October 7th 2022
The beginning of the journey was very stressful. I was going through an emotional rollercoaster. So many things were happening at the same time while I was making a big decision: to leave everything behind and step into the unknown. It was definitely exciting whilst being scary. I was very fortunate that my friend Mel was there to help me to take the first step: to get a ticket and leave.
Mel arrived in Helsinki just before midnight on October 6th, 2022. After settling in, catching up, and having a few drinks, we started looking for the ferry tickets just to realize that the departure on Saturday is canceled and the only option is to leave within less than 17 hours. That was a clear sign that I should no longer wait and with a little encouragement from Mel, we purchased the ticket.
So the journey begins with just enough time to take care of the last-minute errands, packing, and loading up the car there we are in the port of Helsinki, boarding the boat to Stockholm.
The trip was amazing. We did a bit of shopping on the boat, had a few drinks, ate a substantial dinner, and hit the dance floor. We met a group of young gals that were going on the cruise to spend a few hours in Stockholm and get back to Helsinki. They were really fun-loving people to spend a bit of time with them.
Mel and I got a bit excited and did not keep track of our drinks so as a consequence, we ended up drinking a little bit too much. The sea was rough that night and combined with the many drinks we had, the sleep was shallow and not restful. During breakfast, I felt still a bit hungover and was afraid of driving. Fortunately, the heavy greasy food and the coffee did their magic, and by the time I started the car’s engine, I felt relatively normal.
Anyways, here we are, driving around in Stockholm and heading to my friend’s place Mihai.
