Bridge building was in full swing. This one was built on the canal side and presumably would be pushed across the canal.
This one was getting finishing touches.
The barges were in full on mode as well, carrying all sorts of cargo. Machinery.
Crushed car bodies.
They also seem to be moving earth or rocks from one end of the country to the other.
In the Museum at Minden we saw these graphs showing the advantage of using Barges to Trucks.
Our next stop was Wolfburg where Volkswagen have their original assembly factory which now produces the Golf model (which is the largest selling motor car in the world). The Autostadt complex has showrooms for Audi, Lamborghini, and all the Volkswagen models. It is also a Museum of cars of all makes dating back to 1837, an adventure park and driving track, restaurants and hotel, a train ride through the assembly factory and twin towers and Welcome Centre where customers pick up their new car. 
We visited the towers where the cars are brought from the assembly factory before they are delivered to the Welcome Centre. Each tower holds 400 cars and the process is fully robotic from the factory then two car transporters moving up and down the centre of the tower. We were disappointed in not being able to do the train ride or the ride up the tower as they need to be booked several weeks ahead.
The car museum was fantastic. I liked this little red sports job
And this pre model of the Smart car.
We thought the advertising for the T model Ford was good.
Kevin liked the old race car.
And if you are as old as us you will remember the Messerschmitt, it would be fabulous for shopping, one could park it anywhere.
Early morning and we are back on the Mittelland.
Our next surprise was a control check by the Water Police just past Hannover. They asked us to moor alongside and we were asked for the boat ownership papers and our boat skipper’s licences. They photocopied our Australian Skippers Tickets as the policewomen said she had never seen one before. All was well and off we continued down the canal to Minden.
We went over the Bridge Canal and stopped overnight at Minden for my Birthday and went into town for a meal.
We had a very interesting sweet.
We spent the morning at the Museum which had very good working displays of all the different types of locks, canal bridges and lifts we had been through so it was very interesting to see how they worked.
This shows how the water is saved when the lock is working, only about 25% is lost in the process. Some have exchange chambers under the ground and others at the side of the lock. You can see this when we are in these locks as the water bubbles up from the side or the front
At Minden we were going down into the Weser River to Bremen. The old lock which had been working when we came through in early June was closed so we had to go down two locks to get onto the Weser.
There was a Shanty Choir singing in the park so we spent a pleasant hour there before going down the locks to the river. 7803
This old lock had plenty of water over the door, Kevin had a shower.
Off we went under the Bridge Canal and down the Weser.
The river is wide and flowing about 4k an hour.
We stopped the night at the lock ready to leave early in the morning.
This Ferry which does the river crossing all year is equipped with runners on an overhead cable so they don’t et swept downstream.
Soon we were through the last lock and into Bremen.
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