Few days ago I witnessed an event on Kurfurstendamm where the crowd of bikers with their bikes participated. From one point of view, it was really great because all of them produced specific driving noise thus created cool atmosphere. On the other hand, it was completely impossible to cross the street as the flow of bikers was endless! This led me to the thoughts about European concerns about pollutions and to the contradiction connected with bikers-event.

Biker-event on the 28th of May

So, I have decided to investigate this issue in the context of the German ‘green’ behavior and found out several interesting ‘green’ logistics tools which are used in Germany nowadays.

In the context of urban passenger transport ‚green‘ tools are: city cycling, mobility stations, business mobility through ridesharing and, what was the most surprising for me, wirelessly-charged E-bus line! BVG runs electric buses since August 2015 and transports about two-thirds of a billion passengers per year by electric traction. The buses charge wirelessly and contactless exclusively with green electricity; they are not only absolutely emission-free but also produce low vibration at the time! Within one year, the four buses run approximately 200.000 kilometers at total, saving 260 tons of CO2 emissions.

As for the cargo delivery, there also some ‘green’ logistics solutions for decreasing CO2 emissions, they are: smartPORT strategy for managing all available modes of transport, transport planning with microscopic emission modeling via software instruments, cargo bikes and unusual eHighway trucks. eHighway system combines the efficiency of railway with the flexibility of road transport without losing necessary flexibility in the way of using active pantograph: the truck may be connected (run by electricity) or disconnected (run by fuel) to the contact lines at all speeds – and this system looks like trolley-truck.

These ‘green’ approaches are really innovative and promising today; to my mind, in the nearest future they will become a part of everyday life in Germany and, hopefully, will contribute to the environmental sustainability!

Do you know about the opportunity to buy the Museum pass Berlin which allows you to visit and explore around 50 museums during three days and which costs only 24 euros (12 euros for schoolchildren and students)?  If not, just visit Museum portal and find more (the list of museums and exhibitions, useful offers, Berlin Welcome Card, etc.)!

I have already tried this museum-experience and found it really awesome! This three-day ticket provides you with open doors of numerous exciting museums in Berlin! First of all you can visit traditional museums, such as:

View from the National Gallery

• Old National Gallery with 19^th century art
• Old Museum with its permanent exhibition ‘Ancient Worlds’
• Bode Museum which houses an impressive collection of sculpture
• New Museum housing antique masterpieces and sculptures (incl. famous bust of Nefertiti)
• Pergamonmuseum with classic antiquities
• Museum of Natural History which has ‘Evolution in Action’ exhibition
• German Museum of Technology representing the history of transport, communication, production, etc.

Of course, all of them offer you to admire incredible unique historical exhibit items but Berlin also has lots of other museums which present, for example, contemporary art, computer game history, East and West Germany history, war between Germany and the Soviet Union, German-Jewish history, etc. As for me, I have chosen two museums to explore and, undoubtedly, it was unusual experience.

The first was Berlin Museum of Medical History which exhibits different medical instruments and equipment, valuable books, microscopes and about 900 exceptionally rare pathological and anatomical specimens of human organs, healthy and diseased. So, it’s not a sight for the faint-hearted!

Berlin Museum of Medical History

The second was Gay Museum* which is one of the largest and most important institutions on the history and culture of the LGBTIQ communities in the world for now. Apart from history and culture, there is also an exhibition with astonishing gay comics that I liked most due I have never even heard about such a thing!

In conclusion, three days are not enough to visit all of them, unfortunately; so that you should thoroughly plan your route and then have a nice museum-trip in Berlin!

Yesterday I arrived from Leipzig which is really great and which is only 160 km away from Berlin – it may take just 2 hours of your time to get there and to see this wonderful city!

Altes Rathaus in Leipzig

Leipzig has been a trade city since it was situated many years ago at the intersection of two important Medieval trade routes (Via Regia and Via Imperii). Despite this fact, the city is not very big – one day was really enough to walk it throughout and to visit all the main city sightseeing points, for example:

Johann Sebastian Bach

1. Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum. This café is probably one of the oldest in Europe – the first mention about it refers to 1556.
2. Bach Museum. The museum dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach will tell you about composer’s life in Leipzig, about his family and work as well as provide you with the opportunity to listen to his every composition.
3. Panorama Tower. On the top of this building you may have the greatest look at the city and, if the weather is fine, have a nice time at the roof-top bar.
4. Nicholas Church and St. Tomas Church. Johann Sebastian Bach was responsible for these two admirable churches many years ago, and nowadays organ concerts are held also there.

DHL hub

Talking about logistics, the main accent should be made here is DHL hub in Leipzig (this hub is the largest hub in the whole Europe!) with its own fleet of aircrafts and own airport. As the nighttime is the most intense for the hub and the most exciting time for visitors, the excursion takes place after 9 pm and finishes by the midnight time. During these few hours you have an incredible opportunity to watch the process of smart approach of parcels sorting, of very fast containers reloading, and to admire DHL’s aircraft fleet. The company spent around €350.000.000 to create this huge hub, consequently, it improved service and timeliness of DHL deliveries in comparison with its ex-central depot in Brussels. Find more information here and visit Leipzig to see everything in real life!

Our team at DHL hub =)

In previous article I slightly mentioned one of the oldest and one of the most famous German car-makers, which I would like to write about – it is BMW. Due I am a MINI-owner, I was always keen on BMW issue and its history! So, this article is not an advertisement; that is just what I find interesting and entertaining.

The company was founded in 1916: on the 7^th of March the company celebrated its 100^th birthday! Many years ago the company started with aircraft production first, only then (after the Treaty of Versailles) it shifted to motorcycle and car production. Since 1916 BMW has become a world-known car-manufacturer, which has also a history of success in Grand Prix running, Dakar Rally, Formula One, in touring car racing, etc.

