The school has already given us a schedule for what we can do. We’re going to museums, factory tours, that sort. So no suggestions for any activities to do or places to go to.
I would like some tips on some things I should know about Germany, perhaps some German phrases I should understand, cultural differences, or laws I need to know. Anything important that I should be aware of?
It will be about a weeklong trip
You’ll visit BMW (Rollys-Royce, Mini), I expect.
If you notice a picturesque brick tower in the vicinity, that’s a Hochbunker from WW2. There’s more than 1 around there.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Hochbunker_in_München
Munich was not bombed very much, on account of being so far inland. Nevertheless, the hill you can see when you’re at the BMW museum, consists of the rubble of buildings that were destroyed in the war. It was turned into a park for the 1972 Olympics. The terrorist attack that took the lives of most of the Israeli Olympic team mostly took place nearby. If that’s of interest to you, you could watch Spielberg’s Munich.
You may notice cars with an unusual look (see photos here). Those are prototypes. You can see a fair number of these (BMW & Rolls-Royce) in the area. In German, they are called Erlkönig (elf-king) after a poem by Goethe.