I’ve left Mihaela and Lucian at about 12 to cross Utrecht on foot to the Breda exit and onto the highway. It took me almost 3 hours to get out of the city and on to the right direction, pointing Bruxelles, thru Roosendaal and into Belgium, passing Answerpen.
It took the police almost 10 minutes to spot and pick me up. They took me to the next city from where I had to take a train back to Utrecht. My – by then – previous hosts met with me in the train station and treated me with a nice hot train ticket to Bruxelles, changing in Rotterdam. So that’s 20 EURO extra from my donators.
I was able to also exchange my Forints from back in Hungary, so I am again up to 30 EURO in my emergency sock. As much as that can be an “up”.
Anyway, I’ve realized that since I’ve been in The Netherlands, I haven’t really gotten any rides at all, so you can scratch that from the it’s possible list for a free trip. Trains were ’til now free, ’cause people have paid the tickets for me, however we’ve all by now found out that it’s practically impossible to hitchhike all the way. Even if I had stayed one more day with Mihaela and Lucian (who offered), I still couldn’t have gotten any rides before police tracked me down on high-way cameras and threw me back into the city. Some places you just can’t, so write that down. This time the fine was suppose to be 17 EURO, but the nice officers understood the point of the trip and let me go with only a warning.
The only other thing I could do would’ve been to try from national roads, which takes me smaller distances from town to town (which upon arrival I have to cross by foot to catch the next ride). Plus The Netherlands is so small they don’t have enough space for normal roads next to the hig-way and a 30 minutes ride is already way too far for them. I could see the faces of people when I showed them the ANTWERPEN/BRUX sign, even though it’s just 2 hours away, at about 200 km. Moreover, on Wednesday it was the Queen’s birthday and the next day was to be the 1st of May, which is a holiday in The Netherlands. So neglecting the fact that I would’ve needed hosting for two more nights and even if Mihaela and Lucian were that nice, it’s still pretty low traffic on normal roads and no way on the high-way…
I had to change in Rotterdam, so I got a chance to see a small part of the city in between trains. The Queen’s party was still giving people a reason to drink. It was passed 18:00 and mostly everyone was still out in the streets and squares or on their balconies dancing.
***
I arrived to Bruxelles and Lucian picked me up from ART-LOIS metro station, to which I walked from the North Station, on a nice and suprisingly clear Belgian sky.
Lucian (flikring here) is an interpreter for the EU Comission (English and German) and his girlfriend Diana that lives with him is an art-director for Graffiti BBDO (blogging here). I stayed with them for two nights and two days, during which they fed me and beered me. From my reserves I bought a 15 euro guitar from a large garage-sale-like-fair. I have this idea for making cash that I’m probably gonna try tomorrow in Calais. I can’t sing. I’ll tell you what the catch is, if I get to try it soon.
Fortunetly, a reader, Bogdan “Tiku” Lehel, “threatened” with another donation of 50 EURO that is probably gonna help along the trip, now that I’m back down to 15. So I’m gonna try to get that into my sock before taking the ferry to the UK.
I’ll be leaving to Calais sometime tomorrow, hopefully by noon, trying to catch some ride at the high-way entrance next to Bruxelles.
My hosts read Jeg, so today we’ll be watching another movie (so got that covered in my miss-list). We don’t have subtitles and it’s in German, so Lucian’s gonna interpret it all, hehe.
Missed thing of the day: going out to lunch at Marty’s with people from work.
***
***
Leaving Utrecht.
***
Lucian Stănescu.
***
Diana Cristea.
***
Me and my “new” guitar. Lucian thought the sign I was sitting under was funny.
***
***
This was in Tavernier, in Bruxelles, the Belgian equivalent of my personal favourite Taverna, from back home.
***
Bruxelles puppy.
***
Mmmm. Told you they were nice. And they said anyone can come! Anytime! Any number!
***
***
So on my way then.
***
(Later edit)
Nasol, treci acasa. Ai treaba, iar ma cert cu tine?
Fleanca.
