Cold water

Today I decided to be a bit crazy and go swim in the Öresund channel, which runs between southern Sweden and Denmark.

I rode my bike down to the water, just half a kilometre from my home (one of the advantages of living in Lomma). The wind was strong and clouds filled the sky, but I thought it would be a great way to kick start the day after doing a bit of morning work at my job at Alfa.lt.

I got to the beach and was comforted by the fact that there were a few kids around wearing bathers.

I rode down to the southern beach — not where sunbathers and swimmers usually go, but where my landlord Torsten suggested — and I was all alone. I took off my shirt and ran into the water. Pretty cold, but not totally shocking.

Wading in I realised it probably wasn't going to get much deeper. Those in the know told me that you need to go about 400 metres before getting into swimming-depth water, but I was too lazy to go so far, so I just lay down when I got in knee-deep.

My my was it...refreshing. I put my head under and wow, what a feeling! After pulling all the seaweed and crap out of my hair I felt like a million bucks. So I stayed in the water until I started to feel cold then went back to the bike and rode off.

Very fresh indeed.

Around Lomma on a cloudy day

This are some photos I took quickly so you can get an idea about what the town looks like where I live. To view the photos, click on "fullscreen". Enjoy.

Shocking bus ride

Taking the bus from Malmö gave me quite a shock that I wasn't expecting. I saw a bus driver try to steal from a passenger — behaviour that would be almost expected in a place like Lithuania, but seemingly unthinkable in the west/north.

An Iranian guy, who had not done his research into the currency used in Sweden (or into anything else for that matter) got on the bus and said to the driver: "Hello, I am from Iran and I don't know how much it costs to get on. Could you please help me?"

Following this the Iranian held out €20. Just so you know why this is dumb, note that the currency of Sweden is the Swedish Kronor (€1.00 = 9.44Kr) and euros are not accepted. Obviously.

So I was quite amazed when the driver took the money and put it in his wallet. Not only did he take the money, but then he gave the Iranian 7 kr back as change.

I couldn't stand seeing someone cheated like this — even it if was clearly their own fault being so ill informed — so I got up and told the driver to give the €2o back and also gave the 7kr back too. I asked the Iranian if he had any kronor and he said "no, but I thought the currency of Europe was the euro?"

The bus driver pretended he didn't know the exchange rate between kronor and euro - something that is clearly impossible given that the Swedish economy is closely linked to Europe's.

I paid the 29kr for this guy's ticket so he could ride the bus. When we got to Lomma we would go to a bank, change some money and everything would be fine.

When we got to Lomma we found a bank and asked for the currency to be changed. No chance because they were a cashless bank: a bank without money. Of course, how obvious! We went to three other banks and found the same thing: no chance to change your money here. Sigh.

In the end I just took the €20 and gave him 100kr back. That is 188.85 kr minus 29 for the bus and minus 40 for a currency transaction leaving a little leeway for currency fluctuation.

It cost the Iranian 10 euros to ride a bus that should have cost three, but then again, if you don't bring the right currency, what do you expect? Better than him getting cheated out of the whole 20. I still wish I didn't need to go to the bank to change it myself though — at least I helped someone out that day.

Trading places

Since early 2006 I have been on the road more or less constantly, always looking for a new direction or a new way to enjoy the place where I'm at. There was always one rule though: the new place is going to be exiting and better.

Leaving Lithuania after three years living there for yet another new start actually daunted me for the first time. Even though I lived the life of a pauper in Vilnius with a terrible flat filled with appliances that didn't work and a landlord that was such an asshole that he wouldn't fix the lock on the front door, I had sort of settled in there.

Things were familiar and I had my circle of friends and acquaintances. I had also achieved some sort of standing in the local media industry, a very important thing to have in a place like Lithuania where knowing someone is the difference between success and failure.

So when I got on the plane to Sweden I was actually a little anxious for the first time since I started travelling in Europe four years ago. I was wondering whether I'd cope with money given that I would still be writing for Alfa.lt with Lithuanian wages in a Swedish-priced world. I was also anxious about whether Vik would come over and be able to find a job quickly given that Europe is still struggling out of recession.

Denmark

Arriving in Copenhagen was a mixed bag of experiences for me. First of all, people were actually smiling. Its something I had seen rarely in Lithuania, a country so obsessed by its own misery that smiling seems like it must be illegal or something. There was also the excessively well-organised aspect of Denmark that hit me. It was as if I didn't need to struggle to live anymore. I didn't get a sore back riding the bus or have to wait in line only to be yelled at for something I didn't do. Electronic goods were not made 30 years ago. Everything was working with clockwork precision.

Keep in mind though that this sort of level of efficiency comes at a cost. This was a major shock coming from Lithuania. One bus ride in Copenhagen costs more than what it costs to eat for a day in Vilnius. Coffees in Denmark's capital are five times the price of those in Lithuania's, which are already unaffordable for most people there. The new price scheme compared to my bank balance was quite a shock.

After spending a few hours in Copenhagen I made my way to Sweden using the train that goes over the massive bridge to Malmö. It didn't take long to get all the way to the next country and suddenly it was a new language again. Good thing I only picked up a few words of Danish.

Sweden

I arrived in Sweden and went to my new house. It is a clean room and I have my own bathroom next door with an enormous bath I will probably never use. I am living on the top floor of a house owned by a retired doctor who likes sailing a lot. He seems to be a really nice guy who has devoted his life to high education and a functional society.

The town I'm living in is called Lomma (see map) and is something like Palanga in Lithuania. It is the seaside resort town of Skåne, the south-western region of Sweden. There isn't much going on when its raining (as it has been for the last few days), but I'm hoping that there will be at least another hot day or two when I could go for a swim at the beach.

View Larger Map

I also made a quick trip to Lund, the city where I will be studying. It is very picturesque and is full of vibrant student life. The feeling is tangible (and I don't mean that like shitty travel journalists bandy the term 'tangible' about. I actually mean this place was vibrant. No really). In fact, after my initial anxiety from the move wore off, the excited feeling for whats up ahead came back to me in bucket-loads.

After a day of worry, I'm ready for what the future holds. I've turned the page and this is the next phase of my life.