Freddie's and Bärnilla's interrail adventure
18/1/2026 Sunday, Stockholm
Hello! It is Freddie with Bärnilla here in Stockholm Central. We are having our morning coffee with a lax wrap. This is something we do always when are traveling from Finland to the EU proper, that is Germany and further away from home. It is nice to have some recurring habits!
Soon we will take the Snälltåget to Copenhagen. Bärnilla af Snälltåget is from Snälltåget, so she is very excited to visit Krogen of the train. We shall fika there with coffee and some sweets! So lovely.
In the Viking ferry from Turku to Stockholm there were hundreds of rock’n’roll fans. It was a rock cruise with Kauko Röyhkä ja Kotiteollisuus among others. Everyone was dressed in black and were horribly unkempt. Is that mandatory for rock fans?
And most of them were overweight, too. They should dance more!
Today, we will have share a pint and a laughter in the Nagel Kneipe in Hamburg. But it is still a long way there. Bis Abend!
18/1/2026 Sunday, Copenhagen
Hello! Here we are in the Jernbane Cafeen next to the Copenhagen main railway station. This is one of the lovely travelers’ watering holes, Kneipes, restaurants of Europe. Place for weary travelers, thirsty tourists, and well drunken locals. People passing through and people staying, for everyone but the angry, the dull. 
Here they serve their own brew. It is light, refreshing, and gives one hope. Even though the journey is long, the destination may well be far away, nothing can be amiss after a pint of two.
Music, subdued, by Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, gravely voices supporting the laughter and chitchat of customers, a bit melancholic but upbeat, measured. On the walls, pictures of past customers, railways, trains.
Soon, we will board our train to Hamburg. Another holy bar awaits us there, the Nagel Kneipe.
There is no hurry. Everything is perfect right here, right now. Why would it not?
18/1/2026 Sunday, Hamburg
Hello! We made it to the Nagel Kneipe in Hamburg. Maybe it is time for us to introduce ourselves. 
The smaller one of us is Bärnilla Vibeke af Snälltåget. The taller one is Sir Alfred of the Museum, the British museum, also known as Freddie.
We both like to travel. Bärnilla is very fond of trains as she is originally from a train. Freddie is fond of all things museum, especially mummies, but also enjoys bars. We both like beer and healthy but hearty food. And we like mischief a lot, making trouble and causing mayhem of our size, quite small.
By the way, Nagelbräu, the local beer is very refreshing. We recommend this old Kneipe to everyone traveling through Hamburg. They do serve good German food here as well.
19/1/2026 Monday, Strasbourg
Hello! It is Bärnilla with Freddie here in Strasberg, France. This place looks like German towns Freddie visited in September. Fachwerkhäuser, he calls them. Even food is Sauerkraut und Wurst! So strange. Maybe there have been some Germans here. 
The local cathedral from the 11th to 13th centuries is impressive. We shall visit it tomorrow. The sign by the door say that dogs are not welcome, we hope some furry teddies are.
It is very cold, zero degrees and high humidity. But locals are cycling with smiles and mittens. There is a large area without cars for cyclists, tourists and local pedestrians. So nice.
In the Gallimard bookstore we found an interesting book. It claims that not doing anything is good for the brain and increases creativity and may even cause longevity. Doing nothing is not easy for the big, red bearded traveler who carries us around. We hope he reads the book and learns how not to fiddle his mobile machine all the time.
20/1/2026 Tuesday, Strasbourg
Finally an Academy for simple small furry teddy bears like us. The large traveler has his degrees from MIT and University of Helsinki, so he does not really need another degree. But we do, we have only the Master of Mayhem from the University of Plushies. 
Very delicious local beer. Relaxing reggae music. Perfect places to enjoy life and contemplate how people in the past had some idea of life further in the time than the next tweet by the orange idiot. The idea of transcendence, of future, chain of generations, of being able to leave the world a better place, is something we would like to get back.
But while the world is a mess, having a pint or two, in a place like this Academie, makes us enjoy life, and somehow gives us hope. As long as there are places like this, as long there is beer, there is hope.
Cheers!
21/1/2026 Wednesday, Milan
Wow! We made it all the way to Milan! And they served us espresso and sambuca as always when we arrive. Milan is as it was last time: very busy, very posh, with the famous cathedral and the infamous derelict subway. Even the formidable pickpockets are here, or so they say in the subway announcements. 
It was a strange trip. The reservations were mandatory but since the the train from Frankfurt to Milan had already left when we decided to board it in Ringsheim, the systems did not sell us reservations. Luckily there were plenty empty seats in the train.
