It's Norje time

After a great week in Sweden I was on the way to Norway where I wanted to meet Christopher in Oslo but he was in Roskilde at the great music festival. So I stayed a night close to Oslo in Ski in my tent. I can tell you, the mosquitos in Tanzania were nice pets compared to those monsters in Ski!
After a painful night with thousands of knots, broms and stuff I was moving on to Trondheim. Driving through the most breathtaking landscape ever. Relly, I know mountains from home but what I saw there was really cool because it's so much bigger and wider than in Austria. Also I didn't expect to pass glaciers here and again I was freezing on my bike.

When I reached Trondheim Tonje tried to describe me the way to her pub. Unfortunately she doesn't know the difference between left and right :-) But I found it. What a nice little bar - I even found it in my Rough Guide: Friendly, intimate old coaching inn with a warren of homely dining rooms and a small courtyard. The reasonably priced menu features home-cooked staples, including the renowned bacalao and a super cheesecake.
After a hot shower and a delicious fishsoup I was ready for party with Tonje and a friend of her whose name I forgot - sorry for that.
Was a poa fucking kabisa night - but watch out for the beerprice 8€ for a cheap one in really crazy!

Home alone

Lovisa went away to lake Vättern with school to look at some plants and flowers and stuff and I have her flat for myself now!!!
Well, but what do you do alone in a flat that is somewhere in a town you don't know and people speak a strange language you don't understand and you feel a bit lonely. Right, you call a friend.
So in the afternoon I met my old kompis Patriki from Tanzania to have some Prips (Swedish beer). Poa kabisa, my day was saved. Later on also Karolina came over. Was so nice to see them again!
Actually it was so nice with them that I moved from Lovisa's apartment to Patrick's where I could stay for some days. What a nice guy! He had to work though so I was exploring the town by myselfe during the day. I Saw every museum and tried some of the cafes in town.
In the evening we were watching football at röda sten, meeting nice friends of him at kings head and some other places, going to his band room, playing some music, watching Lahle performing at a concert - a really good concert!

I stayed here for about a week before I moved on to Norway - oh, I must not forget I also saw Robbie Williams live at Ullevi stadion - what a week.

Gothenburg I'm coming

It was Sunday and our plan was to go to Gothenburg. Lovisa and Ida by bus and I by bike. I was really not looking forward to that after the extremly long and cold trip from Berlin to Vadstena. But I was lucky, Lovisa wanted to come with me. That means at least insulation from behind.
But there were also Lovisa's parents who were a bit worried to let her daughter go on a motorbike all the way from Vadstena to Gothenburg and by the way, the day after Midsommar-weekend is usually the day when most traffic accidents happen.
So Lovisa agreed to go only half the way with me and then jump in the bus for the last and most dangerouse part of the way.
Well she didn't tell me about that plan though, so I took her all the way of course.
After a shower to get warm we picked up our stuff from Ida who arrived a bit later at the busstation. Tak Ida for bringing our stuff!
I think that day we went to bed quite early because we both were really tired after that weekend and the next day Lovisa had to leave to her excursion to lake Vättern I think.

RIP Sebastian

Yesterday I heard that Sebastian the horse I was riding in Sweden had gone to heaven because of a bad leg. And then I have to correct me. Sebastian was not only competing in the Swedish championship, also in the European championship!

Rest in peace Sebastian!

Riding the champion

Back to the Scandinavia trip...
The day after Midsommar I went riding with Lovisa and yes, there was a horse too - her sisters horse that was competing in the Swedish championship.
After some western riding in Austria I tried the high school of english riding. Wow, there is a hughe difference! First Lovisa showed us (Ida and me) some of her skills - looked really good and then it was my turn. Completly different way to ride compared to western riding but more interesting and fun! If you know what you do the horse really does what you want it to.
Anyway I didn't fall down and I had lots of fun!

Later Germany kicked Sweden out of the football worldcup. Pole sana, but Germany was the better team for sure.

Back home

The exhibition in Regensburg is finished. I found out there that I Everything is working and looking nice but there was no time to go to the Wiesen, the Oktoberfest :-(
Regensburg is a really nice little town. Probably I'll be there again when we have to break down the exhibition again.
On the pictures you see me, when I just realiced that I have superpowers and can fly like superman. In the middle evil Dr. Black with his space cannon. And the last picture shows the funny alien from Mars.

Interruption

Back from story telling about my Scandinavia trip to my real life (don't worry, I'll come to the Norway part...)
This week I'm in Regensburg/Germany with the Ars Electronica Center - the museum I work at to build up an exhibition.
By the way, here in Regensburg the pope made the not so nice comments about the Islam last week.
The exhibition will be opened on Friday and we are working really hard to get it done even earlier, so we can visit the Oktoberfest in Munich which is close to Regensburg. Lots of rollercoasters and lots of beer!!!
Cross your fingers so we will make it in time!

Midsommar

I thought I was prepared to find Lovisa's home when I arrived at Vadstena with my printout from the Internet Routeplanner - I wasn't. So Lovisa, Blondie and Micke (sorry if this is not the way to spell your name. All I know is that it's almost pronounced as mycket) picked me up at the Vadstena castle. After a hot shower I felt as good as new though I was traveling since three am (for 16 hours) and the party could begin!
First traditional dinner with potatoes, smöre, fish and a lot of other nice things I can't remember.
One important part of celebrating Midsommar seemed to be the amount of alcohole that had to be drunken. Also the songs we had to sing before emptying a glass were very important. I didn't understand a word but I could keep up with the natives in both singing and drinking.
At around11pm it was still bright sunshine we went to the castle to dance around a special cross that was a symbol of a penis?!?! (that's what they told me) and sang songs of frogs that don't have ears and tails and pigs that have ears and tails. Very Swedish!!!
Later that night Micke showed lots of interest in German words and wanted to hear all the cool words - it's all about the words you know.
There is even a tradition for dreaming on that day. When you jump over seven fences, pick seven different flowers and put them under your pillow you will dream of your future wife or husband...

