched and found Germans are quite innovative. For instance, I had not seen a poncho built just for your backpack, but alas! one man was wearing one. Another sign of the German's creativity is the gentlemen in the picture on the right, using his ElbJazz bag as a hat. Go German Innovation!

Bookbag Poncho

From Maryland to Hamburg: Two Days of Chaos and Friendship

Huge Turkish Plane

Travis getting off our Turkish flight

            I have just awoke from a 5-hour nap, still in disbelief that 48 hours ago I was in the Dulles Airport. When my parents dropped me off three hours before my flight (plenty of time), I met with my friend Travis Whaley. We spent approximately an hour or two in the check-in line, waiting for the Turkish Airlines system to be fixed. While waiting in this line of grumbling Turkish folk, we made friends! A man named Toni asked Travis and I to watch over his friend Ali, who could only speak a little English. We were to call Toni if the flight was cancelled or when Ali arrived at the gate. Of course, Travis and I cared for Ali with great care, making sure he had time to use the bathroom and made it through security okay. Toni was highly appreciative. Good deed!
         Since our flight was delayed by an hour, we only had an hour in the Istanbul Airport before boarding our Berlin plane. This hour slowly dwindled to about a half hour, so there we were again, scrambling to stay calm and get on a plane. The Turkish Airlines themselves were great! We got meals on both planes, including 6-hour naps on the flight over the Atlantic Ocean. One frightening incident did occur on the flight from Dulles to Istanbul. One of the features on the plane was that you could view footage from cameras located in front of and below the plane. While we landed, Travis and I were looking at the front view and clearly saw a problem. We were not coming in straight on the landing strip (and this was a huge plane!). The pilot quickly redirected the plane, jolting all of its passengers, to straighten out. This was pretty scary since we could see it all happening. We made it though!

Me for the past 48 hours

          In Berlin, we finally got our bags and headed for a taxi after getting some Euros. We eventually arrived at the Main Station Hostel, where we stayed in mini-apartment. I think I went to bed around midnight and had to wake up at 3:30 am to get ready for my set of trains to Hamburg. Around 4:30 am, I left the hostel and walked for five minutes to the S-bahn train station. Of course, I couldn't figure out the ticket machine, even with the instructions being in English. Thankfully, I asked this guy Phillip for help in German. I made it to Südkreuz on time; however, once I got there I had asked a worker how to activate my Eurail Pass. Language barrier led him to believe I needed a ticket and he directed me to wait for the Information desk to open, meaning I missed my train. I waited for fifteen minutes just to have a grouchy man tell me you just get on the train. Needless to say, my first ICE train experience was a little nauseating (due to lack of sleep or food), but I did see some awesome wind turbines! No pictures of them

ICE Train

because it was in between naps, but they sure were calming to watch. I had to take several more trains to get to the apartment I am staying at now. 

Candy on my Bed

          When I finally found Claudia's place, I was low on food and heavily sleep-deprived. She welcomed me and invited me to sit down with her for tea. Upon entering my room, I found a little chocolate bar on my bed. "Ist das für mich?" (Is that for me?), I asked her and of course it was! Yay chocolate! We had tea filled with much laughter and good conversation. She knows English fairly well, so we chatted in both English and German. When, I told her I wouldn't be coming in after dark (because I wouldn't feel safe), she offered to take me anywhere at night, especially to go see the harbor. Her oldest daughter is coming in for a couple days, so this weekend I am on my own for the most part. 
        Tomorrow, there is a Jazz Festival going on at Hamburg's Harbor! My Steinway & Sons factory tour is this Monday.

My Room for the Next Week

Cultural Differences to Note: 
            People do not smile at you if you make eye contact ..unless they're being flirty. Only young guys have smiled at me (not all of them mind you), but mostly people just look away. I find this strange and have tried to work on my not-smiling technique. This does not mean people are unfriendly. Many have helped me find my way from Berlin to Hamburg...at least ten people. One couple even pushed me on my ICE train because they knew it'd be leaving soon (Thank you!).  I do miss the gentlemen of U.S. very much. So many people have just watched me struggle to lift my suitcase up and down stairs, which is not rude because I'm the one who brought the suitcase. I just know American men would've helped me carry my bag or open the door for me. 
            People wear practical clothes that look fairly worn. Of course, I just bought new clothes and a new luggage set for this trip, so I stick out a lot. Pretty sure everyone knew I was an American. 

Cultural Similarities to Note: 
             People do not like to talk early in the morning or on trains, just like in America. I was almost thankful for this because I am still a little nervous about carrying a conversation in German. I'm glad I am not shy about asking for directions. We practiced this a lot in class, for good reason! 

So Long For Now

My sister and I 

      Sitting here at Gate 39 with Travis Whaley and just thinking about the loved ones I've said goodbye to this past week. Nervousness is now turning into excitement but I still know homesickness will strike at some point. This post is for me to look back on my friends and family that have been supporting me for this big journey.  

