The Adventure

Photos from the “Adventure” are here. Click etc etc.

Took me a while loner than I thought it would to write this but ah well it’s done now. Not really sure how I managed to even make this adventure seeing as I was writing my last entry with about an hour to go for the train to Sweden but somehow I managed it.

Anyway I think I’ll try and do this chronologically because it’s a tad easier. My journey started, in Copenhagen obviously, with my shattered for having no sleep, but since I bought the ticket I couldn’t exactly back out. You see before the deepest I’d got to in Sweden was Malmø, which was practically Danish anyway, so this is a bit of a big thing for me.

So I start my journey alone, as would be the case till Oslo. Had really chilled out journeys actually, just spent time burning out my iPhone’s battery, which later on would prove an astonishingly stupid move as I didn’t bring a charger… But I arrived in Stockholm around 4ish on the Sunday after a 1 change in the TERRIBLE area which is Göteburg. I just didn’t know it was terrible at the time since I was just passing through… When I arrived in Stockholm my first thought was pretty much “Err this is big” as the station itself is massive and really spacey. Immediately I saw the Golden Arches and couldn’t exactly resist getting a McDonalds. I think I’ve ate a burger in every country I have ever visited. Impressive :D.

So after I enjoyed my Big Mac and fries (standard) I left the station. Went for a bit of a wander around the streets but being honest I was kinda knackered and the bag was annoying me, so I found a met station and went to the hostel. The met’s are awesome and horribly efficient, but really what is the point of having mulitple stations ON THE SAME ROAD. It’s not cool, clever or useful. Just more irritating stops. So I finally getoff at the station, and because I’m cool an idiot, I didn’t bring a map so amble around hoping to get where I need to be. I find the building at least, and walk inside. I suppose I find it a bit odd why all the doors have peoples names on. Cute. And then why there is a lift. In a hostel. With metal gates. Odd. So I walk outside and a woman asks me if I’m lost, which evidently, I am. I say I’m looking for the hostel and she tells me I’m not in it.

“Fuck.” (In my head, not out loud!)

Luckily she says its like around the corner in a not obvious place and takes me their. Reeeally nice of her, but I can’t help feeling a tad embarrassed. I thought I managed to get rid of the tourist in me!? Anyway so I finally check in etc and get to the room. Bear in mind this is the first time I’d ever stayed in a hostel (even on footy tour it was hotels…), but I didn’t think the place was too bad. A locker for my bag too which was nice, and unexpected! Even better was that the girl who checked me in printed my whole essay (which at the time was 30 pages) for me to proof. I was wayyyy chuffed with that and it give me time to proof before bed, and on every train journey till I got back.

Anyway to me this hostel is PARADISE. Simply because it offers free coffee and pasta which is my lifeblood. So I get to making some coffee and someone come over to make some as well. We exchange greetings and all that, and she turns out to be pretty cool. She was travelling with her boyfriend and was German (ohhh) and lived in Dresden (oh the guilt…). But they both turn out to be really good people, and after coffee and they have tea whilst I go and sort out my essay we go out for drinks in this bit of Stockholm. Was seriously cool to meet such sound people straight away, no real regrets about going it alone by this point. It did take us ages to find somewhere worthy of our presence though, as they said some of the bars were “schlager”. I should prolly look that up but its meant to mean like somewhere that your parents would think is cool. Ouch. We did end up finding somewhere mind, and its the first time I sa anyone in Sweden drinking. Thing is there was (I shit you not) a 12 year old with a pint. How? No idea, but it happened. Weird. We get in lateish, and I pretty much just conk out for bed, though not until after a brief check of my (then 25 page) epic essay. Wake up, black coffee, as per usual. Needing it for the day ahead. Not before I met this cool American guy studying at a German uni for a bit. Honestly I wish I could just cruise hostels for a while, you meet the most interesting people!

Spent the day exploring Sockholm itself, which is an awesome city. Like, I want to live there. It has tourist… but they don’t dominate the city. Like it has real people, doing real things, in real suits. Huge, I know. It’s spread out on something like 40 islands in total, including those in the archiepegligo. All connected with bridges that you barely notice, aside from the occasional gaping chasm of water beneath you. Hella cool. Anyway I was getting around on a citybike, which was vastly superior to the ones in Copenhagen as they had new technology like gears, and brakes. I was in complete shock I have to say. I was literally zooming around the city seeing the sights, and failing to get into the one museum I wanted to see as it closed. Not gutted though, I saw alot and even did a boat tour. And ate Swedish junk food, which didn’t eem too junky to me as it consisted of some kind of fish, herbs, and toast. Fit.

Don’t believe the Swedes when they say their coffee is almost as good as Italian coffee tough. Nope. It’s almost as good as mood. The single worst coffee I had ever had was consumed in Stockholm. along with the worlds driest muffin. 1/10.

To get to Oslo I had to stay awake at Göteburg. I thought nothing can go wrong really since I’m staying awake. It may get slightly cold when the station shuts for 2hours but whatever. My predictions were right. Aside from some guy who was fucked on something asking me for drugs. Repeatedly. I DO NOT GIVE OFF THE I HAVE DRUGS VIBE. ESPECIALLY NOT A FREE DRUGS VIBE. Damn. I scarpered out the station for a bit, but my recommendation is to not goto this city. It’s terrible. Especially when you can’t phsyically buy a ticket for public transport after midnight if you have notes, not coins. How fucked up is that. I snuck onto a met without paying, only to have it stop IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE because it wasn’t going to where I wanted to go (Modäl. Apparently there is a 24hour cafe there. I’ll never know). So I was walking back in the middle of the night/morning to the station with no idea where it was. And then some dude, after me asking him for directions, begins to sing “It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white” after giving me them. I really had no words.

So eventually I get on the train to Oslo. Finally. The train journey is awesome aswell, honestly the most beautiful country ever. So much green, and fjords (a long narrow inlet of the sea between steep cliffs; common in Norway) it was ace. And for this bit I was meeting Anett as she lives over there so I’d have some Lancaster company for a while. Woop. We wandered around the city for a bit, saw the palace (where a bunch of kids were cruelly tormented a guard who would/couldn’t react!!), the castle, bunch of other stuff. And finished my task of having a burger in every city.

AND PAID OVER EIGHT POUNDS FOR A PINT
(No way am I letting you forget that Anett)

When TGI’s is the cheapest place in an area something is seriously wrong. Then I went to watch her lil bro play footy and I was way jealous I wasn’t tiny and playing football. They were actually pretty good considering how small they were too. Again I was having ‘local’ food when I got back… and this time it was Reindeer.

Yeah, as in Rudolph.

I was devestated… that it tasted nice! Ahh I’d eat some more again if I could, but I don’t really think Sainsburys sell that kind of thing. Gutting. Tip though, Norwegians do far nicer coffee than the Swedes. All in all I reckon Stockholm is a better city than Oslo, Norway is a nicer country. I’d live in both?!

So going back I had another stop over in a random city, this time Halmstad Göteborg as in no-one asked me for drugs. Score. But some random dudes who were running from the police since they stole a bike came to chat. Like really randomly, whilst the police went out the area. Do I attract these kind of people!?

9am. Back in Copenhagen. And the guests all start piling in. Thats for another post though. Ciao.