Auf Wiedersehen

Our time in Germany concluded with a relaxing day in Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a great little college town set beside a river. I thought I might find blueberries--heidelbeer is German for blueberry--but no luck. However, I did find friendly people, a place to watch soccer, and more of that cheap and tasty "eis" (ice cream).

We spent our morning by taking a walking tour of the area. I mentioned that Heidelberg is a college town, and that's true; the university consists of about 30,000 students. But unlike the college atmosphere we're used to here in the states, this one also includes a centuries-old castle and a couple of churches that have existed for more than 200 years. It's a neat juxtaposition of the old with the new; I think our students enjoyed being able to walk through the ruins of an old fortress and then turn around and get fries at Hard Rock Cafe.

The afternoon was ours to spend. A few of us took a boat ride down the river, where we saw countless sunbathers and pedalboats. Some purchased last-minute souvenirs while others found comfy chairs and took in the England vs. Paraguay match. After many busy days waking up early, moving equipment, and walking for miles, Heidelberg was just the right pace for us as we found ourselves running out of momentum.

Our final dinner together was lots of fun. The apple strudel was probably the highlight, but the singing accordion player was also very entertaining. Mr. Buyer wrapped things up by presenting each of us, students and chaperones alike, with an award that reflected our contribution to the trip. (I received The Blog award, which is probably more flattering than Official Head Counter or Girl Who Always Cleans Her Plate.)



There was a bit of stress at the Frankfurt airport. Like I mentioned at the beginning of our trip: we have a lot of stuff! We had a little trouble getting everyone and their bags checked before the official boarding time, but somehow it all worked out in the end and our flight departed on schedule. 8 1/2 hours later we stepped off the plane and were greeted by humidity and temps in the 90s. It was great to be home.

And it is. It is great to be home, with family and friends and things that are familiar and things that make us feel safe and like we have a real place. But it was a wonderful trip. I hope everyone learned a lot and had a great time, but above all I hope that maybe getting out of the box for a couple of weeks will inspire our students (and maybe their families) to travel often.

Travel can be such a therapeutic thing, if you let it. It’s a great way to explore your interests, not only to go do the things that you know already interest you but also to go out there and find out what else interests you. You may be looking at a map or a travel guide and suddenly find yourself pulled into an antique store. You might never have thought that you liked antiques before now, but maybe being in that place at that time you somehow felt inspired. Perhaps your roadtripping will uncover a hidden passion for photography that you never knew existed. Who knows, maybe you’ll begin planning more and more trips with the sole purpose of taking pictures. Travel gives us the chance to learn about culture, geography, and geology. But it also gives us the opportunity to learn a little more about ourselves.