NL-PL-NL in a weekend

NL-PL-NL in a weekend

I was invited to a wedding party in Poland. I travelled by hitchhiking. I may write out a little story about the trip, for now I’d like to share a little list of the lifts. The trip could be described as average, where the very weak part of the way to Poland was a big number of cars (11) and the weak part of the way back very intense traffic and several hours of traffic jams, while I needed 6 cars and stayed overnight in Köln.

29 August Maastricht (NL) – Lubniewice (PL)
First by bus to the station and on foot to the official hitchhiking spot in Maastricht. I have not yet found the ease of hitchhiking very near my new flat in Maastricht.
01 Maastricht to A4 Rasthof Aachener land after a wait of 50 mins (estimated distance some 40 km). Cruise speed about 130 kmh.
02 To A4 Rasthof Frechen after a wait of 10 mins (estimated distance some 50 km). Cruise speed about 140 kmh.
03 To A2 Rasthof Rhynern after a wait of 25 mins (estimated distance some 250 km). Cruise speed about 100-110 kmh, van. Funny conversation.
04 To A10 Rasthof Michendorf after a wait of 10 mins (estimated distance some 330 km). Cruise speed about 140 kmh, though often not possible.
05 To A10 Rasthof Am Fichtenplan after a wait of 10 mins. including 10 seconds of standing on the emergency lane, which I used as there was a traffic jam (estimated distance some 35 km). Cruise speed 85-90 kmh. Truck. Driver was going on into Poland though not far. When he stopped at the next petrol station for a rest I left it, realizing also that it is a huge pity to do Berlin-Polish border by 85 kmh in stead of the usual 140-190 kmh as it’s a always pretty quiet motorway there.
06 To A12 exit Frankfurt an der Oder (Mitte) after a wait of 20 mins. Cruise speed about 170 kmh, top 190 kmh. Young family from Guben with a beautiful Slavic woman. Was not too surprising that one of her parents was Polish, happened more often (very beautiful Polish-German woman on a ride from Siegburg to Aachen for example, september '07).
07 To DK2 at the border (Slubice) after a wait of 15 mins, distance about 5 km. The onramp was completely hopeless with one car per two-three minutes. So more dramatic gesturing and of course "Polish style" waving was the key.
08 To DK2 Torzym after a wait of 10 mins, distance about 35 km. Already in Torzym driver stopped again to let in a military man.
09 To Sulecin, distance about 10 km, wait about 5 min.
10 To little village 5 km south of Lubniewice, distance about 10 km, wait about 15 min. Already getting dark more or less.
11 To Lubniewice, distance about 5 km, wait about 30 mins. Standing by the road, dark, using reflectors and red-white blinking light. A military man going to Gorzów Wielkopolski took me. Told him in Polish I didn’t know where the resort was that I was heading for. He asked people and dropped me at the entrance.

31 August Torzym (PL) to Koln (D)
First I got a ride with one of the other Dutchies that were on the wedding, just a quite short one towards the Warsaw-Berlin main road DK2. We were rather well packed and I was glad that I could get out of that car, to find more space for myself and more quietness ;). They brought me to Torzym and I could just hitch on an excellent bus stop at the end of the village.

01 From DK2 Torzym to DK2 border (Slubice), wait about 30 mins, distance 35 km. A Dutch driver had stopped for my red-white-blue sign, though turned this down as I wanted even more space than with the bag on my lap up to Hannover (500 km).
02 To A2 Rasthof Auetal Nord, distance some good 450 km I guess, wait about 30 mins. I was picked up by some other Dutchies who were on their way back from the wedding, actually already 80 km back on the way home. Nice way to find out they had a free seat ;)
03 To A2 Rasthof Rhynern, distance perhaps 130 km, wait 10 mins including 3 on the emergency lane. Traffic jammed, so I was standing on the emergency lane.
04 To Koln Slabystrasse, distance some 100-120 km, wait 30 mins. Although getting dark on this busy busy day no wish to ask for rides, first driver to stop was a woman. Finally a driver going 150-160 kmh after two long rides of cruising 110-130 kmh and jams.

1 September from Koln (D) to Meerssen (NL)
Verteilerkreis Koln / A555 was in walking distance. Had to get to the office, but train is expensive and journey is 3 hrs, while car driving time one hour.
01 From Verteilerkreis Koln / A555 to N281 Heerlen x A79, wait one hour, distance about 80 km. There’s a lot of people filling up, most staying near Koln or going to Bonn. On the traffic square no easy place to stop, speedy. First good half hour spent standing on a poor spot on the traffic square, last small half hour spent asking around at the pumps. Posed the good question to one guy “Geht es richtung Aachen?”. Yep, he was waiting for his lift ;) meaning rideshare / carpooling. Could arrive any moment and he introduced me to the driver and off to Heerlen (NL).
02 From A79 Heerlen to Meerssen (NL), distance about 18 km, wait 2 mins. Never a long wait on this petrol station. Dropped off on the emergency lane as driver passed on to Maastricht and no wish to bring me down the off ramp as not convenient to enter again. The iron gate in the fence besides the motorway appeared not to be locked as it should not be, looked at my clock saying 09.01, my usual start of the working day. Well done!!!!!

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