Hitchhiking from Kaunas to Barcelona and back to Riga – 12 days story [part 12]

Next our friend was a young solder. :) cute one. He was going home to mum for holidays. There was an eve of one national celebration so that's why we met that sciences boy and some others… So he was young and funny. He was telling about army system in Germany and about things he was doing in these days. He was warning pirates do not rob :) and he was menace with his finger. :) He was so kind and drove 30 km into direction we needed to let us in a better petrol station :) we said that it is not necessary and so on. But he just smiled “ I can’t let you here, this petrol station is weird and … no no.. not here… and I don't care it is not mine car and not mine petrol :) and my mum can wait 30 minutes more “ . Our hero :)
It was about 100 to Berlin. In this petrol station after few steps one guy came to me and started to speak in German .. ginger boy :) I smiled and asked him to say it again in English.
He was also hitchhiking. To Berlin. We said it would be nice to chat but first we wanted to buy some snacks. :) then we came out he had a companion. We four young people were sitting on a pavement and chatting, eating. We asked if they are hitchhiking together. No :) that new one was just asking for lighter :) but then he saw us eating so he joined with his sandwiches :) He was born in Russia, Siberia…but grown up in Germany…he was I guess 18 years old and wanted to become a solder :) like that one with whom we just wave off. :) Oh he was not hitchhiking so we remembered that and asked where he is going. To Berlin direction but not into it :) the guy who was hitchhiking like we said that he already spoke with him and we all can go with him. :) cool. We jumped up in a sportive car and moved. Traffic was heavy because of coming national celebration…everyone was going to the sea… but in the car we chatted like we all were a good friends. That hitchhiking boy appeared not so young :) 27 maybe… he was interesting :) he had a Russian girlfriend with whom was hitchhiking to Jerusalem. :) do you imagine German and Russian in Jewish country? :) but everything was ok. He recommended for us one music festival and wrote it name on our map also gave his facebook and phone number if maybe once we would like to come to Berlin and need a place to stay. :)
Time came to say bye bye to driver and start looking for new one. :) It was evening and almost dark…after few minutes it became dark…and it seemed that rain is coming. We took some coffee. It was sad to leave that ginger boy. :) he had bigger chances to get car first. While we were sitting and drinking coffee one guy came… new hitchhiker :) funny :) he saw our map and Fusion festival name and smiled. He said that it is really worth to come. He also left his facebook and really fast find a driver who was going to Berlin. So we left three again :) Soon and our ginger friend left. We were a bit lazy to jump around and ask people where they are going. . . .also rain was falling… so we were looking to numbers of cars… now we wanted to get into Poland. If we saw a Polish numbers so we asked these peoples… but we sit on a pavement with tablet on the ground with one cities name and PL letters. What should mean Poland . :) One young man came to us and started to speak in Polish :) ha ha .. we are not Polish :) but any way they were going to wrong direction. After some time one man passed but turned back and came to us. He asked where we are going (also in Polish) we said in English . He asked from where we are and said ok we can go with him. Lucky :) if honestly we didn't have hope to go at that night…well but… the car was new and posh…and .. in car second man… I felt not safe…I think if we shouldn’t go with them… they look like .. like from mafia . . I said it to Vilma. She think that everything is ok :) but in hitchhiking it is important to listen what your friend feels or thinks. So just in case she stepped out of the car while driver were smoking and take a look into cars numbers. We wrote it down. Car moved. We were thinking if we should write to anyone…but just in case I wrote to my brother the number of the car and time on which I will write again. It should be time then we step out of this car… That night rain was pouring heavily… but driver was going fast… we felt so asleep . . . but we tried to be awake to watch signs on road if we are going to right direction. Poznan … from Berlin to Poznan… lucky …without problems :)
But it was first time then I was not sure if we did a good decision by sitting in that car. But it was good one because we were still moving :) home were closer and closer.

Hitchhiking from Kaunas to Barcelona and back to Riga – 12 days story [part 11]