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures that day but I'll add pictures of Klara and Micke and the traditional Midsommar cross (midsommarstang).

I don't have pictures of Ida and Emma - why not? If you have pictures of them send them to me. Asante

The way to Midsommar

Day number 4. The alarm clock is ringing at 3 o'clock in the morning. I have to pack the rest of my stuff because I'm leaving towards Sweden. I was not so tired that morning it was already getting bright a little and I was looking forward to be part of the big Midsommar party in Vadstena - the day before Lovisa gave me some bottles of strong alcohol to smuggle across the border. What will this party be like?
But first I had a 16 hour trip ahead of me. I found the way out of Berlin quite well and was heading towards Rostock where I had to reach the ferry at 8am. To bad I wasn't clever enough to put on more clothes. During the day it was nicely warm but at night my fingers where freezing and I was shivering all over.
After some hours of cold pain on my bike I was almost in Rostock but suddenly my bike stopped. Out of fuel in the middle of the highway. Great and I had to reach the ferry. One hour left... But I was lucky because I stopped right at one of those emergency phones that are placed about every 5km on the Autobahn. I pressed the button for technical breakdown and someone answered the phone but hang up immediately because he couldn't hear me. The microphone was broken. Great! Tried again and with yes - no questions and me pressing buttons to answer he found out my bike broke down and that I did not have an accident. But he said he would send the police to be sure about that. OK I was waiting for the police and hoping they might drive me to a gas station so I would reach the ferry but instead they were just passing by really fast and leaving me behind. Now I felt really shitty and I had to push the bike to the next gas station. I didn't think I would reach the ferry anymore but I was lucky and after the next curve there was an exit and there was a gas station. I really made it to the ferry.
After five hours of sleep in the ferrie's restaurant I was still cold but it was noon and I thought the sun would be strong enough to warm me. Hahaha not in Sweden. So I put on all the clothes I had (didn't help still cold) and continued. Now I was sure I would not go all the way to the north pole.

Botanical garden

Third day in Berlin. I'm getting really tired. The first day 12 hours on the bike and a night watching football. Second day running trough the city looking at every tourist thing that exists and partying 'till late at fete de la musique (met Johannes there - the guy that live one month in a tent in Kipepeo). Today I had to get up really early because Lene thought that guests from France would move in to her flat so I was supposed to move to her mom's flat but it turned out they come one day later.
But the good thing when you get up early is that you have more time for breakfast. So Lene and I had really nice breakfast in a nice Cafe in the middle of Kreuzberg - probably the nicest district in Berlin.
Then I met Claudia and Oliver and we went to the botanical garden. Usually I'm not so interested in plants but with the stories Lovisa and Oliver had to tell about almost every plant made this trip really nice.
Then we had a traditional German dish with asparagus, potatoes and bacon. So good! It was the good bye meal for Lovisa. She was leaving to the airport after that to go back to Sweden where she had to prepare Midsommar party for the next day. Read about it tomorrow...
- to be continued -

Bears in Berlin

The second day in Berlin was dedicated to sight seeing with Claudia and Lolo.
In the morning I met with them at Claudia's appartment but first I had to get there. What was not so easy but in the subway station a bum sold me a ticket which was still valid as he assured me. Later Claudia told me it was not and I was lucky that there was no ticket control in the metro.

It's hard to describe sightseeing in a funny way so I just skip that and post some pictures.

countries in the north

It's been a while since I wrote something in here because of the Ars Electronica festival where I had to work day and night for a month without one day off. But now I'm super rich and have time again to write funny things about the world and adventures on it.
But before I start with the new stuff I will tell you what happened on my trip to Germany, Sweden and Norway:
The first day started with a long ride on my loved bike via Prag through Czech Republic to Berlin. That is the shortest way but everyone I talked to said I should take the route through Germany because the streets are much better and because the police would be so corrupt. When they stop you, you always have to pay a fee for speeding, even if you were not to fast - especially when you are from wealthy countries like Germany and Austria. And the next story people tell about the police there is that they have manipulated machines for alcohol tests so you always have some alkohol in your blood - alowed is only 0.0 per mille.

Anyway I decided to take the risky tour driving really careful and I made it to the boarder to Germany without beeing robbed from the police - maybe they are not so bad as people say here in Austria...
But what was really bad was the prostitution at the boarder to Germany. For about 10km prostitutes were waving at the traffic and offering themselves to the wealthy Germans. I think I even saw young girls there who definetively were younger than 18.

The next hours on the Autobahn in Germany showed me how fast cars can go. It was a race to Berlin. Without speenlimits everybody thought he's Michael Schumacher in his red Ferrari and my bike felt like a moped.

At around 6 pm I reached Berlin. It was completely abandoned. Nobody there. Hm - everyone at home watching TV (football worldcup time)? But when I came closer to the city center I knew what happened. Everybody was there celebrating the victory of Germany 3:0 against I don't remember who. It was crazy like the carneval in Brasil. Really cool! Hope when the Euro cup comes to Austria we will win at least one game to make parties like that.

After 12 hours on my bike I reached Lene's flat where I stayed the next three days. When I arrived she had to work so she left the key under the door mat and I just took a shower and changed because at 8 I was watching Sweden - England at the Aididas Arena together with Claudia, Lovisa and Oliver.
It was nice to meet them again! Lovisa with the Swedish flag painted on her cheek and dressed in yellow and blue.
Cool game - 2:2.
Now pictures