The Bayern Life

Time always seems to fly by – I find myself writing to you, having already spent three weeks in Munich. For those of you who are unaware, I am in the final year of my Masters studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (established in 1472). The quality of the courses and professors have exceeded my expectations, in my studies of Organization, Strategy and Change Management. I will list my courses below with an example of some interesting aspects of each class (when applicable).

1. Management Communications
2. Corporate Social Responsibility (Ethical and moral theories, mostly stuff I already learned at Taylor University)
3. Entrepreneurial Growth Management (Group innovation project in cooperation with a local fitness club)
4. Marketing Asset Management / Convincing Stakeholders (Group project in cooperation with the travel agency Thomas Cook)
5. Strategic Change (Group project analyzing change factors associated with the merger of Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG)
6. Innovation and Strategy (Group presentation work analyzing case studies concerning mega-trends in the marketplace. Course is supervised by a chairman at McKinsey Consulting – providing real-world feedback)
7. Time Management

On a personal level, I am living in a house in downtown Munich somewhat close to the BMW factory and the famous BMW HQ tower. The house is shared amongst four of my friends in the programme, which makes for a lively household at all times. I’m somewhat concerning that I may be having too much fun, but I’m enjoying this as much as possible – it will be March before I know it and I’ll be on the job market. I’m fully aware that this is a very special period of time in my life.

Speaking of fun, I’m going to Prague this evening and I will be returning on Monday morning. I will make sure to post many pictures next week. In fact, you will be hearing a lot about Prague in the coming weeks. An old friend from Taylor, Jon Brinks, will be passing through the Czech Republic on business and we planned to spend the weekend together – since this is only a 5 hour trip from Munich. Unfortunately, I made an error and booked my train tickets a week too early. In order to avoid missing a guaranteed good time with Jon, I’ve decided to go two weekends in a row. I should be an expert in two weeks time.

Tune in next week for pictures from Prague

2009 Roadtrip – Part II

Continuing from where we left off last week…

17 September 2009
We departed Amsterdam in the morning for Cologne, Germany. In Cologne we visited the enormous Cologne Cathedral – which dates back to 1248. Apparently this was the tallest building in the world for a couple years until the Washington Monument was built in 1885.

From Cologne we drove southwest into the Eifel mountains, home of the world famous Nürburgring circuit. We arrived after sunset, but we made our way to the track regardless – with a pit stop for food along the way. We found a nice little camping site some 15km from the circuit along a quite little stream. We had a full nights rest, knowing that tomorrow would bring a lot of automotive action: the Nürburgring and the Frankfurt Auto Show.

18 September 2009
The next morning we arrived at the Nürburg castle around 10am. The Nürburg castle is on top of a mountain, in the center of the 24km circuit. This spot offers amazing views of the surrounding countryside. We made our way to the top of the highest tower and enjoyed listing to the racecars off in the distance. From the castle we made our way to the staging area for the public circuit, which was closed to the public when we arrived. Mercedes-Benz had the track for the morning, they were busy testing their new models. So we didn’t get to drive the course this time, but I’m not sure that our little Citroën C2 would have faired too well around the course – at least we saved the €22 cost per lap. This is the second time that I’ve been to the Nürburgring and I sure hope it’s not my last. There is a 24 hour race held at this course every year – perhaps I will make another trip for that someday.

From the Nürburgring we drove 175km southeast to Frankfurt, home of the IAA Frankfurt Auto Show – one of the largest in the world. We arrived around 4pm and made our way to the exhibition. We encountered a pretty significant problem when trying to gain entrance to the event – to the sum of a €45 ticket. Apparently we had somehow mis-read the information on the website, arriving on day before it opened to the public for €7. Now, I’m sure you’re aware that I love cars and auto show’s – but not for €45 (Roughly $60). I tried pleading my case to some people at the information desk to see if we could get in for a discounted price, to no avail. Then I had a bright idea – I approached some people leaving the exhibition and offered to buy their tickets for €20. Okay, now I had the tickets and all I had to do was talk my way past the doorman saying that I had to run to the car for something. Voila, he let us in. Michael: 1, Frankfurt Auto Show: 0.

