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.