130818 08.47

Not much sleep, but I am still fairly energized.  On my way to Gothenburg to have a meeting about school development and Sustainable development, and then back to Stockholm. Feels wired to go back and at the same time it feels really good. Have so many new people, new found friends in my life, so much more experiences and loads of new memories. And I have amazing people and loved ones at home, in Sweden and Stockholm that I now will be able to see again.

Yesterday we had an amazing event with Race for the Baltic. Loads of signatures collected, people engaged and #BeersfortheBaltic afterwards. The team met and we had an intense conversation about all that is now going to happen. J and me talked and just a little bit and it feels like we’re already on the right tracks. One intense month in front of me and I feel like I am somehow coming back to life.

Left with a train 6.33 this morning, didn’t have time to say Goodbye to the whole team. Sending my love to you guys.

130817 08.01

Paris, originally uploaded by enchans.

At the Hotel having breakfast, one hour before we’re supposed to meet. Heavenly coffee. Just shower and then I’m all good. It’s raining, but hopefully it will stop before 11. Im already soaked by the rain plus a welcome-splash a car gave me when I arrived with the bus.

Waking up.

130817 00:16

DSC00561, originally uploaded by enchans.

On a bus to Copenhagen right now, late. As all of my transports seem to be nowadays.

04.45
Fell asleep quite quickly. The strain of decorating a home for a Fairy party and then being at the Fairy party and also listening to and trying to speak German during the evening seem to have knocked me out.

Now on the Ferry from Germany to Denmark and I am longing to have breakfast, coffee and a shower before the event today. The Hotel is close to the station so it will be easy to get there.

Talking about moving to Berlin is getting closer and closer all the time and on Wednesday I’ll have a phone interview for a job there. Cross your fingers. I’ll tell you what kind of position it is later.

130815 14.06

DSC00527, originally uploaded by enchans.

Berlin and I am trying to get work done, but I keep on finding places where I can only be logged in to the web one hour at the time. Darn this city. Too many hipsters taking over cafés with their laptops so that the owners feel the need to restrict the possibility to get internet access. Pay for the humongous plate of pasta I just ate and then off again. Find another place. Hopefully where I can sit for a couple of hours. Want to go to Pannierstrasse, but in Warschauer Strasse I know a place where there is limitless internet access. We’ll see…

15.40

Back at café Futuro at Pannierstrasse, been here before and with their cheesecake, coffee and Internet I can live.

.

130814 10.29

In Berlin at my friends flat. S and L let me stay here for some nights.

Arrived in Berlin the day before yesterday, jumped of the train, was going to figure out where to go and where I could find lockers and suddenly R stood there. I knew we were going to be in Berlin at the same time, but that we would actually be on the same train form Hannover and meet like this at the station. Didn’t really think that would happen. Thought Berlin was big, but I guess if the world is a small place, Berlin is even smaller. Sorted Rs ticket to Krakow, left our bags at Rs hostel and then went to grab something to eat. I left to meet up with the sister of S to get the keys for the apartment and then grab a beer with E, A and their friends. Always nice to see them. A is going to Australia in January or February: You could come with us. E is going to have a room to let here in Berlin: You could move to Berlin. Maybe I will.

Yesterday I went to the co-working space, café and bar St Oberholz. Sat and worked, then lunch and East Side gallery with R. Dinner, and had the best pasta ever just next to Alexanderplatz. Food lovers both of us. I went back to Oberholz, R back to the hostel to get ready for leaving in the morning. One less distraction. You’re right. Might see you again, might not. I guess that’s life and what we need to deal with.

130812 12.55

DSC00496, originally uploaded by enchans.

I have one more train ride after this that will be with my Interrail pass. Right now we’re heading for Hannover in order to change to go to Berlin. This train is delayed 5 minutes and we’ll see if I manage to catch the other one. I stayed in Kassel one more night while it got late and I would not have been in Berlin until 12 or 01 in the night.

Yesterday I went up to the Hercules statue and looked at the tourists and the water. Then I got lost in the woods and the road seemd like it would never end. Some kids that I passed sang “Wenn komme wir zu ende”. I enjoyed the silence before I found my way back to the water. V from the hostel and me went to Buga See and went for a swim. The water was warmer then I’d thought and the swim became longer than I’d thought. V showed me the art around the city from the Documenta exhibitions and the Orangerie. We arrived at a small Biergarten and I think it was around that time I decided I’d stay in Kassel one more night. I could stay at Vs place.

