Looking Back on Germany

Aside from the electrical outlets and stunning lack of free ketchup at McDonalds, Germany was quite a bit like the upper midwest. The people, with very few exceptions, were both humble and helpful. Not being able to speak German myself, the language barrier was a significant concern for me before crossing the pond; however, I never once encountered someone unable to speak or at least have a basic command of English. Furthermore, I was never made to feel guilty for not being able to speak the language (the famously pretentious citizens of a certain fellow EU member state to the west could learn a thing or two from these folks).

Our brief stay in Munich began on a high note when everyone's luggage managed to successfully follow us the entire way. It was indeed a long journey, and we watched the sun rise and set twice before being able to enjoy a good night's sleep. From the very start, though, we definitely made the most of our time in the city and immediately embarked on a walking tour before finding our way to the Olympic Park which, unlike most host cities, has remained both intact and vibrant since the 1972 summer games. In fact, the site is almost entirely translatable into Munich's bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, an effort we learned more about on Thursday through meeting with a marketing executive at Lufthansa, one of the bid's primary corporate sponsors.

Those two days in Bavaria laid a great foundation for the rest of the term. The bid process, execution of the games and the legacy they leave vastly differ among host cities. As the olympics have adapted to a point where the commercial aspects surrounding the games often outweigh the games themselves, staging the event comes with an increasing amount of potential sources of failure both socially and economically. Munich, however, seems to have left one of the most positive legacies in modern Olympic history, even in light of the tragic events that inspired the film of its namesake.

Munich provided both great learning opportunities and great fun. After a rather trying day of travel yesterday, we are all happy to have arrived in Interlaken and look forward to taking advantage of all the activities the Swiss Alps offer. The city and the surrounding scenery is gorgeous; I encourage you to google it, but pictures alone will not nearly do it justice. Being here and walking among the mountains is something different entirely.