Woke up to my 18th birthday. Legal drinking age and more responsibility blah blah blah. I figured out that I have had only 4 birthdays in Canada. This is my third successive birthday in Europe. Will there be a marching band or my favourite meal with a birthday cake? Dream on intrepid traveler! Well a good birthday breakfast of scrambled eggs, black bread, honey, plum juice and a piece of sweet cake. No swimming today as it was overcast so instead a nice three hour walk around the lake. Came home and whipped up a dinner of rice, peas, black bread, beer and some cucumber. Some dirty looking German girls came in as I was finishing my supper. Hopefully they will enjoy a hot shower. Peeu the smell as they walked by like Pig Pen with a cloud of dirt following him. After cleaning up I watched the end of a Russian film and went out with some of the fellows to play a soccer game against a local soccer team practicing nearby. We rag tag decadent capitalist youth whupped them and I scored three goals. Out to celebrate my birthday with a huge helping of ice cream and a delicious chocolate pastry. Much to the delight of the patrons of the youth hostel I gave them a few dirty old man coughs I am famous throughout the European youth hostel circuit for. Lots of clapping. What an odd birthday.
Speaking of dirty German girls such can be the plight of low budget young travellers as on occasion extended travelling days make a shower a difficult task. In some countries a hot shower is but an illusion as cold showers rule. But my view is that no one wants to be stinky and dirty. You are a representative of Canada and of your generation so best to be as clean as you can. A bath! Forget it.