Fear is a four letter word

Men...

2011-07-17T14:28:00.001+02:00

Det här bloggandet går ju inte alls bra. Kanske borde jag sänka ambitionsnivån lite?
Jag lever i alla fall och befinner mig i en polares lägenhet i Wien. Vad som hände innan det får jag se till att berätta lite om när jag kommit hem igen och då får ni se bilder med.
Imorgon tar jag natttåget till Rom där kärlekens kusin pluggar Italienska. Jag bestämde mig för att ta in på ett hotell som var lite dyrare än vandrarhemmen men som i gengäld har gratis AC på rummet.
På fredag eftermiddag landar jag på Stockholmen igen.

Prague

2011-07-04T21:26:00.001+02:00

I'm trying out a new Blogger app. I don't seem to be able to create any form of layout so I'll just post a bunch of random pictures from my days I'm Prague.

On my first night there I went to a small gay club called Prague Saints and met some really nice gay guys. The club is run by a gay travel agency so there was only one Czech there although view all seemed to live I'm the city more or less permanently.

The second day I did what I always do in a city with free tours - I went on a guided tour of the city. After that I met Niklas and he's girlfriend, who also was vacationing in Prague, for a beer and some Absinth tasting.

On the train home I ended up in a cabin with five Scottish guys who I think was more drinking there way through Europe than tiny were interrailing. It was nice though and if you're on Facebook you might be able to see me in their vlog soon.

Right now I'm in Vienna visiting Lina whom I got to know when she was living in Stockholm. She's spent the entire day today showing me the city and tonight she made vegetable strudel for dinner.
I'll write more about Vienna in another post.

So long for now.

New journeys

2011-07-01T16:19:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I left Sweden for a few weeks of interrailing and right now I'm in Prague trying to figure out what I want to do tonight.

The train from Berlin followed the Elbe a bit and the scenic view was absolutely amazing and after passing over to the Czech side of the border it slowly changed to something that looked like the Swedish west coast.

My room just got invaded by a French group which makes me feel that it's high time to start looking for somewhere to have dinner.

What happened?!?

2010-08-21T17:49:00.012+02:00

Well, as I suppose you all know, the ash cloud lingered on for quite a while. Fortunately spring decided to come early (yes April is early here) and I decided to take a trip to my family’s summerhouse. There I used up half the wood my dad had stored and managed to keep the house really warm and cozy even though there was snow on the ground one of the mornings I was there.

We don’t normally use much wood now days. When I called my dad to tell him I wouldn’t be doing anything involving an axe when I was all alone on an island with no idea about which neighbors might be around or not if something happened, he told me, with a bit of laughter in he’s voice, that he’d chopped that wood about ten years ago and that I was free to use it all up I wanted.

When I was younger there was always a fire in the stove at night, and hearing the crackling sound can give me wonderful flashbacks of early spring or autumn out on the island. Sometimes it makes me remember that year we had hail large as tennis balls, or at least that’s how I remember it, and sometimes it makes me remember how a cup of warm chocolate used to taste when I was little.

It’s a bit sad having had my entire vacation messed up like that but I’m just glad I didn’t get stuck somewhere I’ve never been before with no way of getting home and hostel prices skyrocketing. At least I was home and I did manage to have a really nice vacation after all.

Ashes

2010-04-17T19:11:00.003+02:00

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

2010-04-13T21:26:00.005+02:00

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

2010-04-10T12:52:00.008+02:00

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

2010-04-06T11:33:00.005+02:00

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

2010-04-04T11:56:00.004+02:00

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

2010-04-03T00:41:00.005+02:00

Can you still see the bus?

Going... going... gone!

2010-04-03T00:06:00.005+02:00

(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.

Göteborg (Gothenburg)

2009-12-05T20:06:00.013+01:00

Learning from my mistakes I took very few pictures in Gothenburg. A bit too few. Ill try to land somewhere in between the amount taken in Berlin and this on my next trip.

My first hours in Gothenburg were mostly spent worrying since I didn’t know when my planned host would arrive. I couldn’t get in contact with him and (as I later found out) his train was severely delayed.
Luckily I had been in contact with Joel who, like me, had hosted a hitchhiker named Roi. When Roi found out that I was going to Gothenburg he told me that I simply HAD to meet Joel.
Sometime after 6 pm I sent Joel a message asking if he knew if and when we could meet. I also mentioned that I was worried that my host had disappeared. He answered almost immediately and wondered if he should come pick me up. I am really grateful to him for taking me in on absolutely no notice at all, and I ended up having a great time the days I stayed at his place.
We went out to a pub with his friends, transported a massage bench through half of Gothenburg, went to the museum of world culture, looked through second hand stores and just in general had a very nice time.

