I was telling you about me being paranoid and having to plan everything and then sticking to the plans no matter what. Well, it seems that the Universe wanted to teach me a valuable lesson about plans and paranoia and it worked.

First of all, the morning I woke up to go to Cluj and catch my plane was gray, cold and rainy. I had packed only summer clothes from Bucharest and just tossed in a pair of jeans and some cardigans because Martha always told me how chilly it can get in the north of Germany. But what Martha didn´t tell me was that sometimes it´s cold everywhere in bloody Germany! I´ve exchanged temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius for autumn weather with temperatures that I don´t believe go higher than 18 degrees. So all my skirts and dresses and thin T-shirts are useless here, unless I put them all on me, at the same time.

Getting back to my plane trip, when we arrived at the airport the plane had a delay of 2h. Anyways, I sent my parents back home and waited patiently for them to announce that we were boarding. And I waited, and waited and waited and in the end they told us that we wouldn´t be flying that day but early next morning. I was a bit panicky by then because I don´t know anyone in Cluj but the airline company sent the non-Cluj people to a four star hotel. I can´t say that I was thrilled or anything like that but I wasn´t yelling like a retard demanding that the company should give me a refund or fly in a special plane just for us. On the other hand, I had all the time in the world, I could wait until next morning. Which morning turned into early afternoon. I still have no idea why our plane got cancelled – I´ve heard lots of rumours but nothing official – but, in the end, I made to Dortmund safe and sound.

From there I went to Schwelm, where I stayed at a friend´s of my Mum. That couple was amazing! I´ve never seen a couple their age (mid-forties) being that in love! I was totally impressed Not to mention what nice people they are and how they looked after me. At least I´ve started my trip meeting incredible people. So, while the people part is OK, the traveling one still needs more adjustments. On my first train ride within Germany, I got on the wrong train. I was at the right line, the time was right, a regional train came, I got on and everything seemed to be perfect until it was time to arrive in Köln and we weren´t there yet. Using my very poor German I asked a man if the train was going to Köln. Of course it wasn´t! I almost had a panic attack but the nice man told me to get off at the first station and simply wait there for the right train. And so I did. Thank God, Martha had bought for me some really cool tickets and I can take any train to get my destination. Yes, any train I want, I can change how many I want as long as I get to where I have to in less than 24h. And it costs only 30 euros/trip. Now that´s what I call a bargain!

There I was, in the middle of nowhere, having to wait another hour for my train. What did I do? I started talking with a girl next to me who turned out to not speak a word English! Damn, it was so difficult for me to speak German but I did it. I mumbled and mixed the articles and mispronounced almost everything but in the end she still got the right information: that I´m 23, traveling through Germany, staying at friends, that Romania is still regarded as a poor country but there are lots of rich people etc, etc.  We both got off in Köln and wished each other a nice holiday.

Now I am in Bad Homburg, staying at Vio´s place. I love it here! Yesterday we rode the bicycles along that wonderful wheat filed and into this really quaint city. I´m sure I will take tons of pictures here and have a wonderful time. Vio and I can´t stop talking – there are so many things we want to share with each other. In the end, this trip seems to be about discovering a better way of living (I´m seriously thinking of moving here one day) and having the greatest time with some of the greatest people I know