Ashes

I've been home for five days now. The interview went great and my stomach is back to normal so all that's left to do is to figure out how to countinue my vacation.

The plan was to take a plane to Vienna this weekend and continue the trip from there. Unfortunately the ashes from Eyjafjallajökull is still keeping most planes on the ground. I'm hoping I'll be able to get down to Copenhagen and find a bunk on a nighttrain to the southern parts of Germany. They seem a bit crowded, but I should be able to get a ticket for monday when things have calmed down.

I'll write more as soon as know what happens.

@home for an interview and seeing a doctor

Except for a few shorter walks around Prenzlauer-Berg I didn’t see much of Berlin this time around. It was really nice to see J again though and I did get around to a little bit of shopping and trying Knödel for the first time.

Right now I’m back in Sweden. I landed yesterday and the goal is to leave again sometime during the weekend.

I met a doctor a couple of hours ago and ran a few tests I should be able to get the results of on Friday. He said that I probably won’t have any problems continuing my trip this weekend.

I also have an interview at a school I’ve applied to booked this Thursday. I knew when I left that I might have to make a short stop by Stockholm for this, but the timing is a bit amusing.

I noticed a slightly odd thing on my trip here. On the flight the crew presented the pilot with first and last name in Swedish, but only the last name in English. I can’t remember that happening before. They usually do the same thing in both languages. This was also the first time I’ve reacted on the pilots name being female. Do they expect people who doesn’t speak Swedish to have a greater problem with that than those who do?

In Berlin

I've been sick since Wednesday night. We had bought fish in a market and I suppose that was a bad idea... Well that or the raw beet juce, it's a bit hard to tell.
My plan had been to go to Utrecht on thursay, but I ended up doing Amsterdam for a few hours and then collapsing on the bed for the rest of the evening.
Yesterday I made my way to Berlin. The trip from Amsterdam to Berlin took seven hours and I ended upp falling asleep quite early again, but it's really nice being here. I know my way around, I know my host and I don't feel like I'm in the way. My host in Amsterdam did let me stay even though I said I could find a hotel instead, but it was a bit of a strain for her to have me in the house all the time.
My stomach has stabilized a bit, but I visited a pharmacy my host here in Berlin recommended today, and if I'm not better on Sunday I think I can stay a day extra to be able to go to a doctor.
I suppose I feel safe here which is really nice when you're sick.


Jag har varit sjuk sedan onsdag kväll. Vi hade köpt fisk på en marknad och jag antar att det var en dålig idé... Det eller juicen gjord på råa rotfrukter. Det är lite svårt att avgöra.
Jag hade planerat att åka till Utrecht i torsdags, men det slutade med några timmar i Amsterdam varefter jag kollapsade på sängen och sov resten av kvällen.
Igår åkte jag till Berlin. Resan to sju timmar och det slutade med att jag somnade ganska tidigt igen, men det är skönt att vara här. Jag hittar utan större problem, jag känner personen jag bor hos och jag känner inte att jag är ivägen. Min värd i Amsterdam lät mig stanna trots att jag erbjöd mig att ta in på ett hotell istället, men det var jobbigt för henne att ha mig hemma hela tiden.
Magen har stabiliserat sig en hel del, men jag var på ett apotek min värd här i Berlin rekommenderade idag, och om jag inte mår bättre på söndag tror jag att jag kan stanna lite till så att jag kan komma iväg till en läkare.
Jag antar att jag känner mig trygg här vilket är väldigt skönt när man är sjuk.

Amsterdam tourist style

The train ride from Copenhagen to Amsterdam was really nice. I had good company and slept all night. Unfortunately the bed was hard as a rock so I ended up sleeping a couple of hours after checking in at my hotel too.
I stayed on a boat quite close to the Centraal Station. It was really nice and if I'd been able to find a homepage I would have posted it here. I've taken a few pictures of the docks, and I'll update this post with them later on.

After sleeping a while yesterday I went out to see what the town has to offer a tourist. I found the street with the leather clubs and one with a lot of rainbowflags, but I dont think it was the street with all the gay clubs on. I also found myself on a street with girls standing in windows. They mainly looked bored in their neon colored bikinis and I wasn't able to find my self having any emotional reaction to it at all. I'm not sure why, but I had expected something.

Having decided that I was going to be the typical tourist I also had to go into a coffeshop. I sat there drinking my juice, and yes I did have a regular coffe too, and realised I never listen to hardcore rave anymore. I did that for a while during my teens.
Today my clothes smell like skunk and I really have to find a laundromat later on.

I'll probably be here for two more nights. I'm meeting my CouchSurfing host in about an hour and it sounds like I'm welcome to stay for a while if I whish to.

Copenhagen

Yesterday I went to my first CouchSurfing party. It was a really nice event where everyone brought something they would eat at easter in their country. There isn't much difference between the Swedish and the Danish traditions so I went with salmon and "Kalles Kaviar" which seemed appreciated. I had a lot of fun and it was just what I've been looking for to kick-start my trip.

I've stayed at the hostel I'm staying at now once before. It was about four yers ago but I found my way here without even looking at a map. The location isn't very central and my body hasn't had the chance to get used to the weight of the rucksack yet so my thigh muscles were a bit sore after the walk from the central station. (The red marks I had on my shoulders before leaving Sweden went away without leaving any bruises though).

I've sleapt really good but I'll try to avoid mixed dorms in the future. The one I'm in now has 14 beds and it smells quite bad...

Tonight I'm taking the night train to Amsterdam where I'll stay for a couple of days.

The winter that was

Can you still see the bus?

Going... going... gone!

(picture: my best friends for the next five weeks/mina bästa vänner de kommande fem veckorna)

I'm finally on my way. The interrail I have been planning for maybe one and a half years begins tomorrow.
I've promised to write something here at least once a week, but I'm hoping to have the time to write a bit more often than that. I know many of you are hoping for pictures, and when I can find a computer that can read my memory card I'll post a few.
My first stop will be Copenhagen, Denmark where I'll stay for one night. From there I'll take the night train to Amsterdam, Netherlands where I'm meeting a CouchSurfer.

(picture: spring/vår)

Jag är äntligen på väg. Tågluffen som jag har planerat i säkert ett och ett halvt år börjar imorgon.
Jag har lovat att skriva någonting här minst en gång i veckan, och när jag hittar en dator som kan läsa mitt minneskort så lägger jag upp ett gäng.
Första anhalt blir Köpenhamn, Danmark där jag stannar över natten. Därifrån tar jag nattåget till Amsterdam, Nederländerna där jag ska träffa en CouchSurfare.