I also got to spend a night in Trollhättan where Marita, a woman from A Feminist Initiative, lives. We arrived late and I had to leave early so I didn’t see much of the place. Everyone says there really isn’t anything to see though.
It was really nice to be able to spend a whole night with Marita just talking about all and nothing. I rarely find the time to do that with people I do political work with.

The weekend was spent discussing politics and sleeping in a very nice hotel with Linnéa, but that’s not really of interest to this blog (I think).

Sweden is a very modern country sometimes

2009-11-21T23:28:00.003+01:00

And sometimes not.

We still use these to stamp tickets with time and date.

In Germany (and Finland I hear) they’re considered collectors items.

Berlin pictures and all – Just a Friday

2009-11-09T20:46:00.016+01:00

I spent half a day at the Jewish museum. The entrance looks like the security check at an airport (unfortunately you aren’t allowed to take pictures in that area), and after having had all your things scanned and passed the metal detector you have to check in your jacket.
According to Judith this is perfectly normal since this place is related to Jews. For a Swedish person it’s strange and a bit distressing.

The architecture of the museum was just as interesting as (and a part of) the exhibit.

The yellow stars the Jewish population had to wear during the Nazi ruling.

“Feminist prayer bookIn this prayer book God is not addressed as a male but as the ‘source of life’.”

Fore some reason the "Not Kosher" section interested me more than the "Kosher" section that mainly contained farm animals.

I never thought hyenas where that big. They’re huge!

Bugs aren’t Kosher so you should make sure not to eat any. A light board helps you check everything thoroughly (personally I just rinse my lettuce).Might be a good thing for vegetarians too I guess.

Gummi bears is something I strongly connect to Germany (I blame Hedwig and the angry inch) so I just had to buy some from this really cool vending machine. This is not for vegetarians though. They use fish gelatine.

I remember that they also had an Einstein action figure.

Stairs.
In Berlin there are stairs everywhere, but not that many escalators and elevators. I would be much more fit if things where the same in Stockholm…

There was October fest theme at the Ackerkeller and one of Judith’s friends had dug up a Dirndl (traditional Bavarian costume) for her.

I think most people have heard of Lederhosen (traditional Bavarian costume for men).

Blonds DO have more fun!

The party girls behind the bar!

Me and Judith somewhere between The Ackerkeller and SchwuZ.

At the end of the evening (or at about the time I usually get up in the morning) things got a bit blurry and cameras a bit unsteady.

So what conclusions about Denmark and Sweden did Ida and I come to that night? Well, we decided that Sweden is somewhere in the middle, that Swedes in general doesn’t understand Danish, that Danes in general understand Swedish and that the Danish “Ris a la Mande” is much better then the Swedish “Ris ala Malta”.

Berlin pictures and all (The Elin and Eiko part of the week)

2009-10-30T19:19:00.071+01:00

I left Stockholm very early in the morning. It was raining and it was cold.

The first thing that met me after taking the train from Schönefelt to Hauptbahnhof was the logo of a Swedish company. (I actually surprised someone a few days later by pronouncing and translating it. It IS a real word and it means waterfall)

Desperately looking for something that didn’t resemble Sweden I focused on the sign on the train telling you where to get on with a bicycle.

The weather wasn’t the best so Elin and I decided to climb the big staircase going nowhere another day. That day never came though.

Elin have found a lot of people in the cities she’s visited through CouchSurfing (.org). We actually found the page independent of each other. I have been a big fan of CS ever since I joined, but this was my first time using it as a guest. Eiko was my first host and even though he was quite busy he made it a great experience.

Eiko did a bit of studying in the Couch, surrounded by our things.

Elin and I wandered about Berlin a lot the days she was there and this is a short summary:

A church we never looked closer at.

Another church, but we had a look inside this one.

We decided that Hitler makes a nice Lego character.

Elin.

The Tele tower sometime during the 60;s?

Me by a fountain.

Elin found a girlfriend. But as we all know she’s not always that well mannered. They did make up quite fast again though.

The Central Station in Stockholm has nothing on the Hauptbahnhof. This picture is taken from the middle floor.

What’s the time where you are now?

The compulsory Berlin picture

I asked the guide what the thing with the boats was all about. She said she didn’t know, but said that there had been a big anchor in the middle of the square the week earlier.

We did some American things too. Like Dunkin Donuts and KFC…

Der Reichstag. You can get up to the very top of the glass roof. When the politicians forget whom there representing, all they have to do is look up.

Propaganda

A huge reminder of the people who died due to the ethnic cleansing during the Second World War.

