i have been made aware of your travel blog via your referenced “old friend from home”. played a bit of catch-up and read through everything up to and including the (at time of writing) latest entry about rostock. this electronic mail would not be fanmail without at least some praise. the writing is very pleasant to get through, and the style gives me the faint impression of reading a (fantasy) novel. the way even the smallest details are described makes it easy to end up wherever you are at that moment. without trying to stray too far into fanmail territory it becomes creepy (disclaimer), it does feel a bit like being there alongside you. the occasional well-placed remark keeps it balanced between storytelling and comedy. seems fitting.

for this first mail i will not dive too deep into the older entries, so focusing on the latest instead. to explain the above: these two snippets stood out the most — "thousands of trees by the railside, none of them thicker than a pole-arm for jousting with" and "the fish was alright and looked completely disgusting. the noodles were noodles". both describe the situation perfectly while also managing to be funny without trying too hard.

the whole coffee-shop arc was enjoyable as well. the usual struggles of the modern i-am-entitled-to-your-service world tend to overshadow the quieter, more genuine interactions, like the conversation that followed. good to see some balance restored there. i imagine the barista appreciated that.

quick note on the comment about the football club related stickers: 10/10, fully aligned with your 1/10.

another quick note on the multi-lane carways: blow that entire .... up (not sure if that phrasing is allowed, but it feels appropriate). also, there was a “two” too many in one of those sentences.

wishing you all the best on your travels. looking forward to reading what comes next. stay safe, stay healthy, and enjoy it. we will be here doing the same from a distance.

with kind regards,

björn broer