The Midget Bus

Yesterday we took a very small bus to Hannover. Now, I can't say that my seat was too horribly uncomfortable, but according to the girls in the back, the seats were built for midgets. Haha! The bus ride took about 4 hours, and we stopped along the way at a rest stop. We all loaded up on candy and ice cream... a great breakfast! We also got a little lost, but we eventually made it to Hannover, where we toured the research farm, and the vet school.

The research farm was amazing! My favorite part (and probably everyone else's) was the automated milking machine. The cows could decide when they wanted to be milked, and then the machine would do the rest. It washed and disinfected the teats, milked the cow, and then redisinfected the udder... all using lasers! I could have watched it all day. Seriously. We also were able to see the production side of the farm. We learned how costly it is to produce animal roducts, and how easy it is to lose money in agriculture. The animal rights movement is very strong in Germany, and it was interesting to see how the producers are dealing with the new laws being set forth. We were able to view the new chicken cages and the "toys" they provide for the animals' entertainment. Overall, it was a very interesting trip.

Before we went to the veterinary school, we were able to have BBQ with some of the vet students at their fraternity house. They were very helpful in answering our questions, and the food was awesome! The veterinary school was also really interesting. We were able to tour the small and large animal clinics. I personally thought the large animal clinic was a lot more interesting, and as an added bonus, we got to wear cool, clear, plastic booties! We were able to see how they trim the hooves of cattle, and even got to see a surgery before we left.

The bus ride back to Dusseldorf took a long time on the midget bus. We were relieved to be able to go home and sleep, because it was a really long day. A really good day... but long!