Well, I arrived in Switzerland on time and ready for the day, even if I was a bit tired. Plus, I saved 50 euros by taking the train from Ravensburg instead of Munich. All that hassle and Amy's flight was about 2 hours late! It's okay though because it gave me some extra time to relax and refresh. And for the life of me, I could not figure out where an ungodly odor was coming from that seemed to be following me. It wasn't until Amy arrived that we pinned it down. It always helps to have an external olfactory gland. Turns out, my shoes (thankfully not me) were ghastly that day. She was really nice about it and claimed she couldn't smell anything for the first 10 minutes and I kept pestering by telling her she had to be sick because there was absolutely an odor. I set my bag down while we organized the hired car (yes, I abandoned the vagabond status for about 10 days...) and it seemed as if the odor disappeared. It was at this point Amy admitted that she could in fact smell it before and was thankful that it was my shoes and not the person she would have to spend 10 days around. She just didn't want to offend me. It was so bad people that I even contemplated throwing them away right then and there. Pee-yew!
I could rehash the ins and outs of the trip but that wouldn't be very entertaining so I'm going to tell you about some of the cool things we did. First of all, my favorite city that we visited was definitely Bern. Perhaps it was because my friend Alice (met her in Ireland) showed us around, but I just think it was slightly different from the rest of the country. Zurich is too much business, Interlaken has too many tourists, my grandparents would live in Lucerne, and Lausanne was near the end of our trip and I was really burned out to thoroughly enjoy it. They were all definitely beautiful though. Bern has that mix of the spectrum: young and old, modern and antique, big but small, etc. We spent the day seeing some sights but also taking in some of the sunshine by just lounging in a park for lunch. To top the day off, we went up to the university quad which overlooks the city and had a beer as the sky went dark. Thanks for showing us around Alice!
Secondly, a day trip to Liechtenstein is totally worth it. As small as you believe the country is, I am telling you right now that it is smaller. Before the GPS could calculate directions from Vaduz to Schaan we were there. The country is really beautiful though and we were lucky to have great weather. It also happened to be a festival day in Schaan. Now this isn't anything like Times Square for New Year's but the town was bumping. For the drive back, we decided to take a different route where the weather was a bit less friendly. We ended up going through the Alps and several small little Alp towns though so it was worth it.
Thirdly, Switzerland is expensive. Even though the SWF is about equal to the USD, things just cost more. When you're traveling with a certain budget in mind, going to Switzerland should not be on your list of countries to save money in. Besides, you really don't want to skimp on the trip there. It really is worth a visit though. I could easily have spent way more than we did but thankfully Amy didn't push going out to eat at every meal :p She claims to have enjoyed it, and I'm sure she did, but let's hope she wasn't just being nice. I will say that traveling with me isn't your typical rodeo. I'm not exactly the guidebook kind of guy.
Finally, getting to see a friend from back home was an especially nice treat. Since September 2010, I had not seen anyone from California. That's a long time people. Let alone getting to spend each waking moment with them. Well, to be fair I went on a run or two in Interlaken for some alone time. A guys gotta have some time to think to himself! My favorite moments in the trip were chatting over a meal or beers catching up and hearing about life back home. Well, we did get stuck out in the rain while in Lucerne, which was hilarious.
I've sent Amy an email as well to see if she wants to post a story as a guest writer since she was there too. We'll see what she says. Until then, the pictures are pretty good and describe this part of my trip better.
Photo Album
Bowman... Vagabowman. Who needs an Aston Martin when you've got two legs and a thumb?
21 May 2011
12 May 2011
Hitch Hiking Hiccup
:.:
vagabowman
Of all the countries I have been to in Europe, I did not expect to have trouble hitching in Germany. To be fair, I never really had trouble, it just seemed disastrous because I was on a deadline to get to Zurich in order to meet my friend, Amy. That deadline was fast approaching and, by all appearances, I was moving laterally to Zurich instead of towards the city. The German transportation system is nearly flawless; my only complaint is the cost per mile. I could (and maybe should) have taken a train to alleviate any stress about meeting Amy, but that just wouldn't be the vagabond style. So, let's get to what actually happened.
