Wayne Hipley

Our journey began at Dulles Airport.  Ours was the first group there and we enjoyed seeing the trickle of friends new and old arriving at the airport.

Our flight was delayed by nearly an hour, but the delegation remained upbeat and patient. As soon as we got on the jet, they encouraged us to set our watches six hours ahead to help us acclimate to the time change. By doing this, we effectively ate our dinner at 3:30 Saturday morning. But spirits were high even though sleep was in short supply.

We were behind schedule arriving in Frankfurt, which caused some of our delegation to miss their connecting flight to Munich. Things became even more interesting on our arrival in Munich when it became clear that many of us were without our luggage. But the delegation moved on with our journey.

Saturday was spent catching naps on the bus; visiting the Nymphenburg, Germany’s largest palace, and enjoying the sights and sounds of Munich; and taking in Munich’s famous Glockenspiel at the 5:00 hour. We then walked to the Hilton City Munich for some rest, dinner and anxiously await the arrival of the remainder of our luggage.

It was a great day. A day of leaning on one another, a day of proudly representing our faith communities and a day of celebration in the face of challenge. A fitting beginning to our pilgrimage.