This isn’t the first time I write something like ‘the trip finally starts’. First I left Heidelberg for good, then I said farewell to my parents and friends in my hometown and then to my close friends in Berlin. But crossing the Atlantic and visiting Knoxville somehow did not bring the feeling of excitement you’d expect when going on a one-year backpacking tour. Knoxville feels so incredibly familiar, staying the last four weeks at Loukas’ place, visiting the Oak Ridge National Lab and by chance running into people I know at Starbucks, Borders or Market Square almost daily. It feels like I have been living here for years. But after a few days delay due to my package from Germany that I already believed to be lost, I finally said goodbye to Knoxville and friends and the real backpacking begins.
It’s 1 am now and I am sitting in a bus to Washington DC. For the first time during the journey I feel real excitement. Amazing how a 9 hour bus ride through the night can make you feel so excited, free and happy. But for now it’s time to catch some sleep…