9th of September, 2020.
In only a few minutes a couple stops for me. I am trying to dry my underwear, which I washed last night, at the sun spot where I am, and they might have seen it when they come out of the car. Embarrassing!
David and Carolina are from Germany but will attend to a wedding today, so Carolina is going to get her hair and make up ready in Zary, the next big town. It is slightly their where they drop me, but outside town. They point me in the direction of Zielona Gura. Ah! And they give me a big bottle of water! All I needed because I had just lost mine! Yay!
The next lift also does not take time. And I knew it, I could see by the look in the guy’s face, that he was about to stop. It is a dark blue van, and Pawel is driving. He is Polish and speak a tiny bit of English. At the beginning I am a bit apprehensive about him but soon enough I am fine. He is going to Zielona Gura. Half way to there, we stop at this Asian restaurant where we have a delicious lunch. Vegetables rice for me! Yummy! Pawel drives me to a good spot, a busy road going to Poznan.
Next guy who picks me up is Mateusz and he is going near Poznan, right after. He is nice and drives me to a good spot out of town.
Now outside of Poznan, I am trying to go to Czerwonak, the small village where these people are (supposedly) waiting for me.
When I get in there, I ask if I can use the wi-fi in this car fixing place. I have received an email from them saying that they cannot host me. What? Yeah. It is middle afternoon and I have not place to go / stay in Poland. I get a bit sad for a few minutes and then “shake it off!” The owner of this garage is lovely but he has to leave now. He says if I need anything I can ask but I tell him I will find my own way.
I still have other 3 positive answers from other hosts. Two of them say I can come only on Sunday (today is Thursday) and the other says I can come anytime I want but it might be cold for I will be sleeping in the barn. Well, you know me people, if there is something I am used to is to sleep in a cold place. Laugh. So with their address on hands and after sending them an email saying I am coming tomorrow (because I am over 4 hours driving from them) I get directions to out of town and take my way.
Because of a long distance, I decide to walk half way today, camp while is still daylight, and carry on to my hitchhike spot tomorrow. It is a beautiful walk most of the way, throw a nice forest. I also find some quite cool woods to make my camping. And in the next morning, walking to my hitchhike spot, I pass by a gorgeous house with its private lake right in front, plus a super cool abandoned mill, Młyn (nieczynny).
A long way of lifts will take place. Here it is what happens:
First a lady offers me a lift of only a few KM, but she says there is another road soon enough, so my chances could be better there.
I have no food. I had only an apple and some chocolate for breakfast and I have no more food. All I can think about is that I need to get some food. A lift, yes, but also some food. It is when lovely Lucy stops. She offers to drive me out of town, in a direct way to Torun, and from there to Olsztyn, the biggest city near where my hosts leave. Lucy used to travel a lot and hitchhike too. She tells me to be very independent, and even her husband knows that, so she does really what she wants. She asks me if I am hungry and I have to tell her that I only had an apple and some chocolate for breakfast and that I have no other food. She drives to a hotel where I have some eggs, bread and coffee. Yummy! We talk for a while, her father was the mayor of the town for many years, so everybody knows her around. I meet her daughter, a pretty young girl. And after that she drops me in a gas station, in a peaceful but good road to Torun.
Only a few minutes later, this nice guy stops. He seems so kind and systematic. He offers me half of his sandwich, made by his mother (which is kind of cute seems he looks like over 40’s) but I tell him I had just eaten. He is going to Torun. We don’t speak much but he shows me some video clips on his DVD. Funny. He also drops me in a very good spot, this time in direction to Olsztyn.
Bozena and Stan stop no longer after that. They are so cute! She is the Polish version of Meryl Streep. So beautiful! And he is such a character! So funny! They don’t speak much English but we manage to talk a bit. I tell them I am going to Olsztyn. They are going to Ostruda for tonight but to Olsztyn tomorrow morning. Even so, they drive me today to Osztyn! What? Yeah! Is about 40 Km but they do it. How lovely! Not only that, but they arrange everything with my host about having someone picking me up because she had just left town and cannot come back right now. After waiting for a few minutes, my host’s cousin arrives. It is with sadness that I say goodbye to such lovely people. Thank you Bozena and Stan! You are the best!
I finally arrive in Skolity near the sunset time.