Lost in life and in Eastern Europe: Thumbs up!

Somewhere on the road 18 – 21.6.2012

On Monday morning it was time to carry on our journey. We decided try to hitchhike. Povilas took us to the main road that leads to Poland. It was pretty exciting, first time for both of us! Please mom don't panic, we know that hitchhiking can be risky, but anything can happen anywhere else too. Someone could rob us also in bus stop. Hitchhiking is a great way to meet new people and it’s kind of social sustainable development ;D. And it goes nicely with our budget. Of course we had plan B, if no one would have given us a ride.

We waited about two hours in the sunshine until a sympathetic old grandpa looking truck driver stopped. We didn’t speak same language, but we understood that he was going to Poland, so we jumped in. Thank god Minna bought us a map of Poland so he showed where he was going. He took us over 400 km, near to Warsaw. He was really nice man, giving us tips and buying us food, sausage soup. We didn’t want to be rude, but we did our best to avoid the meat. It wasn’t that easy.

We ended up near to one of places where the EM football championship was held. You could really see that, because almost in every car was (mostly Poland’s) flags. We continued hitchhiking. We got two rides and ended up one gas station. The time was already around 11 pm and we were thinking to find a place for our tent and sleep over night. But in the gas station this German man offered to take us next 100 km further. He had BMW, so we got to enjoy air-condition for the first time in the whole day. It was really nice because the temperature was over 30 degrees.

He left us another gas station and we still wanted to stay in our tent for the night. So we started looking for a good place for the tent. In the dark. We really didn’t see much, we had a tiny flash light. Suddenly we heard barking and we saw a homeless dog. It looked aggressive and we got scared. So scared that we went back to the gas station to asked the personal if there was any hostels nearby. We were told that there was one in four kilometers away. After wondering in the yard for some minutes the guy came out and gave us a ride to the motel. So we spent the night safely inside after all.

In the morning after breakfast that was included to the room price, we went again beside the road. After few minutes two young firemen came by foot and offered us a ride to next town. Apparently they had stayed in the same motel and they were going to diving to one lake. They were really nice and drop us once again to a gas station. We continued hitchhiking next to this woman we realized to be a prostitute. We moved further away. We didn’t have to wait long to get a new ride to all the way to Czech Republic. The truck driver stopped just 35 km away from Brno, the city I was having an exchange period last year. We had to get there somehow and meet some of my friends that still were there.

We made it, but the driver left us few kilometers out of the town. We were so sweaty when we walked to the center. We hanged out with my friends all night playing table football and pool. It was so fun and I was so happy to see them again. When we walked home the sun was rising. It was so beautiful.

After few hours sleep, we woke up, took a shower (not together ;D) and went to eat in the center. We were totally destroyed and it took us quite a while to continue traveling. We decided to go first to Bratislava and from there to Austria, lake am Neusiedlersee. We wanted to spend Midsummer Eve camping there and to see a national park nearby.

We got easily ride to Bratislava and we ended up to cross the border by foot. In the border on Austria’s side was the biggest windmill park in the Europe. In the darkness we could only see the warning lights of the mills. One friendly Austrian man took us to a McDonalds 30 km from the camping side. We knew that the campsite was closed already so we stayed in the McDonalds till it closed in midnight. But then strong thunder storm started. Oh fuck. It was really heavy rain and lots of huge lightnings. Nothing like in back home. We asked the staff if there was any hostel near, but just expensive hotel. We couldn’t afford that. Just half an hour before the mac was closing some local guys came to us and asked if we needed any help. We ended up hanging out with them. They were really nice guys and totally saved us from the storm. When we drove with the guys the storm felt to be right above us. We couldn’t see the road because of the heavy rain and when lightning stroke it lightened everything around us. I already though that it would hit us.

Because all the hostels were full, one Sebastian offered us to sleep in a free room. We also got some friends to sleep with: two snakes and two geckos. In the morning Sebastian took us to a camping side. Now it looks like it’s going to rain again. Hopefully it’s not a thunder storm.

Okay the lightning started. It really is thunder storm. And our tent is under a tree. Wish us luck.

Happy Midsummer Eve to everyone! Be safe.