Fourth chapter

To hang out with hipsters in Dallas

Well it’s not that I don’t love you, I’ll love you honey till I die

But I could never be your bride till I tame my wicked side

Maria McKee

When I come to Dallas after a long night on two Greyhound buses and more bus stations without coffee, I'm suddenly quite tired of Greyhound, seniors and living far from downtown. At the Greyhound station in Austin this morning, the men's toilet was closed for cleaning for two hours, so I had to wait to empty the bladder until I got on the bus again.

As a change, I have not booked a room via Air bnb, so I decide to enter a central luxury hotel and am lucky enough to get a room on the fifteenth floor at Hotel Omni, where I can check in already at 12 o'clock. The hotel is luxurious, but not the least snobbish. The staff exudes a lot of warmth and consideration. It does not feel like they are looking for tips – they just seem really nice. Here Greyhound should send the managers, or maybe the entire staff, to study.

More tired than I really want to admit after the long nightly trip, I decide to spend the afternoon enjoying the luxury of the hotel. But after a delicious, and not expensive vegetarian meal at the hotel's restaurant, I'm restless and want to see Dallas. Just ten minutes walk from the hotel is the street where president John F Kennedy was shot dead in 1963. I remember the murder of Kennedy very well, as I watched TV together with my father. It's a great experience for me to see the exact point where the shot hit him and to get up in the red warehouse next door, up to the window where killer Lee Harvey Oswald stood and shot.

Right next to the warehouse I find Trolley Tours, a sight seeing trip by bus. I'm going for it. The bus driver is also a guide in a very worthwhile manner. The image I got from Dallas from the old TV soap opera with the same name changes completely. For example, I did not know that Dallas was so characterized by art. Here is an area called Art District, where there are art museums, art galleries and exciting outdoor art.

When the bus driver and guide drives under a highway and get into what looks like an old industrial area, she says this is her favorite Dallas area. It is quite clear that it is a hipster area in the best sense of the word. Here you will find vegetarian restaurants, microbreweries, sourdough bakeries, strange art places and music joints just screaming that I will like the music played there. Without hesitation, I decide to return here tonight.

At 7 PM, I'm walking under the highway to the hipster district, which I did not really know what it's called. I instantly find a vegetarian restaurant that looks nice and gets placed at a table for four and begins studying the truly enticing food sheet.

Five minutes later, three youngster ask if they can sit at the same table as me. Of course they can. They present themselves as Peter, Paul and Mary. All three attend the University of Texas in Dallas, where they study criminology, biochemistry and literature.

It sounds like topics that could make us discuss throughout the evening. I cannot help asking the prospective criminologist Peter about the issue with firearms in American society. Is it as obvious to young people as among old guys that it is a human right to go around armed?

Peter does not want to answer more than for himself, but he would never come to the idea of ​​acquiring a firearm. Paul, on the other hand, tells him that he is a revolver at home, but never carries it outside. Why do you have it, Mary is asking with dark eyes.

Of pure routine, says Paul. Almost everybody he knows has a gun and it was natural to get it when there was a robbery in the neighborhood where he lives. Peter protests against the logic of it. Research shows that the armed person is at greater risk of being shot than the weapon-free.

I tell them that I have a rifle at my home, but in Sweden it's almost just moose hunters and organized criminals who have firearms.

Mary is wondering if I'm a moose owner or a criminal.

Guess, I say.

All three guess all right to the moose hunter.

How can you be so sure about it, I wonder.

They all are quiet for a short while.

Peter has read that there are a lot of moose in Sweden, so the statistics tells him that I'm a moose hunter. Though it's a bit contradictory. If there are many hunters, there should not be so many moose left.

Paul believes it is unusual for people over the age of 50 to participate in the criminal youth gangs. I object that now that more people is getting older old men with a criminal behavior becomes more common. A few years ago, in Sweden a gang of senior citizen traveled the country robbing banks.

Mary says I look nice and think it would be unlikely that I would be armed, whether I'd rob banks or shoot moose. Paul also looks kind, but still has a gun, I protest.

Now the food is served and the discussion about firearms is over for now. I have ordered a burrito with a very good vegetable stew together with a lager from a nearby microbrewery. The young people eat different types of meat imitations, vegetarian chicken nuggets and vegan ham. They drink local varieties of Indian pale ale.

Mary asks me how I've become a vegetarian at my old age.

I tell her that I fly a lot more than is good for the climate. In order to compensate it and at least do something to save the climate for my grandchildren, I compensate now by refraining from beef, pork, lamb and chicken. I have no problem shooting wild animals and eating their meat instead of letting trains and cars kill them.

Mary does not understand how I can imagine eating any dead animals. She has chosen not to eat any of the animals that I eat, fish, seafood, eggs and dairy products. In her world, humans have no right to decide the destiny of the other animals. Both Peter and Paul abandon meat with the same principles as I do.

