Report on the teaching of experimental physics in Europe

A group of five delegates from Fudan Physics Teaching Lab visited seven universities in the UK, Germany and France from 30 September through 12 October in 2012 to conduct an in-depth investigation of the teaching of experimental physics in Europe. We acquired a comprehensive understanding through visiting laboratories, attending lectures, and discussing with course organizers, professors, demonstrators and students. Strong, close-knit teams, systematic and flexible curricula, a rich variety of experimental classrooms, and the teachers' passion and commitment, all left us a deep impression. A note about what we saw and heard and our thoughts is reported here for the benefit of the organizers and teachers of physics lab courses, as well as the undergraduates.