Back to reality - powered by Deutsche Bahn

From Vietnam via China to Germany in around 30 hours.

And then the adventure really begins.

I landed on time from Hanoi.

Two stops in China - everything went like clockwork. Friendly flight attendants, no problems changing planes, luggage included. I thought: Well, that's going well! Maybe the kite on the Hang Múa really is good luck.

Ha! I was young and naive.

Because as soon as I set foot on German soil, reality sets in - in the form of platform 3, 12-minute delay, missed connection.

Train missed in Mannheim.

Waiting.

New connection.

Train arrives. Hope rises.

Then in Stuttgart: “Please note: there is no stop in Ulm.”

Sure, why stop? Who wants to get off?

Instead, a group of stag party men get on.

Beer in hand, “Cordula Grün” in their hearts, festival atmosphere.

I'm sitting in the middle of it all, wavering between a cultural crash and unexpected gratitude: at least I'm entertained.

They toast to each other - I sip inwardly at my patience.

Then: missed connection. Next train delayed. Messages change as quickly as Google Maps in a tunnel.

Detour, new platforms, trying to keep my bearings - an escape room in real time.

And as I slowly dig my way through southern Germany, I ask myself:

How can a country where everything seems so structured have such chaos on rails?

In Vietnam, traffic works like a flowing organism - without traffic lights, without rules, but with consideration.

In Germany, we have technology, timetables and announcements. Only one thing is missing: function.

I arrive four hours later than planned.

Through. Tired.

But - and this is the crazy thing - in a good mood.

Thanks to a group of beers on a farewell tour, a lost dragon smile in my luggage and the realization:

It is what it is. And at some point you arrive.

After Vietnam, you come back relaxed.

The train checks whether you're going to stay.

I have learned that being late is not a condition. It's a test of character.

And at least I've arrived.

Not only locally, but also mentally: back in the German railroad wonderland.