My German Travels

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One of my favorite anecdotes is, “Don’t Spend Your Life Studying Your Own Belly Button.” The meaning is look outward versus inward. Having recently ‘lost’ my belly button, I find myself looking too inward.

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Many of the millions of Germans, who immigrated to the United States during the 19thCentury, helped build New York’s Little Germany.    Before the start of the American Civil War, Manhattan hosted the third largest German population of any metropolis in the world.  The citizens of Little Germany were among the entrepreneurs that changed New York and America.

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Like many yuletide traditions, German artists created the first glass Christmas bulbs.   Whether it is   decorated bulbs, hanging from evergreens, or the twinkling lights, illuminating the holiday, these ornaments originated in the Ore Mountains in eastern Germany.   What few know is an American entrepreneur pulled this fragile gem from the battlefields of two world wars, enabling everyone to enjoy today’s German Christmas bulbs.

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Imagine a mobile party of 10 enjoying a brew as they pedal down a cobblestone street on a German Beer Bike.   Das Bier Bike, a beer pub on wheels, is now touring 35 German cities.    This pedal party is spinning across Europe and cruising through several American cities.   Municipalities are beginning to put the brakes on loud and heavy beer bike as they swerves through their neighborhoods. 

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A growing number of elderly drivers add risks to themselves and others as they race along the high-speed German Autobahn.   Age diminishes all of our skills, but the driving dangers multiply at 180 km/h, or 80 mph.  Given 20% of the voting Deutsch populations is 65 or older, do not expect many changes in laws regarding elderly drivers as they navigate the German Autobahn.

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When Irish eyes are smiling, it is sometimes in Germany hoisting a Guinness on Saint Patrick’s Day.  When Dubliners or New Delhi travelers tire of sausage and Wiener schnitzel, the warmth and cheer of an Irish Pub is not far.   Saint Patrick’s Day in Germany may not be very green, but Irish magic is where you find it.

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When enjoying a German Christmas Market on a cold December evening, nothing beats a warm cup of Glühwein to ignite your holiday glow, inside and out. This mulled red wine is similar to American mulled cider, only with a kick.

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The Christkind, or Das Christkind, was created to separate the Protestant Reformation from Catholic traditions.  Over the centuries this gift bearer for German children became an ecumenical icon for the Christmas season.

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German elves are far different than the joyful Santa helpers of today.  Depending on where you reside in Deutschland, Saint Nikolas’s helper is a devilish ghoul or a dirty kidnapper prepared to stuff children into a dusty coal bag.   The dark and dangerousGerman elves are embedded into the folklore celebrated during the Deutche yuletide season.

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Gotthard Base Tunnel Burrows Through Swiss Alps

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is likely the most expensive rail construction cost per kilometer on earth.  Only 57 kilometers/35 miles long, the project cost estimate is $10.8 billion.  Beginning in 2016 passenger and freight zoom through the Alps, improving the links between Europe and Switzerland.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is the longest rail tunnel in the world, eclipsing the Seikan Tunnel in Japan.  Two tracks will carry passenger and freight trains at speeds up to 250 km/h, or 160 mph.  Construction began in 1996.  The break-through occurred in 2010.  

Increased freight on Alpine highways was the catalyst for the project.  Weather, accidents, and more vehicles jammed the roadways.  The Gotthard Base Tunnel minimizes those queues, reduces shipping costs into Switzerland, and opens high-speed rail options in Europe.

Germany is scrambling to construct a feeder-link into the tunnel.  The Green Party now leads Baden-Württemberg, the closest Deutsche state to the Gotthard Base Tunnel.  The new government is juggling many options on how to invest their rail budget.  Eventually, the home of Daimler understands more Mercedes Benz and other goods will reach Switzerland at lower costs through this option.

