We were off to another bright and early start after only 2 ½ hours sleep. This was the big day ... the chance to see the operations of the Volkswagen plant in person. The first thing that impressed me was the smell. I know, not exactly your first concern, but having worked in a factory, this is important. There was no nasty smell of process fluids or ash or any of the other irritants that come with the job. This factory, as big as it was, had excellent ventilation, the temperature inside was very comfortable and overall, it was just very clean.

After lunch we had to head to the train station for our trip into Berlin for the Governor's reception that night. For Europeans, the train is probably the most-used form of inter-city transportation. And the high-speed rails in Germany are comfortable, affordable and efficient. Once we left the station in front of the VW plant, we quickly achieved speeds of 200kph. This made the trip to Berlin fast and smooth. While on board the train, Greg and I tried to get a head start on some work. We actually recorded the voice track of our 5 o'clock story about the factory on the train. If you go back and listen, you can hear one of the VW employees talking on his cell phone in the next seat, and near the end, the train's engineer making an announcement of some sort (it was in German). And thanks to Suzie Bowling, our IT manager, we were able to edit that story while traveling to Berlin.

When we arrived in Berlin, it was almost dark. On our way to the hotel where we would freshen up before the reception we passed several important landmarks. We passed the German government building, equivalent to the capitol building in Washington, D.C. We also passed the Brandenburg gate which stood boldly at the Berlin wall for so many years. We all made a promise to ourselves that no matter what the time ... when we were done working tonight, we would go out and visit these places.

As far as the reception, you saw it on our air. What you didn't get to see was the $1.5 million Bugatti on display at the VW Group Pavilion where the reception was held. The car was out of this world, and on display behind a glass fence. I asked the attendant some questions about the car and was amazed to find out the price and that it has a 16-cylinder engine. Don't ask about fuel economy, it doesn't exist for this car. Then, to my surprise, the gentleman (seeing the camera around my neck) asked if I would like to have my picture made with the car. I was thrilled that he would let me behind the glass fence to stand near the car. So you can imagine how my thrill factor was increased when the man held the driver's side door open for me. WOW. The soft, supple leather seats were like being held in your mother's arms. Except your mother can't go from 0 to 200 kph in just over 2 seconds!!

Finally, after we put our 6 and 11 o'clock stories together and sent them in, Greg and I met with some VW employees (two of whom were "experts" on Berlin) for a walking tour of the most famous places in the city. We learned that the hotel we were staying in is was actually in East Berlin during the Cold War. Just a few blocks away was the Brandenburg Gate ... a massive structure that faced East Berlin and was "hidden" from the free world for years. Next, we visited a couple of places where there are monuments to the Berlin Wall and remnants of it. We thought of the people who died trying to pass this concrete barrier just to live free. Puts things in perspective for you. Finally, we saw Checkpoint Charlie, the U.S. Army sentry point.

It was well after 2a.m. By the time we returned to our rooms, having walked more than a mile around this historic city, but it was well worth it. - Louis Lee