I had a morning train so didn't have much time left in Stockholm. Basically I just walked around one last time then sat at a traditional bakery with some pastries. Swedish pastries are awesome, lots of chocolate and marzipan. Yum.
The train took five hours, going from one coast to the other. It was a little bit frustrating, I was sitting next to a mother with her two young children who were loud the whole time. Arrived in Gothenburg around 4pm.
As I waited in line to get my ticket to Oslo, a girl started smiling and waving at me. Okay, there is no way I know anyone in Gothenburg, Sweden so I just ignored her, she was probably just waving at someone behind me. But she kept doing it and I eventually walked over to her. It was the Austrian girl from last night! She was trying to get back to Copenhagen but all the trains from Stockholm were full so she came to Gothenburg first. We were even on the same train. Crazy how small Europe is. We had a coffee and after promising to try and meet up again somewhere down the road went our separate ways.
Gothenburg is my kind of city. Big, but still feels small, really laid back and easy to walk around. It was gray and cloudy when I arrived and I started to notice how similar to Seattle it is: West Coast. Relatively new. Important port city. Lots of rain. Happy, relaxed people. Big counter-cultural scene. Developed its own genre of music in the early 1990s. Trees and parks everywhere. Awesome.
I walked down the main street and then started wandering towards my hostel. Magnus in Stockholm warned me that the streets are very confusing and he was right. After running into a few dead ends I finally found my hostel right before check in time ended.
Went out for dinner at a vegetarian buffet which was surprisingly good and then started looking for bars. First checked out a local beer bar that has their own microbrews. Good beer, but it was a bit crowded and there was nowhere to sit so I looked for the heavy metal bar. I was a bit worried when I first walked in. They were playing AC/DC and it was mostly 30somethings. Generic Swedish beer, nothing special. But then, they played both Dark Tranquillity and At the Gates, the bands who invented the 'Gothenbyurg sound' of melodic death metal! That was incredible. Not only hearing those bands in a bar, but hearing them in the city from where they came. So much fun.
After going back to the hostel I found out that I did have a roommate. A Norwegian guy who told me that Oslo is only okay and Bergen is great. Sounds good! Sunday tomorrow...
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