Yesterday’s hitchhiking trip from Belgrade to Sarajevo was just whimsical! This is my first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina (also abbreviated as ‘BiH’) and definitely not last I may hope. I already really like Sarajevo. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in Europe and the food is good. So why was hitchhiking here so magical? Well, because the landscapes change from Belgrade to Sarajevo in a very spectacular way. There are also tons of other towns along the way with cool architecture and oodles of history. Perhaps I should have made longer stops along the way, but I had such aContinue 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.
Indoor Camping in Belgrade, Serbia
Sometimes, I can’t stand normal-people beds. So I found a cool solution: indoor camping! I know it looks silly, but if you have a free-standing tent like this, it’s actually nice to pitch it indoors and just lounge in it. Yes, you need to roll out your sleeping bag to make it extra comfy. I just love living that tent life. Meanwhile, I’m using my stay in Belgrade (Serbia) to practice my guitar play, host people on CouchSurfing or from Facebook groups, write on the blog, and do small overall improvements. I’m hoping to make this apartment in Belgrade myContinue reading
Maltese Hitchhiking Route (Approximated)
Take a peek at my next approximated hitchhiking route, bringing me to Malta! It’s three times when I’ll have to hitch a boat: Albania to Italy, Italy to Sicily, and Sicily to Malta. How? I have no clue yet. I’ll see it once I arrive at the next step in the Maltese hitchhiking journey. I’m starting in Belgrade (Serbia), then make my way through Bosnia and Herzegovina—a new country for me. After that, it’s time for a return visit to (perhaps Croatia and) Montenegro and then I’ll see Albania for the first time. In Italy, I’m expecting to see BariContinue reading
Belgrade Marathon 2015 in Serbia’s Morning Rain
This morning, the annual Belgrade Marathon ran through my street. I woke up wondering what all the fuss was about. Turns out a lot of sweaty people were in a hurry, running through some heavy rain. It won’t stop these people! I think I already missed the professional athletes, who must have passed earlier. Perhaps these are the non-competitive runners? As you might have guessed, I’m not much of a runner. High school left me a little traumatized, though nothing was as bad as doing rugby. I’m more of a table tennis person when it comes to sports. With regardsContinue reading
Sunrise at Tašmajdan Park, Belgrade (Serbia)
I love this free apartment, this park named Tašmajdan, and this city Belgrade. It’s a city without much bullshit. It feels like I can finally take a breather here in Serbia and work on a few things online in peace before commencing the next hitchhiking chapter. It’s still in development, but I’m very excited about it. Those nights overthinking plans and processing my past trips sometimes result in me witnessing the first rays of sunlight hit the dome of Saint Mark’s Church. It wouldn’t hurt to sleep, but my mind goes to great lengths to avoid routine. With a cigaretteContinue reading
Belgradian Sunset—Serbian Spring
This free home in Belgrade has two balconies on opposite sides of the apartment. That makes it perfect for witnessing the Belgradian sunrise as well as a Belgradian sunset, such as this one. People on Instagram call these types of photos #sunsetporn. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right, not being great at photography but having a passion for pretty pictures nonetheless. I’m trying and occasionally improving. Mastering the self-timer is always the most important part of travel photography, methinks. Spring is here on some of the days. I’m all giddy for where I’ll travel once I leave this comfyContinue reading
Crafting Cyrillic Hitchhiking Signs (Negotin, Serbia)
When hitchhiking with a dear friend of mine in Serbia, it was time to make some new hitchhiking signs. For domestic use, it can be nice to write hitchhiking signs in the Cyrillic alphabet. Like this Београд (Belgrade) sign I was crafting at a café in Negotin. This is not really an area where you expect a non-Serbian driver to stop and pick you up. Also, I love, love, love the Cyrillic script. In the end, hitchhiking in Russia for an extended period of time is still my biggest dream. Unlike some of my dreams, I don’t think this one isContinue reading
Hotel Moskva: Perhaps My Favorite Building in Belgrade (Serbia)
I don’t only appreciate brutalist architecture; it’s one of many styles I enjoy looking at. Hotel Moskva is one of my favorite buildings in Belgrade, Serbia. It’s a pretty iconic building and looks just so cozy. I’m absolutely dying to go to Moscow one day (and perhaps stay at the Belgrad Hotel over there, you know, for symmetry purposes). And no, I’ve never entered the Hotel Moskva because I imagine it to be very fancy. So instead, I’m waiting here across the street for a friend to arrive from the Netherlands. ) is one of my favorite buildings in Belgrade. It’sContinue reading
Transfăgărășan Highway: Does Jeremy Clarkson Pick Up Hitchhikers?
Now that he’s fired from Top Gear, perhaps Jeremy Clarkson has some free time now to pick up a hitchhiker at the Transfăgărășan Highway in Romania? I mean, he does say that “this is the best road in the world”. I’m also accustomed to hitchhiking with problematic people. So… I basically hitchhiked to the start of the Transfăgărășan Highway just to take this photo (and make this joke). A month ago, Jeremy Clarkson still worked at Top Gear. I’d hoped to put out a little call to action to hitchhike with the crew of Top Gear. It’s a program IContinue reading