The show was unlike any other Auto Show I’ve been to before – HUGE. BMW had a track running around their exhibition hall. Mercedes-Benz had an enormous tent-like roof in theirs (which changed colors). The cars themselves were very similar to what I saw last winter in Geneva, but this building was very very big. I was able to drop some names and talk my way into the Ferrari lounge again, Loren enjoyed being inside the private area for a glass of Champagne and an up close look at the cars. The big news this year was the launch of the Ferrari 458 Italia, a replacement for the F430. I’m not crazy about the styling, but it’s starting to grow on me – I’ve included some pictures so you can have your say too. Looking back, it was very nice that were there when it was closed to the public as we didn’t have to worry about crowds or lines. After Frankfurt we drove south to Heidelberg where found a camping place along the Neckar river – east of the famous Heidelberg Castle.

19 September 2009
The next morning was spent exploring the amazing Schloss Heidelberg Castle – which dates back to 1214. The castle was partly demolished and is slowly being rebuilt. From the castle there are wonderful views looking down on Heidelberg, along the Neckar river and the surrounding valley. The castle grounds are huge, with gardens and forest walkways.

The city of Heidelberg is home to one of Europe’s oldest educational facilities. The University of Heidelberg dates back to 1386, outdating my University in Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians, by 86 years.

We departed Heidelberg in the early afternoon towards Stuttgart, home to Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. We drove straight to the 9-month old Porsche musuem, located across the street from the famous factory in Zuffenhausen. This was my second time to see the museum so I took my time reading as much detailed information about the history of the marque while Loren ran through the Museum with his audio guide. What I really enjoy about this exhibition is that it’s focused around much more than just the cars on display. There are several interactive video screens throughout the Museum that show detailed information on technical innovations throughout the years’.

Part of the Museum was closed for a private reception – celebrating 100 years of Ferry Porsche, the company founder. The ceremony finished and I started to notice some very distinguished looking people making their way through the rest of the Museum. I knew these where some important people when I noticed none other than Ferdinand Piëch, CEO of the Volkswagen Group. After Mr. Piëch I recognized some of the Porsche children in attendance. It was quite the experience to be around some of the most powerful men in the automotive world, yet alone of one of my favorite companies. Porsche represents much more than just a means of transportation, it represents a lifestyle (tied to motorsport racing) and a unique ethos.

That evening we stayed with my friend Martin in Stuttgart, who was finishing his internship period at Porsche. We enjoyed sleeping on a sofa-bed, eating pizza and watching movies.

20 September 2009
Today is the day we made our decent into Munich, via the Romantishe Straße or “Romantic Road”. This is a path through parts of Germany that offers one medieval castle, village or tower after another.

Our first stop was Bad Wimpfen, home to a medieval tower in the middle of the city. The tower used to be painted blue, hence the reason for the name, Blauer Turm. From atop the tower we had a wonderful view of the city and surrounding countryside – including the smoke stacks of a power station in the distance (Oh well, this is progress I suppose).

From Bad Wimpfen we drove south to Heilbron – where we walked through the streets during some sort of street festival. We were pretty tired at this stage, so we made our way to a Starbucks to relax and regain our strength.

Dinkelsbühl was an exceptional find along the way, a walled city with a huge tower in the center. From atop the tower we had a great view of the city behind the wall. The wall the runs around the city is enclosed, so that one could walk around the entire city without getting wet in the rain. The thought dawned on me that this would be a pretty cool way to do you morning run if you lived in Dinkelsbühl.

Somewhere after Dinkelsbühl we stopped at a random castle. I don’t recall the name of this place or where it’s located, but there was a beautiful courtyard and a little restaurant in the middle. We both had a refreshing Bavarian beer while chatting in the ancient courtyard – almost surreal. I really liked the shutters on the castle, red with a yellow X. These must have been the colors of the family, as we saw them elsewhere in the region. These reminded me of Culver Military Academy for some odd reason.

