• Went to Basel to re-unite with a very special person… and finally got into a football match for free! Home 4 – Away 1.
• We stayed with a very lovely couple for two days before moving on to Italy. We never made it to Milan where we were originally headed. Instead continued to Lake Garda which was a beautiful, yet windy, place.
• Next stop was Verona for a day and in the evening we continued to Venice which is an amazing maze of small streets on top of water – something quite unique. Now I have an option to go back there and help out in the coolest hostel ever.
• Getting out of Venice was tough and actually getting properly on the road towards Croatia took us the whole day. We ended up in Pula which is a lovely small city at the tip of Istra peninsula. We could have stayed there even longer but new adventures were ahead.
• We came to Zagreb yesterday and got in touch with a really cool guy who happens to be my namesake… kind of. Had a nice evening with him and other CouchSurfers.
• Next stop Plitvice national park and then Split.
• More later.
• Sorry for being quite brief this time.

How can it be that two cities not far
make you feel they’re light years apart?

Both have a lake to take a small break;
water so clean as never unseen.

Both surrounded by hills, views giving you thrills;
decorations with flowers, old churches and towers.

What makes on stand out and the other in doubt?
It’s the citizen creating the Zen.

As others have careers and fortunes to build,
others have drinks, take it easy and child.

The positive vibe is shared and enjoyed.
It’s much more important than being employed.

So, yes, I’m in love… and not only with Zürich.

Being with George made it twice the experience. He is the epitome of CouchSurfing: always ready to accommodate a guest or two and able to convert to the varying needs of the guest. I mostly just chilled with George, did some writing and enjoyed the view. But sometimes I’d leave George in the flat, go around to see the city and when I’d come back there he was waiting obediently. George still had a distant scent left from the Mexican and Spanish girls that had lain upon him but I didn’t mind; he was mostly clean.

At night George would lull me to deep sleep. He was surprisingly quiet and didn’t screech even if I was rolling from side to side the way I usually do. I’m going to miss waking up on George. He’s been a lovely couch.

They showed me to a world that I thought had been long lost; that of true family ties. They invited me to be part of their extended family of parents, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and pets for just one day but it shook me profoundly. They told me their family is not rich but they like to eat a lot. Grandma had prepared large trays of potatoes and bachalau – the codfish – garnished in garlic and olive oil. It was simple but the taste was heavenly. In case someone was left hungry there was also a huge pile of meat available. Dessert was delicious cake with ice cream. And of course there was a variety of drinks: ice tea, juice, soft drinks, beer, Portuguese green wine and sparkling wine.

Altogether the dinner took two and half hours and it was filled with joy, chatter, laughter, and caring for everyone around. I had been warned that they’d look at me like a stranger – which I was – but there was no trait of that. The language barrier was largely ignored and interpretation help was near if words were needed. I looked at the family dinner in awe and sensed the surrounding love. It reminded me of my childhood Christmas gatherings at my grandpa’s place. I had not had that feeling of close-knit family community for twenty years. And now it struck me like a lightning. I wanted them to understand how precious gift they had, so that they’d never lose it. I’d write a poem for them and then it was translated to Portuguese. It made everyone sob. They knew exactly what I was talking about because some years ago many of the family members had moved abroad to make money, and now what used to be a weekly occasion had reduced to one meeting every summer.

I wish to extend my warmest regards to all four generations of the Santos family! Obrigado! You’ve touched me deeply.

Like wolves in the pack, they cry their own fear
They wish I’d come back, ‘cos they hold me so dear

But I keep on foraging; peace, laughter and joy
Though in the bins of this sham, it smells so, oh boy

I hear all sad stories, I feel all their sorrow
I see all the phonies, I smell rotten marrow

Like sheep in the herd, they go after pay
But they want to be heard, at least for one day

I’m a cat of the alley, a dog gone astray
But I’ve found my home valley and this time I’ll stay

I’ve done so much hitchhiking now that I’m actually becoming a bit nonchalant about the whole thing. And the funny thing is; it makes it faster! You know, the rides usually come when you least expect them, and now that I stopped expecting anything it’s really easy. So, what happened yesterday? I went to the traffic lights in Setubal and I was trying to have my lunch (a half-melted chocolate bar) and in less than a minute a Romanian guy invited me into his car. The car was practically moving already when I got in. The drop-off was at least as much unexpected: he left me on the highway as he had just a few minutes to get to the airport in Lisbon. Damn! I quickly scribbled my next sign and the third car passing by happened to be a cop car. They told me not to hitchhike on the highway (duh!) but after a short conversation they agreed to drop me on a gas station. I put my bags in the back and got in. They were amused and baffled with my story and thus really helpful. I don’t know if they were just trying to show off or whether they just wanted to act a bit cop-like but in any case they started harrassing other traffic on the highway. They kept opening the windows and motioning people to slow down or move aside. They even used the sirens so they could go faster. It made me smile.

