A great teacher once told me, “Many years from now, people will seldom remember the things you said. Your actions will often be forgotten too. But what people will almost never forget, regardless of how much time has passed, is the way you made them feel”.
For our group’s final day in Germany we all had the chance to go out and explore parts of Munich that we had an itch to see. Our group decided to head over to the Deutsches Museum, the world’s largest museum of science and technology. Recognizing its massive size, we wanted to make sure the group had enough time to see as much of the museum as we could, so we made our way to the Bahnhof right after breakfast. Even with the three hours the group spent there, it was hardly enough time to see everything the museum had to offer. Almost any subject a person could think of, anthropology, aviation, biology, chemistry, engineering, metal work, mining, music, and much more was included in the numerous exhibits. I personally geeked out a little bit over the multiple aviation exhibits, offering flying machines from the original wright flyer to the modern day Airbus with almost everything in between.
After our visit to the museum, we met up at the Marienplatz to take one last walk through the center of the city and do some last minute souvenir shopping. The city was bustling with the end of the work-week buzz. People were out looking at the various shops and food stands that lined the cobblestone streets. The Viktualien Market, offering a range of exotic fruit, honey, meats and cheese was also filled with people. The city was alive as ever.
Before we knew it, the time had come to meet at the hotel to make our way to the farewell dinner. The Augustiner Haus was packed when we arrived and our tables were already set. A jolly accordion player was waiting for us at the end of the arched hall, already playing his merry tunes as we sat down at the thick wooden tables. The hours passed quickly, accompanied by much singing, laughter, tears and hugs. Just the other day we were arriving in Bremen, and now it had come the time to say goodbye for now.
Today marked the last day of an absolutely heart warming experience. For a little over three weeks, this special group of people got to share in an adventure that would bring us all the way from the green fields of Ostfriesland to the mountainous horizon of Munich. The places we saw, the many good times we had, and most of all the people we experienced it with, will hold a special place in my heart for many years to come. Together we explored a new world. I will never forget how that felt.