There was a concert and the band was Irish, Glen Hansard & band. I didn’t recognize it at first, but V noticed early that this was music like The Frames. One of the last songs made me react more. What was that song… The movie “Once” an Irish movie. The actor and the musician Glen Hansard. The song is played in the movie. And I am adding a new song to my list for my travels. A song that is connected to Kassel.

15.09
Last train ride on my Interrail. One hour left to Berlin now and I managed to sleep some. Eat two pieces of Energy chocolate which I bought in Aachen (Same thing as I once got for free at the Spa Hotel I worked at, but now I know how it’s supposed to taste like. The once I got where old and was going to be thrown away. Even with that in my body I fell asleep.

In Bruges I had a coffee and to that I got a small package with something sweet, but I didn’t want it right then. Offered it to R but none of us wanted it and I just put it in my bag instead. It’s just in Sweden we don’t really have that. Everywhere else I go in the world you get a small package with something sweet with your coffee. Pretty much without any exception. Just now I opened it. A small waffle. Sweet and tasting a little bit like ginger and cinnamon. Flashbacks to Bruges.

I have been feeling a little bit lost, and I guess I still do. For some reason I have had the feeling I am leaving all the time. Instead of the feeling of gaining experiences and getting new friends I feel like I am losing them, I am leaving the places I’ve been to and I am leaving the people. Will I ever see these places and the people again? I don’t know. I feel at home everywhere, I see amazing things and I meet amazing people. Friendly, fun and adorable. Kindhearted, honest, open minded and with big hearts inviting you in. I don’t want to lose them, I want to keep them.

V kind of got me back on track. V saw my state of mind, I couldn’t really hide it. The fact that I need to see that I am not loosing anything, but that I am lucky to have met all of these people and seen all of these places. As my darling Á wrote to me: Your brother must really know you well”. And I really think he does. I needed this trip. And I still do, because it not to an end yet. Cliché; I am just starting my life and it will always be a journey and an adventure. I will never stop learning. Getting to know myself, humans, the world. This trip will never end. Amazing what one meeting can do to you. All the feelings, it feels like they’re going to knock you unconscious. I’ve met a lot of people that made my head spin and my heart skip a beat, maybe that is why I am also feeling overwhelmed. Almost all the time. I am happy I met you V and that I stayed in Kassel one more night. It meant a lot. Probably more than you can imagine. Maybe we’ll see each other soon again.

20 minutes before arriving in Berlin Hbf. Life. What a crazy thing.

130811 10.36

DSC00382, originally uploaded by enchans.

Been up for a while and had breakfast. Internet isn’t working and even though all personnel here at the youth hostel in Kassel are really nice, they are either not really informed or they are not really flexible when it comes to rules. Have wasted 1 hour trying to get internet connection and the effect of the coffee and even the energy chocolate I ate are fading away. Eventually I had to pay for a new ticket instead of the reception just giving me a new one. I would call flexibility service. I did not get that this time. I need to leave this place and go to the park which is a UNESCO world heritage and the biggest hillside park in Europe. Going to look at the Hercules statue and the “water games” which is some kind of fountain.

The sun is looking through the clouds and I might go swimming this afternoon. V and P from Kassel who gave me ice cream yesterday offered me to go with them. I’m going to do that. No museums, not the exhibition that apparently have made this city famous, just nature. And I’ll hopefully get to Berlin in time. Time to get things sorted for the day and leave this hostel.

I wish I had more time. More of life right now. Feels like it’s running through my fingers right now. I can’t think and I am thinking to much.

130810 16.27

One night in Aachen and I stayed with the Croatian girl N at Ro’s place and Ro’s friend. The two came with the car to the Liége-Gullemins station where N and me where stuck. They hadn’t been there before and we didn’t use a map and their tactic where to try every street so we came back to their place pretty late and I got to see the city! I slept on the couch in their kitchen and today we went to the center to see the Cathedral which is a UNESCO world heritage. Aachen is also the city in Germany that is located furthest to the west. Life is funny sometimes and I am glad me and N chose the same train and the seats just next to each other. Of course I would have managed without N somehow, but this turned out to be a memorable trip. A good one. N had been to Brussels and had she not chosen to go there before going to Aachen, she we wouldn’t have been on the same train and I might have been alone and without having someone to joke around with about the fact that we were in quarantine on the train because of a Zombie virus and they were sending all the passengers from the front of the train to the back of the train so that they could separate the once that hadn’t been contaminated yet from those who had been.

Now I’m on my way to Kassel again. The train I was supposed to take now was 50 min late so I had to take another one, but this time it seems like it’s going to be ok, but I am not jumping up and down just yet. I have started to speak a little bit of German again and getting more comfortable with it.

