Category Archives: Travel Reports

Slovakia

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Maybe we got lucky when we jumped in to the first car on the border between Poland and Slovakia. It turned out to be a lot harder to find a ride OUT of this small but in many ways rich country, located in the very middle of Europe.

Frans and Robin

Our first driver Frans, a nice man from Bratislava previously working for Volvo, drove us through the heart of Slovakia and invited us for a Slovak meal at a road diner as he told us endless stories from his interesting life.

Slovakia looks like a typical fairy tail with old castles resting high upon mighty hills, and picturesque little houses with sharp angled roofs.

Bratislava

We spent three nights in Bratislava, probably the smallest capital we’ll ever go to with only half a million habitants. With the feeling of a small town and walking distances just as comfortable, Bratislava gave us an interesting time!

Thanks to our host Martina, we got to experience a local wine festival outside the city where we tried the fresh made wine, heard some Slovak music, and run bumper cars for the first time in about ten years.

We also joined a commonly organized CouchSurfing meeting, where we met lots of nice people engaged in the network. Since we’re not yet very familiar with CS, this was the first time that we saw the social importance between the hosts, who all seem to know each other! Martina also took us out dancing at a rock pub in town. Great fun!

As we mentioned, it wasn’t as easy to get out of Bratislava. We actually tried for two days in a row with nothing but a few laughs from the drivers as they saw the “INDIA”-sign.

After a couple of hours by the road the second day, we heard a voice calling us from behind. Up came a women with a nice smile, waving with a big package of chocolate that she wanted to give to us. She pointed at our sign with big enthusiasm, and in a mix of languages she said “India! Very, very interesting! Good luck!”.

When such a thing happens, your cheeks almost hurts because of your big smile, and of course, that’s when we finally got a ride!
Still it took half a day with a few short rides until we finally got picked up on the Hungarian border by a Spanish couple on holidays who drove us all the way to Budapest.

Our host Martina told us about the former effort to hold a Gay Pride Festival in Bratislava, wich was turned down after lots of resistance.

We had great personal meetings that we enjoyed a lot. We also appreciated the service minded, smiling people and the stunning landscape.

There is something very anonymous about Slovakia. Just like Martina said it: “After the news about the death shooting here in Bratislava, friends from all over the world called me to see if I was OK. Here it wasn’t such big news! But nobody had ever heard any reports from this city before.”

She is right. We can’t say we really did.
And we are glad to help changing that.

Ďakujem / Thank you:

  • Frans, who showed us the heart of Slovakia and drove us all the way to Martina.
  • Martina, who hosted us in Bratislava and invited us to the wine festival!
  • Ignacio, who drove us to a better spot!
  • Mystery road workers, who drove us to the border, just for fun! We loved it!

Without you, the story through Slovakia would have different main characters. Thank you for being a part of it!

Ďakujem moc

Poland

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Amanda with a horse

Looking at Poland from the car seat, you find a forest rich, flat landscape with the touch of a modern EU-country.
Big autobahns and shopping centers in the suburbs.
Between these centers, you find a magical image of the moonlight hight above the tall trees at night.
Thinking about Poland’s history during World War II and Soviet, the country seems surprisingly new born.

Workers statues

This is until you reach the cities. Warsaw, the capital, was completely destroyed after WW II, and big reconstructions has been done all over the old town.

Krakow was in fact the only city well kept over the years, something that you can sense from it’s characteristic atmosphere.

We strongly recommend you to visit the Wieliczka, the great Salt mine near Krakow, as well as the museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau, two very different experiences that you shouldn’t miss while in this fascinating country. Tourist information and access to public transport is absolutely great too, especially in Krakow.

Over all, we’ll remember the Polish flavors such as beer with raspberry juice, a delicious drink (although sometimes served with a not too overwhelming effort from the restaurant staff), the importance of the history from WW II,
and of course the lovely hospitality of the people who have picked us up and invited us to their homes.
We’ll also remember the thriving energy that the youth of Poland displays.
Poland continues to fascinate us after we left. Be sure to experience it before it get’s too settled!

Hitchhiking hasn’t been a problem, except for waiting almost a whole day in the rain in the middle of Poland, we often got rides immediately.

Dziękuję bardzo – Thank you very much:

  • Roma, who shared her light and passion with us!
  • Marek, who not only drove us but also connected us with Tomek and Mateusz. Eternally grateful!
  • Robert & Bata, who bought us juice and drove like kings to hard techno music!
  • Jarema & Kate, who showed us their flat and still inspires us a lot!
  • Adam, who drove us from Slupsk and was very caring and taught us more German and Polish.
  • Father Adam, who spoke beautiful Italian that we enjoyed but didn’t understand.
  • Jurek, who shared his life as a mystery shopper with us.
  • The mystery truck driver whose name we’ve forgotten. A kind face and a loving father of two children.
  • John, who’s energy totally inspired us with his past as well as his future dreams!
  • Father Benjamin, who taught us about the life as a monk and showed us his home in the monastery of St Catharine.
  • Tomek & Mateusz, who invited us to their homes, showed us Krakow and taught us how to beat box – unforgettable!
  • Marcin, proud father of a two year old girl. We’ll never forget your smile!
  • Agnes, who was friendly and drove us to the border, even though she was heading a different way.

… you all made this journey through Poland possible. Where hundreds of people passed us by, you stood out of the crowd and helped us out.

Dziękuję bardzo!

On the road again

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How do you host people in a nice way?

Well, Jarema Bedzel in Slupsk has all the answers!
Our first CouchSurfing experience in Poland turned out to be a great one. We got picked up by our host in the center of Slupsk, after an interesting first day of hitchhiking. He brought us to a local pub where pirozhki and Polish beer with raspberry juice was served. Later on that night, we had ice-cream, cappuccino and a great night’s sleep at Jarema’s and his girlfriend Kate’s place.
Thanks a lot friends!

Both the second and the third night, we ended up camping behind petrol stations, in Glogowo and Bydgoszcz. You probably know where that is, right?

Today we are lucky to tell you that we’ve reached Warsaw after amazing meetings with the people who’ve driven us!
At the moment, we’re camping a few kilometers outside the city center.

We’ve been wet. We’ve been a bit cold. And yes, we’ve been a bit hungry too.
And we are absolutely amazingly super happy with being on the road again!