Kristian Skjellum Aas
Train travel time again! Starting in Warsaw, I will make my way to the computer party #X2023 in Someren, Netherlands, and all the way back home to Oslo, Norway.
Check out my (Norwegian) travel microblog on Twitter (@kristianaas), and my (Norwegian) blog post about the journey, the party and my Commodore 64 demo group Hoaxers here: https://togoglok.wordpress.com/2023/03/24/neste-prosjekt-gamle-datamaskiner/
Neste prosjekt: Gamle datamaskiner!

Ok, da har jeg vært på løkfestival. Jeg har besøkt Europas største matmarked. Og jeg har hatt en vinter der jeg i stor grad har vært hjemme. Men jeg trenger et nytt, litt sprøtt prosjekt, og det ko…

Tog og løk
May 29, 2023 at 2:54pmWeb
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 29, 2023
As a test, I will be doing English updates here, Norwegian updates on Twitter.
My first train trip is tomorrow. In the meantime, I will just be hanging out in wonderful Warsaw.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 29, 2023
Now calling in for the night. Met a Norwegian woman from the Togferie-group at the wonderful Hala Koszyki earlier tonight. Highly recommended, both the food hall and meeting up with people you just barely know.
Tomorrow, it's time to head west. South-west, that is.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023

First train of the journey! From Warszawa Centralna, a station I find hard to love, I will head southwest towards one of my favourite Polish cities: Wrocław. Unfortunately, today I only have time for lunch there.

From Wrocław, I will head further towards what I hope is the very ugliest station in the whole country.

Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
On this trip, I travel on a mix of single tickets and Interrail. Today and tomorrow, it's single ticket time.
Traditionally in Poland, tickets for PKP and regional trains must be bought at separate websites. As I have a connection with regional train today, I decided to try the independent ticketing app KOLEO, that can buy it all in one go. And it works very well indeed. Maybe an app you can add to your guide, @seatsixtyone?
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
Train number 2: a local train from Wrocław Głowny to Węgliniec, during rush hour. I promised to get some photos of this and the next train for @jon, but it will have to wait until Węgliniec: the platform in Wrocław was far too crowded.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
Train number 3 was this cute little thing, rattling me along from Węgliniec to Zgorzelec Miasto, probably the ugliest train station in Europe.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
Things immediately got better when walking towards Zgorzelec centre, and downright stunning when entering Görlitz. I can see why people dub it the prettiest city in all of Germany.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 31, 2023
Hello from lunch in Dresden! This morning, I got the train from Görlitz at about 10, even if I had a ticket for the train at 12. For the local-traffic leg of longer journeys, there are usually no obligation to take the exact train. However, on IC/ICE-trains, you should get the right one.
A marvellous walk through Dresden, and now lunch. Onwards to Leipzig afterwards!
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 31, 2023
My trusty, old friend for the past 14 years has come to the end of his life. He doesn't roll anymore, so I have to drag him along, and he makes a noise like a drunk percussionist. So I will leave him here in Leipzig, in his country of birth (Titan, from Bavaria, bought in Köln).
Because now I have a new one! Shiny, blue and with wheels that actually roll. Fresh from the bag shop at Leipzig Hbf.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 1, 2023
Leipzig was a treat! Big recommendations to the cheap, oddly-named hotel Gwuni Mopera, with a nice beer garden and bar, and very helpful staff.
Now, I'm on my way to Amsterdam, where I will meet up with the computer kids of the late -80s this afternoon.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 1, 2023
Almost in Amsterdam. From Osnabrück, this train has become party central. Two party crowds compete in singing as loudly as possible, and they are scraping the bottom of their song chest. Last song howled was "Country Roads".
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 1, 2023
My dwelling in Amsterdam. This one night costs me more than the accommodation in Warsaw, Görlitz and Leipzig combined.
Many words can be used to describe Amsterdam. "Cheap" is not among them.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 2, 2023
Finally arrived at the #X2023 party in Someren, Netherlands! Now for some Norwegian-Finnish cultural exchange.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 2, 2023
Some people arrive in style to #X2023, others opted for this.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 3, 2023
Interview with the legendary Commodore 64-composer Rob Hubbard, the biggest star on #X2023. Even though the interviewer, Flex/Artline Designs, is also quite a legend in his own right.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 4, 2023
An amazing demo competition on #X2023. The winning demo from Performers, the runner-up from Bonzai/Pretzel Logic and also the bronze effort from Censor Design shows that the old bread box is far from dead. For me, I preferred the hard-hitting criticism of the consumption society in the Bonzai/PL demo, but the technical and artistic level was awesome all round.
https://youtu.be/3aJzSySfCZM
C64 Demo: Mojo by Bonzai,Pretzel Logic ! 3 June 2023!

