Split, Croatia: Reading a Book at the Riva

At the Riva (promenade) in the old town of Split, Croatia. In this lovely town, I got my tan on and went for the book reading beach life today. I’m only in the first chapter, but it seems like Simone de Beauvoir and I have a lot to agree on. A course – one of the few I didn’t hate – I took at university hadThe Second Sex as suggested reading. I’ve been looking for the peace of mind to read such a staple of feminist philosophy. I think I’m ready to read a thick one. To clarify, the beach I went to is Plaža BačviceContinue reading

Nikšić, Montenegro: Urban Freecamping

This was my urban freecamping spot last night next to the hotel I used the WiFi at. It’s an alley next to the parking lot that the lady from reception recommended me and the hotel staff paid attention to my safety during the night, so that’s really nice of them! A little cold and windy, but you know I’m prepared for the worst. The best thing about this spot? The hotel’s WiFi was still working! If you’re wondering, it’s the alley next to the 4-star Hotel Marshal in Nikšić. The downside was that the skinny alley created some kind ofContinue reading

Black Lake in Durmitor National Park (Žabljak, Montenegro)

This afternoon I went for a hike around the Black Lake close to Žabljak (1450 meters above sea level). It’s in Montenegro’s Durmitor National Park. The lake is made up of the Big and the Small Black Lakes. In the picture, I’m sitting at the narrow passage between them. In one month, the lakes will be smaller and will separate from each other so one can ‘walk an 8’ around both. There is still a lot of snow in this area and as it is melting from the Durmitor mountain tops, there are many waterfalls around the trails. I triedContinue reading

Budva, Montenegro: Spontaneous Laundry Day

Yes, this is a photo of clean laundry in Budva… but the story behind it is pretty cool! When hitchhiking to Kruče I stopped the second car that passed. Besides being remarkable as one of my fastest hitchhiking times – stopped for me in like 20 seconds – the driver owns this drycleaning business chain. He’s originally from Serbia and owns ‘Pingvin drycleaning’ in the cities of Podgorica, Budva, and Bar. He was driving all the way to my destination but had to make some stops at his businesses on the way to exit Kruče. After hearing my story of travelingContinue reading

Election Day in Albania—I’m Hitchhiking to Greece

Election day has arrived in Albania! An excellent day to leave this beautiful country I’ve fallen in love with. Why? Because many Albanian citizens take a drive from where they work in Greece – and other countries – to do this democracy thing. After casting their vote, they drive back across the border with a free seat for me. This marking on the finger in the picture is to avoid people from voting twice (or more). I know what you’re thinking: pretty easy to scrub off. But none of the people in my car has simply wiped it off yet. I’mContinue reading

AMA: When you first started hitchhiking, did you do it with a mate or alone? Any tips?

A new question for my Ask Me Anything (AMA)! This person wrote the following message about how I started hitchhiking and tips for first-time hitchhikers: Hey! I’m going to Europe next July (I’m Australian), starting off in Istanbul then wanting to make my way across to the UK. I’ve been over there before and pretty much just stuck to trains and whatnot but I’m thinking maybe this time hitchhiking is the way to go (not the whole way, I’m not that ambitious and have limited time). When you first started out did you do it with a mate or didContinue reading

Hitchhiking Failure of the Year: No Malta to Sicily

Philosopher Jagger once said “you can’t always get what you want” and that’s what happened last night. I couldn’t find a boat willing to take me to Sicily from Malta. It’s a hitchhiking failure! Therefore I was forced to use the extortionately priced ferry! After more than three weeks in Malta and almost one week at the marina, enough was enough. And I’m very sad about it. Mick Jagger also said, “but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need!” Though it was frustrating, the people from La Marina Trattoria were so kind to feed meContinue reading

Sicily to Mainland Italy: Hitchhiking Cosa Nostra

This morning’s hitchhiking selfie from Taormina, Sicily. I slept outside in public for two days in a row now, but it seems like I’m not going to find a shower anytime soon. So I’m curious if people will still stop for me tomorrow. I already covered Catania (in Sicily) to Salerno (on mainland Italy) today. I’m probably headed to the Amalfi Coast to camp close to one of the hiking trails tonight. We’ll see about that. The smartest move of the day was asking around on the 3-kilometer ferry from Sicily to mainland Italy for a ride to Salerno. IContinue reading

Kharkiv Cable Car: A Soviet Ride in Primary Colors

We rode the Kharkiv cable car on Wednesday, the 25th of August, 2021. I guess technically, it’s a gondola lift or an aerial tramway or something like that (Spanish: teleférico) and I’ve seen the Kharkiv one referred to even as a ‘zip line‘ (which it is absolutely not), I’m gonna keep calling it a cable car because it feels right. Contents1 Learning About the Existence of a Cable Car in Kharkiv2 Is This Mean Machine Dangerous?3 Possibly the Best Thing in Kharkiv4 Arriving in Sarzhyn Yar from Gorky Park5 Kharkiv Cable Car Vlog (<1 minute)6 7 Kharkiv Cable Car FAQ:Continue reading