I cannot help asking a bit of a stupid question that has been spinning in my head for a while: You seem to be hipsters. Are you and if so, how does it affect your life?

It is quiet for a little while. Peter and Paul then acknowledge that they probably count themselves as hipsters. Mary says that she is a person who does not want to be defined as someone who is stuck in fashion.

Peter does not consider being a hipster as a fashion. It's a natural way of life. To eat natural food. To drink locally brewed beer. To dress in natural materials. To let the hair and the beard grow. Not to think like everyone else.

Mary protests and thinks that the hipsters she knows really looks like all other hipsters. Especially clear is this in Dallas, where there are not as many hipsters as in New York and San Francisco. There seems to be a little more variation on those that are different.

Paul does not think she should compare hipsters with each other but with the rest of the population. Then it becomes clearer that they are unique.

Mary provokes and says that hipsters are so similar to the Amish people to appearance, so she wonders if they have any common religion as well.

Peter concludes that he is an atheist and will remain so no matter what the Amish people look like. Certainly, we have naturalness as a common valuation, but there ends the similarities, he says.

Is there any organization for hipsters? Everyone I've met is in their 30's. I wonder if there is any age limit down or up.

Peter tells us that his father is a typical hipster in his 60s. And Peter assures that he will keep his values ​​as old as he gets. I cannot help saying that I have heard that many times before from previous generations with other ideals, but then life has not developed that way. At the same time, I would be very pleased if Peter and his friends were able to maintain good values ​​throughout their lives.

Paul protest and think it is good to be able to change his mind when the world changes. It would be terrible if we could not listen to each other and take an impression, he thinks.

Mary points out that there are differences between values ​​and opinions. Values ​​like all people's equal value, we should keep through our lives. Opinions like God does not exist or that God is evil we should be able to rethink.

We all agree with Mary about that.

Talking of aging hipsters, Paul asks if I was a hippie when I was young. In the United States there are many aging and more or less down at heel hippies both among rock stars and in line for the soup kitchens.

No, even as a kid, I was a little too good to accept this with the drugs. However, I liked the section with "love, peace and understanding". And there are values ​​that I have not changed through all years.

I like drinking beer and wine, but otherwise I'm not tempted to change my consciousness by chemical means. I prefer to read to change my mind. Love, peace and mutual understanding I still think should be values ​​that all people should cover in all ages.

Who may look different, asks Mary.

Donald Trump seems to prefer hate, war and not to listen to anyone, believes Paul. We all share his opinion.

Peter asks how old I am and they are all a little surprised that I am over 70. They think it's a bit unlikely that such an old man is on such a long journey on his own, hanging in bars in the evenings. An old man, maybe should stay home in bed this day, says Peter with a grin.

I tell him that I do not hang out in bars every night when I'm traveling. There are evenings when I prefer to stay in my rental room and look at the Swedish multi musician Kalle Moraeus on Swedish television. I tell them who Kalle Moraeus is and tips them how to find his programs online while seeing a beautiful part of Sweden.

Then I let my last inhibition go and tell them about my prostate that makes me to get back to the hotel and empty the bladder before it gets too late every night but I've decided to try to postpone the day when my old age is preventing me from do fun things

What I have read, many can live a very good life until they reach 80, and some can do it further more. I think it's about being able to live life every day, no matter if we are young or old. That since the concept of living life maximally gets a little different meaning in different periods is something to just accept. But no one knows what day is the last one. Now I can admit that my platitudes have passed the limit of what is acceptable.

Some think I'm on the run from my old age, but I feel that I'm on the run from death. To me it is not interesting to always sit at home and watch television as a stage between a good life and death. I want to continue to be active in some way until the end. Yes, I am aware that such trips as this are not good for the climate in my grandchild's future, so I increasingly try to replace long journeys with finding fun and meaningful activities as close to my home as possible.

Perhaps I will return to the United States in four years when it is time for the next presidential election. It is at least one goal. Before that, I want to see Japan and Australia. Or I can skip Japan. There seems to be almost as cold as in Sweden in the winter.

Even though Peter, Paul and Mary think Facebook is for old people, they are there. They would like to follow my trip and we use our phones to become friends right away before I hurry back to the hotel to pee in the catheter.

The next morning, there is a knock on my door at nine o'clock. There is room service, coming with a delicious breakfast at an affordable price. The young lady who comes with the tray seems to have plenty of time. She stays for a while and talks and tips me what I should see here in Dallas. Like some others, she has heard of Sweden, and she can distinguish between the Swiss alps and the Swedish mountains. She has a lot of questions about our welfare system. I answer it's not perfect, but as far as I understand, it's a lot better than what you have here.

Today is Sunday so I'm a little unsure of what sights she's talking about that's open. Southfork Ranch, where important parts of the TV soap Dallas were recorded, attracts me. But when I look at Google Maps, it turns out that it's so far away from the center that it takes over eight hours to walk one direction, so I skip that. There are sight seeing buses, but I'm not so crazy about it.