I was in such a good mood when they dropped me off that the postive vibes just radiated around me. Maybe that’s why I got the next ride with ease. The best part: the car had Swizz plates! It was a lovely Portuguese couple who worked in Switzerland. They said they are on vacation and going back on Saturday. We had such a nice conversation that I’m still hoping to go with them all the way to Switzerland. They dropped me off in a small town called Santa Maria da Feira. It was getting dark already so I figured I should start worrying about a place to sleep. I used CouchSurfing at the mall and sent a few emergency help request to local couchsurfers. Then the connection died out, I packed my laptop, had a change of clothes in the bathroom and got ready to sleep outside.

I passed by the only hotel in town so I figured I could ask if they had rooms for free. Yes, they had rooms but for whatever the reason not for free. But I managed to use their internet and found out that there was one response. I was sure it says no-can-do but instead it was a positive reply: the guy was in Brazil himself but he arranged me to stay in his place anyways. His father picked me up, took me to his place, showed around (speaking only French) and left me there alone in this huge apartment. I laughed out loud and put the bath water running. Taking a hot bath was a crown for a successful day. I had no trouble falling asleep.

This morning I left for Porto and I’ve had a really nice day here with an Australian girl whose been showing me around. She was the first person I met after leaving the car and we became instant friends. Unfortunately she’s leaving soon. Let’s see what’s on offer tonight. I’m kinda tempted to go and see the UEFA cup game of FC Porto… maybe I’ll get in for free.

For the past few days I’ve been spoiled by a Portuguese family: good food, warm showers, great company and a proper bed. It’s time to let go of that false sense of security once again and hit the road. This time I try a very unconventional approach. In half an hour I’ll be dropped off in front of a paper factory in Setúbal and I’ll try to catch a truck from there. I went there yesterday and heard that in the morning there was a truck leaving for Switzerland (missed it) and I saw two French trucks that are due to leave today. Keep your fingers crossed that I don’t get stranded there for the whole day.

On our way to Lisbon me and Luke decided to take a tiny country road instead of the highway. Although we had to walk some 15 kilometers it was the right choice: it’s so friggin’ beautiful here! Thursday evening we arrived to the squat in Oriente, Lisbon. We soon found out that everything there is shared and had an amazing dinner together with other travelers and the residents of Casa Amarela.

The next day we spent scavenger hunting around the city and collecting stuff for the Casa. We got lamps, curtains, decorations and of course loads of food from supermarkets and restaurants. Today we had workshops on e.g. creating your own solar panel, building a 10-euro beamer and making your own alcohol. Speaking of which, last night in Bairo Alto was amazing! People were flocking the streets and we returned to the squat only in the morning. Having said that, I’m really really tired now. But I’m happy to say that I’m finally in a real bed… this time in Setubal. G’night!

We enjoyed the ride so much that we decided to go all the way to Calpe where the driver was headed. In retrospect, it would have made more sense to stop for the night in Valencia but I quite enjoyed Calpe: climbing to a beautiful rock, eating water melon, bread and beer that the Spanish tourists gave us and sleeping on the beach next to local fishermen at work.

Our next day’s 13-14 hour hitch took us only to Alicante, which is as much as you’d do in 25 minutes on the highway. It took us hours to get out of Calpe. We felt weak and lacked energy although we managed to steal some fresh tomatoes and grapes from the farms nearby. Both Luke and I were asleep when we got dropped off near Alicante. We tried to continue to Murcia but no one would stop. Later on we learned that people here think hitch-hiking is illegal (well, it is but only on motorways). We walked to Alicante and tried again in the evening but it didn’t work.

Exhausted we dragged ourselves to the beach where a few travelers from Andalucía and France welcomed us on their picnic. We got food, drinks and smokes. We both fell asleep quite soon but were woken up by amazing fireworks that lasted for almost ten minutes. In the early hours we shifted location to a beautiful (closed) peer and spent our night there. We had decided that in the morning we’d cheat a bit and take a train out of the city. We did (Thanks Luke for covering my fare). Then we took a bus out of Murcia and got an easy ride to Almeria.

So, that’s it for now. I gotta go and see what this lovely city has on offer.