It was sunny when I woke up. Went straight to petrol station to fill water bottles. After I started asking from people but nobody was willing to give a lift. Some of the cars really were full, but most of the drivers had families and don't want to take a stranger (although a very nice one) to their cars. Many of them also didn't speak English. So I headed to the road next to the petrol station with a sign. I had to wait only around 30min and a car suddenly changed the lane next to where I stood. Other cars used their horns but I was quickly in the vehicle. Driver was a Polish police officer. He had a family and showed me photos of his children. He couldn't speak English (luckily I didn't meet him in some sketchy circumstances) but we still got along pretty well. He drove around 60km to a petrol station, next to a shopping centre near Katowice. I gave him one of my Muse bills I had collected from the concert in Helsinki. I think he got glad. At least he knew the band.
I went to look for more cardboard inside the shopping centre to make signs. The cashier of the cafe in which I asked from confused a little bit but could give me. She wasn't the only person who got confused when they met me. Odd questions, speaks English, blonde hair, a big backpack etc.
It was damn refreshing to stay a while in an air conditioned shopping centre. Then back out to the petrol station to ask lifts. One car full of Russian people were willing to go drinking with me when I said I'm from Finland. Unfortunately that was all I could communicate with them. I just got a ride to Katowice so I decided to continue forward rather than going drinking. It would have been an experience, though. The driver was a young man and his mother. He studied engineering and could speak English so I got a good picture of the city where I was about to go. Katowice is an old industrial region in Poland. There was a market place just next where they left me. I collected more cardboard and bought a vegetable kebab with 5 zlotys (1,2e!!).
There was a bus going straight to Gliwice, a place near to the road to Ostrava (Czech Republic). I decided to try black riding. Bus was full of people so it was a bit difficult to be there with so much stuff. I stopped in one place which I assumed was right, went to buy some food and started to make hitching sign. In the end, the place wasn't the right one. Various people came talking with me and wished luck for me. It gives always a good feeling when random people want to support you. I took a next bus to Zabrze, asked from people how can I get to the highway. I took a third bus to Knurow. There was a man and a woman in the bus (didn't know each other) who helped me a lot. Woman spoke good English and got interested when she heard me. They wondered with themselves the right spot to hitch. I just stared and wondered what on earth are they talking about. Then they helped me to stay on the right stop and advised to right direction and spot (which was a roundabout). How can they be so helpful?
While I was walking to a roundabout, which goes to the highway, a car suddenly stops in front of me. First I didn't put a notice on it, but then a young man comes out of the car and starts shouting at my direction. I looked behind but saw no one. He really meant me. He asked if I needed a lift to Ostrava. I didn't even really use my sign before, so how could he know? I got a bit suspicious and asked again if he really was going there and he said something about the highway. He also didn't speak much English. I thought this is by far the best chance I will get so I jumped in. He also seemed reliable, however very enthusiastic.
As soon as I got in, he asked me to take two Paulaner's from the backseat. For a moment I was like: What? But yeah. He had a whole package full of Paulaner Weissbier. Namm!! First I took only to myself, because he was driving but then he wanted to himself as well. Well, he knows what he's doing. It was chill. Driving along the highway, drinking weissbier. No worries, hakunamatata.
After all, he wasn't driving to Ostrava. He made some phone calls to get me a new lift. He drove to a resting place along the highway and started asking from the drivers there. Finally, a couple with a baby agreed to take me further. If he wouldn't have asked from them, probably they wouldn't have taken me, because of the baby. Before I jumped to new car, he gave me another weissbier and two 1,5l bottles of mineral water, just because he wanted. I just can't believe it's true. I bless this guy! Do these people really exist? They're not just in the movies. I gave him one of my Muse bills. He would have reserved more.
The couple had a radio phone in their car, which they used to ask lifts from the trucks. Finally, they asked from another car in traffic lights (with Czech plates). They could give me a lift. During the traffic lights, I moved my stuff to the other car, thanked the couple and went inside. There was a man with his wife and an elder couple. They were sympathetic. I could see a bit of mountains in the horizon. They left me to a junction which leads to Brno, my next destination.
It was damn hot. I sweated like a pig. Shower would be a good thing. I went hitching to the junction, but it didn't last a lot, because I noticed a small lake. I had to go there! And I went, although it probably was a bit shitty but I didn't care. It felt amazing. I got completely new mood after that. I went to a different place with my sign. I had to wait long. I was just about to change a place, but then a car stopped. Two polish brothers going to Prague through Brno. Afterwards they took me because they thought I was local and could tell them how to navigate :). Fortunately they thought that. Well, I had a map, which helped them. The other brother was bugged because he could drive only 130-150km/hour. In Poland they can drive around 200km/hour. Such a pity.
They left me to highway next to Brno. No reply from Couchsurfers in Brno so I continued further. I walked a short distance to a road to Wien. There were nice fields by the road and it felt tempting to go there. However, I made a sign and after 45min, I got a lift to Mikulov from a man who is a martial arts teacher. He had also been in the army in few places and in war. He was a nice guy. He drove me to a petrol station, where I started to search for lifts, but got bored very soon. I met a Polish and a Russian truck driver and they offered a beer and a bit food (luckily not rekkamiehen pastilleja). We had a strong moment with the Russian driver and brotherhood between Finland and Russia. He loved Turku :).
Then sleeping. I went to a bush nearby. Trees were spiky. I put my hammock but the trees didn't bear my weight. I was there only with my underpants and I got really pissed. I changed the trees but it didn't work either. For a while, I went to the ground with a sleeping bag but it was so damn hot and mosquitoes so I just had to go elsewhere. I found bigger trees and finally it worked. I was so tired..
Distance travelled for the day: 394km
Ei kommentteja:
Lähetä kommentti