Prison Break

Ahh Sweden so lovely, so organized, so easy to travel. Then why may I ask am I sleeping on a couch in a former prison? Let's start from the beginning; Gotland has always appealed to me since I've been in Sweden. It's the biggest island home to loads of medieval churches and has a massive stone wall around the main village of Visby. Its recommended to rent a bike and check out the island on your own, with some beautiful rock formations scattered around peaceful beaches to seal the deal at sunset. Sounds great eh? So after Göteborg I headed there via a seven hour bus and a three hour ferry. And for some reason or other my normal organization, attention to detail and plan everything out personality failed me. I didn't dawn on me that I arrived at midnight, for some reason I thought I'd be arriving early in the morning. As if the ferry takes seven hours to get to the island and only three to return? Who knows but for some reason it just slipped through the cracks. The ferry was lovely by the way, massive titanic looking thing with reclining seats and I even got to watch a romcom on the ride there. So I arrive sleep deprived from bus riding all day at midnight in Visby. Hmm. A little earlier than I had planned. Like six hours. And I didn't have any hostel booked because both the numbers in my old lonely planet didn't go through and neither had online booking. So India style I figured I'd just show up and find something, like I always do. Oh no. Not in Sweden. If it's not in the plan you can just forget about it. That's how come everything goes so smoothly. Because everything is part of the plan.
Its cold and windy at the port and I'm totally disoriented because it's also acutally dark outside. So I trudge to the nearest hostel which is luckily very close to the Ferry Terminal. It just so happens to be housed in a former prison. Very Shawshank Redemption style looking, a big brick building on a hill surrounded by walls and curls of barbed wire. Cozy. And I figure if I can just get through the door I'm set, I'll sleep anywhere till morning. And of course check out is only from 10am until noon. But a nice girl smoking outside lets me in and I plop down on a couch in the main WARD. But I figure if I crash here someone is going to see me in the morning and be pissed. So I decide to check out the tv room, which is luckily empty. With couches and pillows and even a blanket. I set down my pack and settle in for the night, totally paranoid that at any minute someone is going to come in and say what the hell are you doing you homeless American weirdo! But I also figure if I can't check in, then probably no one working is even here so fuck it. I'm stayin. And so I watced some Curb and Entourage and had a horrible on and off night's sleep.

I wake at 5 then 6 then finally at 8 when a woman comes into the room. Shes a guest luckily and just checking the news, I find out she's American. Well Swedish- American and lives in Sweden for summer and New York the rest of the year. She and her husband chat me up and ask if I'm lost because no foreign tourists really come to Visby. It's like I'm in Shimla all over again. But they are very nice and say, well breakfast is in like five minutes, why don't you come? Eh, well since I didn't really stay in the hostel eh, I don't know thats kinda bad right? Oh come on she says, we'll just pretend you're our daughter. So I sneak in with them and enjoy some tea and toast and museli, and it's delicious. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers. And when I try to check in at 10am they are full. So I have to leave. So I do, reluctantly, buuut. It's light out and I just got a free place to sleep and free brekkie! Boo ya! Bless the Travel gods!
I traipse all over the island looking for another hostel to no avail. No booking, no room, at least nothing even slightly affordable. And I'm sick of carrying my bag all around this place, I finally admit defeat. I go and change my ferry ticket to that night, lock up my bag at the terminal and enjoy the seven hours I have on the island. I went to the library, ate a picnic, stared at the ocean and clouds from the grass, and had some saffron-honey ice cream. Pretty good day. Things didn't exactly turn out as I had hoped, but I didn't sleep in the street, I got to see Visby, and I got some ice cream. Things could be worse.