Austria: Innsbruck and Swarovski Crystal

This week IBI was in Innsbruck, Austria! We actually got to stay at an Olympic practice facility where athletes stayed and practiced before they go off to the Olympics. The stadium was right next to us and we even played ultimate frisbee and soccer on their turf fields! There was an Austrian team there while we were and I think we figured out that one of them was a three time gold winner for skiing. We never got a chance to talk to them though.

Innsbruck is just beautiful with the Alps mountains on all sides of us, some with snow still on the top. It was actually close to 90 degrees all week too! This is rare for Austria, our hotel didn't even have a/c! On Sunday, we made an excursion to a mountain lake. The water was really cold but that didn't keep us from jumping off the diving boards and water trampoline. The water was green and fairly pure as well. We played volleyball and wandered around for the remainder of the day until we went back to our hot hotel.

We had classes most of the week with a test on Monday and presentation throughout the week. On Wednesday, we visited Swarovski Crystal, the most popular manufacturer of crystals in the world. The company is still family owned and operated except on a very large scale now. The tour was great and we had the opportunity to experience the Crystal World exhibit (pictured left). Outside were some tents and other pieces of artwork scattered about. A fashion show practice run was taking place in a tent to the left also. The actual exhibit though starts just underneath the face with the waterfall. The entire thing was underground and featured many different crystal works and other forms of "art." Some of it was extremely odd but most was very creatively featured with lights and lasers bouncing off of large crystal sculptures. Then, at the end of the exhibit, we were dumped into the gift shop where every body had to buy something.

Austria was a beautiful country, but tomorrow we leave for Switzerland!

Austria

Dachau Concentration Camp

The gravel rows were once barracks that housed the prisoners

On our way to Austria, we stopped in Dachau, Germany. There is a major concentration camp located there that was considered top notch during the WWII era of holocaust and human destruction. It was very humbling to be there on a very hot, dry day with the sun beating down on us wherever we went which only let us imagine what everyday life would have been like in the concentration camp during that time.
They exhibited the crematorium, where the bodies of the dead were burned. The walls scattered with traces of bullet holes from mass executions were wrapped around the perimeter of the camp. There was even a room used specifically for gassing large amounts of people after they were told to walk in to get a shower. Killing was a common event on the camp and became a part of life for the prisoners. They rarely received food and were forced to starve until they were just skin and bones. There were a total of 200,000 prisoners that went through Dachau and 32,000 died there.
It was a very eye opening and humbling experience to see the affects of the Nazi regime.  Several monuments have been built at the camp now, including a church for remembrance and prayer. The camp is now a representation of the former German past. They recognize the things that happened and how horrific it really was, and now they remember those that have past and were affected by this tragedy.

Dachau Concentration Camp

Prague: Stanley Black & Decker and DDB advertising

On June 11, we ventured out to Czech Republic in the beautiful city of Prague. We were on the top of the hill just outside the city in a hotel called the Pyramida. The city itself has so much history and lots of amazing architecture. The town square that week had a big stage set up with a big screen tv playing EuroCup soccer games whenever possible just beside the big tower clock. It was easy to get lost in the city but the view from above was incredible!
On the 13th, we made a corporate visit to Stanley Black and Decker. There, we toured the factory and got an up close and personal view of how they manufactured their popular hammer drills. It was really interesting to see the different strategies and methods that they used in order to maintain a productive process. We also had the opportunity of listening to a marketing agent from the world wide marketing firm, DDB. It was encouraging to hear a different kind of business topic after all the banks and factories we have been too the past couple weeks. Classes were spread throughout the week as well and then we headed to Austria.

Czech Republic

Duetschland: Coca-Cola, Frankfurt and Heidelberg

Once we left Moscow, we went to the Moscow Coca-Cola factory for a corporate visit. It was really interesting to see their operation and how they impact the world with their products. Coke really is a worldwide product that is acceptable in every culture!