The train spend almost an hour underground in tunnels. Kind of pity as we did get to see beautiful Alps.
We did not use the mobile phone for many hours in Switzerland. Strange but liberating experience , just to read and watch the mountains. There was not much snow anywhere. The climate is getting warmer way too fast and much.
There are surprisingly many cyclists here in Milan. The city has reserved space for cycling and so cyclists have appeared. Maybe they were moped riders earlier.
So, nothing much happened today. Just travel, walking. It is just as well.
22/1/2026 Thursday, Milan
Good morning from Milan! It will be a long travel day for small plushies Freddie and Bärnilla. Since our travel companion, the one taking photos, did not books Frecciarossa high speed trains well in advance but only late last night, we did not get the early train to Bari. Instead we have time for lunch in Rome. And another transfer in Foggia. We will arrive in Bari at 8pm, just about dinner time. 
Before boarding the red train, we had time to admire the magnificent Milano centrale.
It is our all time favorite: impressive, massive, formidable with a hint of Mussolini. The fascists really did know how to show the power of state and party. The building is from 1860s, so there was something for the fascists to improve.
Ok. Now it is time enjoy the speed (300+km/h) and scenery.
23/1/2026 Friday, Bari
Good morning from Bari! It is Freddie and Bärnilla here in our small home away from home. We have a bed, kitchen in a cupboard, a washing machine and even drawings of naked women. All this for less than 50€ a day! So nice.
Yesterday we took trains from Milan to Rome to Foggia and then to Bari. The first one was Frecciarossa ETR500 with a new fast internet. Both were fast, one could download 1GB in a few minutes while traveling 250km/h. And then the train sped up to 300km/h. Then we took Frecciargento, it was slow ride through mountains. And finally an Intercity to Bari, an old and noisy machine. 11 hours with a long break in Rome.
We have not paid attention to the Roma Termini station building before. Now we did and found it a nice example of its time. It is massive, with impressive concrete arcs. In the station square there were surprisingly many homeless and a strange graffiti.
Today we will follow the footsteps of Lolita Lobosco, the fictional police chief from Bari. Maybe we will even find the small square where she lives in the old town.
Have a nice Friday our followers! We will keep you posted for sure!
We have not paid attention to the Roma Termini station building before. Now we did and found it a nice example of its time. It is massive, with impressive concrete arcs. In the station square there were surprisingly many homeless and a strange graffiti.
Today we will follow the footsteps of Lolita Lobosco, the fictional police chief from Bari. Maybe we will even find the small square where she lives in the old town.
Have a nice Friday our followers! We will keep you posted for sure!
23/1/2026 Friday, Bari
Good evening from Bari! It has been quite a day for us small plushies, Freddie and Bärnilla. After we had light breakfast in Prinz Zaum, a left wing bar, bookstore and concert venue, we tried to find the place where Lolita Lobosco lived. We did not find it, but we had a nice stroll Bari Vecchia, the old town. 
We visited the Basilica of St Nikolas from the 12 century. There was something religious going on in the grottoes, so Freddie did not get to see the remains of the saint. We will try again tomorrow.
There are countless small alleys in the old town with many fruit mongers. We did not dare to approach them as they looked so serious.
In the evening there was an interesting concert in Prinz Zaum. It was loud and innovative with some political messages which we did not really understand. The locals did and appreciated the spoken word by Fabiana.
For dinner, we crossed the road to the restaurant Pamperi. It was full and the music was really loud. The louder the music got, the wilder the locals danced. At 90dB they left their tables and food and gathered in front of the DJ. We left at then as the sound was still getting louder. And the locals were getting really wild, especially middle aged ones.
Tomorrow we will try not to anything much at all. Let see how we manage.
24/1/2026 Saturday, Bari
Good evening from Bari! It is Freddie and Bärnilla here in the old town. We had such a lovely dinner with some local wine. The ear shaped pasta with some spinach like greens was delicious as was eggplant with cheese. So happy!! And the restaurant was in a quiet square but they played Macarena at 90Db. Oh my. 
Earlier we explored the city. In the afternoon, it was quiet. In the evening, the pedestrian area was suddenly full of people. Old and young, families and couples.
We have been thinking about global politics. We think that European politicians should come up with some positive vision, not just react to the latest stupidity emanating from the USA. The US government has no vision, the just want to hurt everyone. And merely reacting to the stupidity is not enough. We need something more, something to strive for.