BMW Isetta

If you ever go to Munich, you may visit BMW Museum and BMW World there. You will be able to find all the models of cars (including the old ones such as Isetta) – some of them are really rare nowadays, various motorcycle models, aircraft engines, sport cars, etc. Moreover, you will have the chance to learn the history of the company in particular details (for example, in terms of design issue or future concepts).

How do you like super-
modern and stylish BMW i Series? True fans have an exciting opportunity to visit car-maker plant in Leipzig, where i Series are produced: there you will get a deep understanding and know some peculiarities of production process of cars. What really aroused my curiosity there were automatic robots and an assembly line! Using carsharing service in Berlin you may even try i3 by yourself! Motor-lovers may visit plant in Berlin where they will be guided through the birth place of motorcycles. Just visit this page https://www.visit-bmwgroup.com/en/bmw-group/ and find much more awesome things about BMW in real-life experience!

Today’s article is dedicated to the capital and the largest city of Bavaria – Munich. It is the third largest city in Germany and one of the most expensive cities with the #1 standard and quality of living in the whole country. Munich is a centre of finance, advanced technologies, art and innovation as well as it is home to the well-known FC Bayern Munich. BMW also comes from this Bavarian city. Everyone will find here something interesting according to the interests and preferences!

Neue Rathaus

Siegestor

If you are fond of historical sights and monuments, you can visit an old part of the Munich: here you will find the buildings of New (Neues Rathaus) and Old Town Halls (Altes Rathaus), very famous Mary’s Square (Marienplatz), Cathedral of Our Dear Lady (Frauenkirche), etc.

If you are art-lover, you should definitely visit Old Pinacotheca (Alte Pinakothek), New Pinacotheca (Neue Pinakothek) and Gallery of the Modern (Pinakothek der Moderne), where you will be able to admire collections of art from the 14^th to 18^th century, from the 19^th century and modern art, accordingly.

Englischer Garten

If you are a fan of sports, you will be interested in Allianz Arena which is widely known for its colorful changing exterior and which home teams are represented by FC Bayern Munich and TVS 1860 Munich. Olympiastadion may also be impressive for you as it was the main venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics.

If you are keen on walking, The English Garden (Englischer Garten) is a must-visit place: here you can find a wide green area with a beautiful Munich landscape, the Japanese tea house (Japanisches Teehaus), The Chinese Tower (Chinesischer Turm), small waterfalls and surfing people in one of the Garden’s streams.

Finally, Munich is really famous for its festivals. Oktoberfest is the largest beer festival in the whole world! So, if you are lucky to visit the city in the second half of September, do not miss the chance to take a dip into this mind-blowing event!

Another amazing German city which I liked most is Cologne! It is the largest city in the German federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia which is located on both sides of the Rhine River. This river has been a vital and navigable waterway carrying trade and goods deep inland since ancient times.

Kölner Dom

One of the most famous sightseeings is Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom).  It is also residents’ most loved landmark so that the church appears now as a kind of a symbol of Cologne and its heart. The Cathedral was started in 1248 and completed in 1880. So if you visit this city, this place should be your number one in the list of planned sights!

In, approximately, 5-7 minutes by foot from the church you may reach the Rhine River. At its shore front you can find nice cafes or small park to have a seat and to admire the river’s landscape.  The surrounding buildings look so fairily due to their size, architecture and colors! Here you can also find a lot of boat excursions: panorama round trips, trips to Düsseldorf and Bonn, and even special logistics tours of Cologne’s harbors.

Kranhaus

Apart from old-fashioned houses, in Cologne you can also find super-modern buildings which are made in the form of cranes (Kranhaus).  They replace real cranes which were standing at the same place when the harbor was used for transshipments of goods.

Last but not the least in Cologne is chocolate museum (Schokoladenmuseum) for real chocolate-lovers! It will tell you about the origin of chocolate, its history, its transportation peculiarities, numerous varieties, etc. Moreover, you will be able to see every step of Lindt chocolates production in real-time. And if you are not very greedy and can spend extra 4.50 Euro, you will have an opportunity to design your own chocolate: just choose chocolate and its filling (starting from raspberry and finishing with Haribo bears)!

Have you ever been to Bremen? If not, you MUST visit it. This town is one of my favorite places in the world. It is really nice, small, warmly welcoming and, finally, FAIRY!

Town Musicians of Bremen

The first thing that is associated with Bremen for the majority of people is (I assume) Town Musicians of Bremen by Brothers Grimm. Even though these characters had not ever arrived in Bremen, in the centre of the town you may find sculpture dedicated to the musicians.

Musicians’ monument is placed in the centre of town – on the Marktplatz – and surrounded by old town buildings which are really gorgeous.

Due Bremen is a small town you will need only one day (at least two days) to walk it throughout and to fall in love with it!  Shnoor neighborhood, narrow streets and peaceful Weser River create romantic and fairy atmosphere there.

Marktplatz

If you are done with promenades, you may visit Mercedes manufacturing here. There you have an exciting opportunity to learn, for example, about E-class Mercedes production in real-time and to walk through the whole process of car assembly. Prior to assembly you will go through the shop where everything is run automatically by smart robots! Unfortunately, photographs are not allowed at production due to commercial confidentiality. That is why I cannot provide you with breathtaking pictures of smart robots. And this is another reason for you to come to this town and to see it by yourself.

What is more important about Bremen in the context of logistics, there is a port of strategic role which is named Bremerhaven. It is sixteenth-largest port in the world and the fourth-largest port in Europe. In Bremerhaven more than one million cars are imported and exported annually. Container-fans will definitely love it!

If you have a chance to visit this wonderful town, do not lose it!