After Moscow, we flew out to Frankfurt, Germany and then took a coach out to Heidelberg. Heidelberg is just an amazing city. The cobble stone roads and ye olde town style makes it feel a lot smaller than it really is. It was a gorgeous town to walk around in with access to the river and the Heidelberg castle at the top of the hill. We had the opportunity to watch the Eurocup soccer games while here at the local pubs and restaurants which was quit an experience! When Germany scored in their game against Portugal, the city literally erupted! To put it in comparison, it would be similar to the super bowl back in the states except everyone was rooting for the same team! When Germany won, everyone was excited and happy, yelling in the streets while hanging out of their apartments and car windows. Soccer is their world out here in Europe and when the home nation wins, people celebrate!

We also made visits to two corporations in Frankfurt, John Deere and Deutsche Bank. John Deere operations were mostly shut down due to an earthquake in Italy, which took out a major John Deere part distributor which halted manufacturing. Deutsche bank was incredible! They are one of the top 5 banks in the world with soooo much money. They are actually a major influence in the German monetary stability and the European Union backbone. Their office building was huge and had an amazing interactive lobby that told you a lot about the company. 

 The last day in Heidelberg we visited the Castle. It was incredible... A must go to place if you are ever in Germany. The ancient castle is full of stories and great panoramas. There is even a wine barrel the size of the jumbo-tron in the basement! 

Next stop is Prague!

Germany

Tour of the Kremlin and Lenin’s Tomb, Art Gallery, River Cruise

Today we woke up early to get to the Red Square, which is where the Kremlin is located. Most might recognize the Kremlin as the big building with the colorful dome-like roofs but it is actually more than just that building. The entire Red Square is humongous and it took us 3 hours to tour the inside and outside of just a fraction of the Kremlin.

We also got to look at Lenin’s tomb and see his body on display. It was a very quiet and secretive place. Guards with whistles were instructing us outside the tomb, watching our every move while guards on the inside of the tomb would shush anyone that made a peep. Lenin’s body was very well preserved. It almost looked fake. His beard was perfectly shaped and his face looked very much alive. It was just as if he was sleeping in a big clear box. It is hard to believe how well preserved his body is since he died in 1924. It is also sad to see the Russians still worshipping his body and power even after they have come through so much. Lenin originally led the Bolshevik Revolution, which triggered the major communist regime in the Soviet. Now, Russia is under the rule of Putin, with a freer, market-run society. But even still, they continue to remember this man despite his communist rule and his infamous “incentives” he placed on his people.

We also visited an art gallery in Moscow, which was filled of art that dated all the way back from the 11^th century. It was amazing to see such a large collection of these old paintings. We also took a metro (with 40 people) to the river and went on a quick river cruise. It was cold and rainy but it was still cool to see the city from a different perspective. 

Moscow, Russia

Arrived in Moscow, Corporate visits, and Russian Circus

We finally arrived in Moscow after taking a train for 16 hours from Riga, Latvia all the way to Moscow. Moscow is an amazing city! Buildings are huge and old. Traffic is just crazy with its brand new Mercedes Benz and BMWs zipping all over the place. We even saw a brand new Ferrari on the way to our first corporate visit.

First we had to change into our corporate dress on the train (no showers) and head straight to our first corporate visit, Barclay Capital. Barclay is a major banking corporation that deals with huge investments for large companies or for facilitating mergers and acquisitions for large companies. A lot of money goes through this office and it was amazing that we had the chance to visit. We were also told that our representative was a Christian and that we should ask him questions accordingly. Turns out, he is a higher up employee for the company and told an amazing story about his faith and his work.

After this we went from Barclay’s to KPMG, the largest accounting services firm in the world. It turns out that one of the partners for the firm is a Christian also! And he took about 6 hours out of his day to spend with us! The partner of a multi-billion dollar firm, who usually works 11 hours a day, spent the majority of his day with a bunch of college students. This man was amazing. The advice he was giving us was worth pure gold. He wasn’t telling us much about his company, but he was giving us lifelong advice on how he got to where he is today and how he still has his faith as his number one priority. Once we ran out of time asking him questions in the conference room, he said he would come with us where we were eating for dinner!! Overall, it was amazing to get to here this man’s advice and have him spend so much time with us.

After all of this was done, we finally got to go to the Russian circus! They didn’t let us take pictures but it was a great show! Bears that could do handstands, Monkeys that did flips, dogs that were trained to dance, and acrobats that flew through the air. It was very well done and entertaining at the same time.