From September 3 to 5, an official delegation of the City of Freiburg headed by Mayor Dr. Dieter Salomon returned the visit Mayor Paul Soglin had made to Freiburg at the beginning of June celebrating the 25th anniversary of the sister city partnership between our cities. Freiburg's delegation visiting Madison comprised the Mayor for Social Affairs Ulrich von Kirchbach as well as seven municipal councilors of various parties. Five members of the Freiburg-Madison-Gesellschaft (Freiburg's Sister City Committee, abbreviated FMG) travelled to Madison too and were invited to participate in a program that the City of Madison and the Madison-Freiburg Sister City Committee had generously prepared. The following picture gallery only poorly reflects the hospitality of the the people of Madison and the impressive program arranged for us.

First Impressions on Arrival

Mayor Paul Soglin welcomed his visitors at the hotel and took his time taking us for a walk down State Street.  Mayor Dr. Dieter Salomon, his Chief of Staff Helga Mayer, and Municipal Councilor Anke Dallmann on the right as well as the President of the Freiburg Madison Gesellschaft (FMG) Toni Schlegel and Vice-President Frauke Feix, left,  attentively listen to Mayor Soglin's explanations. In the back green energy counselor Ted Petith is watching the scene.

Following the walk in the sunshine the group had lunch at the food carts down State Street. Toni talks with Mayor Soglin while Mayor Salomon and the ladies dig into their food. Two of those famous food carts are seen in the back.

Photo shooting at Madison's traditional Rathskeller. Mayor Salomon stands or rather sits for an improved version ofTurnvater Jahn's dictum:  Mens sana in corpore sano.	I doubt whether in 1928 when the Memorial Building openend the Rathskeller accepted pfennigs for  Nuddel Suppe and BaierscheKnödel.

Visit of the State Capitol and Its Rotunda

In the early afternoon the group was taken for a guided tour around the impressive State Capitol.

On Our Way to the Common Council Meeting

On our way to the Common Council Mayors Dieter Salomon and Ulrich von Kirchbach paused briefly to commemorate the partnership between Madison and Freiburg.

The commemoration stone.	Greeting Freiburg.

Attending the Common Council Session

Again St. George's Cross: Madison welcomes Freiburg. People on the photo not yet introduced are
Elizabeth Tyron, University of Wisconsin, left,  and Freiburg's Municipal Councilor Atai Keller, right.

Mayor Soglin at the rostrum presiding at Madison's Common Council.
He and some of the councilors are wearing teal-colored t-shirts of the Madison School Board.

The Freiburg Resolution of the Madison City Council:

Here is the German translation:

Mayor Salomon was tempted and acquired the somewhat greenish looking t-shirt although he did not wear it ...	... during his speech of thanks following the unanimous adoption of the Freiburg Resolution by Madison's Common Council.

Sister City Committee Dinner at the Madison Club

At the terrace of the Madison Club: Mayor Salomon in discussion with the former Sheriff of Dane County
 Gary Hamblin while the first ladies enjoy their drinks (©CJ)

President Michael von Schneidemesser addresses the guests at the dinner organized by the Sister City Committee
 with his wife Luanne and Mayor Salomon smiling.

The two mayors thank the Sister City Committee and its members for fostering and intensifying the relations between our two cities.

Following the dinner the Freiburg delegation is walking home with some "reflections".	The State Capitol is illuminated somewhat more brightly than Freiburg's Münster church.

At the Wednesday Farmers' Market

A semi-official photo	Among all those exotic American and Asiatic vegetables the good old German Kohlrabi

At the Children's Museum

Waiting for access while the freshly washed floor in the Children's Museum dried up.

To the left Freiburg's international relations expert Petra Heß, to the right Municipal Councilor Michael Moos. In the back to the left of Toni Schlegel Steve Cover, Head of Madison City Planning, in front a Museum employee.

Madison's Children's Museum with "hanging gardens" on the roof.

We are all outlandish. From left Municipal Councilor Pia Federer, Mrs. Kramer-Hermanns, and Tatjana.	The Director of Freiburg's Carl-Schurz-Haus Friederike Schulte and Mike enjoying the "hanging gardens".

Brain storming, brain washing, or just relaxing?

At the New Central Library

More than a renovated building. The new Public Library invites the user to a full communication package that in times of e-books still includes "old-fashioned" paper books. Will this work with food permitted in the reading rooms? The building has the fastest WLAN I have ever used but the main goal of the project is not internet use nor reading but to establish personal communications between visiting people.

The children's corner. The director explains to his visitors the equipment permitting children to play and to learn.

Organ Concert at the Overture Center

This was the most impressive acoustic ever heard.

Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery Reception

Mayor Salomon addressing the crowd jokingly. To the right three members of the University of Wisconsin:
Professor Charles James,  Elizabeth Tyron, and Professor Jim Steakley.

Group portrait with Art Shegonee, a member of the Menominee and Potowatomi tribes in Wisconsin, and familiar faces. The person to the left next to Art is Freiburg's Municipal Councilor Daniel Sander (©CJ).

Frauke and Mike posing with Art. On the right Steve Cover (©CJ).

Official Dinner at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center

Toni Schlegel hands over to Mayor Soglin a gift of the FMG  (©CJ).

   Although it does not start in Madison but it winds from Chicago to LA more than two thousand miles all the way the Black Forest Badgers nevertheless gave us the kicks on Route 66 (©CJ).

City Planning and Transportation

Steve Cover gave a well-balanced presentation on Madison's city planning and development.

Christopher Gosch enthusiastically explained his East Washington Ave development project. Existing buildings are brought up to the latest energy standards.	A fantastic view looking downtown from the roof of the salvaged building.

Sector 67 Maker Space

The idea of maker spaces for potential inventors and hopeless tinkerers was born in Germany as the blue spots on the screen suggest.	Mayor Salomon relaxes on a half-ready beer drinking cart without pedals.

The mix of gas bottles and electricity apparently presents no hazard.
It rather stimulates new ventures and adventurers.

The Visit to Madison in Freiburg's Local Press

Mayors Soglin and Salomon walking down State Street

The visit of a Freiburg delegation to Madison was echoed in the local press. A small press notice appeared in the official Amtsblatt with the photo on the left hand side taken by Petra Heß. The Stadtkurier published a short press notice too and a photo (©SK) showing Mayors Soglin and Salomon in Madison's City Council Chamber smiling following the adoption of the Freiburg Resolution by the deputies.

Pub Crawl

As soon as the official delegation had checked in at the Madison Airport for their flight to New York the Sister City Committee invited the remaining members of the FMG to a pub crawl. The American beer scene not hampered by the German Reinheitsgebot is experimenting a lot developing new flavors. The first micro brewery we visited was the
Ale Asylum.

Waiting for the next round. The lady in red is Carol Heidenway, a long-time backer of Freiburg-Madison relations.

We all were in good humor.

The colors of the various beers offered at KARBEN4 were amazing and just simply inviting.

Not only Luanne and Charles had a good time.

Boat Tour on Lake Mendota

Luanne and Mike arrived just in time.	On the boat: Tatjana surrounded by experienced sailors.

While Eric studies the beer list I take a photo of  (©KS) ...

... Carol, Eric's daughter-in-law, and Kendall who already was going strong on a Guinness.

The boat people are back ashore. Thank you all for such a beautiful stay in Madison.