Right now it's approximately 2:20AM local time, which is a good foreshadow of what you'll read below; what a crazy day! Quite a few things of note happen today, and in an effort to keep this brief I've listed a few things below that make for quite a tale:

I made my way to Cologne, Germany from Zurich, Switzerland, first by bus then by train?
- The question mark is there because I had to get off the bus because we got pulled over due to the fact that our driver was speeding and couldn't pay the fine, go figure that can happen! (A picture is included below for reference) In this scenario I end up springing into problem solving mode and ended up booking the first high speed train (Deutsch Bahn) from the first stop we finally got to after our driver paid the fine. This significantly reduced my travel time by 5-6 hours and in this case I chose Time over Money. The instant feeling is of course, "omg, I'm going to be so late, and why me?" which is quickly replaced with "okay so what are the viable alternatives and what makes economical sense". So I got to Cologne in record time around 9PM and got the time back to explore the city.
The train ride and Cologne!
- Germans prize efficiency and productivity above all else. I LOVE it. It's amazing to be travelling at close to 300Km/h seeing the German country side knowing you're racing right beside the French border. I think what's amazing to realize is how diverse countries in Europe are culturally. Going from South Germany to North Germany is in itself quite fun. The accent, the way people carry themselves, and even what they do changes. This includes slight differences in dialects all the way to the fact that some were doing complicated math problems and creating complex powerpoint decks, woot! (North vs. South)
- I got to learn about how Germany is split up and what the differences in the different segments are from a fellow traveller that I met on the platform on Mannheim during my supposed 10 minute stopover, which ended up being an hour long due to an unforeseen delay. Gotta love that about travelling, meeting like minded people is great!
Reconnecting with old friends:
- During my time at Cologne I was greeted by an old friend extremely warmly. It's great to walk into a city with friends to show you around and open their home for you to stay in. We walked through the city, with me getting a guided tour of the history of Cologne and what made it so unique. All the way from the Roman-Catholic gothic architecture to the way different liqueurs and beers were made. Germans love their alcohol, and it's so damn classy. Taking a shot of gin felt great as it rushed down my throat and the crushed mint infused my taste buds.

Overall, it was quite the day, and it's been a great trip so far. I think though, travelling in general is seen as a journey of self transformation, because it is perceived to be the ultimate "push outside the comfort zone". Really, I think self transformation is an internal choice one makes. I find myself not changing as much, but just experiencing things as they happen and responding as I see fit, but at the same time staying true to who I am. This is probably the most rewarding feeling, knowing that wherever I go around the world, I will still be able to attract people by being me. :)

That’s it for now, as always pictures are below!