20 of May…in the morning we stopped in some petrol station.. the man asked us for money…strange thing to pay then you are hitchhiking…but… but driver had problems with paying because there was petrol station to pay only by cards… so he was looking who could help him… so one good man paid with his card and got money from our driver… stupid situation, but what we could do… it was too late to change the car… going again… border..Germany…finally :) after some hours the driver let away the woman. She wished luck to us and gone. After her leaving driver started to talk about her… how he don't like her and that she is crazy. Latter he begin to talk about himself…that he makes wine and now he is bringing some bottles to customers…blab la blab la … I still don't like him.. and now Vilma don't like him as well…We were glad then our ways separated. Of course we had to walk about 2-3 km to get to right direction. It was sunny morning and to marsh with bags was so hot and tiring but nice weather and nice surroundings helped to have good mood. Actually fields and forest remind Lithuanian ones…so we felt closer to home. In petrol station we had some food and moved along. Now stopped strange driver but in good way. He was working with companies like Ford and other cars companies. He was creating robots or something like that. High quality specialist but not proud. He was always saying “It is JUST a job” “It is JUST a car” (even it was new one). He had really different way of thinking. He told us his story how he hitchhiked to Franc to take a photo for his grandmother :) He was just a student and had no money. His grandmother before death wanted to see something in Franc so asked him to go and to take a picture… and he did it : :) Other strange thing he told was that he is organizing 24houres races of old tractors. :) It was interesting to listen how his minds were flouting …He said “where this world is rolling?” He said that now people behaves not responsible with all dangerous remains … for example remains from nuclear power-station. He said that in past paaaaaast people were more mindful. Now people are just putting all nuclear remains into capsule and digging into ground… In past they were more careful. He asked if we know about Atlántida. Of course we do. Then he spoke again. People in Atlántida had a lot of loot of nuclear remains, but they managed to leave it safe… that it won’t cause harm to future generations. He asked if we know how they did that. .. well no..we didn't know… so he asked other question, if we know a Stonehenge in G. Britain. :) no doubts everyone knows it. :) So his opinion were that people from Atlántida all their nuclear remains had dig into ground and built a Stonehenge as a warning sign. It was totally new explanation for us of Stonehenge purpose. It surprised us… (well in that case now 2009 07 21 I tried to look some information in internet…but I found only theories that it was made on spiritual purpose or healing…but nothing about warinig…http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/September-October/Researchers-Disagree-About-Age--Purpose-of-Stonehenge.html , or http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7625630.stm everyone has own opinion.) Spending time with people like him takes you into other world :) Then we stepped out of his car so we said to each other that all our drivers are crazy in their own way…but SO crazy :) and we were like wow this one was good one :) like from television films about boys drowned in science world. :) Nature in Germany was not very special… almost like Lithuanian just maybe hills was a little bit higher… After little break we came back to road. Well not exactly on the road, because in Germany like in Italy, Spain, Austria highways are too dangerous to stand in it and it is forbidden. Better or best place to stay is petrol station or taxing point…but we prefer petrol station the bigger the better :) you can refresh yourself, you can buy if you need something and more people are coming and in petrol station you can go to people directly and speak… or you can stood near the exit and hold a tablet with cities name. Both these strategies has their pros and cons. If you are going to people directly so maybe while you are talking to one who is going wrong direction other person can pass by and could go to right direction. But talking directly you are taking notice… Or even if person is going to opposite side maybe he could give you a good advice how to behave or where to go or something else. Or just can chat a moment with you and give you good emotions. While standing near the exit you can’t take notice to you, your personality or direction you are going. Often people even don't read tablets. But there is and a good side. Then you are standing with tablet or just a thumb up stops only these people who wants to help. Differently then you are going directly to people… everything depends on situation and location. Sometimes one is better and sometimes other.

Hitchhiking from Kaunas to Barcelona and back to Riga – 12 days story [part 10]