130810 16.45

Me and T from SanFran didn’t finish the whole walking tour that first day in Bruges, we walked around, bought something to eat and sat by the water in the sun. Went to Snuffels hostel, the hostel I stayed at the last time I was in Bruges, and we had a beer before I left for the concert. It was amazing to see them play in the garden of the church and with the discreet but cool lightshow. There was one guy dancing in front of the stage and everyone else where sitting down listening. I stood in the back. Also dancing, but not nearly as much movement as the guy in front of the stage. I wanted to take a photo and went up to the stage and in the end of the concert I was dancing (my way of dancing) in front of the stage too. I thought: what the hell. I’m in Bruges at a Múm concert, if I want to dance, I will dance. That’s how life should be, always. The concert was amazing and T called me afterwards. We met up, but before that I had found some cool guys in a studio next to a park. We ended up hanging out with them and their friends the whole night. J, from Bruges, was the one I also hung out with the evening after. Late night, not much sleep and amazingly much fun. Been to many nice bars, I just wish I could remember the street names. And yeah, met the bartender who served me the nice beers same day at one of the clubs we went to that night. Bruges is a small city.
On Wednesday it rained the whole day and I stayed in. No tour to the coast, no bike ride. I slept and then it took me forever to sort out my trip back to Sweden and where to go next; Berlin, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Stockholm. I decided where I was going after Bruges and I chose Kassel, a city in between Bruges and Berlin. Nature and art. I want nature. I thought I would get two whole days in Kassel, but yeah... You know the story (130810 04).

Kept in contact with A, the person on whose couch I stayed at the first night in Bruges. We planned for a walk, never happened. But I am happy I met A and kept in contact with A.

I walked (in the rain) to the oldest café/bar/restaurant in Bruges, looked nice, but too expensive and I had already eaten bread and organic salmon on my way to the café. Yeah, I found a shop that sell organic food in Bruges.

Vintage, a bar, a DJ, Belgian beers again. J came and joined me and a got to meet the brother and the father. I met Js friends and people I thought was her friends, but they didn’t know each other, but now they’ve met. We left for another bar and more friends, I really wish I could remember how we got there, but I just followed J along the streets of Bruges and we arrived at a really nice bar and I had some really nice beers. If I had bought those beers in Stockholm I would have been ruined by now.

Went back to one of Js friend’s apartment and stayed until the morning. Thanks for letting me be a part of your life during these who days. I had a lot of fun.

Thursday was the day for my trip to Zeebrugge. Went up in order to have the hostel breakfast, then back to sleep 1 hour before grabbing my things and go to the beach. Me and Pascal x 2 (from Swizerland) found our way from the train station and they went to the beach while I found a bike. 8 Euro, 4 hours and of I went. Biking towards Holland. Harbor, beach and then a park.

DSC00278, originally uploaded by enchans.

I found a perfect spot in-between two small sand-grass hills, sat down barefoot in the sand listening to the ocean and the crickets and nature. The sound if the wind. Could have stayed there forever. Swam in the sea and the sea licked my bag and my shoes with its salty tongue even though I placed my things carefully not too close and not too far away from the water. I biked passed two kids selling bracelets that they had done themselves. U-turn and I bought the most expensive one, 2 Euros, orange. They tied it around my wrist and I took a photo of the artists before I left.

R was going to arrive at the hostel 7.30 pm. I met R in the line at the train station in Paris waiting to book tickets to Bruges. From New Zeeland, living in Australia, and talking like the great white in Finding Nemo. R has been traveling for a couple of months now and I said “you should come to Bruges” and R eventually booked a hostel in Bruges, same as me, for one night, my last night and then the plan for R was Amsterdam.

R arrived and we went into town for food. And beer. Why we only managed to get to an Irish bar and an American bar, I don’t know. But we ended our night at the Irish bar alone with the staff and Canned heat – Going up the country.

Yesterday we walked around in Bruges, food, I left R at the station and then it was my turn to leave. Again, you know the story after that. At least as far as Aachen. (130810 04).

I’m in Frankfurt in a couple of minutes. Riding trains where they speak English and German and they have electric outlets everywhere. I know I am getting closer to the end of my trip.

I’m not sure if it’s because it’s Saturday or if it’s because I am in Germany, but everybody is drinking beer on the train.

130810 04.27

Life is crazy. Was aiming for Kassel in Germany, but the train got delayed 2,5h. Sleeping on another couch, this time in Aachen. Tomorrow I'll go to Kassel.

130806 15.19

DSC00124, originally uploaded by enchans.