Imagine the ability to reach Zurich and Geneva in any weather from Brussels, Frankfurt, or even London, on a comfortable and high speed train burrowing through the Alps via the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

[mfweber1-blog]

Gotthard Base Tunnel Burrows Through Swiss Alps

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is likely the most expensive rail construction cost per kilometer on earth.  Only 57 kilometers/35 miles long, the project cost estimate is $10.8 billion.  Beginning in 2016 passenger and freight zoom through the Alps, improving the links between Europe and Switzerland.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is the longest rail tunnel in the world, eclipsing the Seikan Tunnel in Japan.  Two tracks will carry passenger and freight trains at speeds up to 250 km/h, or 160 mph.  Construction began in 1996.  The break-through occurred in 2010.  

Increased freight on Alpine highways was the catalyst for the project.  Weather, accidents, and more vehicles jammed the roadways.  The Gotthard Base Tunnel minimizes those queues, reduces shipping costs into Switzerland, and opens high-speed rail options in Europe.

Germany is scrambling to construct a feeder-link into the tunnel.  The Green Party now leads Baden-Württemberg, the closest Deutsche state to the Gotthard Base Tunnel.  The new government is juggling many options on how to invest their rail budget.  Eventually, the home of Daimler understands more Mercedes Benz and other goods will reach Switzerland at lower costs through this option.

Imagine the ability to reach Zurich and Geneva in any weather from Brussels, Frankfurt, or even London, on a comfortable and high speed train burrowing through the Alps via the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

[mfweber1-blog]

German Shifts Energy Investments From Sun to Water

A new German energy plan includes an increased investment in hydroelectricity.  Currently, 3% to 5% of the country’s electrical energy comes from dams along the five major German rivers.  Deutschland is not building major dams.  German mini hydroelectric dams will drive growth in hydro power.

TU München, a major Bavarian technology institution, is demonstrating smaller scale min-dams that operate in more streams and rivers.  Similar to wind turbines, one mini-dam will not light-up a city, but a network of these miniature hydroelectric power stations will grow German renewable power in a cost-effective manner.

Up until recently, German solar power was the focus.   At a government/utility payer cost of one billion Euros per month, German individuals and companies installed 250,000 solar installations in 2010.  After a decade of investment, solar only reached 2% of German electric power.  The new energy plan shifts some of the solar budget to hydroelectricity and other renewable technologies.

TU München believes private investment will flow with government funding and mini-hydroelectric power stations will become a profitable German export business.

No other country is investing in such a variety of energy technologies, as Germany.  Using wind, sun, and water is far better than digging and burning coal from the earth.

[mfweber1-blog]

German Shifts Energy Investments From Sun to Water

A new German energy plan includes an increased investment in hydroelectricity.  Currently, 3% to 5% of the country’s electrical energy comes from dams along the five major German rivers.  Deutschland is not building major dams.  German mini hydroelectric dams will drive growth in hydro power.

TU München, a major Bavarian technology institution, is demonstrating smaller scale min-dams that operate in more streams and rivers.  Similar to wind turbines, one mini-dam will not light-up a city, but a network of these miniature hydroelectric power stations will grow German renewable power in a cost-effective manner.

Up until recently, German solar power was the focus.   At a government/utility payer cost of one billion Euros per month, German individuals and companies installed 250,000 solar installations in 2010.  After a decade of investment, solar only reached 2% of German electric power.  The new energy plan shifts some of the solar budget to hydroelectricity and other renewable technologies.

TU München believes private investment will flow with government funding and mini-hydroelectric power stations will become a profitable German export business.

No other country is investing in such a variety of energy technologies, as Germany.  Using wind, sun, and water is far better than digging and burning coal from the earth.

[mfweber1-blog]

Hiding German Power Masts

Germany is investing in a smart grid, a power distribution technology to optimize electric distribution while reducing consumer utility costs.  The grid requires huge power masts that no one wants in their backyard.  Enter Eric Bystrup, a Danish architect.  Like a magician, Bystrup plans to hide the power masts in plain sight.

