Two for One

The adventure began at 11:00 Thursday morning. Twelve days in Italy--a whirlwind tour of every city from Florence to Assisi to Rome to Venice. What could be better than earning school credits through one of my greatest joys in life: travel. However, "travel" always encompasses two distinct components. People travel to experience the exciting component of being in an unfamiliar culture, discovering its history, learning the language, and meeting new people. But, the rite of passage to earning that experience is the process of getting there.

Getting there usually involves long lines at security, delayed departures, and uncomfortable seats in small spaces. But, like I said, that is usual. What is less usual is getting your flight cancelled twice because the baggage workers are going on strike in your country of destination, one airport at a time. So, for our group of almost forty students, professors, and spouses, getting from Columbia, South Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina was not a problem. Getting from Charlotte to Munich, Germany was not much of a problem, either. However, Munich to Florence was cancelled. Munich to Bologna was also cancelled. Finally, we found ourselves booked on the 9 pm flight to Verona, which left us about 12 hours to wile away in Germany.

Dr. Blewett briefing the team in Munich

The clean, modern lines of the Munich Airport

Of course, waiting requires a good bit of patience and long-suffering. However, time that is not spent learning about a new culture is time spent learning about new friends.

My odd neighbor, Troy

Janee was excited about receiving her boarding pass

...And for some, sleeping.

Fortunately for us, God stirred in our leaders a restlessness at the idea of spending the next 12 hours in an airport. Thus, we were free to explore Munich until it was time to leave. I won't lie and say that most of us were not delighted at the idea of a bonus destination. I suppose we could thank the Italian baggage workers for going on strike, but it's probably more appropriate to say, "Thank you, Lord, for turning trouble into blessing and delicious German sausage."

My first look at Munich--yes, snow.

Taking the subway into town (L-R: Janee, Bonnie, Devon)

Ice-covered fountain statue

City Hall (I think) with a glockenspiel clock

A fresco on the outside of a building

Devon and the friendly mime

The GIANT pub where we ate lunch. Apparently, Hitler used to come here to make speeches before he really gained popularity. And, this is also one of the original sites of Oktoberfest. Interesting, no?

Germany.

L-R: Janee, Bonnie, Julianna

L-R: Ed, Bill, Fayola

It was my first time in Germany, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I have never had a particular interest in visiting Germany apart from its being another historically important European country. However, I was immediately drawn in by its architectural beauty and its endearing huskiness--if I can call it that. Sure, their language sounds gruff, and sure, the culture as a whole seems less refined and more, well, husky. But the few Germans I had the chance to interact with seemed like the type of people you can be friends with for a long, long time.

But of course, my interaction with the great land of Deutschland was limited, because a few short hours later, I was on a plane bound for Verona, Italy. After another three-hour bus ride, our bleary-eyed group finally arrived at Hotel Medicci in Firenze (Florence). And here we are now, getting our first taste of how things are done the Italian way.

[Next post: Tomato Florentine. Coming soon!]