Bruges, I was too late for the hostel and I managed to get a couch to sleep on. Mom, dad: don’t worry. I checked in at the hostel this afternoon and now I am at a bar drinking my first Belgian beer here. I asked for a dark Belgian beer and I looked at the menu. He looked at me and said; I’ll just bring you something good. Happiness. And he brought me something dark and with loads of hop flavour. (J, this is your kind of beer.)

Múm is playing in Bruges this evening. I am going to go. (N, if you’re reading this I know you’de like it!) A was amazed when I saw that. My host told me that there was a lot of festivals going on in Bruges right now and I looked this one up and yeah. Múm. Love it.

Soon me and a guy from SanFran’s going to do the city walking tour, grab something to eat and sit in a park before the concert. And now they’re playing Daft Punk at the bar. Love Love Love.

Tomorrow I want to go to the coast and bike.

130805 16.18

DSC09991, originally uploaded by enchans.

On a train again and the Escobar song on a train is spinning in my head. 25 minutes from Paris and I am on my way to Bruges. This trip is going to be the first on this trip that is complicated with four changes and its going to be about 6 hours and I’m fine with that. I am just hoping to be able to grab a bus and that the hostel staff is still there when I arrive. If not I’m heading for a bar and Belgian beer.

I was in Bruges 2010 during wintertime. Now it’s summer and I am going to use Bruges as a base camp and travel to places close by during daytime. I want to sit by the sea.

The 31th my goal was to go to Pompidou, and so I did. I stayed almost the whole day, bought a crepe and went to meet up with M some other old friends. We sat by the water, Quai de Sense, talked and looked at the boats passing by. Went back to one friends place and had a drink before going back home.

On Thursday the 1th I want to Montmatre to meet D. We had pastries and wine and looked at the amazing view. We walked around along the calm streets and then we went back because D was going to work. I got to see Ds apartment too. I went back home to M and M came back from work. Schower and meet JG and then Chl and Cha came too. Tripel Karmelit, D-Punch and clubbing. Met T there and D came later. And yeah, we stayed late. Have no idea how M managed to go to work on Friday but yeah.

Friday, I slept, then I went out, bought a pain chocolate at a bakery close by and went on the metro to a station I can’t remember what it was called and bought a organic vegetarian burger. Take away and they told me there was a rose garden close by. In-between the houses. I sat on a bench in the sun eating my burger and watching people, listening to them talk and the kids playing.

Off to a big park in the outskirts of Paris and lay down in the sun. Reading and looking at the rowing boats passing by. Listening to the 25-30 years olds messing around. Sorry, I don’t speak French.

Bonjour
Merci beaucoup
Bonsoir
De rien
Parfait
Au revoir
ça va, ça va bien
Merde

Friday evening, and my love JG had left for Marseille and my dear G arrived in Paris. Again Quai de Sense, wine Chl, G, M and T and GS. And two other of Ms friends. Speaking English, Speaking French, speaking German.

We skipped the Club, the line was incredible and we went to a bar instead. T, GS and I went to Ts friend’s apartment and stayed there for a while before heading home.

Back to now. 18.21 Monday the 5th of August 2013. I have already made my first change of train. The second one… I might miss this train because we’re running late. Met a person from New Zeeland living in Australia in the line for the ticket office in Paris. “I love not planning” and the fact that tonight might be a night when I’ll be sleeping outside. I don’t know, maybe I have missed this kind of travelling during this trip.
When I’m on a train I am sitting still, but moving and I am alone with my thoughts, I don’t understand what people say so my brain does not keep itself occupied with eavesdropping. My thoughts are incomplete right now, my mind is in so many places. This week has been amazing and I hope you guys think so too. I love you guys, thank you for everything, and I’ll see you soon.

We are young and wild and free.

130731 13.08

DSC09879, originally uploaded by enchans.

Sitting inside Brooks café right next to Plats Prepublice. JG told me they had the best Pain Chocolate. I just finished my boring Bagle and tasted the pain Chocolate, and yeah. Definitely a good one.

Today my goal is Pompidou. That’s it and we’ll see what I’ll do after that.

130730 14.51

DSC09740, originally uploaded by enchans.

I have said it many times now. Slow day. And I feel that my body needs it. All small week spots on my body are tingling and are telling me to sleep.

Second day in Paris. I just got two pastries in Charbon. A café on Rue Oberkampf which dates from the time of the second empire of Napoleon III. The waitress is amazing. I was asking so much about the pastries and I got half of two. And both are delicious. Clafoutis aux cerises and Tarte meringue au citron. Her favorite was the lemon (citron) one, told me it was really sweet. She was right, and right. Amazing. Creamy, almost like a cheesecake with soft Maräng (don’t know the word in English, but it’s the white part of the egg whipped) on the top. The other one: sour cherries. Started to like sour cherries in Budapest and realizing I really do like it. The bottom of this cake almost tastes like a owen baked pancake (Swedish thing, Ungspankaka, E – if your reading this, yes, more kaka ;))

Yesterday I met up with M and went to his place to leave my bag and then went to meet up with JG. M lives in a hipster area. We went to a pretty hipster bar. Budapest will soon be crowded with them, it’s just the right place. The hipster culture is taking over the world. Crazy.