Normal 🙂
Dar cate bagaje ti-ai luat cu tine ? Am vazut intr-un filmulet ca ai avut doar un ghiozdan. Unde ti-au incaput atatea hiane acolo ?!? :))
i cant wait for a video with you singing on guitar :). That should be interesting.
dadada! abia astept sa te vad/aud evoluînd la guitara 🙂 i’m sure you’re a natural
(same) PS: the clip rocks a big time, and so do you
Radu – 3 t-shirts, 3 shirts, 1 sleeping t-shirt, 3 pairs of underwear, 2 pairs of socks, 1 hooded pullover towel, the black leather jacket. A brown tie. 🙂
Other than that, I stuffed some USB cables, chargers, laptop, camera, mp3 player, maps I get along the way, scotch-tape, markers, 2 block-notes…
You might have surprises on how I’m gonna be using the guitar. 🙂
Te-a dat in gat tipa care a scris articolu’ de pe citynews. Vrei sa folosesti chitara in modul urmator: vrei sa canti la ea intr-un mod atat de nashpa incat lumea sa te plateasca sa taci. There. 😀
Si in ultima poza unde era chiatara? Ca presupun ca o iei cu tine in calatorie, nu?
În ultima poză eram la metrou, draghe. 🙂 Da, o ieu cu dumneamea, mă-ndrept imediat spre Calais.
nu tipa aia l-a dat de gol… s-a dat singur de gol intr-un “previous post” ha! infidelilor!
bacon quiche salad.. weakss
Daca faci rost de 30 de euro sau mai mult…ma las de jobul actual (IT) si ma pun pe cantat la statuia lui Matei Corvin… (auzi…dai lectii de chitara ?!?)
a big ten for you! Sper sa-ti iasa ideea cu chitara si sa-ti dea lumea bani numai sa taci odata si sa nu mai canti:)
oleo, ce-mi venea sa le crap tastaturile alea de toti peretii. cu tot cu windozele tradus. auzi tu, cica “demarrer”.
Şi io cică să teleşarjez… Şi tot ce-i cu shift inversate… iar apoi amestecate-ntre ele.
Salut! am vazut acum ca esti plecat in lume, ai ajuns in Franta. Eu sunt la Bordeaux inca 4 sapt, daca treci pe aici dau un vin si o masa :). Succes in toate!
PS Am fost colegi de camera in 16 vreo 5 luni
Duamne, da’ diparte, draghe. Să vighem, cu niscaiva noroc… 😀 Te voi anunţa pe mail din vreme.
[…] dorea omu’ ? Păi, am aflat că după ce a citit asta şi alte câteva însemnări de genul ăsta, i-a venit dor de ducă. Adică e şi el, ca şi mine, dormic să plece, să se plimbe şi nu […]
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Ti-am mai zis si io, draghe, sa nu te plingi de tastatura ta ca se poate si mai rau !!! Cu “telecharger“ si “demarrer“ te mai descurci dar ia sa te vad io cu tastatura in chineza, japoneza, araba, ebraica !!! Sau astia au fost mai destepti si au inceput sa invete engleza ?
Mi-e tare dor de trotinetă!
Tastatura franţuză are semighilimeaua aia de care tot discutarăm acum ceva timp?
you shud watch the news tonite 😀
http://www.tvr.ro/live_exclusiv.php
poate esti pe faza si ai si net
“sssssssssssss” Mi-ai luat?:)
acu’ e chiar mai bine.
