When the sun gave up the sky

06.15 AM, Falköping, Sweden

Dear diary.

So today we're gonna celebrate Johanna's birthday, which would be great if it wasn't for the fact that I don't have any cash to buy some booze. And a sober party ain't my kind of party, so probably I'll end up sitting around at home with the demons, trying to keep myself from going insane... or wait, I already am... right...

Been spending the night getting lost in the wonderful world of urban exploration, and for thos of you who are unfamiliar with the term, let Wikipedia enlighten you;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_exploration

There is something specific about exploring places you were never meant to be at that attracts me. Even as a small kid I enjoyed being in cities or industrial areas, the feeling of the infrastructure, that every little brick had been put there by the hands of humans, and for a reason. It's history being discovered with a total hands-on approach, you're actually out there, exploring places that have been long forgotten by mankind, places that no one has set foot in for decades, or even more. The rush, the adrenaline, the excitement of finding a new place, lifting manhole covers, crawling in dark tunnels, opening rusted doors... I'm addicted to it. Everything we see above ground, we take for granted. But not many people realize that there is a whole world underground, hidden for most regular people, but accessable for the workers who keep our society running, plumbers, electricians and so on.

Most interesting of all things hidden are perhaps the military structures, huge complexes, command centers, radio control centers and so on. Hidden deep inside the mountains, they are every explorers dream. While often being abandoned and sealed off with concrete, some of them remain open, and once you step inside you get struck by the history of the place, what it was like to work there. It's a universal rule for all explorers - "Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.", and it makes sense. Those places are a piece of our history, and while most of them get sealed by the military, those who are left should be left that way.

I'm always looking for more people who share my passion for the exploring, and since I'm soon moving to Borås, I'm gonna have a whole new town to uncover and explore. If you're interested, just tell me, and we'll plan a trip together. There are many cool places to get into there.

I should probably try to get some sleep now, but I know I'll be sitting around for a couple of hours longer, just watching the photos, dreaming. You should check it out, too.

http://www.benkar.se/glomdarum/galleri/Civilforsvar-Totalforsvar/LedningscentralUnderAvveckling/index.html