I just arrived in Monaco and met these crazy Czech guys with a SpongeBob-themed ukelele. They’re newbie hitchhikers and we’re about to make things go down for real. Probably at the Monte Carlo casino – a.k.a. the James Bond casino – if we can get in. They were already drunk before I met them and I was in a similar mood. So I knew they’re also working hard to make Monaco a backpacker place despite its unwillingness to cater to the EU’s poor and poetic ones. Prepare for nasty updates. But ooh la la, I haven’t thought about Czechia in a long time.Continue reading
europe
Ultimate Hitchselfie on Gozo! (Malta)
I’ve always wanted to take a hashtag hitchselfie like this! This happened on the outskirts of Victoria on the island of Gozo in Malta. Yep, that red car stopped right when I was taking this picture. That’s why I look so distracted. I was also torn between talking to the driver first and picking up my camera first. I chose my camera and then made a run for the car. The guy made a nice drive around Marsalforn and invited me for some guitar playing at his house before dropping me at Ramla Bay to go swimming. I hope IContinue reading
The Blue Lagoon from Comino
Ain’t it pretty? I took this photo from the super small island of Comino here in Malta. What you see in the picture is the tiny islet of Cominotto (“little Comino”), which features a cool and fairly scary cave. One can swim the 100 meters across the narrow bit to Cominotto (which I did), but a fair warning for potential currents and jellyfish is needed. On my way to Cominotto, I had no problems. Though on the way back, the currents dragged me away quite a bit. Then at one point I could reach the seafloor with my feet, tookContinue 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
Literal Book Worm (Kruče, MNE)
This little fellah – a literal book worm – was reading along with me last night. I led the bendy boy off the page and onto a wall to not squish him. I’m reading the book The Price of Salt/Carol that Aleksandra had lying around her place by torchlight. It’s basically about two women on a road trip, which makes my thumb a little itchy to hitchhike on to Albania. I’m slowly preparing to leave Aleksandra’s elaborate hospitality here in Kruče. I didn’t meet her via CouchSurfing, but this has been my longest surf so far! Apparently, I arrived here on the 16th of May.Continue reading
Croatia’s Adriatic Highway: Makarska to Kupari nearby Dubrovnik
I took this photo while hitchhiking the coastal road of Croatia from Makarska to Kupari nearby Dubrovnik in a truck. There’s more than one ‘Autoroute du Soleil‘ and the French don’t own the rights to beautiful north-south holidaymaker routes! If you’re wondering where you need to go to travel here, look up Croatia’s D8 road. It’s part of an international road called the Adriatic Highway. It goes from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, then Croatia again followed by Montenegro. Here are a video and the Google Streetview version of that video for location accuracy: 2020 update: The onlyContinue reading
Sibiu to Timișoara: A Fluffy Hitchhiking Companion in Romania
When hitchhiking from pleasant Sibiu to Timișoara, I had a very lucky ride. The driver couple had this very sweet dog that I shared the back seat with. I know, I know… the dog looks like she’s not having a great time or is quite hungover. But I swear the dog was just enjoying my scritches. As this huge dog was a source of heat, I soon had to take off my winter hat, gloves, scarf, and coat to make this work. I’ve been wanting to travel to Timișoara since that first summer hitchhiking trip around Europe in 2013. I’d heard goodContinue reading
ANWB: Geographical Knowledge and Hiking Socks
As a preparation for the next big hitchhiking trip through Europe, I visited the shop of this organization mostly known for towing your car named ANWB. It’s kind of like the Dutch version of Triple-A or another roadside assistance organization. According to these maps from the ANWB, Poland and the Baltic States are just North and East Germany. Ahem, should we tell them? Anyway, it’s nice that I received these free paper maps from them. I intend to use them mostly as a way to track my route with the pen I received from a young student of architecture in Zanjan,Continue reading
Northern Cyprus! Ferry from Taşucu (Turkey) to Girne (Kıbrıs)
After a rough night on the rolling sea, pretending to like immigration officers and a heavy rain shower to say welcome, I have arrived in Cyprus. Northern Cyprus. Vake yeah! Getting to the port town of Taşucu to make it to the night ferry was a hellish experience. But I made it. That’s what matters. Now I’m in the port town on the other side. The Turkish people call it Girne and the Greeks call it Kyrenia. Likewise, the island of Cyprus is known in Turkey as Kıbrıs, it’s capital Nicosia as Lefkoşa. You know. So let’s talk about the big elephant inContinue reading