Author: Annikki

To me Salerno is the best place to explore Amalfi coast, because

• It is a town of local people not just tourists
• It has reasonable prices
• It has a railway station
• My favorite hostel Ave Gratia Plena with its atmosphere, views, patio and fountain.

During one day we hopped on and off buses and boats along the Amalfi coast. The scenery during the boat rides were of course great, but the bus rides with the local buses were more exciting when the bus was climbing up the narrow mountain roads with a view to the sea down. We first took a bus to Cetara, which is a fishing village, with peaceful and clean beach and more serene atmosphere than the next famous towns, Amalfi and Positano. they are beautiful but full of tourists even in October. Our final goal was Sorrento, where I once had a best pizza of my life. Although we could not find that place, the pizza was good. On the way back to Salerno with train the small problem was that Pompei station, where the train from Sorrento stops is two kilometers away from that Pompei station from where the train goes to Salerno, so taxi was needed as it was dark already.

When heading south we staid couple of nights in Bologna, the food capital of Italia. To us it also looked as a capital of stylish people, porticos along the streets, colors of okra, big piazzas and a hidden canal under our hotel.

Men had stylish, well cut hair and beards. He is the man from the reception proud of his gramophone.

Over the Alps along the Albula and Bernina route. Instead of the Bernina express we used the regional train with our Interrail tickets. Not much text is needed, let the photos tell.

The main reason I wanted to go to Hamburg was the youth hostel am Stintfang. From the breakfast room and bar you have a magnificent view over the harbor. You can easily also reach the new Hafencity by walking along the Landungsbrucken walking path by the seafront.  In the train we got a hint from a friendly boy to climb up to the plaza of the new Opera and concert house Elbphilharmony. From there it was a great scenery to the skyline of the city and the harbor. In total Hamburg is still kind of challenge to me, I do not quite understand that city, probably I need to go  back once more.

After Hamburg we made a 6 hours train journey to Augsburg. In this train there was a restaurant car with white table cloths and proper food.  Six hour’s journey was not feeling long when we could enjoy a nice meal with desert and coffee.

In Augsburg we staid at local youth hostel, which was also a good one. It is near the old town and very peaceful. Every room has even its own balcony.  During our two night stay, we had to use one morning for finding a laundry for washing the cloths and the rest of the time looking around the city. Suddenly I also realized that I had been in this city during my working time at a paper mill Haindl Papier, currently owned by UPM.  During business trips you hardly see the town, it is often that you arrive in the morning and fly back the same day.

Augsburg is hometown for Bertolt Brecht. He was born here as his father worked for the Haindl Papier. Later I also learned that Walter Brecht, who is famous among the paper makers, and was a professor of paper making at Darmstadt university, was  Bertolt’s brother. During this journey I have first understood that not only the Jews but also the artists had to flee from Germany during Hitler’s time. Bertolt was in exile for 14 years.

Augsburg is also famous for is its water supply  system. Part of it was first built already during the Roman times, and since the 15th century it has been used. It has recently received a Unesco heritage status. The town is surrounded with three rivers, Lech, Wertach and Singold, which get their waters from the Alps. Several canals are crossing the whole city area, so you can hear the sound of water where ever you go in the town.

Although school history has been wiped off my brains I knew that Luebeck is an old Hansa town, maybe best impressions of Hansa time in my head come from the novels of Indreke Hargla and pharmacist Melchior who solves the crimes in those novels. However, the European Hansa museum in Luebeck opened up that era a lot and woke up new ideas and thoughts of current trade alliances. The museum is modern and very well organized and illustrated, really worth a visit.

Except being center of Hansa Luebeck has been hometown to many famous people. Thomas Mann, Gunther Grass and one Herbert Frahm, later known as Willy Brandt were from here. I had at least seen films based on Thomas Mann, and Gunther Grass, but surely will be reading the Buddenbrooks in the future.

Blechtrommel, also a film based on Gunther Grass’s novel.