I went to the edge of town by local metro to start my day. Once in position, I waited for about an hour with no success. As I observed the traffic patterns (very important to good hitching) it occurred to me that there weren't many cars heading in the direction I wants to go. I decided to walk a bit to see if I could find a more ideal location to stick my thumb out. A few kilometers down the road and everything seemed to be getting farther (in both directions) so I made a move to jump onto the autobahn. Don't worry, I was behind the guardrail and next to a huge SOS point to make myself highly visible and not a bug on some douche who thinks he's Mario Andretti's windshield. I survived, but according to the German police, I should not be on the motorway. Fair point and I'll heed the advice for the future. If you're reading my blog and contemplating traveling by thumb, do not walk on motorways (the popo don't like it). They were very cordial about the whole situation and we had a nice chat for the 25km to the next exit, which was a rest stop. If you're still reading my blog, note that I was able to score a lift to a safe hitching place with the assistance of those great guys in uniform. They even gave me some information on license plate schemes to help me identify cars going to Zurich. That's what I call service! We said our goodbyes and I ate a snack while I was waiting for my next lift.
I was beginning to lose a bit of hope as car after car rolled by and then a truck tooted his horn. I said Zurich and he said &$@/. I said Zurich again with a shitty attempt at a German accent trying to replicate the police when they finally understood that I was going to Zuuur-rich. He waved his hand to welcome me aboard and we were on our way. After some chat in German (no, I don't speak it) and English (no, he didn't speak it) we discovered that he was going through Memmingen and turning north. I would need to turn south. Score, getting closer! You would think all was going well and I had all the time in the world left to make my destination. Yea, me too. This is about where the proverbial shit hit the fan. Not only did we blow through Memmingen after I was somehow convinced by my driver (in German) that where he was going would be better for my journey, but also we were pulled over by the police. It was my second run-in with the boys in blue that day and I wasn't looking forward to being an accomplice on some drug trafficking charge. It turned out to be a routine stop with no problems so there was some good news before some of the bad. About 30 minutes later my new amigo started to slow down and pull towards the shoulder. I suppose it was better than driving into a random field with a freestanding barn as the only structure within eyeshot. Nonetheless, I had no idea where the hell I was and all this guy did was point somewhere. Thanks dude!
I began walking in the direction he told me and not 100 paces from my drop zone did I hit a fork in the road, fml. I turned around in the hopes he still might be there but it looked like the sound of crickets if you could see the bastards. I mentally tossed a coin and took the left fork. The good news was that it turned south. The bad was that I had no idea where. About two hours later and nobody deciding to stop for me, I came across a little town. I walked through and was lucky enough to find a lovely and helpful young lady to ask where the nearest train station was. Definitely over this adventure, or was I? Turns out the two hour walk I made took me away from the nearest station (fml again). The next one was Ravensburg, about an hour by car. This little town had a stop once, but for whatever reason they decided to disconnect this village from the rest of Germany, excellent! I asked her if there was a bus or hostel or something to which her reply was simply no. Any advice lady? Oh yea, your best bet is to just keep walking and stick your thumb out. Cause you know, that was working to my advantage so far in this little section of southwest Germany. I said thank you for the help and have a nice evening. Yes, it was approaching that hour when the sun begins to settle on the horizon and you wonder to yourself if you should kick your own ass for being to cheap to meet a friend. I continued my walk to Zurich while mentally cursing myself, thinking about how the conversation with Amy would go if I made it to the airport, and why of all the times I've had success... Oh, a car!! smile...check! sign...check! get your thumb out there dammit!
When I thought I was absolutely incapable of getting to the Zurich airport, a charitable gesture from a stranger put an authentic smile back on my face. If I thought the truckie couldn't speak English, this ole guy made him look fluent. He was a smart man though. He whipped out his nifty cell phone and called his son. Handing me the phone, I thought for a minute he called an American translator. His son spoke perfect English without even a hint of an accent. We squared away the details of my destination and he told his father. At this point I was still a considerable distance from Zurich and Ravensburg has a train station. I might be stubborn, but I'm not stupid (most of the time). Not only did he go out of his way to drive me to the station, but he also walked me all the way to the platform so that I didn't make a mistake buying the ticket that would take me directly to the Zurich airport, even though all the machines had English prompts. With a simple exchange of handshakes and smiles we parted ways. Upon him turning he said the only English word I heard from him... Goodbye Michael.
* DISCLAIMER: I do not condone, nor am I responsible for, the actions of any other person's based on this story. This was my own personal experience and I can not guarantee that you will not be arrested, fined, and/or deported by the authorities. Happy travels!
