Going home...

Well, today I am going home back to Munich. It is always weird to leave a place where you stayed for such a long time. I have had good times, but also bad times, many great experiences, but less disappointments. I always thought before that I got stuck here in this city or the country, but it wasn't that way. Maybe I am restless, maybe it was just not the right time or place. I'll keep on walking, because I have faith & hope! I close a chapter and open a new one. One the hand it is said to leave, but on the other hand I am happy. I had a good time and it has helped me lot in my personal development and now I can see a lot of stuff from a different perspective. In addition to this, I got to know great people and got some new friends.
I'll keep you updated how my life back in Munich turns out to be.

Music: Jimmy Eat World - Clarity

North of Sweden

Last Saturday we came back from our trip to Lappland and the north of Sweden and it was one my highlights during this stay in Sweden. I am so grateful that I have gotten the chance for this trip on my last days here. Friday night Patrick and I have taken the night train from Stockholm to Östersund and after short breakfast with coffee and Kanelbulle (oh, how I will miss this smell!) we headed with the Inlandsbanan towards the Polar Circle. We stopped several times along the way for coffee breaks, lunch and the Polar Circle, but a 14-hour train ride is definitely too long and we were happy that we have booked a flight for our way back. We spent the night in Gällivare and continued the next day to Kiruna where we met our travel companions for the rest of the days.
These remote cities far up in the north are really strange to me and some of my prejudices got kinda confirmed. Even when there is 24 hour of daylight in the summer months, the cities are very calm and lively for only a few hours a day. Interesting, but nothing for longer.
From Kiruna we took the bus Nikkaloukta which is somehow the entrance gate to the wildnerness of Lappland. With big backpacks we hiked in a few hours the 20 km long track to the Kepnekaise Fjällstation. The mosquitos were almost killing us and I was happy that I have bought a mosquito net. I guess, I looked pretty stupid but at least they didn't bother me that much anymore. This first hike was pretty cool, the weather was fantastic and I wanted to go for more. I got my chance already the next day, the weather was perfect and we started early in the morning for our hike up the Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden with 2114 above sea level. After strengthening 4 1/2 hours through snow fields, steep & rocky hillside I arrived totally sweaty and exhausted on the snow top of the Kebne. The breathtaking view compensated all the torture and the pains were forgotten. It is said that on cloudless days, like it was that day, you can see up to 10% of the entire area of Sweden and even parts of Norway and Finland. Well, the view seemed to be endless. We had 'Fika' (coffee & cookies, of course!) on the top while we were waiting for the rest of the group. The way down was in the same way exhausting, because of the rocky terrain, but on the snow fields we rode on our asses. Great fun. Late in the evening and after 11 hours we were back in the station, just relaxing in the sauna and having dinner.
The next days, as restless as I am, I have done some other hikes by myself or with some other guys to some glacial lakes or some water falls. The nature up there is still so pristine, intensive and rough, that sometimes it feels totally unreal to sit in something like that. These two picture were made at midnight while we were waiting for two guys of our groups who have returned finally after 16 hours (!) in the station. It was all the time so bright! The air is so fresh and the water in all the little streams is strongly recommendable to drink. I haven't drunken anything than that all the time.
After five days we headed back to Nikkaloukta and Kiruna, from where we flew back to Stockholm.
Good time!

Good:
Sleeping masks, Landscape & Ipod, Ice cream, moshparts, mountain tops, glacier water, Gore-Tex, sauna, lunch packages, vegetarian burgers with fries or mashed potatoes, mosquito nets, high-quality mountain gear;

Bad:
Poor-quality mountain gear, mosquitos, grammar & lost in translation, rocky hillsides, aching muscles, waiting for busses & trains, broken sunglasses

Music:
Metallica, SSS, Morrissey, Dog Eat Dog, David Bowie, Snapcase, Misfits, Hatebreed, Zero Mentality,

Interesting:
- Why do so many people think that I am from Finland when I start talking Swedish?
- Why do people climb on top of mountains? Is it just the view from the top or the battle of man/women against the nature and the human body?

