It all started in Ljubljana, right outside my school. The van arrived, and we were on our way to Zagreb, the first step of the trip. Little did I know, the journey ahead would unfold in ways I never expected.

We were on a tight schedule. Our flight was at 9:30 AM, and we were flying on an Airbus A321. Once we took off, I felt the sense of being on our way to something new.

Our first stop was Istanbul. The airport was massive – far bigger than I had expected. It felt like a city within a city, but the signs were clear, making it easy to navigate.

We didn’t stay long in Istanbul. We boarded the next flight to Helsinki, but when we landed, we were late. It wasn’t by much, but enough to affect our plans. We passed through border control and collected our baggage. Then, as we tried to catch our train to Tampere, we missed it.

We made our way to Tikkurila station and updated our tickets. Afterward, we caught the next fast train to Tampere. It was late in the day, and we had to switch trains once we arrived in Tampere.

Tikkurila:

Finally, the train took us to Jyväskylä, but it was late, and the city was empty. There were no people, no cars – it felt like we were in a different world. The streets were quiet. Despite the emptiness, the city’s infrastructure stood out. It was clear we were no longer in the familiar surroundings of Slovenia. We searched for our hotel, tired from the long journey. Eventually, we found it, and that marked the end of a long day of travel.

Istanbul: