I Hitched a ride for over 3000km

Looking back I am not sure how my first boyfriend, Jim, and I fitted in our various travels - but we did. Time seems to chase young people rather than when older we seem to chase time.

On one particular trip, I was still just under twenty - it was the late 80's and we had spent time visiting the red sea and other wonders. We returned, stopping off in Cyprus for a memorable week and then hopping over the islands of Greece.

It was May/June and the sun turned me almost the colour of Marmite - and I probably smelled as bad - on occasions we were sleeping on beaches and would bathe in the ocean. My skin got darker and my hair blonder.

It was truly amazing to lay back in my sleeping bag, look up at the stars and be aware of the incredible pull the moon has on the ocean and indeed on us.

Memories are funny as sometimes without realising it we fill in the gaps with untruths, but this is how I remember that time…

Hitch Hiking

Heading back to Athens on the ferry we counted our cash and realised - even though Jim had picked up some casual work on Crete - we couldn't afford the train or bus fares to visit all the places in Europe we both wanted to see. So we decided to save money - and still go where we had planned - we would sleep cheap and hitchhike!

Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still know where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

Douglas Adams, who wrote Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

We'd never hitched a ride before. But understood the risks involved. To be honest I felt quite safe as Jim was six foot four and strong. I expect if I had been with a girlfriend I may have cautiously chickened out from the idea. And I certainly would not be keen if my daughters decided to turn their hand, or rather their thumbs, to hitchhiking.

We picked up our first ride just outside of Athens port. A Lorry. And this became our most popular mode of transport on the journey home.

I thoroughly enjoyed being so high up. It made me feel invincible.

So this is where we bring the map into play.

Over the next two weeks, we hitched a ride from Athens, right down on the tip of Greece, to just off the A2 in Kent(England) where we both lived at the time.

That was over 3, 160 km in total - driving.

In fact, the last ride dropped us off within ten minutes walk of Jim's house. Now, that is what I call convenient.

Greece

But back to the trip. From Athens, we travelled up to the Greek side of what was then known as Yugoslavia. We stopped the night in a cheap B&B type place before actually walking over the border the following day. It was notably strict and Jim and I were separated going through.

Yugoslavia

Once in communist Yugoslavia we probably got public transport to Belgrade - the capital. It would have been very cheap to do so. And went straight to a tourist information office. We needed somewhere to stay the night and the rules in Yugoslavia were very stern.

Visitors mainly stayed with families. Not only that, because we were clearly not married we had to sleep in different rooms. It seemed odd to me but the family made us dinner and welcomed us into their unit. I felt quite honoured to be their guest.

That evening we went into the city but were warned there was a curfew for 11 pm. I think. Reflecting back it was a bit like some of the recent restrictions we have all experienced.

I vividly remember the streets being very clean and everyone seemed on their best behaviour. The difference to walking around a city such as London was noticeable. It was a very educational experience and one I often think about.

Italy and Austria

It was soon time to move on. Somehow over the next few days, we hitched to the Italian border and stopped in a cheap room in Trieste moving on to Venice the following day. Both these places are up in that top right tip of Italy and close together.

I have been to Venice a few times since. It is OK. I much prefer the eternal beauty of Florence.

We both wanted to go to Innsbruck. For some reason I picture it covered in snow but that is very unlikely at that time of year. I must be clouded by picture postcards. But how to get from Venice to Innsbruck. Well, we were incredibly lucky. A couple of German students picked us up in their VW camper van. They were wonderful young men with long hair in their mid 20's. Germany used to have a system where after school a young person would work for a few years before going to University. This was why they were students at their age. Dropping us off on the outskirts of Innsbruck they gave us a phone number and told us when we left Austria we were welcome to stay with them in Munich.

We found a hostel in the middle of Innsbruck for a couple of days and did a lot of site seeing. It was a wonderful city in those days, and I vowed to return one day. There is still time…

Germany

We actually got a cheap train to the outskirts of Munich and called our new - VW Van - friends. They picked us up and the fun began!

They lived in a fabulous large flat with a green door. We had our own room and were told to make ourselves at home. These guys were so hospitable. Taking us to clubs and beer festivals. We had a hoot. And I developed a little bit of a crush on one of them. On the way back from a night out he picked a flower and put it in my hair. Oh, how my young heart fluttered…

We managed to stay about five days with them but knew once we left we would be heading on the fastest track home.

Somewhere on our homeward journey, we slept the night in a German underpass. Remember we had rucksacks with us and sleeping bags. It wasn't nice. And I didn't sleep.

Tricks

While hitchhiking, we discovered if I stood at the curb and Jim slightly out of sight we got a lift very quickly. This is the cheeky method we adopted on the last leg of our trip. From Germany through Belgium, mainly getting picked up by lorries. One evening we alighted at a cafe for the night and the lorry driver allowed us to sleep in the small cab as he had other arrangements elsewhere. In fact, it was this memory that fed my inspiration for one of my fiction stories.

Home

When we arrived at the port we were on our last bit of cash. And I mean that. In those days there were no other ways of getting money abroad unless it was wired to you - I think that was the term - and the process could take days. I really think Jesus was on our side because we got talking to a couple who had bought loads of booze and needed to occupy their car with two more people so they wouldn't have to pay import duty for the amount of alcohol they had. They took us on the ferry and then all the way up the A2 - a major road in South East England - to where we lived for free. It was lucky they were heading to London.

I vividly recall them pulling over and dropping us off. It felt so strange to be back. There was definitely a sense of achievement but being home felt odd. I was a little lost for a while, missing the adventure.

Jim and I split up a few months later, but we shared something we both remember to this day.