Auf Wiedersehen

I hate saying goodbye. It seems so final. So instead I say auf wiedersehen, "until next time."  It wasn't easy to leave Germany on Wednesday afternoon. As the plane taxied, a squall blew in and gave me a wonderful image to remember Stuttgart by. I didn't have to cry. The clouds were tearing up for me.

I watched the sun set over the German horizon for the last time this year as it set on my trip. It was a little overwhelming, thinking about how many people in so many places have shown me the most amazing hospitality and friendship over the past 6 weeks. It hits me every time I travel just how blessed I am by the people whose lives I am not an active, everyday part of. Somehow they have all welcomed me into their homes, sharing their food, culture, friends... regardless of how long it had been. Turning West and flying 6000 miles away from these people is always a bit of a letdown.

As I boarded my plane in Amsterdam I thought about all of the other homeward journeys I had begun in those terminals, watching the sun rise over the flat Dutch horizon. Detroit felt strange as I stepped back onto American soil. The people talking quickly with their soft S's and hard R's, the huge coffees, the limp bread. But as I boarded the plane to Seattle it really hit me; I was going home. I ran up the stairs to meet the smiling face and open arms waiting for me at the end of my trip.

another Schiphol sunrise

What it boils down to is this: I am blessed by the people I know, regardless of where I go. So to the people who made this trip amazing from both sides of the Atlantic, to those who share their lives with me, who make home home or make me feel at home 10.000km from home, thanks. I love each of you!

I just watched the sun set in Philadelphia en route to Quebec. Another adventure begins...