alice

Helloo all!

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks so far on my travels. I passed the 2 week mark yesterday, so I’m officially one quarter of the way through my trip right now! I’m in Belgium at the minute with Nic and really having a fantastic time.

Before that I was in Brussels last weekend (after leaving Cologne in Germany), which was also very good. The weather has been pretty much perfect so far, tiny bit of rain a couple of times this week, but other than that, dry and sunny every day (though sometimes quite cold, but tis still better than rainy!)

Ha took me a while to get used to this Belgian keyboard. All the letters have moved round again from the German one

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That and a few people, that´s pretty much all I´m missing right now. The water here just ain´t the same.

Rightio well it was my last day in Cologne today, I leave tomorrow morning and go to west to Brussels yay. I´m having the time of my life, this wonderful feeling of being absolutely free and independant. Words can´t describe it.

The hostel I´m staying in at the mo in Cologne is really nice, and I´ve met so many people already, from all over the world. There´s a few other English people (strangely mostly from Manchester), some Germans, Americans, Canadians, French-Canadians, Finnish, Indian and Japanese. It´s really nice to all sit together in the hostel bar/lounge and just talk. Everyone here is on their own adventure, it´s fun to discuss it all.

Anyway, so what have I been up to? God, so much!

Before I came to Cologne I stayed one night in Unna, I arrived pretty late that night so nothing happened then. The next morning I went to a German university in the morning with Jutte and I met lots of people there. One guy was very enthusiastic to hear I was from England, and even more so that I was Northern, he said he loved to go to the Lake District.

Then to Cologne. I´ve been walking and exploring the city for the past 3 days and speaking lots and lots of German. Yesterday was my first full day, I explored the Dom (cathedral) and walked all the way to the very top, which was very tired and it was super hot. But the view was amazing and the clamber was worth it. I went for a long walk along the Rhine and over some bridges to the other side etc. I went to an amazing museum in the centre with lots of 20th century art, which was most wonderful.

I´m also quite tired now. Last night some of us from the hostel went out for drinks. Was fun but I don´t like beer much, and apparently Cologne is famous for it´s beer.

What else! Dunno.

Dunno. Took lots of photos of course, but you´re gonna have to wait for them

Anyway I need to write an email to my parents so they don´t worry. It´s 5.30pm here now, I think I´ll go out again while it´s still light. Luckily my hosstel is dead central, and even more luckily, the weather so far has been wonderful.

Anyway. I´m off. Cheerio.

I arrived in Cologne this afternoon. I spent the night at Jutte´s in Unna last night and today I bought a coconut. Much more to say but this keyboard is driving me insane as the keys are sticky and don´t work half the time.

And the keys are all in the WRONG PLACE damn zou German keyboard.

Anyway I´m having a mint time and I love it but I´m exhausted as hell and yes it´s only 9pm but I´m going to bed soon.

Right so I leave tomorrow. 7am in the morning, to be precise.

How am I feeling? Very very very nervous and scared, but also incredibly excited. This is going to be amazing. You know when something happens in your life which changes it forever, this is one of those. I can’t believe it’s actually happening. Maybe it’s all a dream and I’ll wake up…

Things I envision could go wrong and my solutions:

• I get lost - well, I will pick up a map of every city I’m in, and I will mark on it where I am staying. I have a document of directions to all my places of staying. I can always ask someone
• I lose my money - credit/debit cards. Emergency store of money.
• I lose my train ticket - I will break down and cry. Erm, after that, I’ll go to the train station, British embassy, sort it out.
• I lose my camera - I’ll buy another one
• I lose my passport - British Embassy will have a visit from moi
• I get, um, mugged… - give them the old one-two
• I miss a train - duh, I get the next one! No problemo
• I slip and break my leg - free European health care ftw
• I lose my credit/debit cards - ring up and cancel them immediately, survive on what money I do have until they can send me a replacement. Hmm this one could be tricky…
• I forget a German word for something vital - meh, they can get over it.
• I miss home - meh, I’ll be back soon enough.

I’ll try and put another update up where and when I can See you all later x

I have been craving a lot of Pulp lately. I don’t mean the gross stuff in orange juice, I mean this man and co:

Yeah.

Anyway, today was quite a nice day, despite nerves making me all jumpy. Got a lot sorted. Nerves are setting in definitely. And when I’m nervous I don’t eat much. I feel faintly ill.

I had one of those feelings today. Up til now, I’ve not really believed this was all real, in a way. I mean, obviously I’m dead excited and really looking forward to it. And I’ve been planning and organising like crazy so everything’s sorted. But I still didn’t believe it. Not really. I mean. In three days time I’ll be in Germany. And I won’t come home for two more months.

Doesn’t sound real. I don’t feel sad to be leaving. That sounds awful. Obviously I’m gonna miss home and my family a lot, but I’m not as sad as I expected me to be. I feel kind of distant.

So yeah, but now!

Well, I went to the student travel agency in Leeds to get a Student Travel Card so I can get nice discounts on stuff abroad. It was quite busy so I sat on a waiting chair and looked at all the brochures they had out. It was all ‘backpack through Australia’, ‘TAKING A GAP YEAR?!?!?!?!’, ‘Things to remember when you’re abroad’.

I watched these people around me, the ones talking to the staff, sorting out their own travels, their own plans. People walking about the office, discussing where they’d go, what they’d do. All the staff were really young and helpful. And encouraging. A young guy came up to me as I was off daydreaming, and he said ‘Hi, so where are you going?’

And of course I answered and didn’t just sit there like a lemon not saying anything. But inside I was thinking. It was like, this is normal. He understands what it’s like to be planning and organising and GOING ON a trip abroad. And not a holiday. A student travel thingy. Backpacking. Sightseeing. I can’t explain it.  And suddenly it dawned on me that for the next two months I’m gonna be living out of my backpack as I move from place to place, doing nothing and everything.

And I walked back into town, somehow distant. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a volcano which is bubbling and getting hot. It’s gonna explode soon and it will change my life. And it’s scary and dangerous but you know it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and you don’t wanna miss it. You can’t help being curious, peering over the edge to see all that lava.

Except instead of lava it’s a train ticket around Europe.

I didn’t actually get the Travel Card cos stupid me forgot a passport photograph. DOH. I’ll go back tomorrow.

Sometimes we rock and roll, sometimes we stay at home, and that’s just fine.

Today was a really really good day. I got up nice and early to a bright and clear sky, and I went into town about 10ish to meet Joanne. I’m trying to see as many people as I can before I leave on Sunday, and cos it’s Easter holidays everyone is home from uni at the mo. Good timing eh.

I went to three cafes today with three (well, technically four) different people. Ace.

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Smiling is good. Here are some of my favourite smiles I have found on Flickr (click each photo to link back to its original Flickr page and the original photographer):