Day 2 - Our Coverage From Germany
Under clear, sunny skies and with a brisk, cool October wind blowing we find the city of Wolfsburg alive with people walking the downtown streets toward their favorite spots to eat, shop or meet people.
The heart of the downtown district is under construction as the city rebuilds and creates an updated image for the people who live here and visit. But that doesn't slow things down at all.
Wolfsburg is a city of about 100,000 people, most of whom either work directly for Volkswagen or for companies that do business with the automaker. And that is true for thousands more people who live in the cities and villages with a half-hour drive or train ride.
Many of the younger Germans speak enough English so that we can converse with them. They tell us about their home town and the things they like to do when they are not working or in school. We even found a group of people playing chess with huge chess pieces being moved across the large stone tiles that line the walkway in the central market.
There is no litter on the streets, and that includes no cigarette butts. Germans know it is best to keep their home towns clean not only for appearances to tourists but for their own sense of order and well being.
Just outside the central city we found village-like suburbs with well maintained homes and gardens. And there are no tar paper roof shingles - homes here are built to last many years with either grey slate or terra cotta roofs. The structures themselves are made of either stone, brick or concrete covered with stucco.
The "Autostadt" or Auto City that Volkwagen built is next to it's main hometown assembly plant. Here we find the Auto Museum that chronicles the development of transportation, and two glass high-rise towers that are filled with shiny new Volkswagens waiting for customers to take delivery. There is a Ritz-Carlton hotel on site that caters to customers, tourists and traveling business people that sits next to a small lake. On the lake there is a floating heated swimming pool that Germans use despite the chilly temperatures to get their exercise by swimming a few laps.
Tuesday we will test drive some of the latest VW models and get demonstrations and explanations of the technology used in the vehicles. We will also be escorted on the Autostadt grounds for tours before we are introduced to the Mayor of Wolfsburg and top VW executives.
Stay tuned and keep checking our website for more updates from Germany this week. We will bring you full coverage of the stories we're developing beginning next week as well. Auf wiedersehen!