But that’s enough for politics. We wish you a restful Sunday. Do not read the news for one day.
25/1/2026 Sunday, Bari
Hello! Freddie and Bärnilla here in Bari. How are you, my dear friend? We are fine, thanks for asking.
Even though it is rainy dark evening, we got out and about. We found a castle! There are no bears in the moat. What is this? So careless people living in the castle.
Earlier today we have seen cormorants and great crested grebes. Both of them as beautiful and always trying catch their next fishy meal. Diving, swimming and flying, entertaining to observe.
We also walked by a bicycle service run by some old toothless men. They were having fun with their or their customers’ bicycle. But then again, bicycles and cycling are pure fun, 100%. We are too small to pedal, instead we travel in a handlebar bag. Maybe soon?
The old Bari was dead quiet today, most restaurants were closed. Not many people were out there walking, mainly some tourists.
We have spent time writing and doing laundry. Both necessary and useful activity during an adventure. Clean clothes and thoughts feel nice.
Tomorrow it is sunny again. We will visit museums if they are open on Mondays.
Even though it is rainy dark evening, we got out and about. We found a castle! There are no bears in the moat. What is this? So careless people living in the castle.
Earlier today we have seen cormorants and great crested grebes. Both of them as beautiful and always trying catch their next fishy meal. Diving, swimming and flying, entertaining to observe.
We also walked by a bicycle service run by some old toothless men. They were having fun with their or their customers’ bicycle. But then again, bicycles and cycling are pure fun, 100%. We are too small to pedal, instead we travel in a handlebar bag. Maybe soon?
The old Bari was dead quiet today, most restaurants were closed. Not many people were out there walking, mainly some tourists.
We have spent time writing and doing laundry. Both necessary and useful activity during an adventure. Clean clothes and thoughts feel nice.
Tomorrow it is sunny again. We will visit museums if they are open on Mondays.
26/1/2026 Monday, Bari
Bari calling! We, Freddie and Bärnilla, are a bit confused, maybe even concerned about the behavior of our tall friend. He did not give us any wine or beer today. He claims that he intends to play sober curiosity on Sundays and Mondays during this trip. Not that he would have any trouble with wine and beer such as consuming them excessively. He says that it is OK to have variety in daily habits and maybe also save some money while doing so. 
So, it was coffee and sweets. It was also long walks, 3h15 minutes today. We saw some ladies making orecchiette by hand. It takes some work to make enough for one hungry tourist. It is pity we cannot buy any as souvenirs for we are not going home anytime soon.
We met a handsome seagull. They have black stains in the head, we have not seen such before. Maybe it is species not common in Finland. Or Sweden. Or London where Freddie have some seagull friend without stains.
It is was a nice evening by the sea. We saw some ladies jogging by the sea but none of them looked like Lolita Lobosco. Tomorrow, we will take a train to Matera. Maybe we will meet Imma Tatarani there. She would be easy to recognize by her colorful dresses.
27/1/2026 Tuesday, Matera
Wohoo! It is again. We, Freddie and Bärnilla , are back online. 
Let us tell about today. We left Bari by a narrow gauge train. Small, slow and smelly (diesel fumes) took us to Matera. The timetable said we should change trains in Altamira, but the train decided to travel all the way or rail to Matera Central, some 300 meters from our cheap but comfortable hotel. Only 34€ per night and day. With breakfast. And WiFi.
Then we had some wine. It did not help hippy friend. His fear of heights was too bad, we couldn’t get to the cave church on a hill. But we got Aperol and sunshine. Not bad.
In the morning evening, after walking , we had dinner in our local restaurant Trattoria Lucana. Delicious food, warm atmosphere and friendly service. See pics.
Tomorrow, if th weather allows, we will visit the cave church. For sure.
This is a beautiful town. We will stay for a few days.
Let us tell about today. We left Bari by a narrow gauge train. Small, slow and smelly (diesel fumes) took us to Matera. The timetable said we should change trains in Altamira, but the train decided to travel all the way or rail to Matera Central, some 300 meters from our cheap but comfortable hotel. Only 34€ per night and day. With breakfast. And WiFi.
Then we had some wine. It did not help hippy friend. His fear of heights was too bad, we couldn’t get to the cave church on a hill. But we got Aperol and sunshine. Not bad.
In the morning evening, after walking , we had dinner in our local restaurant Trattoria Lucana. Delicious food, warm atmosphere and friendly service. See pics.
