Gosh things are moving so fast that my blog can't keep up. It's 8:41am, Saturday, and I wrote the below at 3:00am, Friday:
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Feeling really happy and fulfilled now. Hitching away from Switzerland was probably the best decision that I've made on this Europe trip, I've spent two really nice days with Robert and Flo in Leipzig, I am genuinely sorry that I have to leave tomorrow.
It's just been blissful, all the knowledge input! Robert majors in history and French, and Flo studies math and music. I am an eager student, they are ready teachers. Yesterday while preparing dinner, Robert gave me a brief overview of European history as we cut vegetables together. After dinner, Flo explained to me the different eras of classical music, complete with impromptu performances of examples of different periods. Then today Robert walked with me around Leipzig and showed me different types of architecture, as Leipzig has been around for like 1000 years and has rich examples of different types of architecture throughout the ages. Then we met up with Flo and his girlfriend Danni, and went canoeing together =D. After an awesome pasta dinner, Flo and I went for a concert together while Robert stayed home and studied, and when we got back Robert and I sat down and talked about everything, from coins to learning completely useless things to language differences and similarities... it was just so invigorating to be able to speak at this level, after the stupid Swiss situation.
*promptly fell asleep after writing the above, it was 3:30am after all*
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//back to present
So I am at Val's, hitching was ridiculously easy yesterday, though I did wake up an hour late. Robert woke me up at 9:25am, and I took a quick shower, packed my stuff up in a frenzy, snapped up the sandwiches and water that Robert prepared, gave both guys big bear hugs and managed to catch a tram and a bus to go to the spot that Robert told me. On the bus I created some sort of flurry among the old ladies sitting around me, when they found out that I was going to the highway to hitch to Hamburg. With disapproving shakes of their head yet slight admiration in their eyes, they bade me good luck as I jumped out of the bus at the right stop.
From then on it was a breeze. The first car that came by picked me up, from Leipzig, and dropped me near Berlin, where the third car that came by (sweet ladies) stopped, and then the fifth car, and the last leg took like 5 minutes of waiting time but I got to Hamburg with no problems at all. With my homemade "HH" sign (HH stands for Hamburg, but Val pointed out it can also stand for Hail Hitler), lucky hitchhiking long skirt and big smile I made it before 4pm. Met up with Val, had really good African food, and made our way to his dad's place. Then we did some dumpster diving for bread - it's amazing how good bread gets thrown out and can be taken for free! In packages and stuff. And they're not even past expiry date yet, just close, and it's still pretty fresh.
Oh and Val's dad is awesome. 'Nuff said. "Was kostet ein bier? 8000 marks! Was kostet zvei bier? 8000 marks!"
I'm sitting down blogging at the breakfast table while Val is preparing, which I suppose is bad ettiquette, so I shall stop right here.