We arrived in Munich that evening, where were stayed my friend Nicolas, who works for BMW at the moment.

21 September 2009
We were exploring Munich early the next morning. We started off by visiting the Oktoberfest grounds. It was 9:30 in the morning and people were busy preparing for the festival that day. We were able to see all the tents without the crowds. Some people were already lining up to be served, service started at 10:30.

We explored the city center until we found the famous Hofbrauhaus beer hall. We sat at a table and had a drink and some food. I had some Weiswurst, one of my favorite German foods. This is a very mild and light white sausage, served with a sweet mustard. Traditionally, this is only to be eaten for breakfast – I love it so much I tend to break this rule. The beer is served in a massive 1 litre glass. This is so heavy that you need to put your hand inside the handle for support. There’s an interesting story about how to “Cheers” or hit your glass for a toast in Germany. With the glass you say Prost and hit your glasses together, then you put the glass down briefly before picking it back up to take a drink. This is because the king was too week to hold his glass the entire time, so this tradition started out of respect for the king.

We returned to the Oktoberfest later that evening, where we were able to find a table on the outside of a tent. The inside was really hot and full of drunk, dancing people all over the place. I really like the drinking culture in Germany, where you sit at these large tables and then you start talking with those around you. I met several people at our table, people from the UK, US, Poland, Switzerland and Germany. There’s something special about this relaxed and outgoing social atmosphere – everyone is having a good time, I didn’t see any violence what-so-ever. Must be something special in the Bavarian beer.

22 September 2009
On Tuesday we took a walk through the English Garden located in the middle of the city. This is more like a forest than a garden to be honest. Once inside, you have no idea that you’re in the middle of a big city. We met my friend Benedikt for a late lunch and had an amazing meal of free-range roasted chicken with potato salad. I dropped my luggage off (for storage until I returned the following month) at Benedikt’s flat and we drove to Nymphenburg Palace, a summer residence for the rulers of Bavaria. The palace seems to stretch farther than the eye can see. The accompanying grounds offer gardens, forest and fountains. It felt somewhat similar to Versailles, although not as ornate.

We ended our day in Munich with a visit to the BMW Welt with a BMW factory tour. The BMW Welt is an amazing piece of architecture, featuring beautifully wrapped glass around a flowing steel frame. There is a delivery center inside the building, where customers can pickup there car next to the factory. Every new BMW model is located within the building, with interactive displays and a plethora of information. The two-hour factory tour guided us through the entire production process. This tour was similar to the tour I did with Porsche several months ago, although the scale is very different. They have BMW’s flowing out of this factory like you wouldn’t believe. An amazing process.

That evening we drove to the airport to search for a hotel – to be prepared for Loren’s early morning departure. Our search ended at the only hotel, with a room for €1,000. With such a steep price, we opted to sleep in the car instead. We found a clean office park and spent the night in our little Citroën.

23 September 2009
I dropped Loren off at airport at 7:45 and began my journey to France, where I was scheduled to drop the car off that evening in Lyon. I tried to make my trip somewhat relaxed and enjoyable, so I stopped at a couple small cities along the way to take some pictures and relax.

To avoid the toll roads at the Swiss/French border I took to the side roads, which turned out to be unbelievably enjoyable. It was a lot of fun to drive along these winding mountain roads just west of Geneva. My journey to Lyon covered over 700 km and took the entire day. I arrived in Lyon that evening to drop the car off and stayed with some friends in downtown Lyon.

I spent the last few days of my trip relaxing in Lyon, visiting friends at the school and taking care of some paperwork for my visa. I returned to Toulouse via the TGV train on Sunday morning.

I have been relaxing in Toulouse since this trip, I’m preparing for my journey back to Munich tomorrow morning. I will take a flight from Toulouse to London and then on to Munich. I should be settled sometime tomorrow evening, with my friends arriving throughout the next several days. School will begin Monday, hard to believe how the summer has flown by. I’m confident that the coming six months in Munich will be a wonderful experience. Come March and I’ll be back on the job market, with just a thesis to complete for my masters degree.

