The Seminar Begins: Stuttgart and Karlsruhe

Herzliche Grüße aus München! First, I’d like to inform y'all that we arrived here on Tuesday night after two days in Stuttgart and a day trip to Karlsruhe. I must say that this first seminar, our three week tour through Deutschland, is off to a great start! My days are packed full of meetings with various people, while Lauren is spending most of her time sightseeing while joining me for the more cultural activities as well as the delicious meals. I don’t have much time, but my highlights so far include:

-a meeting with our benevolent hosts at Bosch headquarters in Stuttgart;

-a conversation with the Oberbürgermeister (mayor) of Stuttgart about his city, its strengths, and its future challenges;

-a four-story ride in the Rathaus (city hall) in a Paternoster elevator (doesn’t have a translation - look it up);

-eating dinner at the Bosch Stiftung, which enjoys a beautiful location next to Robert Bosch’s former home and is perched atop a hill overlooking the city of Stuttgart below;

-a visit to the Bundesverfassungsgericht (federal constitutional court), where we toured the building and discussed German constitutional questions at length with Professor Doktor Andreas Voßkuhle, Vize-Präsident of the court (the equivalent of meeting with the second highest ranking member of our Supreme Court);

-a hearty bayerische Brotzeit (Bavarian snacktime consisting of a selection of breads, pretzels, cold cuts, cheeses, pickles, and of course beer) upon arrival in Munich. Delicious!

I'll try to upload some pictures from my experiences when possible, but stay tuned for an update from Mrs. G, who will be providing a more picturesque glimpse into our travels. Bis dann!