The 17h travel

The trip back was a great 17h trip. While walking through Stockholm to the boat I noticed how many homeless people there were sleeping in the streets. Suddenly bumped in to a gathering of people and beggars. I asked some one, who looked like he was in charge of the gathering what was going on, and he told me he every day went around to some restaurants and cafés and gathered all their leftovers and handed it out to the homeless. Because it actually is illegal in Sweden to hand out leftover, he did it at 5.30 before the police “was awake”! When he heard I was a composer he told me I should participate in the “Eurovision for homeless people” that will take place in October 2014 in Stockholm! Eurovision for homeless people, can you believe it?! He was so nice and told me to take some food as well (which made me happy as I had about 20 euro on my account at the time in total). So I got a good salad for free, which was my only food the whole day!

A few of the homeless people on the streets of Stockholm.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

These two men were in charge of feeding the homeless of Stockholm.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

Bread for the homeless of Stockholm.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

Some homeless people in Stockholm gathered for getting some free bread.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

The sallad I was given for free in Stockholm.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

On the ferry back to Finland, Viking Grace, I met an Australian back-packer called  Joshua Boyle. The first 4 hours we both spent sleeping (in chairs on the common area of the boat), but then I asked him if he could watch my bag while I went to tax-free (for buying a small plate of dairy free chocolate, as I counted that it would have the most calories that you can get for 2 euros, which will keep my hunger away for the longest, in addition to the salad). After that I and Josh talked without a break for the next 8 hours until we arrived in Turku, Finland. We of course became Facebook friends and he even came later on and visited me with his friends while driving home from Mongolia through Sweden in September, but that’s a different story.

Walking to the Viking Line ferry in Stockholm.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

Walking to the Viking Line ferry in Stockholm.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

View from the ferry Viking Line Grace.
20th of June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström

Joshua Boyle, my new friend from Australia.
June 2014. Photo © Cecilia Damström