YouTube
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 4, 2023
Now, I'm a happy man in the #DiningCar of the ICE Sprinter to Hamburg, after battling the rail replacement buses between Venlo and Mönchengladbach earlier today. What a complete and utter lack of planning and competence.
1h30m after we should have left Venlo, a bus actually came along, and did not ask us to wait for the "Schnellbus" two minutes later. That never appeared.
I feel like I have deserved this one.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 4, 2023
In Hamburg, after some Labskaus, I discovered that my night train is not to be found on the website of SJ, who runs the train. However, it's on the board in the station, presumably on time.
Swedish train information makes the world just that little bit more exciting.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 5, 2023
Indeed the train appeared, and I have spent the night in a couchette with four very nice British lads, having a train tour through the Nordics. Now speeding towards Stockholm, approximately on time.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 5, 2023
Now for something really exciting: the Stockholm-Oslo train.
Normally a straightforward, 5h affair, this summer work on the line between Laxå and Kil, past Karlstad, makes for a spectacular detour.
The route through Eskilstuna, Frövi, Ställdalen and Nykroppa, partly on tracks usually not frequented by passenger trains, adds 2h to the travel time. Yet, the train is 100% packed. On a Monday.
Show threadKjetilJun 4, 2023
@kristianaas Ser ut som du fikk Labskaus uten sild på toppen? Jeg er generelt glad i det tyske kjøkken, men ble jo litt overrasket første gang jeg bestilte Labskaus i Hamburg. Var lenger unna den norske varianten enn jeg hadde trodd.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 5, 2023
@kjeree Hvis du ser nede i venstre hjørne, ligger det en rullet sildefilet.
Show threadChristiaan JacobsJun 5, 2023
@kristianaas it's even more chaotic around Amsterdam. All trains have been cancelled yesterday evening, and even this morning, due to what they call "system crash" in the control room... Treinverkeer ook vanmorgen plat rond Amsterdam, hinder op rest van spoor - https://nos.nl/l/2477766
Geen treinen meer rond Amsterdam door storing, ook gevolgen voor ochtendspits

ProRail meldde rond middernacht dat er 's avonds geen treinen meer zouden rijden. Hoeveel impact de storing bij de verkeersleidingspost zal hebben op de ochtendspits, is onduidelijk.

NOS Nieuws
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 5, 2023
@cejjacobs Oh dear! Fortunately, I'm now speeding towards Stockholm on the night train from Hamburg.
Show threadTor LillqvistJun 5, 2023
@kristianaas As long as you didn’t start fighting over the fairness of some old ski jumping or cross-country skiing thing…
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 5, 2023
@tml No, we instead united in hassling with the Swedes over Eurovision Song Contest...
Show threadTor LillqvistJun 5, 2023
@kristianaas Cha cha cha!
Show threadJonas BoströmJun 6, 2023
@kristianaas @tml Menar ni att det inte var rätt låt som vann? 🙃
Show threadTor LillqvistJun 6, 2023
@Jonas_Bostrom @kristianaas Har ingen personlig åsikt. Försöker ignorera ESC så gott det går varje år… (Men Ukrainas låt ett par år sedan var grym, speciellt den första versionen. Go_A: Shum.)
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 10, 2023
@tml @Jonas_Bostrom Shum var episk! Men svært lik et par av låtene på Hedningarnas aller beste album, "Trä".
Show threadJon WorthMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas It is wonderful. Just a bit eerily quiet in the evenings on the German side!
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
@jon Eerily quiet? I 'm having a ball!
Show threadJon WorthMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas the square behind looks quite empty!
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
@jon It is. And it doesn't seem like a city where there's a lot going on. A bit museum-like, but drop dead beautiful.
I just came from Warsaw. It's quite a contrast.
Show threadEdmund LauterbachMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas @jon Like other East German cities, e.g. Plauen, Görlitz had a large loss of population. Almost 100,000 in the 1950s, about 55,000 today. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einwohnerentwicklung_von_G%C3%B6rlitz
Einwohnerentwicklung von Görlitz – Wikipedia

