Venice

We arrived at Venice Mestre Train Station in the late afternoon/evening after been on the regional train from Verona for around 2,5 hours. After some confusion about bus tickets we manage to get on the correct bus, and with some help from fellow bus travelers we jump of at the right station. We knew before going that Venice would be our most expensive stay, but after surfing the internet we stumbled upon several cheap campsites 10-15 minutes outside Venice with the local bus. Our campsite is Campo Rialto, where you can either rent a tent with two beds, or space to put your private tent or your caravan trailer. We chose the "rent-a-tent" option and were given access to a 3 square meter tent with two beds. In the area there were restrooms, showers, a pizzeria, a Lidl just across the street and the bus to Venice that went right outside the camp site. It was the perfect solution. We thought.

Next morning after making lunch to bring into town we realize there are no buses. A bus strike. After 20 minutes we managed to get a cab which we shared with a pair of fellow interrailers and we finally arrived to Venice for real. At least the strike only went on for a day.

Three days we spent in Venice. The first day with visited most of the tourist attractions, had dinner at a small Italian restaurant and did not keep to our daily budget. The second day we spent sleeping at the beach on Lido, the perfect exercise after walking around and getting lost in Venice' small alleys the day before. The third day we visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and then hung out at Santa Lucia waiting for the train to take us to Budapest.

Verona - A non-love story

"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents̓ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love
And the continuance of their parents̓ rage,
Which but their children̓s end, naught could remove,
Is now the two-hours̓traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

We left Milan on the 21st, with Verona as our new target. Our plan was to spend a day in this romantic little town, and then take the train to Venice in the afternoon. It might seem odd to go a pair of friends to the most romantic cities in the world, but since my travel partner is the most cynical person in the world I think its OK.

Verona succumbed to our expectations. Juliet's balcony was crawling with tourists but the rest of the town was pretty nice, especially all the back-alleys.

Interrail

Me and my friend Ellen are at the moment in Milano, our first stop on our trip through Europe. Some observations of Italy is:

- Their traintickets look like ours. They probably look the same in most of Europe.
- They have babies on their water bottles
- They love huge stone buildings
- They love their Vespas
- They love pharmacies
- They hate supermarkets

HP&tDH - A Review

The Last Stand. The Final Battle. The End of an Era. Yesterday I was at the the Scandia Movie Theatre with my four nerd friends and saw the last installment of the Harry Potter series. Having read the book, of course I knew how it was going to end, but that didn't mean I haven't looked forward to this day for the major part of the past year. And what better place is there to end this amazing franchise at the beautiful theatre on Drottninggatan, a theater so classic the seats are missing cupholders.

*Warning. May contain spoilers*

The experience last night could be compared to the IB-exam. Something that we have had in our minds for a very long time, 2 years, freaking out about and having feelings that are a mixture between nervousness and excitement. However, when we finally arrived at the moment of truth, I/we kept calmed and sat through the entire thing with honor. No freakouts, no waterfalls of salty tears, no hulking. I admit, a few tears ran down my face yesterday, but seeing Fred, Tonks and REMUS freaking LUPIN'S dead bodies all at the same time was too much.

Over all, I think the movie kept a high standard. They captured Snape's memories really well, they included the most classic line in the series (said by Molly Weasley) and the in-the-novel-non-existent Neville-Luna relationship all the HP fans wished to happen was adorable. I am a little disappointed they didn't have a Teddy Lupin in the epilogue, but eh. It was definitely one of the better HP-movies.

All this happened, more or less

Since I am now a High School Graduate and no longer a student, life has taken a few new turns. I have left the safe environment called school in which I have spent the last 13 years of my life and now entered the world of adults for real. Well, not really since I still live at home, but almost. My parents already have plans for what to do with my room when I'm leaving, so I have almost moved out.

To celebrate my newly given freedom, me and a friend are going to spend 30 days traveling Europe, first by plane, then by train. We're leaving For Milan on the 19th from Stockholm Skavsta and then we'll see where we will end up.

Everyday we check something off the unwritten prepare list. Two days ago we booked an apartment in Berlin. Today I bought a nice, soft, pair of pants which I will wear during our long train rides. Small small steps that makes the trip feel closer.