Now I'm not sure if this really quantifies as "travelling" yet, I'm currently led in my own private room with my own bathroom and television...hardly what you can call "slumming it." I booked this accommodation as it was within close proximity to the city centre, and it is, slap bang in the middle of it. It was advertised as a hostel, but it's really just a hotel. I won't complain it's fairly cheap but my chances of camaraderie are limited to myself.

I arrived with a very surreal feeling, I'll explain. Last week a local (Andy) came into the pub enquiring about my trip, the usual question came, "Why start in Hannover?" well for those who don't know I was born here and lived here for little under 2 years. I have never returned. He then went onto say in a jovial manner, "you don't know who you are, you have no identity as you don't know exactly where you were born." He then reeled off how he was born 3 streets down from Turf Moor yadayadayada...I switched off at Turf Moor. It was a joke and at the time I laughed and took it as so.

On the plane touching down here in Hannover the aforementioned feeling came, the sense of knowing you have been and lived somewhere before but had no recollection of it. I was suffering from a warped self diagnosis of amnesia. It then became clear that Andy, although being facetious, was in fact correct, I didn't know exactly where I was born...and maybe somewhere deep down this has left a void...not a vast one, but a void none the less.

My first impression of Hannover is positive, perhaps enhanced by the weather. It's warm and sunny, I had that holiday feeling disembarking the plane! Hannover is a large city by England's standards, it's twinned with Bristol but for all those who haven't been there I'd say this is just a little smaller than Manchester and it's flat, jesus it's flat, there isn't a hill in sight. Give me Pendle Hill anyday!

I've not done much as I got here about 8, without a hitch! I think German women have a bad rep because I've seen plenty of good looking women so far! I have found a local for the next 4 nights (see picture) it's a traditional Bavarian beer haus, very nice and friendly inside. Infact one of the waitresses underestimated my German as I recognised her say to the barman, who I had light convo with most of the evening, "he's good looking is he English" to which the barman replied "yes but you don't speak english so it's pointless" (or an exchange similiar) Don't know wether to take the good looking compliment or the his German is s*** insult, ah well. I watched Hannover in the Europa League they won 5-3!! Managed to make reasonable conversation remarking to barman, Auf England Leon Andreason war scheisse! Er ist ein heisse Kopf! Remember him for Fulham? Bag of s***e, but he scored a screamer tonight!

Anyway I got here safe and very excited for the adventure to come but I think the real travelling will begin in Berlin, this is the time for self discovery. Thanks for reading!