Show threadJon WorthMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas Right. And all along the border - Slubice/Frankfurt, Gubin/Guben, Lęknica/Bad Muskau, Zgorzelec/Görlitz it’s like this. Polish side a bit rough, but it has life. The German side spotless but a bit eerie and quiet.
Show threadMarion GrauMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas takk for tipset
Show threadEdmund LauterbachMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas In 2010 I was on a trip to Prague, Zittau, Görlitz, Decin, Dresden and of course the railway lines in between. It was a kind of overflow of impressions.
http://www.myway.de/souvenirs/prag-zittau/index.html
http://www.myway.de/souvenirs/prag-zittau/index2.html
Durch Böhmen und Ostsachsen

Show threadJon WorthMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas Oh dear! I have seen some bad stations, but that is the worst of the lot!
Show threadsebastian büttrichMay 30, 2023

@jon @kristianaas

that station is wonderful! it just needs a club for experimental industrial music or such. or just a punk rock club.

Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 31, 2023
@jon Meanwhile, back on Twitter, my tweet about Zgorzelec Miasto has sparked some local interest. And even an explanation on how the station ended up like that.
Show threadPoiluMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas It's just unfinished...
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
@Poilu It has been like this for more than ten years. Do you know why?
Show threadPoiluMay 31, 2023
@kristianaas sort of joking actually...
Show threadJon WorthMay 30, 2023
@kristianaas You’ve not seen the new Krakow Glowny I take it? That's basically a shopping mall with platforms!
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
@jon Seen it, experienced it. And I hate it. Intensely.
Show threadJon WorthMay 29, 2023
@kristianaas You passing Berlin tomorrow? Time for a beer if so?
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 29, 2023
@jon Would be lovely! But no, I will go via Wrocław to Zgorzelec/Görlitz. Staying the night there, then to Leipzig.
Show threadJon WorthMay 29, 2023
@kristianaas Pity, but no problem! Do send me some pics of the trains to Zgorzelec, Polish side. Inside and outside. I haven't actually taken the trains that side, only photographed the bridge Zgorzelec-Görlitz.
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 29, 2023
@jon Will do! Did you see the cute, little thing that @seatsixtyone used from Zagan to Görlitz?
Show threadJon WorthMay 29, 2023
@kristianaas @seatsixtyone Yes, I photographed the same last summer ;-)
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasMay 30, 2023
@jon You'll have a few pics, but the crowds and my fairly heavy luggage limited me somewhat. Also, the Zgorzelec cutie came just a minute before departure, no time to walk around it and get all the angles, unfortunately.
Show threadAsbjørn UlsbergJun 4, 2023

@kristianaas Thanks for sharing, it was nice reading about #BHF, to whom I tributed the song “Bear Hugs Forever” at Solskogen in 2018. He made me feel welcome and that I belonged in the #demoscene. As I write in the song credits:

“…at Solskogen 2012, Bård invited me into Brandon Walsh’ […] tent and spent a good 4 hours telling stories from ye olden days, about the C64 scene and instantly making me feel like home in an environment I've been away from for so long.

Bård was always among the first to give me a big bear hug when we met at demo parties and made me, as well as everybody else, feel welcome.

We became friends and had interactions outside of the demoscene after a while and I appreciate and treasure every second I've spent talking or chatting with BHF.

I consider myself lucky having met and known him, and as the lyrics in the song say, I hope he is in a better place and that we can meet again somehow.

Bear Hugs Forever to Bård Harald Fosse. RIP BHF.”

https://demozoo.org/music/189839/

Bear Hugs Forever

Streaming Music by Bitbear, released 15 July 2018

Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 4, 2023
@bitbear Det er så jævlig trist med Bård. Selv om det er morsomt å være på X, er det alltid følelsen av at det er noen som mangler. Selv om vi var en strålende gjeng fra Hoaxers i år, og mange andre kjente, var Bård en sånn kar som alle kjente, som ga av seg selv og fikset alt.
Flotte ord om en flott fyr, tusen takk!
Show threadKristian Skjellum AasJun 4, 2023
@bitbear Og, jeg får si som Bård ville ha sagt: Bli med til X neste gang, da! Ryktet sier at det blir allerede neste år.
Show threadAsbjørn UlsbergJun 4, 2023
@kristianaas Ja, jeg har veldig lyst til å delta en gang! Kanskje det blir sparket jeg trenger for å få fart på SID-produksjonen. 🙂