Month: May 2024
Return to Amsterdam
James and his class have completed their tour and are now back where they started, in Amsterdam. Originally when they flew into Amsterdam they immediately travelled to Poland and did not see too many sites in the city prime. This visit will be very busy with sight seeing and many educational opportunities for the class.
Some of the businesses that were visited included farms and bakeries, along with standard industry. Perhaps the most important visit was to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Unfortunately James could only take pictures of the outside of the home.
Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank was a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary in which she documented life in hiding under Nazi persecution during the German occupation of the Netherlands. She is a celebrated diarist who described everyday life from her family’s hiding place in an Amsterdam attic.
Venlo, Holland
The Netherlands, which is also known as Holland, is a country in northwestern Europe, and is known for a flat landscape of canals, tulip fields, windmills and cycling routes. Canal side mansions and a trove of works from artists including Rembrandt and Vermeer remain from the city’s 17th-century. Venlo is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany.
During this time James stayed on the Holland/German border and while his hotel was in the Netherlands, he would commute to Germany each day. Pic Nic was one of the businesses that James visited so you could say that this class was a “picnic” in any language.
Munich Germany and Travel Day to Holland
Day 8 and 9 were down to business for the class, with lots of travel and visiting businesses such as Lear in Munich Germany. James no longer has a room all to himself as he is rooming with several other room mates in a Hostel in Munich.
Munich, Bavaria’s capital, is home to centuries-old buildings and numerous museums. The city is known for its annual Oktoberfest celebration and its beer halls, including the famed Hofbräuhaus, founded in 1589. In the Altstadt (Old Town), central Marienplatz square contains landmarks such as Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus (town hall), with a popular glockenspiel show that chimes and reenacts stories from the 16th century.
James would travel to Venlo Holland with his class.
Continue reading “Munich Germany and Travel Day to Holland”
Travel Day to Munich Germany
James has now been out of the country for a week, and time is flying by. He calls or texts home once a day to let us know how he is doing and Mom and Dad both remind him to enjoy this time and this trip as he may never have this opportunity again.
Today is a travel day for James as the class will leave Prague and head to Munich Germany. One of the highlights of the trip will be visiting the Mercedes Benz that is located there and learning about European manufacturing from one of the most success business in the world. Spread across a lavish 400 sqm, Studio Odeonsplatz in the heart of Munich is an integrated physical and digital platform for our guests to network, talk to each other, and get inspiration. Constantly changing campaigns, exclusive themed worlds and cutting-edge installations – created in collaboration with leading designers, artists, tech experts and makers – fill Studio Odeonsplatz with vibrant life. The concept is topped off with a coworking and community area, complete with super speedy Wi-Fi and sweeping city views.
Prague Czech Republic
James and his class continued on their European visit, this day it was continuing in Prague.
There was plenty to keep the class busy as they visited multiple businesses, took tours of the business, and even worked some ledgers so the trip was not all sight seeing.
Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, is bisected by the Vltava River.
Nicknamed “the City of a Hundred Spires,” it’s known for its Old Town Square, the heart of its historic core, with colorful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which gives an animated hourly show. Completed in 1402, pedestrian Charles Bridge is lined with statues of Catholic saints.
James had a great time and some decent weather while playing a tourist in Prague.
Travel Day Poland to Czech Republic
Today was a travel day so we will say one last thing about Wroclaw Poland.
Wrocław is a city on the Oder River in western Poland. It’s known for its Market Square, lined with elegant townhouses and featuring a modern fountain. Also on the square is the Gothic Old Town Hall, with its large astronomical clock. Nearby is the Panorama of Racławice, a painting depicting the 1794 battle for independence. The Centennial Hall auditorium, with its giant dome and tall spire, lies across the river.
This was a busy day for James as the class had to pack their bags, check out of the hotel, and take a train to Prague of the Czech Republic.
Along the way there was plenty of time for sight seeing. James saw a couple strange sights as well, such as the Duck Boutique and the Communism Museum, neither of which he entered.
Wroclaw Poland Museum
The trip to Central Europe was certainly not all business and school work. There was plenty of sight seeing on the schedule and plenty of sites to see and it is a good thing for James because he is not sure when his next chance to visit Poland will occur.
A beautiful museum that was filled with all sorts of motorcycles and automobiles through Polands history was one of the first stops. Lots of items from the war were on display here as well.
Wrocław is the third largest city in Poland and one of the most popular cities in Poland – and it’s no wonder. Its unique atmosphere, unique architecture and monuments, atmospheric restaurants and large number of tourist attractions mean that there is no place for boredom in this city.
Wroclaw Poland
After arriving in Amsterdam, James boarded another flight to Wroclew Poland. Once James arrived in Poland he was reacquainted with his classmates (not all classmates left from Detroit, some went to Canada for the trip out).
Once together there was not a whole lot to do for the class but to get adjusted to the time and grab something to eat.
James had his own room in a very nice hotel which included a fridge. Each morning the classmates met in the lobby at a specific time. These times could be anywhere from 5am till noon, depending on the schedule for that particular day.
James Flight To Amsterdam
This is actually Jame’s first event or class as a senior at Wayne State University. James signed up for a European Business class where they will be gone for 15 days and studying business abroad.
James was all packed and ready ahead of time for his flight. He had to get their a couple hours early as is common these days.
Once he got through security, and through customs, it was a matter of waiting. However once on board James showed some of the new technology that is available to people on long flight. Meanwhile Mom and Dad were tracking his flight on their own from the Delta website.
James arrived safely there (and back of course)
Getting James On His Flight
We travelled to the airport to drop off James but we wanted to make sure everything was ok and he got through security.
As it turned out it was a good thing that we stuck around as James weight on his luggage was six pounds over the limit so Mom helped James thin things out so that it would be acceptable.
Everything worked out and the extra stuff we took out of his suitcase we took home with us.
A reminder for flights in the future, it is not wise to pack several rolls of euros for the buses and vending machines, convert the euros when you get to the country.
This did give us a chance to snap a couple pics of James getting ready to leave.
Have a safe flight and enjoy the trip to Europe!
