5/30/12 Journey's End

       Even hangovers don't make a worse morning than this one was.  Up by 5, on the bus by 7.  We had a long drive over to the airport in Munich, and the whole way, I could only contemplate how odd that in approximately a day's time, I would be over 6000 miles away, in a place that felt more alien to me than the brief places I had visited over these two weeks.  The scenery changes pretty drastically going from the Alps over to the woods of Germany, and then the clearing of those woods to show the wide metropolitan spread that is the city of Munich.  It becomes believable how stories, like the ones the Brothers Grimm, came from the area, shaded, darkened, and easy to get lost in.
        We get tot he airport and be damned if it wasn't a horrible experience.  We have to say  farewell to our guide, and he was just as sad to see us go as we were him.  But true to himself, he didn't make the goodbyes long, he said to the group on a whole, and headed to his plane to the next tour group-the life of a guide, always on the go.
        The Munich airport is divided into three security areas- the area outside ALL security is basically a mall.  Now, with higher security, came higher prices of things, so the bottom floors were already expensive by most people's standards (let alone a college student's).  The mall outside being the area that housed McDonalds and other like places, so we found out.  The second level had Polo shops, Rolex, and Swarovsky shops, just to give and idea of the price tag on the floor (super attractive baristas though, no complaints there).  The third level was even more expensive, with companies I've never heard of showcasing cars that only real buffs would have ever heard of, all with pricetags that would be more than I'll probably make in my life.  But the lady at the third gate liked me because I wasn't afraid to just go to the front of the line and get through the gate, and she was pretty cute too, so a plus to Munich's staffing.
        The flight wasn't long, though it was 9 hours.  Unfortunately, we landed at O'hare airport in Chicago early.  We originally had planned only a 5 hour layover there.  To begin, the airport is a maze, requiring shuttles to get around from area to area.  Then the lines were long, and the prices for what meager American food they offered were expensive.  The one element I loved was that everything was Jazz themed.  Then came the waiting for our flight.  That day two planes collided in the takeoff lanes, clipping one plane's wings, creating a nasty bit of delays, and required us to move to a different dock.  There, our plane came 2 hours late, and we were all jetlagged to death, tired, and waiting for our ride home.  We finally left at 10pm, got back to Utah at midnight, and just as I was the first one to show up to the airport, so was I the last one to leave.
        This trip was an unbelievable experience to grow, learn, and love as a person, musician, traveler, scholar, just all around really.  It tied up my tenure as a Bengal beautifully, gave me a send off that was unbeatable, and has given me inspiration and motivation for my next adventure.  So hopefully in the Summer of '13, I'll be heading to Paris and London!  Stay tuned folks.