Kate:
So we are finally here. In seven days time we'll fly to Southern Germany then head the final few miles by train to Donaueschingen, ready to start our journey two days later. It's weird, we have been building up to this point for so long that now that it is here it doesn't actually feel real. I am strangely calm, what will be will be and there is not really much more that can be done to change what is about to happen.
Andy and I are both snowed under (and yes it is currently snowing in Germany, so our first few days maybe in the most interesting of conditions) with sorting out phone contracts, selling old and unused life-goods, everyday life and seeing friends and family. We know that the next few days are going to be incredibly busy, and actually I think its better that way. The worries and doubts simply won't have space or time to come and infest my thinking; or so I hope.
I met up with a friend last week who I hadn't seen in a while but try to stay in contact with via social media. She asked when our journey would be finishing. 'We are hoping for early June' I replied. Looking a bit puzzled she said, 'but I thought you were starting soon?' It turns out that she had no idea how long the Danube actually is or that it would take us around three months to complete.
Its weird because this journey has been a huge part of my life for a while now; surely everyone knows all the details? It will very soon consume our lives, day in and day out, but now I think about it, in a way this calms me. Everyone has their own lives, normal and extraordinary all over this diverse and wonderful planet. Over the next 3 months my life will simply be another life being played out, only I'll be on the river rather than in an office or house. Its not a big deal, in fact its just two people on boards on a river - Huckleberry Finn already owns that story so the pressure is off and the fun is on.
So here is to our last week in the UK for a while. And instead of wondering and worrying what the future will bring, I think I'll head back to the bar for another glass of wine and simply enjoy being here this evening and in this awesome city for another seven days.