Tomorrow, if th weather allows, we will visit the cave church. For sure.
This is a beautiful town. We will stay for a few days.
28/1/2026 Wednesday, Matera
”Solitude stands by the window
She turns her head as I walk in the room” - Susanne Vega
The hotel room when travelling alone may well have solitude standing in the corner or by the window. She is always there during off season when hotels are empty, usually busy streets are eerie, cafes and restaurants have signs telling “closed due to holidays”. World famous sights are for private enjoyment - I have stood in the middle of empty St Mark’s square in Venice all alone with a few pigeons. Not once, but twice. She is there, to remind me of others, my loved ones. 
But solitude is necessarily bad. As long there are some cafes open, some people somewhere, music, one is not lonely. Loneliness cannot survive presence of others. And for that reason one must leave the hotel room also on rainy days, with an umbrella in one hand and one’s bag over shoulder.
And, in one’s room or in a cafe or on park bench, having a book brings others near. Books carry the whole humanity. Reading cures loneliness, prevents it. Maybe there is a bookstore somewhere close by. Or a library.
And now, right at this moment, clouds are being dispersed by the sun. Loneliness does not survive sunlight any better than vampires.
But, we should not listen to American music anymore. I am sure there would be something Italian as good as Sinatra.
2/2/2026 Monday, Lecce
Hello! Here we are again, your favorite plushies Freddie and Bärnilla. We have not been reporting on our adventures lately as the old hippie has not given us his mobile for a few days. Now his attention has lapsed, so it is our turn. 
Today we visited the cemetery. Such a strange place, like a small city with shops along streets. The wealthy have their own little houses with chairs and lights and everything. The houses have locks on the outside, so the dead cannot leave. The wealthier the family, the bigger the funeral house.
Those who are not that rich do not have houses. They have only small boxes for their dead loved ones, with pictures and candles and flowers. And some people have ordinary graves with gravestones and all.
We wonder whether the wealthy visit their dead often, whether they spend time inside the small houses. It is, of course, important to have a place to remember the dead, but is it really necessary to have so fancy houses.
Anyway, there were many cats in the cemetery. They even have their own feeding place, kind of a cat restaurant with a buffet of various types of cat food.
We saw a Roman road, some 2000 years old. Impressive.
Otherwise, we spent a lot of time in the hotel room. It as was a sunny day and we really enjoyed the view.
Tomorrow we will visit the Roman amphitheater. Maybe there are some mummies there.
3/2/2026 Tuesday, Lecce
Good afternoon, friends! It is Freddie and Bärnilla here in Lecce. We have had an exciting day: we met a big Italian teddy bear and made friends with him. He sent you his greetings. He tells that it is important to eat regularly even when traveling, not to forget drinking either. We agree with him. Our friend, the old hippie, often forgets to eat and gets grumpy. Not good. 
We have done some touristic stuff also. We visited a castle, a church and an amphitheater.
The castle was closed, we only got the yard. We read that it was an important on 700 years ago.
The church was quiet and there was nobody else there except a monk who came and went away many times. A nervous one .
The amphitheater is more than 2000 years old and was discovered only in 1901! It had capacity of 25000 spectators and many gladiators. There were lions and even elephants. So fascinating, but we think it was unfair that only the winner got to live on.
This is our last day in Lecce. Tomorrow will travel to Taranto. It was founded by Odysseus back before Jesus! We have been told that there are dolphins there.
Now we are about to take a nap. Later, we will have glass of wine!
5/2/2026 Thursday, Taranto
Good evening! It has been a busy day for us, Freddie and Bärnilla. We have had wine twice, nice lunch with beer and a typical Italian breakfast. We are so happy and satisfied. 
And we have had adventures. We have seen an officer feeding the cats of our neighborhood. The cats deserve their breakfast after keeping rats and mice in control. It is hard work.
We have also seen some fishermen cleaning their nets and others fishing. Fish tastes strange here, kind of metallic. Maybe it is because of the huge steel mill right next to the city center. We heard that people have a lot of cancer here. And children have all kinds of problems with their health. But the mill have had some incompetent managers, criminals, and now it is mostly turned off. Luckily. It looks hideous.
Taranto people have very late schedules. They get to the restaurants only after 9 pm. That’s why we are still having our aperitifs at 8.30pm.
Good night, friends!
And we have had adventures. We have seen an officer feeding the cats of our neighborhood. The cats deserve their breakfast after keeping rats and mice in control. It is hard work.