The bus to Amarillo where I will switch to the Albuquerque bus leaves at 6 PM so I still have plenty of time. I decide to go to the art museums that are open. It will be a very good afternoon.

Before afternoon, I'm looking for a lunch restaurant near the spot where Kennedy was shot. I find one describing itself on the window to the street as Latin Deli. Their slogan reminds me of my grandmother. "Eat, laugh and live" is on the window. "Eat, drink and be happy," said grandmother. I just have to go there. My grandmother would have liked that.

Here is almost full and I see a small table with a free space opposite a woman of my age. Yes, it's free to sit down. The lady speaks a somewhat broken English and it turns out she is from Berlin. Well, now I can get a German perspective on aging. Her name is Gisela and she has worked two semesters as a German teacher at one of the universities here in Dallas a few years ago. Now she is retired and is here to meet some old friends. This lunch, she found no friend who had time with her, so she seems really happy that I took the empty chair opposite her. We switch between speaking German and English. She speaks mostly German and I usually answer in English.

I ask how she likes to be a senior citizen in Germany and it turns out she feels a bit bored. Her husband runs a company and has no plans to stop working. They both have had the luck of being completely healthy, so she really thinks she has nothing to complain about.

But you must see a disadvantage of being a retiree?

Yes, Gisela thinks it's really a drag that so many of her friends have been affected by so many diseases. She does not suffer from listening to the disease chat at dinner, but she feels sincerely sorry for those who are disabled in various ways. She has even had several close friends who have not survived their illnesses.

She thinks it's so sad.

What does she think is the big advantage of being a senior citizen in Berlin?

She thinks there are very many benefits to it. In Berlin there is so much to do around the clock for people of all ages. The best part may be to have so much time to meet children, grandchildren and good friends.

In fact, she would like to travel a lot too, but she has been taking impression from the German environmental debate and wants to avoid spreading carbon dioxide emissions. In a few days she will fly home to Germany and she is already feeling unhappy, even though she is not afraid of flying at all.

She has already seen a large part of the world, and does not really miss many countries on her bucket list. What she lacks is the warmth of the sun in the winter months. The climate in Berlin is about as bad as in southern Sweden, but I understand by Gisela that she does not want to leave the grandchild for a long time. I understand that.

Gisela asks about my trip and is getting more and more interested. She asks if she can be my friend on facebook to follow my continued trip. Of coarse. Why not?

I look forward to reading Gisela's stories from life in Berlin. She warns me that she writes in German, but I have no problem understanding.

Before we part, we get into Donald Trump. Adolf Hitler had died when Gisela was born, but she has read a lot about nazism and she sees great similarities between German nazism and American trumpism. Racism is probably the greatest similarity. The anger and hatred are another similarity.

She also sees differences. Hitler wanted to conquer the world, while Trump wants to close the borders to the rest of the world.

According to Gisela, the major and decisive difference is that Hitler had many millions lives on his conscience. Trump does not so far. He does not seem to have any ambition to start a war. If he decides to ultimately destroy the climate, he can become one of the most responsible for the fall of humanity, Gisela believes.

I point out that I do not think he will be elected next week, so there is still hope that the United States will step up in terms of climate. Gisela is a pessimist and has met quite a few who said they will vote for Trump.

We part in a rather gloomy mood. 
Bye Gisela, see you on Facebook!

From Kurt Andersson's Facebook

Mary Jackson, Dallas

Hi! It was really nice meeting you for such a nice dinner. When I came home I realized I do not know enough about Sweden. Could you please give me some advice on what novels to read to learn more about life in Sweden.

Mia Turner, New Orleans

Hi Kurt! It has been really interesting to follow your short stay in Dallas. It made me realize I should start travelling more within the US. Maybe Tina and I can follow your footsteps a few weeks next autumn.

.

Sonny Smith, Memphis

Hi! You seem to have a good time on your trip. I told Tom and Jerry about your stories on Facebook and they ask if they could be your friends on Facebook. Is that OK? They would really like to travel with you across the United States.

Robert Nelson, Kansas City

Hi Kurt! Now I have told my wife about my plans to go to Europe in the spring. She was enthusiastic and wanted to come along to do some shopping. Do you have any advice for her? Where in Europe is shopper’s heaven?

Facts about Dallas

• Dallas is situated in the state of Texas. The city is almost connected with Fort Worth.

• Dallas had 1,258 million inhabitants in 2013.

• The University of Dallas has 2,400 students. The University of Texas at Dallas, on the other hand, has more than 23,000 students.

• The TV series Dallas depicted the Ewing family at Soutfork Ranch a couple of miles outside Dallas. Larry Hagman, Linda Gray, Patrik Duffy and Victoria Principal were the stars.

• Defense industry and IT companies are strong in Dallas.

Read more at www.dallas.com

The view from Kurt room in Dallas