Updates to come from Munich…

- Michael

1 October 2009

2009 Roadtrip – Part I

I’m back in France, safe and sound, after a long two week trip from France to Belgium, Holland and through Germany. With such a long trip, I want to take some time to explain what I saw and the adventures in between. For this reason, I will narrate my trip in a two part series – so you’ll have to tune in next week to get the rest of the story.

14 September 2009
My friend Loren from Indianapolis flew in to Paris Charles de Gaulle Monday afternoon. I rented a car in Toulouse, loaded my things and drove up to Paris early that morning to pick him up. We left Paris early afternoon and drove northeast towards Brussels. We stopped for some food about 50km outside Paris, driving on some small backroads until we found a little medieval village – which had a small restaurant in the center. This was a wonderfully welcoming way to enjoy our first meal of the trip, in the outside patio and garden. The weather was perfect for a warm fall day and we had a wonderful three course meal.

We were planning to be camping along our upcoming journey, except I needed to stop and buy a tent and sleeping bag. This was not as easy as expected. We went to San Quentin to find our supplies at a sporting goods store. Besides the fact that they were out of the gear we needed, we very nearly ran out of gas on the way there. It was one of those moments where you’re driving as slowly as you can, with the AC and radio off, searching for something. A fun way to begin the trip.

We left San Quentin, without camping supplies, and drove to Brussels – hoping to find something there. Immediately after crossing the Belgian border we were greeted by some heavy rain and aqua planning on the autoroute. Fortunately, this only lasted about an hour and was the only rain we experienced during the rest of the trip.

We arrived in Brussels in the early-evening and drove around the city for a bit, trying to get a feel for the city. After stopping for dinner we decided that the camping was definitely not going to happen and decided to opt for a hotel for the evening. We found a nice business-class hotel and haggled the price down to something reasonable. After checking in, we went out on the town for a drink and to see some action. We found a small pub around the corner, filled with mostly locals. Everyone was sitting around the bar talking about their day in many different languages – French, English and Dutch.

15 September 2009
The morning and afternoon of the following day was spent sightseeing around Brussels. We visited a very pretty cathedral, where we were able to visit the unrestored crypt underneath the cathedral floor. On the walk from this cathedral to the Grand Place we passed through a beautiful shopping arcade. The ceiling of which was made of clear glass – providing natural light and a wonderful ambience.

The Grand Place is a beautiful square in the middle of the city. Surrounded by guild houses and the Town Hall. The Town Hall opened up in the middle to a beautiful courtyard. I enjoyed taking pictures of the intricate stonework floor. From the Town Hall we wondered our way through some beautiful side streets to a nice pub where we enjoyed sampling several different Belgian beers. Belgium and Germany are always arguing over who produces the worlds best beer – I’d say the Belgians probably do it better, but Germany has a much better beer culture – especially in Munich (More to come on that in Part II). While at the pub we were advised to visit a tourist attraction around the corner called Manneken Pis – this is exactly what it sounds like. A small statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain. Apparently the city has over 70 outfits for the little boy to wear, although he was naked when we arrived. Legend has it that there was a fire in Brussels long ago, some boy peed on the fire, thus saving the city. I’m told there’s also a statue of a little girl too, we missed this one though.

We then made our way to the Palais de Justice. The building was being renovated on the outside, but the inside was an amazing Romanesque style entry – with huge columns surround the entrance and stairs. This is also a great place to get a view over the rest of Brussels. We then walked past the royal palace through a nice park and back to our car. Once in the car we made our way to Antwerp, with a short stop along the way to buy a tent and sleeping bag.

We arrived in Antwerp in the evening, parked our car and wondered around looking for a nice place to eat. We found another nice city square and ate at a little restaurant. We both had a nice Belgian beef stew, which went well with the somewhat cool fall evening. We didn’t have a plan to visit Antwerp, so we had no idea what to do or so – but dinner was enough and we left Antwerp in route to Amsterdam.

