Chapter 8 : The Wanderer

It's been a long time, right? Well I know you missed these stories of mine a lot; but life is tough in general and even tougher sometimes. I was having difficulties to sleep in this "almost morning" part of the night (actually nowadays it's night all the time), so I just said to myself "Okay, that's the time." So now I'm in your service with the flowing meditation music in my earphones; mixed, transforming, transformating, transcending feelings in my heart; and heavy, impatient, born to be free thoughts in my mind.

Lot of things happened since last time, and I will try to catch the today's time in following chapters. But now, it's about "The Wanderer"

You know, one of my, let's say, dream when I was moving to Sweden was that I would now be able to travel around much easier. Thanks to super schengen visa. Or we should actually say "Shame on you visa system! And freedom of movement for everyone!". But if you're from Turkey or from some other countries that being a citizen means REAL diffuculties on getting visa and stuff, you would definitely know what I'm saying. It's the pain in the neck to get the visa : lots of papers and arrangements, super expensive, and once you get it's only for very short period of time and even with the visa, the border cops can be real problem.

Yeah, so I was quite excited about the fact that I would have a schengen visa for 2 years. Actually I should use present time, I'm still excited. And apparently I'm quite fulfiling these dreams of mine about traveling. I did, I do and I will. Let me explain how and why.

Yesterday

The Wanderer hit the roads first in october. In 14 days of non-holidays, without and flight, and without skipping my classes I traveled :

- 5 big cities
- 3 countries
- 3.000+ kilometers by train + ferry

First weekend, I took this drunk ferry to go forth and back to Helsinki (and I passed through Stockholm).
Second weekend, I went to Malmö (for the EGP meeting ) and passed to Copenhagen for few hours.

Second weekdays, I traveled to the mid-Sweden, which was gorgeous.

Do you want more?

Yes we do. Unfortunately. We, atleast the ones who're under the curse of modern times... Yes, we do always want more.

Today

Last weekend I went to Zagreb, Crotia for the meeting of CDN.

4 different airports, several hours of flight. Obviously not the best way of travelling for me.

Balkans are nice.

Further invetigation noted as a future plan.

Tomorrow

In December, I will go to Copenhagen for the COP15 meetings, as a delegate from FYEG.

After this (starting from 20th december) I will still have an interrail card for 2 weeks, which means that I will hit the roads again by train. I got holidays until (at least) 18th of january, and I'm trying to decide whether to

• go to Southern Spain, El Chorro to join my friends for climbing. Then follow the sea side to the east, spend the new year in Florence in a friends' commun house at Toscana hills, and arrive to Serbia for 10 days of snowboard with my snowboard instructor serbian friend (free accomodation and equipment)
• or to go south directly from Copenhagen, pass through Germany (meet an "old" friend of mine and spend few days), visit Bosnian friends in Tuzla and Sarajevo and arrive to Serbia, snowboard, and go back through Poland to see a friend..

Then, most probably, I will spend 2 months of mine (in spring) again in Europe, by hitchiking around and visiting eco-villages on my way. But there is still time for that, so let's leave it for future chapters.

The good thing about all these travels that I mentionned until now is that I didn't spend any money for these. That's what makes me enable actually, to travel. You're asking how is that possible? Well, that's a secret. Or not.

Well, The morning arrives (according to time, but there is no sun ofcourse). Time to go to bed and... enjoy the darkness.

Life is tough.