A vacation turned into a sleep-bagging trip!!

Hab hier meine "Reise", die anfangs ein Urlaub war, leider in English geschrieben weil ich in der Sprache besser schreiben kann, und es eigentlich als Erinnerung dienen sollte. (bin halb Ami - aber von der Einstellung her sehr anti-Amerikanisch, und anti-Kapitalistisch^^)Naja, sind auf jeden Fall keine sehr schweren Wörter dabei ;)

A vacation turned into a sleep-bagging trip

(sleep-bagging is a term I invented that describes the art of travel in which one carries only a sleeping bag and whatever fits into one's pockets)

After a couple of weeks working two jobs and being exhausted, I finally had five consecutive days off as my friend Ollie asked me if I would like to go camping in the Netherlands with him, his girlfriend, and her best friend. I liked the idea and was especially excited to go to Amsterdam. So off we went, at 8 o’clock, Wednesday evening. Throughout the beginning of the trip I was annoyed by the others constantly planning what to do next and hearing complaints about how it was too light and narrow in the old-school VW bus (where we slept). They are just like everybody else in the West - always striving for more and wanting comfort. This mindset is something I disapprove of highly for it is a barrier to true happiness, which is only achievable when one accepts the materialistic things one already has and doesn’t strive for more. Out of fear for strangers, they locked the bus while inside for protection. This, and other actions that were a result of fear, made me crazy.

The next day I was experiencing the blizz of the City from morning to evening, while the others, except Ollie, stayed at the campsite except for about one hour in the city. The architecture of Amsterdam is extremely beautiful and rare. The streets, incorporating colorful row houses that lean into each other, are separated by waterways and are filled with layed-back people. Except for the tourists, there is not much hectic, and most people seem to be very relaxed. It is also nice not to have streets full of honking cars, and instead most people riding their bicycles or using the public transportation system. It is really one of the only cities I could imagine living in for a while. Anyways, as I got back to the campground they were saying that they had imagined that the trip would be better, and that it was boring. I thought to myself, no shit it’s boring if you only want to chill at the campsite and smoke weed all day. That same evening I took a stroll by myself through this beautiful park with many lakes and nice walking paths. I came back and wanted to go into the city again to get to know the nightlife, but nobody wanted to come along because they were afraid of walking through the city at night. They were in chains, far from being free, for how can one be free if ones actions are limited as a result of fear? I decided to go alone. The effects of the shrooms I took earlier slowly started to hit me, but not to the point where reality was deformed. As I got into the metro, I noticed someone listening to some sort of house music out of a “ghetto blaster”, and because I am a tech-house freak myself, I overcame my shyness, and approached him. From there on we talked the entire 20-minute metro ride, and connected really well. As the metro ride was over, he asked me if I would like to go to a coffee shop for a smoke, which I thought to be a good idea. He bought me a drink and we talked until he had to go to work in a bar. He was from Morocco; so besides talking about Amsterdam, the coffee shops, music, etc. he told me a lot about his country and his life story. I cannot describe the feeling one gets after something like that happens. You know, you just say one sentence to some random person and somehow you end up together in a coffee shop talking, hearing interesting stories, and getting to know a different lifestyle. One simply takes the good things along and leaves the bad behind. After we parted, I walked through the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Shortly after I left the coffee shop, a man passed by on a bicycle, beating a drum that lied between his legs, and simply out of joy, I jumped up and down and yelled wooohooo. He looked back, gave me a smile, and enthusiastically started to drum even louder. In that moment I was so happy that I was on another adventure walking through Amsterdam completely stoned and on shrooms without a map. That night I got ripped off in a side street and met a lot of people from different countries.

The next day we went to the ocean, right by a national park. Of course it was all planned again, and even though it bothered me, I was excited to see what kind of beauty the nature in the park had to offer. As we arrived the others just wanted to swim and sit on the beach and as I asked them if they would like to come along with me to explore the national park and walk through the amazing flora and fauna, they declined. Again, I went alone, working my way through bushes, swamps, and over a fence, desperate to know what lied behind the huge dunes. As I finally reached the top, an extremely beautiful landscape unfolded in front of my eyes. There were hundreds of green hills, one after the other, rolling into the horizon. I sat down, smoked some cigarettes, listened to relaxing music, and just enjoyed the beauty of this amazing scenery. I got back about 2 hours later and found everyone sitting in the bus staring at the ceiling. As Carla, Ollie’s girlfriend, asked: and what now? I was like, fuck this shit I am leaving by myself (of course I didn't say it in those words). I was tired of all the complaining, of all the planning, and being dependent on people who act like normal tourists, and want to stay in a secure environment. There is no question that this robs them the chance of adventure and experiencing something great. I got my sleeping bag, some paper and a pen, and left them.

