It was with little sleep I got out of bed this morning. From 2 o’clock in the morning I was a in semi-awake state only to fall back asleep again 5 minutes before I had the set alarm clock. Today, I would finally leave my home and family to start my long planned cycle tour though the Balkans. With a heavy heart I said goodbye to Jo and the kids and to Eric and Katrien (who came to wave me goodbye, real friends Jan) and stepped into the car of Wim which would bring me to Ko ln to take the direct train to Passau. Thanks to Germany’s efficient and modern train infrastructure I was soon waiting on the platform to board the train to Vienna. The train was 6 minutes late so not sure if german efficiency is still a thing. I’m writing this blog whilst riding a comfortable train through sunny Germany looking at a landscape slowly changing from hilly to flat to hilly again. Besides the changing landscape I’m observing the other travellers typing on their smartphones, listeni...