Today is a good day! Six days and six nights after beginning the quest for a boat to hitchhike to Italy, I’ve found a boat with a Lebanese-American couple headed directly to Malta! Freaking Malta! For context: Malta is my target destination all along. I just asked for boats to Italy because I thought it would be a lower bar to pass. Gouvia Marina on Corfu (Greece) has been a success! I will meet the couple again at 22:00 tonight to also sleep on their boat. At 8:00 tomorrow we should set sail with the boat “Boysterous” 😀 if there areContinue reading
Gouvia Marina in Corfu, Greece: Sailing Sunsets, Sunrises
D-Marin, which I call “Gouvia Marina” has been my home for almost a week now. I’ve experienced the sunrise and sunset for so many days. Witnessing these daily events here is still so spectacular when you notice that the density of masts resembles a forest. Sometimes, I forget that I’m already on a tiny island in Greece. Corfu feels like the mainland now. My rhythm each day has been as follows: wake up on the deck of the motor yacht. Don’t worry, the owner suggested this to me for finding a boat hitch, so I have their permission. After awaking,Continue reading
Corfu Donkey Rescue: A Retirement Community in Greece
During my stay in Corfu, Greece, my host took me on a trip to the Corfu Donkey Rescue (CRD). She sometimes goes there to volunteer. Scroll down to see the wheres, hows, and whats of visiting Corfu Donkey Rescue. I’ve only hung out with donkeys before in Morocco (April 2012) during my short stay there. Our riad owner invited my partner and me to visit his family’s country house. They had a donkey and he sat on the donkey for a bit, presumably to show off. Then my partner did the same. I passed because it felt disproportionate and frankly,Continue reading
Boat Hitchhiking 101: Dockwalking
Dockwalking: many people do it in a more advanced way than I do in order to go boat hitchhiking. They print out copies of their CV, wow! I just carry a hitchhiking sign with my destination and my not-so-secret weapon: a smile. And patience… for the love of God, you need a lot of patience. [update 2020: I have embraced technology. I have a very nice profile on CrewBay and Find a Crew profile now. If you’re a boat owner, make sure to star my profile!] But I keep singing: I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay watching the tideContinue reading
Hitchhiking a Boat: Patience + Frustrations in Corfu, Greece
Good morning from the island of Corfu! Yes, that is correct, I managed to hitch to an island. This wasn’t super intentional… but cool! I’m now at the huge marina of Gouvia on the Greek island of Corfu and it’s super early. Why am I here so early? Because a kind soul allowed me to sleep on the deck of her husband’s boat. Once the people wake up I’m going to try hitchhiking a boat. My approach? By walking around with this hitchhiking saying ‘Italy’ to try and find a sailing/motor yacht to cross the Ionian Sea. Do I feelContinue reading
Ioannina, Greece: Hitchhiking Clearly Ain’t Dead
Posting live from a BP petrol station outside of Ioannina in Greece, where two French hitchhikers decided to come as well! Hitchhiking clearly ain’t dead. Now we’re chatting about our travel itineraries and hitchhiking around the Balkans and southern Europe. They are going in the direction of Patras and Athens. I’m going to Igoumenitsa so this is where our roads intersect and split again. Greece is definitely part of the ill-defined Balkan Trail. We exchanged contacts, so I might see them again once I’m in France hopefully later this year! How do you like my hitchhiking sign in Greek script? TogetherContinue 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
Hitchhiker’s Picnic in Tiranë, Albania
Finally, I met up with this French guy who is also a hitchhiker! His name is Yohan and he runs the French blog Les Voyages de Yohan (it’s in French). We’ve been talking for weeks, trying to meet up but it happened eventually in Tiranë! He was with his friends from France and Germany. We just had a little picnic in the park near Tiranë’s pyramid, chatting and chilling in with a cute puppy. The guy who took this picture told us he managed to quit smoking by joining the Church of Latter-Day Saints. When saying goodbye to my newContinue reading
Vlorë and the Zvërnec Monastery: a Day Hike
Events in Vlorë and Zvërnec (Albania) happened on Monday 15th of June, 2015. Good Morning Vlorë My hosts left for work in the morning. My plan was to take it easy since I had picked up a cold in Sarandë, or when hitchhiking from Sarandë to Vlorë. The idea I had for ‘taking it easy’ was going on a nice long hike (10 kilometers one-way) with lighter luggage. Within a reasonable distance, the hike to the Zvërnec Peninsula and Island northwest of the city center seemed like the best plan. My hosts confirmed it was pretty there. Walking out ofContinue reading