We didn’t find our camping site in Amsterdam until 1am – by which time the campsite was closed. We made our way past the gate and found a place regardless.

16 September 2009
We spent the entire day, Wednesday, walking around Amsterdam. Amsterdam has some beautiful architecture with the buildings located on the canals. There are more bicycles in Amsterdam than anywhere I’ve ever been. I’m told that when visiting Amsterdam it’s a good idea to visit some museums, but we weren’t in the museum mood. Instead, we just walked around the city. Our plan to visit the house of Anne Franke was spoiled by arriving too late. We were able to see the building but it would have been really nice to see the museum and inside. Oh well, I guess I’ll plan another trip someday.

The next day we departed Holland and made our way into Germany. More on Germany to come in Part II. I’ve included a link to the pictures on Picasaweb, for this post you only need to refer to photo’s 1-39 – you can look through the rest if you want.

Check back next week, I’ll post about the rest of my trip through Germany to the Oktoberfest in Munich – my soon to be new home.

-Michael

1 October 2009

Upcoming Roadtrip

Hello all,

I have a BIG road trip starting tomorrow and finishing two weeks later. More about that later, first I want to comment about my trip to Paris last weekend.

Nicolas and I spent last weekend at Disneyland Paris. It’s surprising how similar this park is to the Magical Kingdom in Orlando. We had a great time acting like kids, I especially enjoyed going on all the old rides I remember so well from my childhood. Pirates of the Caribbean, Small World, Peter Pan, Space Mountain (Mission 2), oh and Star Tours. Great stuff! The park itself is very small in comparison to Orlando – it’s made up of only two parks, Magical Kingdom and an MGM Studios sort of thing.

On to the upcoming plans. I will begin a European road trip tomorrow afternoon when my good buddy Loren from Indianapolis arrives in Paris (He’s currently waiting for a plane in ATL). We will depart Paris and drive to Brussels to sample chocolate, waffles, french fries and Belgian beer.

Day two: Visit the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and museum in the morning then drive to the Nurburgring circuit in Germany for more of the same. We will finish the day with a tour of Cologne.

Day three – four: The Amsterdam experience. I’ve heard enough rumors about this place that I’d like to finally see it for myself. Canals, museums, nightlife, etc.

Day five: Frankfurt Auto Show – I think it’s the biggest in Europe. There are a plethora of supercars being unveiled in Frankfurt and I have to be there for that. The new Mercedes SLS Gullwing, McLaren MP4-12C and the new Ferrari 458 Italia. Should be a good time! We’ll spend the evening after the show in Heidelberg (Supposed to be a great castled there).

Day six: Visit to Stuttgart and the Porche and Mercedes-Benz museums. I already went to Stuttgart a couple months ago and did these things, but once isn’t enough!

Day seven: Drive from Stuttgart along the “Romantic / Castle Road”. This is a scenic drive towards Munich that features beautiful villages and castles, etc.

Day eight – ten: Munich, my soon to be new home. One word: Oktoberfest! I’m not exactly sure what to expect here, but I’m sure it will be interesting.

After Munich Loren will catch a plane home to Indy and I will drive through Switzerland to Lyon, France. I’m really looking forward to getting back to Lyon to see my friends. I’ll spend a couple days there then return to Toulouse via the train on Sunday morning.

Should be an exciting trip, I look forward to sharing it with you in the coming weeks.

My best to all,
- Michael

Back in France

The last two months have flown by and I find myself writing you from France. I wrapped up my time in London at PRISM mid-August and I moved to Longages, France near Toulouse. I enjoyed my time in London and hope to live there again someday, for now I’m enjoying some Holiday time here in France.

I’ve been here almost three weeks with my good friend Nicolas. I’m living at his house and helping him setup his new business. In the evenings we make a nice dinner and it’s an enjoyable lifestyle.

I will be moving to Munich in October to attend the final year of my masters’ programme at Ludwig-Maximilians University. I am currently in the process of trying to find a flat for October. My future roommate Nic is search for something as we speak. It’s been difficult with the housing agencies, but we found find something.