I went to the edge of town by local metro to start my day. Once in position, I waited for about an hour with no success. As I observed the traffic patterns (very important to good hitching) it occurred to me that there weren't many cars heading in the direction I wants to go. I decided to walk a bit to see if I could find a more ideal location to stick my thumb out. A few kilometers down the road and everything seemed to be getting farther (in both directions) so I made a move to jump onto the autobahn. Don't worry, I was behind the guardrail and next to a huge SOS point to make myself highly visible and not a bug on some douche who thinks he's Mario Andretti's windshield. I survived, but according to the German police, I should not be on the motorway. Fair point and I'll heed the advice for the future. If you're reading my blog and contemplating traveling by thumb, do not walk on motorways (the popo don't like it). They were very cordial about the whole situation and we had a nice chat for the 25km to the next exit, which was a rest stop. If you're still reading my blog, note that I was able to score a lift to a safe hitching place with the assistance of those great guys in uniform. They even gave me some information on license plate schemes to help me identify cars going to Zurich. That's what I call service! We said our goodbyes and I ate a snack while I was waiting for my next lift.
I was beginning to lose a bit of hope as car after car rolled by and then a truck tooted his horn. I said Zurich and he said &$@/. I said Zurich again with a shitty attempt at a German accent trying to replicate the police when they finally understood that I was going to Zuuur-rich. He waved his hand to welcome me aboard and we were on our way. After some chat in German (no, I don't speak it) and English (no, he didn't speak it) we discovered that he was going through Memmingen and turning north. I would need to turn south. Score, getting closer! You would think all was going well and I had all the time in the world left to make my destination. Yea, me too. This is about where the proverbial shit hit the fan. Not only did we blow through Memmingen after I was somehow convinced by my driver (in German) that where he was going would be better for my journey, but also we were pulled over by the police. It was my second run-in with the boys in blue that day and I wasn't looking forward to being an accomplice on some drug trafficking charge. It turned out to be a routine stop with no problems so there was some good news before some of the bad. About 30 minutes later my new amigo started to slow down and pull towards the shoulder. I suppose it was better than driving into a random field with a freestanding barn as the only structure within eyeshot. Nonetheless, I had no idea where the hell I was and all this guy did was point somewhere. Thanks dude!
I began walking in the direction he told me and not 100 paces from my drop zone did I hit a fork in the road, fml. I turned around in the hopes he still might be there but it looked like the sound of crickets if you could see the bastards. I mentally tossed a coin and took the left fork. The good news was that it turned south. The bad was that I had no idea where. About two hours later and nobody deciding to stop for me, I came across a little town. I walked through and was lucky enough to find a lovely and helpful young lady to ask where the nearest train station was. Definitely over this adventure, or was I? Turns out the two hour walk I made took me away from the nearest station (fml again). The next one was Ravensburg, about an hour by car. This little town had a stop once, but for whatever reason they decided to disconnect this village from the rest of Germany, excellent! I asked her if there was a bus or hostel or something to which her reply was simply no. Any advice lady? Oh yea, your best bet is to just keep walking and stick your thumb out. Cause you know, that was working to my advantage so far in this little section of southwest Germany. I said thank you for the help and have a nice evening. Yes, it was approaching that hour when the sun begins to settle on the horizon and you wonder to yourself if you should kick your own ass for being to cheap to meet a friend. I continued my walk to Zurich while mentally cursing myself, thinking about how the conversation with Amy would go if I made it to the airport, and why of all the times I've had success... Oh, a car!! smile...check! sign...check! get your thumb out there dammit!
When I thought I was absolutely incapable of getting to the Zurich airport, a charitable gesture from a stranger put an authentic smile back on my face. If I thought the truckie couldn't speak English, this ole guy made him look fluent. He was a smart man though. He whipped out his nifty cell phone and called his son. Handing me the phone, I thought for a minute he called an American translator. His son spoke perfect English without even a hint of an accent. We squared away the details of my destination and he told his father. At this point I was still a considerable distance from Zurich and Ravensburg has a train station. I might be stubborn, but I'm not stupid (most of the time). Not only did he go out of his way to drive me to the station, but he also walked me all the way to the platform so that I didn't make a mistake buying the ticket that would take me directly to the Zurich airport, even though all the machines had English prompts. With a simple exchange of handshakes and smiles we parted ways. Upon him turning he said the only English word I heard from him... Goodbye Michael.
* DISCLAIMER: I do not condone, nor am I responsible for, the actions of any other person's based on this story. This was my own personal experience and I can not guarantee that you will not be arrested, fined, and/or deported by the authorities. Happy travels!
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