A traditional power mast is 260 feet high and half as wide.  German protesters balk at building them in their beautiful horizon.  Proposals are to build them along the German autobahn or along the 22,000 miles of railway.  Unfortunately, the highways or rail maps do not align with the smart grid.

Bystrup proposes some creative power mast designs.  Through shapes and reflective colors, his power masts minimize scenic distractions.  The Danish countryside includes 80 of his ‘Magic Wand’ designs.  While traditional power masts require a concrete foundation before a long erection, contractors pound Bystrup’s modular masts into the ground, yielding two pylons per day.

Germans are skeptical.  Eric Bystrup is hopeful.  He believes design power pylons not only need to better blend with the landscape, but they also are, “a positive message and celebration of technical progress and infrastructural development of modern civilization.”

[mfweber1-blog]

Hiding German Power Masts

Germany is investing in a smart grid, a power distribution technology to optimize electric distribution while reducing consumer utility costs.  The grid requires huge power masts that no one wants in their backyard.  Enter Eric Bystrup, a Danish architect.  Like a magician, Bystrup plans to hide the power masts in plain sight.

A traditional power mast is 260 feet high and half as wide.  German protesters balk at building them in their beautiful horizon.  Proposals are to build them along the German autobahn or along the 22,000 miles of railway.  Unfortunately, the highways or rail maps do not align with the smart grid.

Bystrup proposes some creative power mast designs.  Through shapes and reflective colors, his power masts minimize scenic distractions.  The Danish countryside includes 80 of his ‘Magic Wand’ designs.  While traditional power masts require a concrete foundation before a long erection, contractors pound Bystrup’s modular masts into the ground, yielding two pylons per day.

Germans are skeptical.  Eric Bystrup is hopeful.  He believes design power pylons not only need to better blend with the landscape, but they also are, “a positive message and celebration of technical progress and infrastructural development of modern civilization.”

[mfweber1-blog]

German High Speed Rail Theft

With world copper prices skyrocketing up to $10,000 per ton, thieves are eyeing German high speed rails as a source for precious metals. Deutsche Bahn, the national railway, fears safety problems, and repair costs, as copper and other metals disappear.  

German high speed rail trains fly through the countryside at up to 200 km/h.   At those velocities, metal vandalism is a safety rip.  In only two years, copper climbed nearly $7,000 per ton.  Thieves are humming, “I’ve been working on the railroad,” as they tear up the tracks.

Deutsche Bahn is fighting back.  More undercover police are protecting the track.  Technology is also a defense weapon.  Germans are applying a British development, called Smart Water, to expensive metals.  The invisible color coding is only viewable by ultraviolet light.  Different colors code each kilometer of cable.  Police investigate nearby scrap dealers to a theft.   The British report a 35% year-over-year reduction in cable theft.

Deutsche Bahn is fighting back against metal thieves.  With 3,721 km/20,993 miles of track to protect, a collapse in metal pricing is the best way to keep German high speed rail safe.

[mfweber1-blog]

German High Speed Rail Theft

With world copper prices skyrocketing up to $10,000 per ton, thieves are eyeing German high speed rails as a source for precious metals. Deutsche Bahn, the national railway, fears safety problems, and repair costs, as copper and other metals disappear.  

German high speed rail trains fly through the countryside at up to 200 km/h.   At those velocities, metal vandalism is a safety rip.  In only two years, copper climbed nearly $7,000 per ton.  Thieves are humming, “I’ve been working on the railroad,” as they tear up the tracks.

Deutsche Bahn is fighting back.  More undercover police are protecting the track.  Technology is also a defense weapon.  Germans are applying a British development, called Smart Water, to expensive metals.  The invisible color coding is only viewable by ultraviolet light.  Different colors code each kilometer of cable.  Police investigate nearby scrap dealers to a theft.   The British report a 35% year-over-year reduction in cable theft.

Deutsche Bahn is fighting back against metal thieves.  With 3,721 km/20,993 miles of track to protect, a collapse in metal pricing is the best way to keep German high speed rail safe.