We attended our daughter’s high school graduation – the class of 2016 at Frankfurt International School (FIS) in Oberursel on 4 June 2016.

The graduation ceremony was held as usual at Oberursel City Hall.

The guest speaker was Reinhold Messner, the most famous mountaineer of all time. His talk was good and interesting, but personally, I found it too long at 45 minutes. We parents are eager to move on, and a change of speakers or performers is quite welcome at this point. He also directed his talk at the students by making certain references to having enthusiasm, visions, etc., and he had a few anecdotes to share as well.

But we parents have already climbed our personal mountain to get to that point – our child’s graduation. I wanted a shorter descent.

The happy toasting family.

Over the years, the school had rented the event hall at the Sheraton Hotel at the Frankfurt Airport. This year, it was the first time to host the graduation dinner dance at the Gesellschaftshaus Palmengarten in Frankfurt. What a grand setting. It could not have been done any better. The appetizer was served, the rest was from the buffet. Service was splendid, and the food was good. Not gourmet style, but good. If you aren’t vegetarian, try their veal. That was gourmet.

Well, we got what we paid for, and I dare say, we even got a little more.

Another bonus was the restaurant’s patio and its view. It was a warm and somewhat humid day, so at certain times, it was nice to be on the patio to catch the breeze. This was with a glass of wine in hand, and a feeling of accomplishment in my chest. Take a deep sigh and enjoy the moment.