Full Circle
This evening we touched down in Dublin where this trip began two weeks ago. It’s surreal to walk a (relatively) familiar city and felt a bit like déjà vu. Although unlike last time we aren’t wide-eyed noobs. We feel more like seasoned travelers. I wish I knew how many miles we’ve walked, trained, and plane’d. I can’t believe I used to complain about walking accross purdue’s campus!
Over dinner we talked a bit about the 7 cities, the hostels, and the funny stories. It’s been a whirlwind. It’s wild to think that we’ll be home tomorrow night. I’ll give a few of the highlights from yesterday in Munich.
We arrived at the hostel early, about 930. Running on 4 hours of sleep, we spent the morning chillin in the lobby until we could get into our room at noon. We didn’t have much planned for the afternoon so we decided to check out a free walking tour we heard about. The tour was 3 hours long and visited all the best spots in the city. We were all curious about how “free” it really was. It just had a sketchy vibe. That vibe was amplified by an irritating guide and attempts to sell us stuff, so we bailed on the tour before it fully began. Later we all agreed - that was one of the top 5 decisions of the trip. Instead we wandered the city center ourselves, saw a beautiful church, and walked through the English Gardens (massive park in the city). And what did we find in the gardens? A street soccer court! We joined the game and played some 6v6 for about an hour. So much better than a tour!! It’s like a dream come true to be surrounded by so many people who share our passion for the game.
After we found our way home we took a little nap and headed out to the famous beer house downtown, Haufberhaus (complete guess on the spelling). I guess it’s one of the things Munich is known for. The halls and courtyards can hold something rediculous like 1,400 people. It’s pretty insane. It’s all very traditional german style. Pretty cool.
This morning was uneventful and relaxing. We are winding down psychologically. Less focused on seeing sights and more on enjoying, relaxing, and reflecting. Plus we are pretty tired. We’re predicting lots of sleep on the 8 hour flight tomrrow. We leave dublin at 2 and land in Chicago at 4. Some sort of time travel.
This will be my last update from Europe. I will post pictures and post-trip thoughts/conclusions/stories when I get home. That’s all for me here in Dublin. Good night!
