This article relates to events that happened on the 13th of June, 2019. Jonas and I paddled our inflatable canoe named Zucchini from Kelheim to Regensburg in Bavaria, south Germany. We covered a distance of about 30 kilometers. Taking Care of Jonas Jonas had been sick since arriving in Kelheim on the 10th of June. He spent the next two days in bed with a fever and zero appetite. Luckily, we have a big box of paracetamol and unlimited tap water. So those two days we nuked that fever away with a regiment of medicine, a cold wet cloth onContinue reading
Europe
Here you’ll find lots of articles about my hitchhiking and kayaking travels in Europe. As you may know, Europe is my ‘homing’ continent where I’ll – like a stinky pigeon – always return to even if I’m trying to stay away from it. And to be honest, it’s not bad; there’s always more to explore.
I undertook many of my trips around Europe while at university in Maastricht (the Netherlands) and Aarhus (Denmark). That’s why I dropped out. I honed my hitchhiking skills here and set the most personal records and firsts such as:
- First solo hitch: from Kirkenes Airport in Norway to Kirkenes town with a military guy with his son
- Longest distance hitched in 24 hours: ~1200 kilometers from Maastricht (the Netherlands) to somewhere east of Lubljana (Slovenia)
- Most hours in one ride: 3 days with one British driver with a rental car in southern Spain and Portugal (his contract said he couldn’t take the car across the border)
- First plane hitch: over Malta (A to A)
- Longest sailing yacht hitch: from Corfu (Greece) to Malta, which was 340 nautical miles over 2.5 days. Here’s my CrewBay profile
Besides hitchhiking, I also kayaked a long distance in Europe down the Danube river in an inflatable canoe named Zucchini. But before I did that trip with my partner Jonas, I returned to university to finish my degree to erase my student debt. Thesis here.
As you can see, it’s not always a fun continent for me; it’s also the locus of worry about the people and pets I’m close to, of bureaucratic fuckery, and of most of my childhood memories. For most of my life, Europe has tied me down. Now I’m trying to experience it from a place of choice and freedom.
If you are not interested in the Danube trip, you can click this link to not show the Danube posts.
Kayak Trip Day 14: Vohburg to Kelheim and the Donaudurchbruch
This is a story about the events surrounding our canoe trip down the Danube between Vohburg and Kelheim. It happened on the 10th of June, 2019. We paddled about 30 kilometers between the two towns. Contents1 Our Stay in Vohburg2 Leaving Vohburg for Kelheim3 Paddling Past the Military Base4 The One-Hour Mark Challenge5 Overtaken By the Red Canoe6 The First Ferry and Camping Haderfleck7 Weltenburg – the Last Stop Before Kelheim8 The Donaudurchbruch9 Paddling on to Kelheim10 Arriving in Kelheim11 The Naming Ceremony12 Good Read? Please Share! Our Stay in Vohburg We stayed in the ’boutique hotel’ Zur Post forContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 13: Ingolstadt to Vohburg
Events chronicled in this story happened on the 8th of June, 2019. Jonas and I paddled our inflatable canoe from Ingolstadt to Vohburg, 16.5km away. It was our 13th paddle day on the river Danube. Ingolstadt is a special place because that’s where the TID (Tour International Danubien) starts. That’s the people who paddle the Danube as a tour group. Five Nights in an Airbnb in Ingolstadt We took a break. For five nights after our arrival from Neuburg an der Donau, we slept, cooked for ourselves, and worked at a very pleasant Airbnb in Ingolstadt’s suburbia. We’d booked aContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 12: Neuburg an der Donau to Ingolstadt
Events chronicled in this story happened on Monday the 3rd of June, 2019. We paddled our inflatable canoe from a village called Neuburg an der Donau to the big regional city Ingolstadt. It was a distance of about 18 kilometers. Packing Up in Neuberg an der Donau We both slept alright in our tent on the campground in Neuburg an der Donau. Getting up was very difficult though, because we woke up first at 6:00 and considered it too early, and then again at 7:15 when it got too hot in the tent. Edeka opened at 7:00, and we’d alreadyContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 11: Donauwörth to Neuburg an der Donau
Events happened on June 2nd, 2019. We paddled from Donauwörth to a town called Neuburg an der Donau. In Neuburg an der Donau, we wanted to camp at the canoe/rowing club in town. We paddled some 32 kilometers that day, which was a new record distance. Two Nights in Donauwörth We spent two nights in hotel Buena Vista in Donauwörth. Unfortunately, our room of hotel ‘Good View’ looked out on the wall of another building. No natural light entered our room which was wholly depressing. The internet also wasn’t very reliable. To be fair, we had tried to book threeContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 10: Dillingen an der Donau to Donauwörth
These events happened on Friday the 31st of May, 2019. We paddled our inflatable canoe from our riverside campsite in Dillingen an der Donau to Donauwörth, a distance of 28 kilometers. This was the first time we paddled this far and the first time we paddled two days in a row. If you want to know more about what this trip is about and why we’re doing it, I suggest starting here in Donaueschingen. Packing Up Our Camping Gear We woke up quite early at 7:00 in our beautiful tent. Soon after, we started our day of packing our campingContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 9: Günzburg to Dillingen an der Donau
Events in this article happened on the 30th of May, 2019, which was also Ascension day. We paddled in our inflatable canoe from Günzburg to Dillingen an der Donau, a distance of about 24 kilometers. Both towns lie in Bavaria in Germany. In Germany, Ascension day is a public holiday and they celebrate father’s day on this same day. Father’s day is actually more generally ‘men’s day’, which means that a lot of groups of men go outside to drink and revel in shitty activities like fishing. In Dillingen an der Donau, we finally went camping for the first timeContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 8: Neu-Ulm to Günzburg
The events of this story happened on Monday the 27th of May 2019. We paddled our inflatable canoe from Neu-Ulm just across the border in Bavaria to Günzburg. This was a trip of 23.9 kilometers, I think. If you’re lost as to what these blog posts are about and why they’re not about hitchhiking, I suggest starting at Day Zero in Donaueschingen. Contents1 Packing Up2 Preparing to Leave Neu-Ulm for Günzburg (27th of May)3 Our First Lock (Wasserkraftwerk Böfinger Halde)4 Relaunching Our Boat and Paddling On to Dam Two (Oberelchingen)5 Hydroelectric Dam Number Three (Leipheim)6 Arrival in Günzburg, Packing UpContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 7: Dettingen to Neu-Ulm
This is about our paddle day from Dettingen to Neu-Ulm on the 24th of May, 2019. We paddled a total distance of about 25 kilometers. It was our first state border crossing from Baden-Württemberg to Bavaria. Contents1 Letting the Hochwasser Pass2 Leaving Dettingen for Neu-Ulm3 The Long Stretches Without a Current4 Paddling Past Power Station Two5 The Last Portage at Wiblingen6 The Confluence of the Danube and the Iller7 Arriving in Neu-Ulm8 Packing Up and Checking In to the Hostel in Neu-Ulm9 Please Share This Adventure on Social Media! Letting the Hochwasser Pass We stayed in Dettingen for two nightsContinue reading