Ai zis ca te-ai intilnit cu oameni poligloti. Unii cunosc si germana. S-ar putea sa ajungi si tu pe acolo. Ca sa nu ai surprize si sa-ti fracturezi limba eu zic sa lamuresti mai intii citeva probleme de limba germana:
Limba germana este simpla. O persoana cunoscatoare a limbii latine, si
obisnuita cu declinarile, o invata fara mari dificultati. Acest lucru, de
altfel, este mentionat de profesorii de germana la inceputul fiecarui
ciclu de studii. Apoi se incepe cu studiul unor der, die, das, den, des,
dem etc. si din nou se reaminteste ca tot restul este de o logica
dezarmanta. Ca sa ilustram ceea ce tocmai am afirmat, sa luam un exemplu
practic. Pentru inceput, cumparati Cartea de Limba Germana. Este un volum
minunat, cu coperti cartonate, publicat la Dortmund si care povesteste
despre obiceiurile Hotentotilor (auf Deutsch : Hottentotten). In carte se
povesteste cum cangurii (Beutelratten) sunt prinsi si inchisi in custi
(Kotter), acoperite cu o tesatura (Lattengitter) care sa-i fereasca de
ploi. Aceste custi se numesc in germana “custi acoperite cu pinza” (
Lattengitterkotter) si atunci cind contin un cangur, ele sunt numite
Lattengitterkotterbeutelratten. Intr-o zi Hotentotii au arestat un asasin
(Attentater), acuzat ca ar fi omorit o mama (Mutter) Hotentota
(Hottentottenmutter), avind un fiu cam prostut si bilbiit
(Stottertrottel). O astfel de femeie se numeste in germana
Hottentottenstottertrottelmutter iar asasinul ei este un
Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterattentater. Potera captureaza asasinul si
il inchide provizoriu intr-o cusca pentru canguri
(Beutelrattenlattengitterkotter), dar captivul evadeaza. Imediat, toti
pleaca in cautarea fugarului, si deodata, un razboinic Hotentot se
intoarce strigind: – Am prins asasinul (Attentater)! – Da? care?, intreaba
seful de trib. – Pe Lattengitterkotterbeutelratterattentater, raspunde
razboinicul. – Cum adica, asasinul din cusca de canguri acoperita cu
pinza? intreaba seful Hotentotilor. – Pai, -raspunde bastinasul- pe
Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterattentater. (Asasinul mamei hotentote a
copilului prostut si bilbiit). – A, asa, da! raspune seful Hotentotilor.
Puteai sa zici de la inceput ca l-ai prins pe:
Hottentottenstottertrottelmutterlattengitterkotterbeutelrattenattentater.
Dupa cum vedeti, limba germana este o limba simpla. Trebuie sa aveti doar
un pic de bunavointa…
te-am vazut la TV!
esti foarte telegenic, nomadule! and now you’re famous all across the country 😀
you will get your own talkshow, i guess. and a fat limo for your next trips.
or a lear jet ?
Succes si multa bafta in marea ta aventura. Ai fost dat la TVR2. M-a surprins. Mult succes. Sa revii in Romania sanatos si voios si sa ne ti la curent cu toate evenimentele. Poate ne vedem la o intrunire a blogosferei.
Salutare, ai fost chiar la stirile de la ora 7 pe TVR1, vor da pe post toate updaturile pe care le vei face in calatoria ta, un lucru bun.
Sper sa nu intampini probleme serioase, si sa ai parte de multa distractie.
Am pus blogu in bookmarks 🙂
See you
Foarte tare Darius Groza. Citesc de ceva vreme ce postezi pe aci , şi-mi place. Te-am vazut şi eu la tv in seara asta, fain. In rest, drum bun în continuare şi sa nu te rătăceşti pe undeva. Bafta!
Frumoasa treaba faci.
Te-am vazut si la Televiziunea Romana -> http://tvr.ro/articol.php?id=36480&c=403
Multa bafta si sanatate.
~set
I don’t know … i should admire you or I should say that I don’t know this guy.
I know that you were in love but … WTF man? You were so quiet and calm and wonderfull.
She almost loved you 🙂
Am ajuns in UK, nord de Londra, Luton. (matrakuka – scuze că ţi-au intrat mesajele la spam iniţial, cre’că din cauza linkului pus, le-am văzut ulterior, în reluare – mulţam 🙂 )
Scriu mâine, crez, e cam târziu acuma.
Piticu: You should bragg with knowing me. 🙂
ziceai ca ma suni.. 🙁
Nu fu timpi. 🙂 Regrete.