Now days the ruins of the wall is protected by… a wall.

The stones are placed all along the line where the wall once stood. Sometimes they disappear into a bush or something, but there always there.

The old East Berlin Ampelmann (now all over town ^.^)

“Trains to Life, Trains to Death”
Someone had put fresh flowers in the hands of the statues.

These pumps are all over Berlin. And they work!

Just a bunch of nice buildings and a painted wall (you don’t find that in Stockholm):

In Sweden we put a sign on the door saying “No commercial!!!! on it. I like this better. The mailbox simply says “Letters and papers”.

Eiko’s eggcups suited nicely for eggnog.

Very late on Elin’s last night in Berlin we decided to go out. At Kottbusser Tor we found an almost empty place with music we liked.

We realized that two nice drinks could be bought for less than a cheap drink in Sweden.

But the beer was equally cheap. (or maybe it’s Sweden that’s expensive…)

Time

2009-10-20T21:00:00.002+02:00

I can't remember the last time I was as popular as I was this last week. As soon as my regular sim-card had found it's way into the telephone it started beeping, asking me all kinds of questions and even more could be found on the answering machine.

Therefore I'm still not finished sorting out which pictures to post on the blog. I hope you're all a patient bunch (though some of you have already asked for another post), and I'll get everything up here as soon as possible.

Too much fun

2009-10-17T10:56:00.009+02:00

Dear blog readers. I've tried to find the time to write here. As you might have noticed I'm not doing that well. I still can't get the computers here to read the memorycard from my camera so there's no pictures in this post.

Elin and I explored as much of Berlin as we were able to in the little time we had. We went to Kurfürstendamm where we found ourselves some warm clothes and wondered what all the fuss was about. We took one of those (tip based) free tours led by an Austrailian, Elin says they always are, and felt that we got to see most of the sights. I've eaten at KFC and DunkingDonuts for the first time btw. though that's not very German i suppose. We have wondered about the difference between the S-bahn and the U-bahn, noticed the waterpumps all over town, that youre not allowed to play fotball on the playgrounds and that you insert the keys in the locks upsidedown from what we're used to.
The last night Elin was here we went out to have a drink and dance a little and on the 15 th Elin continued to Prauge and I went to see my next CS-host Judith.

Yesterday Judith, Suzanne, Ida and I went out partying. I'll try to post a bunch of pictures tomorow and you'll get to see Judith in traditional Bavarian clothing (octoberfest style ^.^). We started at the ackerkeller wich is a really cosy place much like the ones I wish we still had in Stockholm and then went on to SchwuZ. I really wish Elin could have seen SchwuZ. I think it's the type of place her friends have talked about when they've told her about the Berlin nightlife.

I'm going back to Stockholm tomorow and I'll do my best to give you a big post with lots of pictures as soon as I'm able to use my own computer again. There I'll tell you all about the Jewish museum with the metal detectors at the entrance and what conclutions Ida and I came to when batteling for best Scandinavian country over dinner yesterday.

Hallo Berlin!

2009-10-12T19:34:00.004+02:00

At 07.50 this morning i set foot on the land where my grandfather was born. But this is not a story of my grandfather. This is a story about me going to Germany to meet my sister who has gone interrailing.

I took my time getting from the airport to Hauptbahnhof where I was supposed to meet my sister, and I still spent over two hours waiting for her. When she finally arrived we ate and went to our couchsurfinghosts apartiment. Here everything is great even though the heatingsystem isn't working properly. Eiko is really nice and we seem to have a lot to talk about.

I know I have promised a lot of pictures. Unfortunately the computer here can't read the memorycard from my camera so you will have to make do with the one I took with my mobilecamera.

This was my breakfast today. A butter croassant with cheese. Not the weirdest breakfast I've ever had, but still.

Right now we are all quite tired and someone will wake us all up at 07.00 tomorow to fix the heat so I don't think we'll be going out on town anything tonight.

Do all swedes have a countryside?

2009-09-21T14:49:00.009+02:00

No but many of us do (I was asked this by a german girl online)
I'm beginning to wonder if its a socialist thing. That this only becomes common in a country where it's natural that the ordinary worker should be able to get out of the city once in a while too. The only other country I know has this is (or maybe was, I'm not sure) Russia...

A few weeks ago I took a whole bunch of pictures of the butterflies that was flying around in the mint by the waterside at our countryside, and the one I like the most ends up being one where it hides behind a leaf.

Blog under construction

2009-09-11T21:23:00.001+02:00

This is my new blog. I’ll write something if I have a thought I want to share, but the main object is to write when I travel and to post pictures when I find the time and energy to.