Heidelberg and Home…
The last day in Europe was cold and dreary, which perfectly mirrored how we all felt about leaving. We had a beautiful ride through Germany’s Black Forest on the way to Heidelberg. Our first stop in the city was at the castle, which was first erected in the 12th century. Though most of it was in ruins, the wine cellar was still intact, as were a few grand rooms. During our explorations, we had access to an amazing view of the city below. We even saw rowers practicing on the Neckar river. I was surprised to see them out in such cold weather – those German rowers are made from hearty stock!
As the sun set, we explored the Altstadt, stopping first to get nutella filled crepes. The streets were beautiful, and full of college students on bicycles and foot. Most everything was closed, but it was still lovely to walk through the town. Kendra and I stopped at a teahouse and ordered some coffee to help us warm up.
We had our last dinner at the hotel with the students from Chelmsford. They were on the same tour, and we kept bumping into each other throughout the week. One of the students told me that there were four other groups traveling abroad from Chelmsford – one in Costa Rica, one in Italy, one in Spain, and another group traveling in Germany. I was impressed with the number of students who were getting such an educational experience during their break.
The next morning we had an uneventful ride to the airport. That all changed when Victoria’s bag set off a panic. I was convinced we weren’t going to make our flight home when the five policeman that came to inspect her backpack were followed by the bomb squad. The entire security area was shut down while we waited to find out what was causing the ruckus. Meanwhile, Kendra and the rest of the kids were getting ready to board the plane and stall the takeoff. Luckily, after 45 minutes, the bomb squad realized that the “bomb” in Victoria’s bag was actually an iPod charger. Crises averted, we raced to the terminal with literally 30 seconds to spare. After that, things went smoothly and we had an easy layover in Amsterdam.
When we walked out of baggage claim at Logan, there were hugs all around. It was such an incredible trip, and I can’t wait to do another one!