We also spent time in Willy Brandt’s house. His life opened up In a New way. It was ashtonizing how quickly the Nazi time developed, and hehad to flee to Osloand later Stockholm. His time in power was the cold war time. Again I could imagine the situation based on Le Carre’s novels, when one of his close coworkers was a spy of DDR and he decided to resign as a chancellor.

Luebeck is also a town of several churches. In one of them we were participating the Vesper with Orgel music and short speeches of the pastor. He talked about Picasso, who said: Ich suche nicht aber ich finde. I do not search but I find.

The life on the streets on Saturday was lively. Students were celebrating with funny hats and cloths their one week before the university starts. On the market place there were bands playing and people dancing. Rain showers wetted us, a couple of times, but dry socks were found from one Euro shop.

Luckily we were wise enough to take our umbrellas and warm clothes when leaving home. Europe seems to have cool days with showers the coming week. After Alps warmer and dryier weather is forcasted.

Starting the railing again, this time together with my dear husband. This year we are heading towards Matera in Southern Italy, but before that we plan to travel in Germany, Switzerland and Northern Italy. We started by making a shortcut over the Baltic to Copenhagen in order to reach the southern Italy and not to need to hurry too much. However, for personal reasons I feel better after compesating that. Autumn Copenhagen had a nice atmosphere now that less tourists were around. What is not so nice there is the high price level.

In Copenhagen before starting the interrail we visited the Danish National museum. When wandering among those riches, I really understood how big the difference between the history of Finland and Denmark really is. They have a great history and close connections to rest of the Europe.

Back at Stockholm we overnighted in Birger Jarl hostel in the neighbourhood of the Fotografiska, which is museum or exhibition hall of photography. The exhibitons this time were quite hard. I quote two examples of them. James Nachtway, American war photographer : “The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.” He had been in Irac, Afganistan, Africa and many other places. He had wounded while doing his work. He was their on nine eleven and photographed the crash down of the southern tower.

The second exhibition that you cannot forget is by Mandy Parker, who had for ten years photographed plastic waste on beaches in different parts of the world. She also followed the scientists who were examining the dead birds and what they had eaten. Large amounts of plastic were found inside the birds even on islands where no people lived.

She organized the scrap found from the beaches and photographed them. After seeing this exhibition you really have to rethink your use of plastics although we collect and recycle our plastics

The boat hostel Birger Jarl was chosen mainly as it was within walking distance from the Viking terminal from where Grace was leaving 7.45 to Turku.

At least we did not see recycling bins at stations, hotels or youth hostels. Maybe it is because they have built a huge incineration plant to Copenhagen and waste has to be imported from abroad to make it work properly. Danes are pioneers in wind power and the farming waste is also utilized. However, a lot of meat is served in restaurants and it was difficult to find other options. Cycling is really made easy here and there are a variety of different types of bikes, but all black, for transporting your kids, your pregnant wife, your dogs and moving your goods. On Copenhagen streets seem to be more bikes than cars on their own lanes and during rush the cycling lanes could be time to time overcrowded when first ones had to stop for traffic lights.

Maybe the gas used here is made in the new plant. Train connections are frequent in countryside and lot of bikes are seen outside the railway stations and stops.

Large exhibition of Bonnard , miniatyr sculptures of Degas and much more were shown in Glyptotek.

Stena line runs over the night from Oslo to Frederikshavn along the beautiful Oslo fjord. During our last day in Oslo we spent time in Popsenteret. It mainly focused on the Norwegian pop music, however, it was easy to recognize the same styles and music genres that I remember from sixties seventies etc… One difference was that Norwegians have had more internationally famous artists visiting than we. They had e.g. Beatles and Van Morrison concerts.

On Danish side we took a train from Frederikshavn to Skagen. The Youth hostel was told to be very near the station, but we learned that it would have been the previous stop before Skagen. Although only 1,5 km:s walk but after early wake up and some extra kilometers walk due to choosing wrong way in Frederikshavn we really envied bikers of all ages, that were passing us. The friendly lady at the youth hostel advised us from where we can rent the bikes, and those we needed as it was several kilometers to Grenen the tip of the Skagen where waters from Kattegat and Skagerrak meet, or you could say Baltic and North sea.