We have also seen some fishermen cleaning their nets and others fishing. Fish tastes strange here, kind of metallic. Maybe it is because of the huge steel mill right next to the city center. We heard that people have a lot of cancer here. And children have all kinds of problems with their health. But the mill have had some incompetent managers, criminals, and now it is mostly turned off. Luckily. It looks hideous.
Taranto people have very late schedules. They get to the restaurants only after 9 pm. That’s why we are still having our aperitifs at 8.30pm.
Good night, friends!
13/2/2026 Friday, Genova
Hello! It is Freddie and Bärnilla in the mountains. We took a funicular half way up and made our way here. It is lovely small restaurant on a steep slope. So scary that our companion, the old hippie, bought us a beer when we promised to give him some for encouragement. He has been sober since his very severe migraine attack. Poor hippie was in very bad shape for three days. 
We were here back in 2019 on Christmas Eve. It was lovely then, it is lovely today. Maybe we can return once more.
We think it may have been a software update. He has behaved oddly after the attack: sober, cooking his own dinners, avoiding cheese, and writing sensible short essays. Can migraine really have such effect? We are not sure.
He did took us to the Orto Botanico, thus there is something left from the one before the attack.
He told us we will take a train to Marseille tomorrow to see some famous brutalist buildings. He is also looking for accommodation in Valencia, Spain. Quite exiting!
14/2/2026 Saturday, to Marseille
“I am not going out there to buy heroin or other shit, it is over now”, said an elderly lady to her friend. The friend nodded, agreed that buying heroin would not be wise. The ladies spoke American and had seen enough life. The one not buying heroin wore her hat deep on her head, the friend had a portable oxygen machine blowing air to her nose. They had some wine, and left, supporting each other. 
Earlier, an elderly man fell on his back because of very strong winds here in Marseille. The gusts are up to 25 m/s, which is enough to blow old men on their backs. Luckily, the man was not hurt and continued his slow walk after a youngster helped him back on his feet.
In the picture, you can see us, Freddie and Bärnillä, having pastis, the local drink, or that’s what a friendly French man told our companion on the train from Nice. He also told us that French politics has no centre anymore, only extreme left and right. He was on his way to see his favourite team, Marseille, meet Strasbourg, where he was born. He could not lose today!
Such a day. Nice to be in France after almost a month in Italy. We will have more pastis tomorrow.
27/2/2026 Madrid
Hello! It has been a long time since we wrote anything. The old hippie has had some trouble with his back and has not carried around. But today we took a train to Madrid. A very fast train it was , over 300km/h, but quiet and comfortable. 
In Madrid, we observed how people dress. It was 20C and sunny. The tourists roamed around in T-shirts and even shorts. The locals were still wearing their winter coats and padded vests. Quite a difference. Our old hippie tried to be like the locals and got somewhat sweaty.
Madrid looks busy. Lots of people, large buildings and cars everywhere. Maybe that is how things are in most Spanish cities. Not all of course, we read an article telling that Victoria-Gasteiz resembles Dutch cities with lots of space for cyclists and pedestrians.
We will stay here in Madrid for three nights and then leave for Morocco, of Africa. So exiting, a bit scary.
1/3/2026 Madrid
we not served vermouth before noon. So, we had to explore the Sunday flea markets and observe a few demonstrations before we made our way to the Plaza Mayor. There we finally got our vermouth, and it was so delicious. In the evening the old hippie left us in the hotel when he went out. We assume he had some beer!
3/3/2026 Algeciras
Hello! It is again your favorite plushies writing to you. We are relaxing in the Hotel Reina Christina in Algeciras, Spain, opposite to Gibraltar. 
This hotel has a long history. It was built on the beach in the 19th century when the railway was completed. The rich and famous used to spend time here, and this was the most expensive hotel in Spain for a while. Then the industrial needs won and the beach was replaced with a harbor. The stairs to beach remain.
The past is alive here. The large colonial Lobby has the old British charm. Rooms are large and have bathtubs. The hotel offer full board with breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets at set times. There is also a well stocked bar.
This kind of hotels are perfect for relaxation, recuperating one’s energies after weeks of travel. The atmosphere is slow, one feel no urge to go out for a long walk or anything else strenuous.
We have visited similar old hotels for example in Darjeeling in India, Genova in Italy. In all of them, the past is alive, telling about slower pace of travel, life and tourism.
Tomorrow, we may visit Gibraltar. There are some monkeys there. We hope the monkeys do not like us too much and take us with them. Should we stay here in the hotel? Would it be safer?
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