Some figures...
- 100 kilometers hiked
- 2400 meters of altitude made
- 0 blisters
- 20-30 Mosquito bites
- 5 reindeers seen
- 1 elk seen (on our way back from the Stockholm airport to the city and it was standing next to the highway ... no shit!)

Thanks & greetings go out to Patrick, Magnus, Ann, Kenneth, Ann-Louis and Henrik for the good time. 'Thank you' also to Michi for lending me the backpack!

"Alles richtig gemacht!"

Gettin' ready

I'm packing my stuff for our trip up north and the ascent of the Kebnekaise. Yesterday we had a presentation of a friend of us about his trip to the polar circle. Beside of the foretaste for an amazing nature we also got a lot of respect of this mountain, which is really necessary for our own health. I guess, it's a complete different world up there. Keep you fingers crossed that the weather will be fine and there will not that much snow as on the picture.Good:
- Finding something that you haven't searched for

Bad:
- Not finding something that you have searched for

Music:
Blacklisted - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonier Than God

Mitch Clem

Today I ran into a webpage of a guy called Mitch Clem, who is a drawer of several comic series, which are mainly published online. He will also publish a book of comic series 'Nothing nice to say' in late 2008.

One of his comic series is called 'My stupid life'. An autobiographical comic about his fiancee and him.

'Nothing to say' is his longest running project and covers stories and jokes featuring a bunch of punk kids from Minneapolis going to shows, playing in a band, hanging out at the coffee shop, etc.
Click on the pictures to enlarge!

Check it out, if you like. These comics are hilarious and I was laughing my ass off for an entire hour!

Music:
Gorilla Biscuits - s/t
The Hope Conspiracy - Death Knows Your Name ... fuck, such a good record!

EM 2008 Review

First of all, I know that the party in Germany was much bigger (and of course, much longer) than it was here in Sweden. Nevertheless we had a good time watching the German games. We watched the games of the preliminary round at a sportsbar on a big screen. During the first game against Poland we were almost alone, but the group of German fans got bigger with every game and in the end there were a big bulk of people and the bar was pretty crowded. In the final round all games were broadcasted on the public viewing spots in the city and so we headed there. Sweden was already out of the competition and they didn't have anything else to show. The game in the semi-final against Turkey was dramatic in many ways, due to the game itself, of course, and the broadcasting interruptions. In Germany, there were just one, but here we had three and about 15 minutes of the game was missing, including one German goal and the end of the game. Public listening! Major bummer! A lot Turkish people got pretty upset and the security guys got very nervous. Due to the enormous amount of Turkish people here in Stockholm, the German supporter were definitely outnumbered. The Turks even started rockets and other pyrotechnical stuff in the middle of the crowd. Just like in a stadium. After the game, the 'Kungsträdgården' emptied fast and after the game there were about only 150-200 people left celebrating the German victory. Anyhow, it was fun!

Well, the final ... we know how it ended. If you don't play well, you don't deserve it really. To lose 0-1 is still very flattering for us. The tournament was alright and there is nothing really to complain. I enjoyed the championship. Enough said ...

... not yet ... just a few words about the Swedish team. After the victory in their opening match against Greece, the hysteria among the Swedes was gigantic. Newspapers and the public started to dream to hit the championship how it was done by the underdogs of Denmark in '92. The forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was in everybody's mouth. In every preliminary report for a game (not necessarily with Swedish participation) they were speaking endlessly about the Swedish team and its demigod Zlatan. Who flies high falls far, right? After the loss against Spain and Russia the dream was over and the depression big.

An interesting fact about watching this tournament in another country is that everyone seems to be against Germany. Whoever wins the game, that's fine ... except it would be the Krauts. They don't understand the principle of German efficiency :) Less shots, more goals!

Good:
- 'schlaaaand!
- Mashed potatoes as fast-food

Bad:
- Strikes in the transport system
- Credit card limits

Music:
Amon Amarth - Fate of Norns
Carry On - A Life Less Plagued