:) Little by little evening was coming. (19 of may )This time truck driver stopped. French also not speaking English. But somehow we managed to have a conversation. :) Somewhere in middle in between Avignon and Lyon also in taxing point we were trying to get other driver…it was almost dark… became dark… finally one car stopped …young nice couple. They took us straight to Lyon. Into the city…:) they were going too fast and skipped last petrol station on highway. So it was almost midnight and we were standing almost in the city :) but view was nice… we were standing near the building…next to us one homeless old man was sleeping. Not much hope left that night to move somewhere… but really fast other car stopped. Couple , but old. They were going just out of city so as they think it would be better for us to get out of city. We jumped in with a relief. :) still mowing. This couple was so kind and suggested to stay in their garage for night if we would like to get some sleep. But it was our first night in the trip so we wanted to move on. It was midnight…and we were somewhere out of Lyon. There were two roads..one old and other new but with taxing points. We would prefer new one but it was not lighted…so it was a little bit scared to walk next to that road….especially then we know how fast cars can go there….so after some time one man stopped and took us.I don't know how long we were going with him… maybe I was asleep. Still somewhere in Franc.
I can say that it is 20 of May, even it is night… and even we haven’t any proper rest…We stepped out in a slam village…we saw petrol station but it was not working…no cars at all… Weird.. and again no hope. But still good mood and we were discussing how we could stay here comfortable for night. If we going to stuck so better to use that time for sleeping. Then two cars with young people came to petrol station … gone… after few moments one car came back and parked near us. Two guys where eating something. :) It remind us how after pubs we were going to eat in city :) they wanted to chat but couldn't speak English but still suggested some cookies. And called us nicely “Madmuasel” ..
Still no other cars…suddenly one car passed us twice and stopped. First we thought that it was a young family with sleeping child on the back seat. But no. There was strange company who said that can take us but we should give 10 Euros for petrol because the driver counted that car is old and we are two and big bags so car would take more petrol. We asked where they are going… it was small city in Germany … we looked into map..it was quite far…well 10 Euros for possibility to be safe in car and take a nap was tempting. So we arranged things more comfortable for all of us and moved. The driver for me was weird from the beginning..I don't liked both the driver and a woman next to him… they were speaking in German… something my ear was catching … they were different from all people we have met… they were weird but not in a best way…I didn't like their company… so the night was quite good… good that we were still moving and we could rest a bit… well maybe I didn't feel comfortable in this car because these people differed with each other…it seemed that driver do not like that woman. But to sleep was not very comfortable….so less of space…and cold….because driver opened a window…he was smoking one cigarette after other…but we were just guests so we tried to sleep and ignore these things…sometimes we awake and behold some wonderful beautiful sights …sunrise in cute villages and some hills…and again asleep…

Hitchhiking from Kaunas to Barcelona and back to Riga – 12 days story [part 9]

19 of may … should I say that I didn’t want to get up? :) well we got up quite late. Also we didn’t have any idea from where to start… and how to get there… after quite long thinking we find one solution. Picked up our bags and walked …first to bus. Kristina lead us to bus stop explained a map of bus route and said where we have to step out. Everything looked clear. Bus came. We make our bow . Well we had to step out at third stop. But problem was that bus was not stopping… It stopped only in the end of its route. OOPsss ! The driver took some fruits and it seemed that he will stay here for a while. Everyone went out of bus… we wanted to know how long he will stay here and if he is coming back the same route. BUT :) his English was horrible. So we stepped out. One lady came in the bus and started to talk with driver. After minute came to us and showed to come in…but we didn’t have tickets anymore … but he tried to ask where we are going…then said to stay. After two more minutes (after he ate his orange) he went. In maybe second stop he said to us go to metro and go to city center to get a train or bus :) that was nice. That place where he let us was right one. We just needed to cross the road and start hitchhiking :)


SO from here comes other advice for tourists. If you don't know place, but know a name of bus stop so better don't try to count stops…because some of them you can miss, some of them won’t be marked. It is better to try to ask driver to say to you then will be your stop.


That highway was a bit too fast for that but one old man stopped and helped us. He was listening some calm and classic music so it was making feel us sleepy :) As he told then he was young he was also hitchhiking so that’s why he took us. With him we were driving about 100 km or something like that. He let us out in highway and after few moments came police and said to go out of that area…so we went to sideway there were some taxing points so near them we stood and hoped that someone will take us :) and soon one man took us. He was French and his English was poor but he was happy to use it …Almost all way he was saying that we are behaving wrong by hitchhiking, that it is stress for our parents and so on. He let us soon and we were glad. :) we stood on next taxing point.


It is quite good place, because cars moves slowly …they can notice you and a card with city’s name you are going to. But there is not much space for standing …

Then for us stopped nice young French man :) But couldn’t speak English at all. If we understood right so his job is to drive these fast trains . :) So in highway he also drew fast… after one more 100 km he let us near one more taxing point… in that place were for trucks and in other side were for cars… I was a bit afraid of that highways so we stayed in that side there were for trucks….after while we noticed a car coming to this side…strange..driver stopped and from car stepped out a guy…hitchhiker like we…..then driver asked us where we are going and said “jump in” . Some truck were standing behind him but he didn’t care :)


And small advice if you are traveling with your own car.. better don't go through taxing points which are for truck, because in there are bigger taxes :)


I don't remember much about this driver…soon he us left near other taxing point. Interesting coming to Barcelona we never stood in these places and now while coming back it was the main our stopping point. :) Now for our surprise stopped a lady. :) French. With little nice doggy in front seat. She took us to a better place to hitchhiked …it was about 30 km… also she showed Avignon city :) we took some pictures through the window. She was cute..Her English was poor but she tried and was using sign language.. her French accent was lovely :) we were first hitchhikers who she took. :) Well and again she let us out near taxing point. :) Little by little evening was coming.