Going to finish my cakes (and it’s soooo much! I thought thay made a mistake by giving me to whole pieces of cake.) and then of to one of two museums. Merci.

And yeah, yesterday I strolled around close to the station, near to Bastille and sat by the water in the sun until it started raining and was going to meet up with my French brothers.

And also, I had my fist glas of wine round 3 in the afternoon when I tried to ask for WiFi and then coffee and they ignored the coffee and thought I said WiteWine not Wí-Fí as they say it. Sweet. I said Merci and drank my wine.

130729 08.22

Its dark outside. Cold and dark. About the cold I don’t really know because I’m inside on a train. On my way to Paris. Zürich has been hot all week, but today I left it raining.

Yesterday we went for brunch at a small café/ restaurant…

08.33 And now I know it’s cold enough outside for me to want to wear a sweater. Had to change train in Basel. Same platform. No complicated stuff.

Yesterday, brunch, I had crepe with cinnamon and apple and a bowl of Quark with fruits, berries and loads of honey. The others had a more “typical” breakfast with fruits, egg, cheese and bacon. Coffee and a fresh juice. (That reminds me that I would need a coffee, have been up since a couple of min before 06.00 and I fell asleep way too late.) Then we just decided to go swimming. Untere Letten. The current makes it fun to jump into the flood. No need to strain yourself, just go with the flow. Once again. This has been a health trip to Zürich.

Later, I went home to pack my things and my brother and T went to try to by a fan. They have been looking for a fan too long now. Everybody seems to be quicker, wherever they go, their out of fans.

Back to the city, we went to a typical Swiss restaurant, Johanni-something. Had a nice dinner – I had Spätzli with a mushroom sauce. And a beer of course. Ten back home and I tried to check out what to do in Paris. Have been there once, so now I’m looking for the different stuff. Have been looking at National parks, where I would be able to walk for one day. Any suggestions?

I just passed the border to France, already. From Zürich to Paris in a little more than four hours. Less than from Stockholm to Gothemburg. Feels just a little bit crazy.

I’m tired and it’s a little bit less than three hours left on this bumpy train ride. TGV should be better than this.

I am on my way to Paris. Yeah, a little bit crazy. A big chunk amazing.

Had croissant for breakfast. I guess it was meant to be.

130728 03.00

Have had an amazing day with my brother, T and my brothers friend F. We started with breakfast and then went into town to watch “Iron man” a threeathon race in Zürich and I am realizing more and more that I really want to start to move again. I want to start working out, somehow, because that makes me feel good in so many ways. 

After Iron man we picked up F and went to the Rheinfall, Eurpoes biggest waterfall and then to Rhein-something right next to it and swam and the others was sunbathing. I stayed in the shadow. I did learn my lesson yesterday when I burnt my ass. We went shopping for food and stuff for BBQ and then off to the riverside after bouncing back home, preparing food and BBQ. Just sat there with the sun setting, playing the Swedish game Kubb, and we brought our swimsuits so that we could go into the water a couple of times.

Went back home and watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. I rarely cry. But for some reason this made me cry. I guess it reminded me of how precious life is and that nothing is for sure. In the end of the movie they say that “some are born dancers, some are born…”, but this is where I think they are wrong. You’re not born to be living a certain life. You choose, you're forced to choose between things and sometimes life gets in the way of your plans and choices. You have to adapt to the circumstances that you are given, and sometimes those circumstances are really restraining and sometimes they are really beneficial. I am not saying it is easy at all, and life seem to offer us stupid paths to choose from a lot of times. But the final decision is up to you. The final decision of how you want to live your life. We need people around us to support us in our choices and sometimes a helping hand, but the final decision is our own.

What if we were born into something and we didn't like it? Would we then be born to be miserable? I don't think I was born to do what I do, I chose it and in two years I might choose something else. I choose what makes me happy. For me, the meaning of life is to do the things that makes you happy as long as you do not hurt other people.

Tomorrow/ today/ Sunday, we’ll have brunch and just relax in Zürich, no excursions if we do not really want to. On Monday morning I’ll go by train to Paris.

Hello my French brothers and sisters.

I will stay with my beloved M. See you soon.