Going South again: Warsaw-Kraków

So I got up at 9:30 and when you wake up at 9:30, make your latte, iron your skirt and download a sunscreen control app - well then you get to actual hh spot at 2:30. It might be one of the reasons why only 3 guys stopped. One was a former jailbird, the second had no jail tatoos on his entire body- and I can vouch for it cause he ewas totally naked. In truth I was ready to get back to the railway station and take a train. Somehow hhing didn't feel cool any more. I gave it another 15 minutes and the third guy stopped. He was going directly to Krakow, but best of all he had a 9-year old son on the front seat. He smoked though. Anyway, there was a soccer game near Krakow, so we were travelling among the numerous fans' cars. How do I know it? Well a symbol of WW2 Anchor on the car is a tell tale :P Plus lot of police. Plus risky driving. Anyway, I am in Krakow now, met my new friend and we are ready to hit the town ;)
Picture: getting back home on my bike yesterday- my vacation is just beginning!!!

Lviv-Szegedyni-Rzeszów

A bit reluctantly cause stereotypes hold strong (am I really willing to hh alone in UKRAINE?), I set off from my lovely hosts' home and headed towards the nearest bus stop. On an impulse I decided to ask people at the nearby gas station for advice, as the directions found on hitchwiki seemed unclear. Someone advised me to take marshrutka to the Macro- the commercial center - and it was a great idea. After a moment of confusion (I had only 2 hryvnas left while the marshrutkas are more expensive than trolleybuses, but the driver waved his hand with resignation and let me go) I got to the commercial center located conveniently at another gas station. My most notable ride was the one given by the Police :) and after two more rides I got to Shegyni. There was no queue at the border in that direction but the border guards kept us waiting for a quarter. I must admit that I didn't like the fact that one Ukrainian guy followed me and helped me with my backpack - just to use the EU entrance (btw I understand the reason of UE/non UE entrances but it clearly divides people into 'better' and 'worse'). Then I got two more rides and was resolved to hh all the way to Bydgoszcz, but my driver showed me at his navigation that at constant velocity of 200km/h I would get there at 8 pm. I believe in numbers so I let him drop me off at the railway station in Rzeszów. He was even so kind as to find me a connection. And here I go, low phone battery, no book and still 8hrs to go ;)
In general, nice and helpful people as always, sometimes good talk. The thing I didn't like... So there is always this person who asks you the perennial "Are you not afraid to hh?" and if it is a male who is giving you a ride it can make you feel really uneasy. But today's guy was much more ... everything. Luckily he wasn't anybody's driver, just some person at the border overhearing my conversation. On hearing that I am hh-ing he shared a following deep thought: It is strange that nobody has raped you hither to. Before I even processed it he added that he is awaiting the psychiatric examination because of stalking charges. I thought: No shit! Really?
but in general people are so nice and helpful, and it always makes me not only thankful but also willing to help others, too.

Lviv in the pictures 4

Lviv in the pictures

Lviv in pictures 2

Lviv in pictures

Tylko we Lwowie - a partial and biased guide to the city

A beautiful old town with a lot of Polish traces which is nice. Good coffee. Food ranging decent to good. Shabby public transportation but at very reasonable prices ;) Air pollution that makes Warsaw seem a sanatorium for asthmatics. Wi-Fi in a lot's of places in the center.

day 1, Warsaw-Lviv

I've written Lviv cause I am trying to be super duper politically correct;) which is not working cause I keep switching to Russian. My advice - don't do it in Western Ukraine.
so we started with a one hour walk through the forest because luckily enough I live just in the perfect part of Warsaw to go to UA. Of course we didn't leave at 6:30 as planned but 7:20 is quite good I think :) And we started like that:

then we got to the spot recommended by hitchwiki and by this time I had been luckily persuaded not to follow my original plan of going to Przemyśl and Medyka but to Lublin and Hrebenne instead ;-) If your knowledge of the geography of Poland is even worse than mine, I'm gonna just hint Hrebenne is much closer to Warsaw than Medyka.
There were the cops so I approached them to make sure they weren't going to fine us :P and pretty soon, maybe partially thanks to the Police's slowing influence, we've got a ride from Piotr. We went with him all the way to Tomaszów Lubelski.
A picture: Lex Szyszko or just widening the highway? Any way, it's breaking my heart :'(