My good friend Loren from Indianapolis is coming to Europe in 10 days. We’re planning a road trip from Paris to Munich for the Oktoberfest. This plan is still very much up in the air, but it looks like it’s going to be a great adventure. More to come on that in the coming week.

This weekend Nicolas and I will be going to Disney World Paris. We will drive to Paris tomorrow afternoon and camp near the park. We’re going to stay in a Disney hotel on Saturday night and then return to Longages late Sunday. Should be a lot of fun, I don’t think I’ve been to Disney World in almost five years.

I’ll give you an update about the pending road trip later next week. Have a great weekend, speak soon.

Goodwood Festival of Speed

The Goodwood Festival of Speed occurs every July on the estate of Lord March.  Located 55 miles southwest of London – the March estate comprises some 22,000 acres.  Lord March also hosts an air show, golf tournament and vintage car race among other events.  The Festival of Speed is one of the worlds premier motorsports events.  Never before have I witnessed such automotive icons in such a high class setting – an absolutely amazing experience.

I received a VIP ticket through PRISM to attend the event, with access to the Goodwood house and VIP balcony overlooking the circuit – with a Veuve Clicquot Champagne bar.  Needless to say, I was blown away with the entire experience.

My highlights of the Festival include all the vintage Formula One and Le Mans endurance cars.  These are cars I’ve only had the opportunity to see in films and pictures.  To be able to see them at full song, often driven by their original pilots amounted to a very special experience.  Highlights: Seeing Sir Stirling Moss an F1 racing legend, the famous Porsche 917’s from 1970’s Le Mans fame, Schumachers 1998 Ferrari F300 – a car/driver combo that formed my love for Motorsport, the dominant Williams F1 cars of the 1990’s, and the Eurofighter Typhoon that provided an amazing 10 minute airshow.

I don’t want to pontificate on this too much, as I know only a few of you have any interest in this sort of thing.  This is an event that I will attend in the future, hopefully with my father at some point – I know he would have many stories to tell me about the historic racecars and their drivers.  It’s great to have some of these amazing experience, but at the end of the day I’m somewhat saddened that I can’t share them with those I love the most.

Enjoy the photos!

4 July 2009

British Grand Prix

I attended the British Grand Prix last weekend at Silverstone in Northamptonshire.  As part of my duties at PRISM, I helped implement a hospitality weekend for our current and potential new clients.  This job had a nice perk, attendance at the Grand Prix in our corporate suite!

I was at the track from Thursday through Sunday.  It was such a pleasure to get out of London for a bit and see the countryside.  I really like getting out of town whenever I get the chance.  Its not that I don’t like London, but I really enjoy getting some fresh air whenever I get the chance.

I had access to the F1 Paddock on several occasions throughout the weekend.  Each time I entered I ran into a few people that I knew from my F1 experience in Monaco last December at the Motor Sport Business Forum.  The F1 world is surprisingly small, you can network much quicker than you might think – especially when people recognize you.

Friday was the big “D-Day” showdown between the FIA (Federation International de l’Automobile) and the FOTA (Formula One Teams Association).  The two have been arguing about a breakaway series for a couple months now, because of proposed budget cap changes for next year.  I’m glad to report that this dispute was just settled a couple hours ago – things should settle down a bit now.  With that said, Friday was exciting and the media was running around going crazy – I’m glad I could be a part of it, albeit a very small part.

The race was fun as expected, I really enjoyed talking with all the guests in our suite – a skill that I fine-tuned during my hospitality days at Le Lafayette.  I was in charge of doing the Shell race report following the race.  I usually draft the report from home and then send it off to the Shell team for approval – this time was different.  I was able to grab a Paddock pass and run into the Ferrari Motorhome after the Grand Prix for a meeting with Shell.  My first meeting in the Ferrari Motorhome (let’s hope it’s not the last!).  Anyway, that 20 minute meeting and Paddock experience was enough to lift my spirits for a long time.  I just love being around the F1 Paddock!