     To all my Hokies I said goodbye to back in Blacksburg:
             So long graduates, musicians, engineers, sisters, professors, and my random friends! I cannot wait to spend another two years studying at one of the greatest universities, but until then I'll be in Europe! Ich liebe Virginia Tech (I love Virginia Tech)!
     Goodbye Mrs. Wolf! Thank you for having the faith in me to pursue engineering and piano! Obviously, it was a little crazy, but where's the fun in having just one major anyway? It was great seeing you this past week!
      Thank you for all the love and support, Husick family (my second family). It was great seeing you all this past Tuesday, although there was one missing...Andie!

Grandma and Pop-pop Husick 

The Husicks

  

   

To my other family, the Sturman family, thank you for a wonderful send-off dinner and all of the encouragement. I'll see Charlie in about a month as he tours Europe and then takes a course in Denmark. 

Charlie and I 

Eating Crabs with the Family 

         And to my own family, I will see you in about six weeks when we tour the Alps, Prague, Brussels, Vienna, and the Salzburg Salt Mines! 

Oh the People You Meet

I must announce that I truly do love people, and like my mother, I love talking to people. On just a three-day trip (more the like two full days broken up), I have met some amazing people. On the plane ride from Charlotte to LaGuardia, I met a woman (again I never learned her name) whom I shall call Jill. Jill seemed like the sweetest woman with a big heart, one almost as big as my mother’s. She was headed back home to New York to visit her three sons, whom she hadn't seen since the youngest graduated high school three years ago. Her husband had recently been involved in an attack while serving overseas. She told me he was wounded pretty badly but okay. The reason for her return-home visit was that her youngest son had gotten in trouble with the law. Of course, she was terribly upset, as any mother would be, so I just let her talk about her sons and her troubles. I hope everything works out for the best, Jill.

Outside the Steinway & Sons factory

        Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring the Steinway & Sons piano factory in Queens, NY. I spent approximately three hours on the tour and three additional half hours talking with my tour guide Bob Bernhardt, Mr. Andy Horbachevsky (Vice President of Manufacturing) and Bill Rigos (Facilities Manager). What a day!

Bob Bernhart

         Bob Bernhardt was a phenomenal tour guide. He went over the production process so thoroughly that only several questions were asked. (For detailed information about the Steinway process, please visit the "Steinway USA" page- will be up in a day). This was probably because he is a retired senior engineer from Steinway, who worked his way up from a Pattern Engineer, the lowest engineering position at the factory. There were about fourteen of us on the tour, two women were friends visiting from Montana and there was even a couple from Denmark. The Hamburg Steinway factory is only two hours away from the couple’s home, but apparently, they felt this one was worth the longer trip.
         After the tour, I introduced myself to Mr. Bernhardt and explained my project this summer. We had a delightful discussion that included the EPA (both positive and negative), what should be done about poor air quality, and additional information about the factory. I could have spent another hour talking with Mr. Bernhardt, but alas! I had other appointments.

Andy Horbachevsky

         Around 1:00 pm, I met with Mr. Andy Horbachevsky, the Vice President of Manufacturing for Steinway & Sons. We spoke about my project briefly in his office. I believe he was a little stumped at why I was looking into factories that were so small. How could they make a real difference to the environment? I presumed to explain my personal interest in piano manufacturing and small businesses. My family on both sides are entrepreneurs of small businesses, so although, they may not make a huge difference by themselves, I believe they do as a collective whole. I also feel that small businesses have the resources and reasons to look into waste reduction and energy efficiency.

Bill Rigos 

         Bill Rigos, the Facilities Manager of the Steinway & Sons factory, spared a great amount of time to show me the factory’s Solar Thermal System. We went over in great detail the system and its functions in his office, and then made a trip to the roof to see the photo-voltaic system in action. And then we went to the room I was dying to go in on the tour...the Dirk Dickten Selection Room. This room is designed for professional pianists to choose which piano they would like for their concert. It's clearly not a very large room; however, the acoustics were incredible. Bill must have seen me gazing at the pianos for too long because he asked if I played. This was a rhetorical question because I had already informed him of my major, but nonetheless I answered a jolly, "Yes" and got to play on two. When he asked the difference in sound, I replied the second one was brighter, and alas! I was correct.

Dirk Dickten Selection Room

          After the factory visit, I walked to Loukoumi Taverna and enjoyed a delicious Greek meal. From the overload of information and food, a nap was certainly required. After this two-hour nap, I went to the bar at my hotel and met a couple interesting fellows. Right away, these men offered me a mozzarella stick. We were friends at first bite. (I’ll call these men Harry and Frank). Harry and Frank had just ordered a pizza, complete with a side of mozzarella sticks and a couple of beers. (My dad’s kind of men). Apparently, they were in Queens on official cheese business. They made mozzarella back in Wisconsin, and were visiting some of their buyers in New York. I spent about a half hour talking with them about my trip and life. Of course, the main focus was on cheese, but that was fine with me!