Two more rides and we got into the middle of the queue at the border. Now, hh-ing at the PL-UA border is brought to a new level. The cars are standing so it seems easy. But finding someone both trustworthy and willing to give us a lift was difficult and when we added a non-tax free (that is progressing quickly due to no goods exported) to that wish list - it became impossible. But although we were bluntly refused by the Dutch (with no cooperation within, how is EU going to survive? Are we witnessing the beginning of NLexit?), we finally got into a car. A tax-free car. And that was a long but interesting experience. Having given it a bit of thought I have come to the conclusion that I have taken part in contraband, cause I was moved to another car and they declared an additional person :) Another hour and we triumphantly arrived in Lviv.

Picture: KORDON

Still in Warsaw but...

ready to go :)

New HH journey begins :)

Hi there :)

I've decided to see Lvov, found on CouchSurfing a girl who also wants to see it and here we go!

Right now she is hopefully on her way from Germany and tomorrow she should be in Warsaw. We don't have any contact right now so I'm not sure if we find each other tomorrow - but as they say, NO RISK, NO FUN :P

Of course, I haven't checked from where to start, not to mention about any ToSee list. But it's gonna be good, I know ;)

Picture - as I'm going to my working place by local train, I'm at the railway station every day. Just before my connection (destination Sulejówek Miłosna) there is a Lvov train. It's been teasing me for a month now... so... Here I come :)

Why I haven't reached Spain :P

William Stanhope complained from Bayonne in 1729: 'it being impossible for me, or anybody else (without going post on horseback) to travel fast in Spain, where one is obliged to go on with the same setts of mules for a hundred leagues together. I have been forced to stay here two days waiting for mules.'

Thanks to Ziel for this quote :) Forza, Zielke :)

No new journey

just a short post sharing my amazement. On these pictures you can see my fridge. The pics aren't very clear, so let me write it explicitly: These are cosmetics only. There's virtually not a single edible thing. No food at all. I have never been good at cooking but this is by far my biggest achievement.
still haven't moved most of my stuff. The question what to wear tomorrow remains open :)

A post for request

This one was requested by my sis who is apparently bored at her work ;P
Yes, I am still on vacation but this morning I was kindly reminded by a HR girl that I am to get back to job on Wednesday, not Thursday :P
SHIT.
Anyway, I am doing NOTHING and it is SOOOO GOOOD. I need a rest :)
The complete (or semi-complete) list of things lost during my trip:
1. Sunglasses case (Szczecin)
2. Spirulina algae (Strasbourg)
3. Washing liquid (Paris)
4. A towel (Last seen between Bordeaux and Bayonne - Sis, don't get mad, I shall buy you a new one)
5. Facial water with saint dirt from Biarritz (Nantes)
6. My large-brimmed beautiful hat (Paris on my way back, a super marche')
7. A cartoon with destination written on it (the same super marche')

My general experience:
a lot of nice people met, some interesting ideas, my "faith in humanity restored".
Hitch-hiking - absolutely yes, Couchsurfing - not sure about it (some people are totally ok and disinterested, but sometimes I felt uncomfortable, so next time I'm gonna spend these euros and get a hostel. Wild camping - I still like the idea, but plucking the grass from my sweater when talking to people was a tiny bit embarassing :)

A picture - back in Warsaw! Actually this is a strange picture, I look as if I didn't have a mouth, but I checked in the bathroom mirror and it is still on its place, so I don't know...

Never ever shall i do that again

24 hrs on a bus with short stops and poor Wi-Fi. I am getting suicidal :P Haven't seen a Świebodzin Jesus from the highway- very disappointed :-(
A product placement picture - these I will miss the most about Germany and France ;(
btw, still getting excited when we have a pause and some car is passing by. I am a hitch hiker through and through :)
aaaaaaargh. A 1.5hr delay. Never ever a bus, never ever.
no pic either.
greets from Poznań