This article is classified "Partly real, partly fictional"
Have you ever seen the sunset reflect its reddish rays in the Roxen [1] sea?
Have you ever traveled along the Staangaa [2] listening to the birds
singing? Have you ever walked the streets of Ryd [3] late at night watching
students try to find their way home? If you have, you've probably already
seen what's to see in Linkoeping, and know your way around. But if you
haven't, let me tell you about this sweet little city.
There are all kinds of people here, but the ones you should be looking for
are the students [4] and the ex-students [5]. These people know how to
enjoy life, if you don't disturb them in some really important project or
exam. If you have a towel (which I assume everyone has) you can crash at
any place. There are a lot of great hotels (if you travel with a huge
expense account) that I can really recommend, but for the average hiker
there are more inexpensive ways of crashing, like dorm rooms, other hikers'
apartments, nice little forests, and of course the gutter. :-)
The people of Linkoeping are quite friendly. I've only lived here for a
couple of months but I really feel welcome.
There is nowhere in this town where you can get a nice pint of Guinness, but
they do have some other nice brands of intergalactic beer. If you dare, you
might want to visit the Systembolag [6] where you can buy cans of Guinness,
but you have to drink it elsewhere.
The hiker culture is widely spread in Linkoeping. Most people in the
"students/ex-students" category know about the Guide, and the answer to the
big question of "life, universe and everything" is known by each and every
one of them (although the opinion about the correct answer may vary a bit).
If your spacecraft should happen to drop you off in Linkoeping, give me a
call on the URG [7] and I'll be happy to show you around.
So what happened to the "Why? When? How?"?
* Why? Easily answered. It's a nice place!
* When? Summertime is preferred, but you will always find nice
people here.
* How? Just bring your towel and the rest will be an easy ride.
[1] Roxen, pronounced much like "woxen", is a lake. Some people might say
it's a webserver, which is also correct, but it's named after the lake.
[2] Staangaan is a small "river" that runs through Linkoeping.
[3] Ryd is the part of Linkoeping where most of the students live. Here you
may find the dorms.
[4] Students are widely known for their partyish hoopy lifestyle. Students
can often be seen in colourful overalls running around drinking and
singing.
[5] Ex-students are persons who either skipped University after a couple of
years and started to work, or who finished their education and then
started to work (more seldomly found though).
[6] Systembolaget is a shop where you can buy liquor but not drink it. It
is the only place apart from pubs/restaurants where you can legally buy
liquor.
[7] URG: Universal Radio Gizmo. A device similar to an amateur radio
station. It's the size of a cell-phone and can receive and transmit
messages across the entire universe. A must to every hitch-hiker,
almost as necessary as the towel.