In Cologne I was introduced to the soaring heights of Gothic architecture through Cologne Cathedral.
Also I did something strange and momentous: I met for the first time someone I've known for a long time.
Rinna and myself met over the internet and became friends through our mutual love of Japanese pop band SMAP and of writing. This was over a year ago. We know a lot about each other and interact on a weekly or sometimes even daily basis, but we'd never met, never spoken on the phone, never even exchanged photographs.
Meeting her was like having a character from a favourite novel walk right off the page.
For the first few hours I couldn't believe she was really real, and really the same person I knew so well. I found myself visualising the words she said as they would look on a computer screen to make myself more comfortable. It was truly strange.
As you will see from the next entry however, I soon recovered and began to enjoy myself...
|  | 
|