The following is a list of F1 people I saw or interacted with during the weekend – I understand that only a few of the people reading this will care, but why not?

Sir Jackie Stewart, Max Mosley, Christian Horner, Peter Windsor, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg, Kazuki Nakajima, Vitantonio Liuzi, Louise Goodman, Simon Gillett, Nelson Piquet Jr and John Howett.

To view photo’s click on the album cover below.

21 June 2009

Video’s from the Grand Prix Weekend. If you want to see the different between a Porsche Cup car and F1, watch these in order. Unbelievable difference.

Porsche Cup

Formula One

Roadtrip through the English countryside

The forecast for good weather and a bank holiday presented the perfect opportunity for a roadtrip last wekend. I booked a car and found a friend to join me, Kirsten. We left late Monday morning and made our way for Stonehenge – stopping in Salisbury along the way.

There is a beautiful cathedral in Salisbury – housing one of four copies of the Magna Carta and the oldest working clock (14th century). The village itself is quite quante and we had a wonderful Italian lunch – the price was a bargain too, compared to central London.

The arrival to Stonehenge was somewhat unexpected – we knew we were heading in the right direction and all of the sudden we saw the monument on the horizon. Stonehenge is quite literally located in the middle of nowhere, atop a hill in the middle of some flowing fields. The audio guide for the sight was very interesting, telling stories about the history of the monument and how it was built. The rumors abound as to who actually created it and why – but the arches line up with the sun at different stages of the year, so it was probably a monument to some sort of sun god. It’s a sight to see if you are making a trip through England, but I wouldn’t plan a whole trip for it, but that’s just me.

On the way home, we stopped by Avesbury – another town know for some strange ancient monuments. The monuments in Avesbury are meant to be somewhat phalic – a monument to fertility (so I’m told). This was interesting as well – I enjoyed playing with the sheep that were hanging out near the rocks, probably my highlight for Avesbury.

One last stop one the way home, we were driving down some small country roads and quickly found ourselves off the beaten path. One a one lane gravel road, we saw a group of cars park up ahead in a field – naturally we decided to park our car and see what was going on. In the field adjacent to where we parked, we saw a bunch of people standing in the middle of a barley field. Upon further inspection, we saw what all the commotion was about – crop circles. Apparently these are very common around this area. I’d only seen crop circle on TV, so I had a lot of fun walking through the barley and looking at the different patterns in the field. Once again, I have no idea what created these – but most of the locals think it’s just people having fun. Weird but pretty neat to see in person.

Like I said earlier, this was just a quick trip in the country. I enjoyed driving the car and seeing rolling hills and trees more than anything else about the trip. It’s weird, but I really liked being in the country after spending so much time in central London – somewhat like all the New Yorkers who are always trying to find time to relax “upstate”. All around, a wonderful experience.

Pictures are available here

Life at PRISM

I’ve been working at PRISM for almost two months now – I can now begin to reflect on my past expeience and look to the future four months. The easiest way to describe my first month would be “confusing”. I’m doing work with Shell, which is a huge company. It takes a long time to learn about the whole company and how it functions. I know have a pretty good understanding – this makes my life much easier now.

It’s been a lot of fun this far, hard to believe it’s part of my job to watch F1 and stay on top of all the news. You would think that this would wear you our after a bit, but I absolutely love it. I read Motorsport news all day and read F1 magazines at home in the evening -I am now a certified petrol head, no doubt. The only thing that could make things better is if I was travelling to the Grands Prix – that will come with time in the industy. Looking back, that trip to Monaco last December for the Motor Sport Business Forum was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I will be attending the upcoming Forums this next year in Abu Dhabi and Monaco – as I continue to gain experience and network within the F1 paddock.

I’m addition to my work with Scuderia Ferrari and Ducati, I’ve just recently begun some new work with Aston Martin Racing. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Aston Martin’s initial victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours – I’m doing some work with a driver and pursuing sponsorship deals for the race team. This is exactly what I hope to do in F1 someday.

