Hitchhike 3 !!!!

Dear All,

Reporting from Berlin...I have been informed that my previous posts make me out to sound like a poncy obnoxious overweeningly arrogantly up-myself git......apologies a thousandfold...pls email me.....I'm not infectious.....

Hope you are wonderfully well.

After a day of sightseeing (trying to) Hamburg and tasting the fare on offer at the Schweinske (pig-themed) restaurant, the road has taken us to Berlin. German keyboards are difficult to use...ÜÖÄ€§ßßß....why couldn't they just have an ümlaut key?
It is sometimes difficult searching for youth hostels to overnight in.
Hopefully Berlin will give us plenty to see/do...
We've met a couple of Czech hitchhikers....been recommended to see Auschwitz and some sights in Slovenia etc.....will try....for now, Berlin has plenty to offer.

All the best,

Jason

Hitchhike 2 !!!!

Dear All,

Hope you're all well....
Hurrah for us....

2100 hrs, Friday 18th September, 2004.

Hitched from Amsterdam to Munster (Germany) and thence to Hamburg...am using the internet at the Le Meridien, wherein I am NOT currently residing...our real abode is a motel nearby...
Will be sampling German food tomorrow...eventually intend to reach Berlin, Poland and further (?)...
Adventure beckons, indeed...some very very very kind people have given us lifts AND lunch...lovely Germans...plenty to see/do. Have had some rather interesting conversations.

Visas are not a problem, this being the Schengen visa area.

The audio recordings of the trip are progressing neatly as planned - I feel game for a full multimedia spiel (with book, etc.) eventually. Che & Alberto Granado....motorcycle diaries, anyone? (Presumptuous, I know, but then again....).

That's all for now...

Cheerio,

Jason

Hitchhike 1 !!!!

Hello all....

For those of you that don't know - I'm on holiday hitchhiking with Oliver...will be posting to my blog when possible... http://arrhythmia.blogspot.com/ - Read it!!!!!!

I'm in Utrecht (Holland) right now (got there (1 timezone, three countries) in 2 days!). almost 10am here. One time zone ahead of London.

You may wish to browse through an atlas as you read this.

Tuesday: left London (Mottingham suburb) 9am. --> stuck on road half an hour --> Maidstone suburb --> Canterbury --> offered ride to Dover (arrived noon-ish). No luck with ferry, so bought tickets for delayed 3 o'clock trip (choppy seas forced delay by 3 hrs). Arrived 6-ish Calais. Stuck near motorway 45 mins, got weird ride (crazy, crazy, crazy woman) to Calais centre ... took us to hotel/hostel.
Wednesday: left Calais...stuck near motorway, finally get ride to Lille - given lunch by the driver - his brother is a doctor (GP) who spoke ultra rapid french. They then gave us lift through the city (with a quick tour!) to service station on suburbs of Lille....trying to get somewhere in Belgium...no luck until some Dutch guy gave us a lift all the way to Utrecht, Holland, thereby passing right through Belgium entirely! Found lodgings and watched a movie here. Will tour city in a while.

Oliver decided to write a short children's book (650 words) one afternoon last week and sent it as a bit of fun to a bunch of agents, one of whom replied expressing interest!

So far ... have encountered (as drivers) a female trainee priest, a Nigerian mature student, a bus driver (who has invented the TARGETMASTER - on sale now for 160 pounds... http://www.targetmaster.co.uk/ ) and hopefully many more.....

Am keeping a travel journal....

For reading material: Core Anatomy - Head & Neck....yes, it's good for putting oneself to bed quickly and effectively....
Will try to get to Amsterdam or cross into Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe....Russia?!
Good progress so far......btw - no moustache - I have a shaver with me.....hahaha.

Cheers all,

Jason

Home-style sashimi

1. Dead fish, sliced - $5.50 for 190g
2. Japanese rice, cooked with sushi vinegar - $5.00 per packet
3. Soy sauce - $1.00 a bottle
4. Seaweed - $2.00 a packet

Taste - priceless.