RoboCup 2023 in Bordeaux - Day 8/9/10 - The Farewell
Symposium and Miroir d’eau (Monday, 10.07.2023)
Good morning … or rather good afternoon, because after yesterday’s party we are all a bit worse for wear. After a very late hangover breakfast, Marcus and Daniel went to the symposium (Note: At the symposium, expert talks are given on various topics around robotics). The others spent the day in downtown Bordeaux or at the hotel. In the early evening we all met up in the city again to have dinner together. After a short discussion, we decided on a small Lebanese restaurant on a side street near the Place de la Victoire. Despite our team size, we were warmly welcomed and were served lovingly arranged and very good, if for some unfamiliar, dishes. A great place, great hosts and great food – what more could you want?
To finish, and before our departure, we didn’t go straight back to the hotel but made a detour to the Miroir d’eau – an area that is alternately dry, covered with about three centimeters of water, or covered with a water mist rising from ground nozzles. A very popular spot – especially on hot days like this one at 33°C – where people of all kinds come together and enjoy their time, and so did we. It was a very special atmosphere; all team members were incredibly relaxed and soaked up this moment. It was the last evening of a journey that felt like a beautiful fever dream. A time in which you got as close to one another as is almost impossible in everyday life. A journey with highs and lows, with stress and bliss. Letting all of this pass in review once more before your mind’s eye on this warm summer evening with a light breeze on your face was one of the most intense and beautiful moments of this trip.
Adieu Bordeaux! (Tuesday, 11.07.2023 & Wednesday, 12.07.2023)
One last bonjour before we set off on our return trip to Germany. The suitcases are packed quickly, one last breakfast together before our colleagues who came by van start on their way back. Safe travels, guys, see you on Wednesday in Wolfenbüttel! After breakfast, the rest of us tidied up and packed the last suitcases. Then it was waiting until the evening for our flight home. To top it all off, we also had two cases of illness in the team, who were looked after by all the other teammates as well as possible so that everyone could get through the exhausting trip. After some flight delays, we still arrived at Hanover airport shortly after midnight on Wednesday – even our luggage made it to Hanover undamaged and complete. There we were already joyfully welcomed by family members, and off we went on the last leg by car to Wolfenbüttel and Braunschweig.
After a short night in our own beds, some of us were back to everyday life on Wednesday already. In the evening, the rest of our team arrived at the university with the van, likewise joyfully welcomed by family and some team members. And with that, this trip to RoboCup 2023 finally ends after eleven days.
