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.

Journey to Moscow: Hill of Crosses

Woke up early this morning to load up the coach so we could be on our way to the sleeper train to Moscow. We made a stop to a touristy place called the Hill of crosses.

This small hill has hundreds of thousands of crosses spread all throughout. Big crosses, small crosses, wooden crosses, and metal crosses. Tons of crosses! Originally, just a few were placed on the hill to represent the lives of four martyrs in the area. However, they were taken away only to be replaced again by even more crosses by other people. The crosses would eventually be bulldozed into the ground and replaced once again. This cycle continued until the man bulldozing the hill took his young son with him on the dozer. Unfortunately, the little boy fell off and was run over by the bulldozer, which ended his life. From then on, nobody bothered to remove the crosses from the hill resulting in a place of remembrance and prayer for many people. Most crosses looked very old, but some were dated as recent as last April. There are many stories behind this amazing site which still today influences many people in Lithuania.

After we left the Hill of Crosses, we traveled to a very large buffet restaurant in Riga, Latvia, which reminded me of a Latvian version of Country Cupboard except that the food was really good. Those from home can relate. Now we are on a sleeper train for 16 hours until we reach Moscow. There we will be busy for 5 days participating in several corporate visits like Coca-Cola and Mars.

Leaving Vilnius, off to Klaipeda

Trakai Castle

Today we visited the Presidents palace in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was the typical presidential building with extremely ornate decorations and gold paint. We were only allowed to take pictures in one of the rooms but it was one of the most decorated.

Presidents Palace

We also are off to our next stop in Lithuania. Klaipeda. On the way to this city, we stopped to explore an enormous castle surrounded by a beautiful lake. There were large sailboats scattered about and paddle boats for tourists to rent. Weddings and bridal showers also were taking place at the castle during our visit. It was a gorgeous day and the lake was absolutely amazing. It was great to just walk around the castle and explore the little peninsula it was on while taking pictures.

Travel continues as we ventured to the Lithuanian Christian College today. Which is another 4-hour bus ride. Nearly everyone fell asleep on the way. But we made it safely to the college where we are sleeping in a brand new dorm and will be taking classes for the next week. 

More pictures of today's adventure here!

Our Arrival and Tour of Vilnius

Today we finally arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania. I got to JFK airport around 12:30pm on Wednesday and got to Lithuania at about 4:30pm Thursday after a 5 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany. Total hours awake? 30 hours. I'm fighting the jet lag as much as possible right now! They told us to stay awake as long as possible tonight so we won't be so messed up for the next week. So far so good but everyone was exhausted!

But once we arrived, we were taken to a nice hotel called the Domus Maria. Then to a nice restaurant for dinner where we had a three course meal. The appetizer was some kind of hard bread with butter and mozzarella cheese. Then the main course was some kind of big fried chicken ball. Dessert was a form of cheese cake pastry. Yum! And finally, there was a tour of Vilnius. There is a lot of history to this capital city involving many historic churches and the influence of Communist Russia. I got about 250 pictures just tonight and had to narrow it down to 20 or so. But tomorrow starts classes and our super busy week! Corporate casual dress for most of the week and more traveling to the next stop in two days. Will post more photos as they come! Keep checking them out.

Lithuania Pics