Hello everyone. I’m coming at you from a different part of Germany now. Through my window, I’m able to see the charming roads of Siegburg, a little town just outside of Cologne.

The way I got here is not an extremely interesting story, but what is interesting, is that I’m here to stay.

Here to stay has a different meaning to me than it does (probably) for most of you. Seeing as the average time I spend in a single location is about 2 days, a week is considered a major move.

I’m here in Siegburg for 10 days sort of a month. I’ll be here until the 20th.

I’m mostly here to work, and get some “money” stuff done. For those who are contemplating trying your own hand at traveling with your business, I would urge you to build in “pauses” and rests into your long-term travel. When I first started out, I thought I would be able to “go, go, go”. Lack of infrastructure (for internet, etc) in Europe has caused me to need to create some more permanence, so I have the chance to create an environment that is productive for me.

Amongst the many things I have been experiencing recently, are a few select things I would like to highlight. Here they are:

1. Siegburg’s “Stadtfest”
   This was very cool, and completely by fluke. I happened to arrive in Siegburg on the same day (the 29th) as the starting of their local “Stadtfest”. For those who don’t know, each town has a local “Stadtfest”, and it happens just once a year for a select set of days. During “Stadtfest”, the city’s main market streets are closed off to vehicles, and taken over by little booths.Local businesses, local restaurants, carnival games, ice cream stands, all create booths that collectively create a representation of the spirit of the town.This was my first, and will certainly be my most memorable. My most memorable experience of Stadtfest was witnessing a show put on on the sidewalk of a group of young German people dancing in perfect synchronicity to remixed traditional German folksongs.
2. Joseph Campbell’s: The power of Myth
   My friend Richard Cray suggested this video series. At the time, I poo pooed the suggestion, as religion and spirituality for me have always been almost painful to hear about. This are a truly wonderful series of episodes, however, as Joseph Campbell’s views on the world show ultimate acceptance and tolerance, and his words create bonds between religions, rather than proving any one point.Even if you’re not a religious person (in fact, especially if you aren’t) these would be well worth a watch if you can track them down.
3. Michel Thomas Basic German Learning CDs
   Timothy Ferris recommended them, my new friend Bleicke recommended them, and all of the Amazon reviews strike this series as a nearly perfect 10. Michel Thomas, who grew up in Poland, was sent of to school in Germany, lived in France along the way, and ended up in the US knows his stuff when he talks about language. In these courses, he really guides you along and removes all of the typical angsiety surrounding language learning.If you need to learn a language quickly, you can’t get better than this.

So that’s the latest.

In 20 days or so, I’ll be heading off to London to meet up with my mother for a two-week-long jaunt accross Britain.

There are yet more interesting things in the works regarding my future destinations, but I’ll keep that a mystery until its fully shaped.

I’ll try to be more eloquent (and constant) in future posts…but for now, I’ve got work to do!