Last Plane for NY Trip

          On the plane ride from Charlotte to Roanoke, the seat beside mine was empty and I became a little saddened. My next plane ride, in approximately 7 and ½ days, however,  I know I will have my buddy Travis Whaley to keep me company for a long, long flight to Berlin. Wir gehen nach Deutschland! (We go to Germany!)

Off to a Bumpy Start!

              Currently, I am rocking back and forth (in a rocking chair, not in a nervous breakdown) and fighting the urge to graciously attack the grand piano in the Charlotte Airport. I've already scoped it out, noting there is no sign saying "For professionals only!" or even the brand name. Clearly, I am warming up my piano-observing skills for tomorrow.
               Tomorrow is a big day! Not only will it be my first day ever in New York, but it will be the day I tour my first piano factory! The Steinway & Sons factory awaits me tomorrow morning at 9 am in Astoria, NY. Supposedly, I am to have a meeting with either an engineer or the Vice President of Manufacturing, who has already answered most of my sustainability questions.

Anonymous Grand Piano 

               Now, the reason for the unsettling title. My fear of flying is not that huge, but this small plane, carrying approximately forty people, was quite jolting. I read the safety handouts regardless of plane conditions just because I like to be useful in times of emergency. But I thoroughly memorized this handout. I believe the flight was only thirty-five minutes long; however, every five seconds there was a jar in the plane that gave you a not-so-friendly reminder of gravity and its potential death threat. The poor girl next to me looked terrified as well.

Charlotte Airport 

                 I was thoroughly pleased to have Katya as a seat buddy. (And her name probably was not Katya, but I never learned it so I will think of her as Katya from this moment on). From the terminal I had admired her antique-style luggage and her blouse ( I own the same one). I struck up a conversation because human interaction is a basic need for me. We talked about how sitting so close to the blade was disconcerting because it could chop our faces off and was noisy. After covering some generalities about ourselves, we finally reached a more calming, yet exciting topic of my trip! Katya once traveled to Germany with her Oma (grandmother) to visit a few Holocaust concentration camps. She had a lot of advice to give, which I was beyond grateful for. One thing she said I just had to see was the salt mines in Salzburg, so that is now on my "must do" list. Below is a short list of Katya's thoughts and advice:
               1) Germans are really nice, although Northern Germans may seem rude, but they just have different mannerisms.
               2) People in Prague hate Germans and apparently don't speak German, but should speak enough English for me to get by. Prague is also Katya's most favorite city in the world.
               3) "Are you going to Paris," she asked somewhat excitedly. "No."  "Good, it's definitely not worth it." Apparently the French truly do dislike Americans. Katya's family was refused service several times.
               4) Prepare to be thirsty. Apparently, mineral water tastes bad so I must ask for flat water. She said once she found a gas station having Evian water bottles and bought them all.
               5) People outside the main cities will probably still be wearing Liederhosen.
               6) I must visit a concentration camp. This was already the plan, but I may look into visiting more than one.
                And that was information gathered in between taking many (of what we thought would be) our last breaths. I will miss you Katya, and I hope your plane ride to Tallahassee and mine to New York is smoother.

Introduction to My Germany Trip!

Hi, I'm Caroline Richards. I am Junior at Virginia Tech with an exciting trip planned! This summer, I will be travelling within Germany and Austria to explore music and sustainable manufacturing. How is this possible?? The Horton Scholarship from University Honors at VT has provided the funding and the excuse to turn to a lot of professors for help. Thank you!

First and foremost, this nontraditional trip makes sense if you know my two majors - Piano Performance and Civil Engineering -  and my favorite movie of all-time - Pocahontas. Through music and a kind heart, Pocahontas paves the way for future environmental policy by driving home the idea of Hey! Let's not destroy something we know nothing about. My master plan is to explore how making pianos has changed to be more environmentally-friendly. With music and the environment in mind, are there honestly any better countries to visit than Germany and Austria? With their great musical history and "green" policies, they are perfect for my trip!

This awesome trip has several exciting purposes, but here's a short overview.

Reasons to Get Excited!

1. This is my first trip overseas! 
2. I know German! Ich spreche Deutsch! Ja! 
3. So far, I will be enjoying concerts at...the Dresden Opera House, Bach Festival, and the Salzburg Festival! 
4. I will be touring the following amazing piano factories: Steinway & Sons (New York and Hamburg), Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Bechstein, and hopefully several more! 
5. I am officially a member of the 2013 Transatlantic Program-Young Technology Leaders (TAP- YTL): Sustainable Manufacturing delegation. Why is this awesome? Check it out in the TAP-YTL tab. What you really need to know is that only TWELVE people from the US were chosen for this program. * "Toot! Toot!," said my own horn. *
6. The Obvious: beer, wine, food, train rides, Mozart's birthplace, the Dresden Frauenkirche, and life reflection. 

I am really excited to share my experiences through this blog! For more live updates, follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/C_Richardss