And what's going on in Helsinki? (5/5)

Day of departure / Wednesday, December 6th, 23rd

Oh wow. I felt almost nothing. Just a little annoyed voice in my head that was beating me up for not making the most of my time.

I felt the comfortable mattress beneath me, heard my neighbors and wished I could lie here forever and enjoy the warmth of the bed. Neither having to leave nor ever having to move again.

I did this consistently for an hour until I moved to the kitchen far away, made coffee and went straight back to bed.

"I still have to organize postcards. I still have to take off the bed. I still have to experience something. I still have to eat," it was circling in my head.

I hate that word: “ must .” Who says I “ have to ” do anything?

I have to pack things, I realize that. At least if I want to take her home again. In fact, I don't need the things at all, because once again I realized that I brought far too many things with me on my trip. A backpack with clothes, coffee, laptop and my toothbrush.

While I constantly hear from my friends that they don't understand how I survive with just these "few" things, I have a crisis. I guess part of me wishes that if you don't own anything material, you don't have any non-material worries either.

I don't have any worries at all. Still, there's this annoyed voice in my head. Whatever it wants, my body wants me to eat something.

So, it's time to learn. To learn to be in a bad mood with a clear conscience. It's probably not forbidden, is it?

“Development trip” is what my trip to Helsinki was called. Not mine. Absolutely no way.

I just wanted to get away from home.

“Why exactly?” - "Why not?" is clearly the answer to this stupid why question. "Because I have time, because the world is huge and beautiful, because life wants to be lived, that's why!"

So I shot myself in the foot again. "Because it wants to be lived." - she said while she didn't feel like getting up.

Shortly before my host was supposed to arrive, I got up, washed up, took off the bed and packed my things.

Anas came in and was completely amazed: "Oh, it's so clean in here! You even washed up and made the sheets! Thank you so much!"

Funny. Some people are so easy to make happy.

So, the man now had his apartment back and I'm on the road again.

Thanks to my outward journey with Lufthansa, I really had no confidence that everything would go according to plan from now on. But hey, you always manage it somehow.

Do you know when you use public transport in another country and are afraid of missing the stop? Once briefly lost in thought and tadaa:

Quickly got out, looked for the terminal and found that it was 2 km away from me.

Haha, wrong stop after all. Okay, one last walk before I have to sit for hours again.

Do you remember when I told you yesterday that the Finns run super fast? This dude in front of me was easily a few hundred meters behind me and just overtook me. Apparently I'm just moving pretty slowly...

Helsinki airport is really the best. Aside from the highest escalators I've ever used, you can walk through security without unpacking your belongings.

I was just about to throw away my water bottle when the good lady told me I could take two liters of liquid with me. Mega! Why can't Hamburg do this?

Constantly checking my email gave me the assurance that all flights were going according to plan. First back to Frankfurt, then on to Hamburg. Still logistically inefficient, but hey, flying is fun too. Estimated arrival in Hamburg: 10:20 p.m.

Strangely, I was able to resist my impulse to rebook the flight and fly somewhere else entirely and then dutifully went to my departure terminal in Frankfurt.

Finally the announcement I was waiting for came: Dear passengers of flight xy: boarding to Hamburg is delayed. New boarding: 10:00 p.m.

Would have been too good. At least I was in good company again:

Inwardly I could already see myself spending the night in these funny cabins. They need something like that in Helsinki too.

I'll probably have the experience of sleeping in a napcap at another time, because Lufthansa actually did it!

Welcome home, enjoy your stay!

What have I gained from this “development journey”?

• Always keep a cool head, the journey is the destination.