Taylorian

Trips

Austria, Stuttgart and Munich

German Language Trip to Austria

I n July 2022 Raj, Rayan, Tanya and I travelled to Klagenfurt, a small but beautiful town in Carinthia, Austria. We would like to thank Ms Udell and her friend Andrea Pirker for the invaluable opportunity to take part in such a high quality German language course at the University of Klagenfurt. The fortnight was very well-structured; students were put into groups based on a placement test, and the small size of each class meant we could develop great relationships with our international peers and our teachers, who were all extremely talented, patient, and friendly. It was a pleasure to have such challenging discussions with my classmates in German without being able to fall back on my English. Aside from studying during the day, Ms Udell and the team put together a free time programme, including swimming in the nearby crystal-blue freshwater lake, and basking in the warmth of the sun at the Villacher Kirchtag, a famous festival in I n the October half term, we travelled to Stuttgart and Munich to learn more about three different car manufacturers. Our first stop in Stuttgart was the Porsche factory, where we learnt about the process of manufacturing a 911 sports car and the end-to-end production line. I noticed that Porsche included more manual work in the manufacture of their cars than the other companies, an impressive part of which was the fantastic leather working facility. At the 2km-wide Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant, we were introduced

principles of the Samba, ChaChaCha, Jive and the Waltz, as well meeting our dance partners, who came from all over the world. The whole fortnight really was a unique opportunity; we were lucky enough to meet people from the likes of Italy, Israel, Serbia and Brazil (and many more), all through a shared passion for the German language. Dhruv Kotecha (OMT)

Austria. Martin and Peter, the activity leaders, also took us to a stunning waterfall and the Obir Stalactite Cave. We had the opportunity to experience what the lives of miners in the 18th and 19th centuries were like, as well as observe the stunning mineral and rock formations. A highlight of the activity programme was the dance workshops run by our very own Ms Udell, during which we were taught the basic movements and

DT Trip to Stuttgart and Munich

end of the production line all the way to the beginning, witnessing things like the steel pressing plant; the ground shook every time it stamped a car body panel! My favourite part of the production process was seeing the underbelly and mechanics of the cars as they were carried overhead to their next point on the line. On the fourth and final day, we visited the BMW museum and Welt facility, which showed us different BMW models throughout history, as well as plans for sustainability in the future. The trip was not only fun, but also gave us an insight into the world of professional design, engineering and technology in the automotive sector. Many thanks to Mr Willson, Mr Duffey, Mr Docherty and Mr Kyriacou for organising this fantastic and memorable trip. Azlan Latif (Divs)

to large-scale automation, where robots are used to both manufacture and transport components. The scale of the Mercedes building was immense, while the Sindelfingen plant in its entirety is twice as big as the Principality of Monaco. On the third day of the trip, we travelled from Stuttgart to Munich and went go-karting at the fantastic Kart Palast, before heading for a guided tour of Audi Ingolstadt. Their production plant was the most automated of the three, and used large-scale and highly efficient robots. We were taken from the

46

Taylorian 2023