So there I was, standing on the side of the road with my sign held high and my thumb stuck out. I was so happy, and felt just like I did in Croatia and Slovenia, which I traveled in May and June. Now I wouldn’t have to plan anymore, I was able to meet more people, get to know the Dutch, and I could live for the moment, day by day, never knowing what lied in front of me and what challenges I had to face. Not expecting it, I got a ride really fast which took me to the highway ramp. It was a short ride (10 min.) so I really couldn’t get to know the driver too well. Normally I talk a lot to whoever takes me, because I am interested in them, their country, and their lives. From there I hitched to Amsterdam and tried to get to Utrecht but gave up after about a half an hour because I stood really bad, and it was slowly getting dark; I decided to hit up a coffee shop, in which I met two amazing Britt’s. They were a couple from London. At first I only talked to the guy, named Ed, mostly about our lives and politics. As he left for a while I talked to his wife, Gloria, and amazingly found someone who understood me and my beliefs as good as nobody has before. We talked for hours, going from bar to bar, about freedom, happiness, existence, religion, music, traveling, the purpose in life, London, Amsterdam, society, our pasts and so much more. I couldn't believe that I had actually found someone with whom I connected with on all levels. As we were talking about freedom, I told her that one aspect of freedom is not caring about what surrounding people think about ones actions; only then can we be our true selves. With the mindset of caring about what other people think, one only does things that are socially acceptable, therefore repressing wanted actions. About 5 minutes later a song she liked came on; she just got up in the bar and started dancing, whereas the rest of the people in the bar were sitting down. That’s what I was talking about... if you want to dance, then you dance; that’s freedom (or one aspect of it); most people (almost everyone) would not dance in that situation, even if they felt like it, just because they are afraid of other people’s judgment. Anyways, after a great conversation we separated and I went on the search for the nearest bench in the city. As I found one and rolled out my sleeping bag, I kind of felt like a bum, but I was used to that for I have slept in many big cities, such as Prague, Ljulbjana, Graz, and Vienna just like this (Hey, it's free!!). The next morning it took me about 2 hours to find a decent spot to hitch from, but as I found one I got a ride pretty fast. I asked the two women who drove me why many Dutch do not like Germans (I often heard stories about the Dutch being unfriendly to Germans). Of course I knew that it had to do with WW2 but there had to be something more to it for other countries like France, Poland, and Norway who also suffered a lot from the German occupation didn't dislike Germans as much as the Dutch (most Dutch are very nice and open though- even if you are German). They told me that the main reason was because the Germans took away their bicycles during the war and never gave them back (not even on request). We all laughed and it sure was funny. You have to understand that bicycles to the Dutch are as important as Football is to the US. The women dropped me off at a gas station in Utrecht. From there I got a ride to Arnhem, in which after walking around the beautiful city for a while, I decided to go to a coffee shop to smoke. As I sat there and observed the people for some time, I noticed that smoking marijuana in the Netherlands was a social thing, so I went up to the "bartender" and asked him about it. He confirmed my theory, and made a comparison with social drinking. After talking for a while, we were noticed by this female Dutch student, Len, who joined the conversation. I spent the rest of the night smoking, talking, and walking through the city with her. She invited me to stay at her place, so I wouldn't have to sleep outside. I accepted, of course. In the morning she made me some very good bread with meat, eggs and some Dutch sauce (very delicious) and even gave me a pair of her socks (mine were dirty ass hell). As I left her, she asked me, if we would ever see each other again. I replied: probably not, but hey, I know where you live.

That day I had to get back home, for I had to work the next day. I figured that it would take a long time to get a ride from Arnhem over the boarder, because drivers might fear that I have marijuana with me. Consequently, and because I could not risk missing work the next day, I took the train to Oberhausen, and hitched from there to Dortmund. Actually I was let out somewhere near Dortmund, on a highway ramp to A45. I waited extremely long, approximately 2 – 3 hours, when finally a young man stopped. Upon asking me where I was going to, I told him that my destination was Giessen. He then explained to me that he didn't have a direction and was just driving around because he was upset with his girlfriend. He told me to get in and that he was going to take me a distance along the highway. Along the ride we talked about his situation with his girlfriend, and of course other things too. When the first rest stop appeared I told him that he could let me out there, and that the location was good to get a ride from. To my surprise, he answered that he will drive a bit further. A while later another gas station appeared, and again he replied the same way. We kept on driving and driving, without the guy even having to go in that direction as a sign appeared saying: Giessen - 40 km (approx.). He commented: “only 40 kilometers left. Ill drive you home.” And he did. That ride definitely belongs to one of my most amazing hitchhiking experiences.

I just got back and already missed traveling. I was sad that I had to go home living this ordinary life where almost every day is alike and where one gets sucked into routine. Where I don’t learn things from exciting and interesting people, and where I never get the chance of jumping up and down out of joy because something random, and unexpected happens. I missed the adventures, living day by day without knowing what lies ahead of me, which experiences I would make, where I was going to be and sleep, and what kind of people I would meet. From my experiences in Croatia, Slovenia, and the Netherlands I am certain that traveling is the opium of life.

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