Last week we visited a rural community called Vechta. Vechta is a county between Oldenburg and Osnabruck along the primary autobahn that connects Southern Germany to Bremen and Hamburg. The area has a quiet charm and a lovely town also called Vechta.
Enjoying a piece of home at Bocklage's home near Vechta
GSE Team Tours Vechta
On Tuesday May 31 we visited the Grimme Farm Machinery Factory. Christine Grimme, a leader in the firm and a Rotarian, gave us the tour. It was a rainy day, so it was good to be indoors. Grimme is a family owned business that manufactures different farm equipment. The most important is a potato harvester. We walked the assembly, saw the automated warehouse, and visited the offices. The firm uses modern business practices for logistics management, communications and other techniques to be competitive. We are impressed by the many small/midsized family owned German businesses that are located in small towns and primarily export their goods to other countries.
We also visited the Andreaswerks organization that has a mission similar to Goodwill Industries back home. We witnessed people with disabilities being trained to do work locally in Vechta. The program is very impressive. Some of the trainees live nearby in housing especially for them. Other trainees live with their families. Later in the week we ate lunch at a restaurant that employed some of the graduates of the program. The restaurant is operated by Andreaswerk. In the same building there were a gift shop and a picture framing business, all having handicapped workers.
Most of the places we have visited in Northern Germany are lowlands. We heard stories of how some of the land was first settled. Peat bogs or moors were and are common. The peat was used for home construction and for fuel, like firewood. Eventually, canals were built to drain the wetland and create a means for transportation. The canals are still evident today, especially near coastal areas, along with dykes to keep the water from the sea out.
Well, we had a fun day visiting a moor. There were exhibits telling us about the nature in a typical moor. The many plants and animals cannot survive in a moor, but special species can. It was a beautiful place to enjoy. We had fun watching Jaime climb across the water on a rope bridge. Ken Frantz watch out!
Jaime Becomes Adventuresome Cross the Water
On Thursday we witnessed the Ascension Day procession in the town of Vechta. The procession was a religious service to commemorate Christ leaving earth after the resurrection.
One of the highlights for our visit to Vechta was our dinner at the Vechta museum. The Vechta Rotary Club joined us to celebrate our visit to Vechta. After a presentation by the museum curator, we had a small meal, a little wine, and lots of singing. Thank you to Robert Eilers for leading the Rotarians, family members, and GSE team in song! Everyone had a great time singing German and American folk songs from the 1960’s.
Robert (right) and Friend Play Guitar
We All Sing at our Vechta Farewell Social
Marion Wendt, GSE Team from Germany, Enjoys the Vechta Social, too!
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