Backpacking through Europe in 1994

Day 77 • November 22, 1994
Traveling from Gjovik, Norway to Hamburg, Germany

Saying goodbye to Katrine was harder than I expected.

After spending several meaningful days with her and her family in Norway, it was time to move on. I had now visited every exchange student friend I had planned to see — Dorte, Pernille, Gitte, Camilla, Siru, Annele, and Katrine. A big part of my mission was complete. As the train pulled away from Raufoss that morning, I read the letter Katrine had written for me and cried. It hit me that I didn’t know when — or if — I would ever see her, or the others, again.

From that point on, the trip changed.

I was no longer moving from one old friend to another. Instead, I was heading south on a long journey toward Spain to visit Jeff, one of my best friends since junior high, who was stationed with the U.S. Marines in Rota. It felt like the beginning of a new chapter — one that would involve a lot more solo travel and far fewer familiar faces.

On the train that day, I met another backpacker named Mark. We ended up talking for most of the journey, and it was strangely comforting to compare stories with someone who was going through the same kind of adventure. By the end of the day, I had passed through four countries — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and into Germany — and was on my way to Munich.

It was a long, emotional, and transitional day. The easy, warm part of the trip was behind me. What lay ahead was a very different kind of journey.

No Photographs from today

DAY 77 / 11-22-94
Traveling from Gjovik, Norway to Hamburg, Germany

Oh, it was hard to leave this morning. I really wish I had more time with the Hveem’s, they are so cool.

I had a wake-up call at 5:00 am (you can get them from the phone company here. Think of the practical joke possibilities!)

I woke Katrine up to say goodbye and she had a 3 page letter for me. I waited until I was on the train to read it, but when I did. I cried.

Mr. Hveem took me to the station at 5:30, & the train left at 5:45. After crying, I fell asleep, & woke up in Oslo at 7:45. I had 25 minutes until my next train, so I tried to call Jeff. He wasn’t in, but I found out when he was working next.

Nothing happened between Oslo & Göteborg, but it got better. I found out that the guy sitting next to me was also going all the way to Hamburg. His name is Mark & he’s a fellow backpacker like me. He left on August 31 from Vancouver, BC (his home) and is going home on December 20. In the short amount of time we had together – about 12 hours, we became pretty good friends. You know how sometimes you meet people & you just “click”? Well, we clicked. It was great having someone to talk to & share stories with and the day just few by.

You know the cliché someone always has it worse?

Well, two weeks ago (when I had my hell night in Stockholm) he had got on a wrong train, fell asleep, ended up in Croatia (where Eurail is not valid) without a visa. He was arrested, fined US$600 on the spot, treated very roughly & deported to the middle of nowhere in Italy. He also has had his camera stolen from a hostel, and was arrested for “loitering” in Paris.

So now I feel much better about my trip.

It’s now 12:30 [am] and my night train leaves in 25 minutes for Munich. I said goodbye to Mark about an hour ago. Hopefully I’ll be able to accept his invitation to come skiing in British Columbia one day. I’ll close now, & try to get some sleep on the train.

One other interesting note – today has been my most “international” day – I’ve been in 4 countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark & now Germany.