Concerning matters in the office, I’m glad to report that I’m starting to develop some friendhips with my work colleagues. Socializing in the office is made easier by the private restaurant / bar in the office. I’m confident that I’m the only EMM student with a bar in his office! It’s funny to see people at the office finishing their work in the evening with a brew on the desk. These agencies do a lot to make the employees happy, since we spend a lot of time at work. Breakfast is free in the morning and the lunch menu is rediculously inexpensive – £2.50 for a quality meal. With the nice weather in London lately, I have started taking my lunch to Hyde Park and having a small picnic. Life is good in Central London!

Looking ahead, I am pretty confident that I will be attending a few Grands Prix this year. I will be in Ferrari uniform for the entire British Grand Prix weekend (red everything – shoes, shirt, pants, socks). I’m also going to the German Grand Prix to do an event with Lewis Hamilton. I want to attend the Belgian race at Spa Francorchamps, but this will probably be on my own dollar (pound, euro).

An auto-extravaganza holiday in Germany

Last weekend was an amazing trip to Stuttgart, Germany – where I visited one of my good EMM friends, Martin. Martin is doing his internship with Porsche AG, I had to make the trip to see this iconic automotive city. Monday the 4th of May is a bank holiday here in UK, this gave me an extra long weekend to make a quick trip to “the Fatherland”.

I arrived Saturday morning, Martin picked me up from the Airport and we immediately went to the brand new Porsche museum – which has only been open since the beginning of this year. The museum was a historic journey through like the life of Porsche, from the road to the track. I had a nice little audio guide and I spent a couple hours listening to the history of each of the cars. What a treat indeed. My highlight was seeing a beautiful display of Porsche 917s from the 70s. These racecars dominated Le Mans for much of the 70s, providing excellent racing with the Ferrari 512s. The Gulf liveried 917 was immortalized in the Steve McQueen movie, “Le Mans”. If I’m ever so lucky, I will have a 917 in my garage one day – no doubt.

From Porsche we went to a carnival and had lunch in a Oktoberfest style tent – complete with polka music and litres of German beer. It was exactly what I was looking for, make’s me look forward to Oktoberfest in Munich later in the year.

The Mercedes Museum was more in-depth than Porsche, this is to be expected as Mercedes has a longer history and is a much larger brand. We skipped through some of the really earlier stuff and focued on the post-war cars. Of high importance was the 300 SL Gullwing, such a beautiful machine. The bottom of the museum housed an elaborate display of Mercedes Racecars, from F1 and DTM to Indy and Trucks. I was in heaven!

The following day we drove 300km northwest to Nurburg – home of the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack. This is one of the most famous racing circuits in the world, a place I’ve dreamed of seeing. The public track is a 20.8km course with more than 100 corners, the track record is somewhere around 6 minutes 30 seconds – we managed to lap the ring in 9 minutes 15. The track was dubbed the “Green Hell” by Sir Jackie Steward in the 70’s – very difficult indeed. Worth every penny of the 20 euro fee per lap.

I was set to fly home the following day, but Martin had one more treat for me beforehand. A guided tour of the Porsche factory in Stuttgart. This hour and a half tour showed the entire process of assembly. It’s amazing to see how efficient this process really is – makes it look easy. The parts follow the car along assembly at almost every stage. This is exactly what you would expect from the Germans – very methodical and planned. I’m hoping to visit the Ferrari factory in Maranello later in the year – it will be interesting to compare the different style between the Germans and the Italians. After the Porsche tour, I drove to downtown Stuttgart and had a relaxed afternoon walking around the streets and practicing the little German I remember from school.

My trip to Germany was so much fun, I have decided to change my plans for the coming year. I will be moving to Munich in October to finish my masters degree studies at Ludwig Maximilians Universitat. As an American living in Europe I feel I need to take advantage of every opportunity to experience and live in different countries. The idea of staying in the UK for this time isn’t that appealing anymore. So… Germany, here I come – I have a feeling that I’m going to love it.

Pictures from this trip are available here. Enjoy