I know Ive been slack but here it is!

Man I really havent done this for a while have I so Ill probably struggle to remember everything that I did! So I left Stockholm on the night train to Copenhagen, talked to this hot girl who I had been staring at for a while and she said that if I ever made it back to Sweden that I should look her up, unfortunately I only started talking to her 10 mins before her stop (actually she started talking to me, Im too much of a sissy) so never got her name and wouldnt know what stop she got off at so pretty difficult to look her up, but ahwell such is the life of a traveller! So I changed trains at Copenhagen which was pretty easy since I know my way around the Copenhagen Sentral like the back of my hand! (not that well). The train from Copenhagen to Berlin was the coolest first class Ive been in so far, got free Croissants and Tea and Coffee and had a headphone jack and stuff so I could listen to music and charged my phone and stuff! Had a wee kip but then got woken up when some guy told me we were on the ferry so I would have to get off the train, I didnt even know we were going on a freakin ferry but apparently so! The ferry was sweet only about 40 mins but had duty free so that was pretty cool. Back on the train I ended up sitting across from a couple of Belarussians who were really cool and gave me so awesome bread to have with my Currywurst! They told me all about life in Belarus and about how they couldnt say anything against their primeminister or they would probably disappear! It was weird to really meet people who seemed just like me but who lived in a country which was still like that! Arrived in Berlin about 2.30pm and spent quite a while trying to find the subway, for some strange reason I expected it to be underground! Apparently thats not the way they do things in Berlin! Found my CS host alright and then took a trip back into town and did a bit of shopping before heading home and watching a movie and hitting the sack, was pretty buggered. Having only one day to look around Berlin I had asked my CS host if she would show me around which she did, was a whirllwind trip to the Victory monument, xmas markets, Berlin wall, Parliament, Brandenburg Gates and all that cool WW2 jazz. Stood with one foot in East Berlin and one in West which was cool since it was only 19 years ago or so that I couldnt have done that without being shot! Berlin was a very nice city once you were in the centre but go out to the burbs and all the houses look like the dental school in Dunedin, just square and bland with the occasional painted window for colour. They looked like apartment buildings a six year old would draw. Anyways Berlin was pretty sweet but had to get moving onto Zurich to meet up with Marlen (for those overseas readers, Marlen is a chick (woman, I guess, since shes pretty old) who I worked with at the Ministry of Health and is from Switzerland so was back for xmas with her new husband to visit her family and have another wee wedding ceremony for them. The train trip from Berlin to Zurich sucked ass, some inconsiderate bastard killed himself on the train tracks that we were meant to travel on so had to be diverted which took an extra 2 hours so missed one of my connections and it was all just shit because i asked the Deutsche Bahn train person if I could use the phone to call Marlen to let her know I would be late but he was a wanker so I told him he was and walked out. It had a happy ending though because I arrived in Zurich and Marlen had received one of the texts I sent (and apparently text back, liar) so was there at the right time. Headed back to her house which was a little way away in a tiny town called Seengen, had a shower and a chat then went to bed. Was nice to be able to speak to a Kiwi and just relax after CSing a lot! The next day was the wedding ceremony which was very small but very nice, had a few drinks with her friends and family afterwards then hit the hay. Next day we took a trip to another wee town and did a bit of Xmas shopping and just chilled, apparently I embarrased Marlens mum by saying Tschüss to her boss which is informal and reserved only for friends! Meh never mind. Christmas eve we spent the day just relaxing and then had dinner and present with her family. It was great because I wasnt expecting any presents but I did get some! Got a day pass for the trains, buses and trams for the 27th which was awesome! Christmas day was weird, woke up to a tiny bit of snow but not enough to play in. Didnt open presents or anything because that had been done the night before so was pretty much just like any other day! Made 15 Franks though (about $22) for going swimming in the lake. Was freezing and couldnt feel my toes for 2 days but it was worth it! The 26th we didnt do a lot because everything was closed but then the 27th we got up nice and early and took the train to Zurich and then Lucerne, Bern and finally Basel spending about an hour or 2 in each place which was really cool got to see a lot in 1 day! Bern was the nicest for me, really old and had a nice cosy feeling (could have been because it was so busy). About the 28th I realised that I wasnt going to be able to find somewhere to CS in Barcelona as I had been planning for New Years so instead I had to find something else to do and somewhere else to stay. Afters lots of stressing and to--ing and fro-ing I decided to go to Aachen to visit Anna and spend NYs either in Aachen or Amsterdam...so on the 29th I left to Aachen, a nice 7 hour train trip uneventful and pretty boring! Arrived in Aachen and I drove from the train station to Annas house, was relly crazy changing with my right hand and driving on the wrong side of the road but I think I did ok, didnt kill anyone! Went to the Netherlands (5 minutes away) and visited the Casino which was all electronic so no dealers or anything which was kinda bum but there was free food and drink so was goooood! The 30th we just did a bit of shopping in Aachen and had to break into Annas car because shes a stupidhead and locked the keys in. Tried to visit the Lindt factory outlet shop but its closed till next year so no cheap chocolate! Went to a club called B9 last night which despite the 40 minute wait to get in was really cool €6 for all you can drink beer from 10pm to 12pm so made the most of that and partied etc then went home.Main points to take away from the last week and a half or 2 weeks would be....Marlens parents rock and are really amazing and welcoming.'Dog' is an awesome game and we need to find it in NZ!Switzerland is really beautiful, probably the most 'beautiful' country I have visited so farCheap beer is shit, but cheap is cheapI should write blogs more often so I dont forget everything...but Im lazy.Hope all is well for everyone. Give me a text if ya want.Peace and Love