Day 5
After the first night of really enough sleep and a big breakfast, we went to Europark – the largest amusement theme park in Europe, stretching on over 85 hectares of land. The ticked cost 39€ and got lost before I got my hands on it, so I was a bit bitter, but when my mates said they had to pay 40€ for each round in a strip bar last night, I stopped feeling so miserable. I got a new ticket and went to enjoy myself, riding 8 (out of 8) roller-coaster. I enjoyed the fastest the most, reaching up to 130km per hour. After a fun day a fun night followed on the French side of the border in Strasbourg, in yet another »alkoholfrei« hostel, where we again didn’t break the rules out in the hall.
Day 6
In the morning we took a tour of the city. In a small group we first saw the huge and architecturally incredible railway station – the old architecture is protected by a glass building over it. We saw the TGV train, that reaches speeds to 320km/h and went through the city (at least some of us). We saw the wonderful Goth cathedral and wanted to get in and on top of the staple. The Notre-Dame de Strasbourg stands at 142 meters and we reached the top by 300 stairs. On top we took some time to really enjoy the view.
In the afternoon we visited the European parliament and were warmly welcomed. The meeting room had a guided process simulation, showing how a sea port can get 1.000.000€ support for a well-developed technical project. After the parliament we took the bus to Nürnberga and yet another (fourth) »alkoholfrei« hostel. Four of us went to an Irish pub and enjoyed the good brew, while some others went to the strip joint, but left rather early, when they realized it was the male performers this evening.
Day 7
On the last day of your journey we visited the German factory INA/FAG. We observed the production of high class parts in a factory with 76.000 employed in 180 locations around the world. After that we went to Salzburg and got a good long rest, before the longest night of the tour! We went around town and visited ka karaoke bar, where we sang until the morning came.
Day 8
At 10.30 the frightened Eurotour representative woke us up by knocking on the door, saying we overslept breakfast (at eight thirty) and check out (at ten), so we got to the bus and went on to Red Bull ring at Spielberg. There we grabbed the carts, never mind the sleepless night. The last day was quite relaxed, so we wasted the last possible atom of energy before returning to Slovenia.
In conclusion
I can say I spent 8 unforgettable days which I’ll remember for the rest of my life. We’ve all learned a lot and saw that knowledge knows no boundaries. There are business opportunities also outside our little country.
Foto in tekst: Franci Vranetič
Translation: Borut Jurišić
