old tiger's Blog

Next day..got a ride straight to M?nich(Germany)
started bit late in Salzburg...slept in a big building site.
in construction..I took the third floor..no windows..but dry
and out of the cold night..I was sure I was not going to make M?nich
to my home next day...so..one more extra sleeping in the rough..
was nearly skint..so..brr..bloody cold winter in Germany..
I thought of starting my Scandinavia trip middle may..
and the happy thought..of seeing my DAD back..in a few days..
made me glad..he was a good man..despite his alcoholism..
and..I was longing for Belgian chips/steak+beer...mmmmmm...
Tiger

Vienna(Wien)is a big city...to get to the outskirts..is best to hitch a ride..
Sch?nbrunn castle leads to highway for Salzburg..I believe I took some
means of public transport to get me close to the highway entrance..
so..i started hitching...after about 30 min..one car stopped..
it was a Porsche..I asked the fellow..Fahrts du richtung Salzburg??
nods his head..well..the whole ride..this fellow was speeding like a fool..
and not saying 1 word..crazy..so..finally I got quickly in Salzburg..
loveley place..I decided to stay overnight in the Youth hostel..
I guess I figured I would be back home in Belgium in 2 days..
it was bloody cold..december..snow in Austria..it's a postcard picture
I was already thinking about my next trip..direction Norway-Sweden-Finland..but..first i needed some cash..so was hoping to do some little
jobs for small cash..I always loved to paint people's homes..
like doors..garden houses..walls even..so..up to Belgium..
link for Austria http://www.tourist-net.co.at/index_e.php
click English version if it's in German..

Thessaloniki is a real nice Greek town..lots of parallel streets..
Youth hostel was O.K..in a small side street somewhere..
I made a walk around the main boulevard..nice fruit and vegetable shop..
I went to the railway station..to find out about trains towards Yugoslavia..
but they turned out to be to expensive...so hitch hiking was the only option left..so..next morning I set off direction Polykastron-Evsoni..
stood at least 2 hours on the outskirts of town..some Germans gave me
a ride to Gevgelia(border Yougoslavia) and further north towards Skopje(Macedonia)border check Greece-Yougoslavia went smoothly..
in Skopje the Germans dropped me..i was hitching towards Pristina..which
is nowadays capital of Kosovo region..these days Yougoslavia was still a
very nice country under Tito..it was greater Yougoslavia..no Bosnia,Servia
etc..it was a very cheap country in these days...so from Skopje I was real lucky..got a ride straight to Vienna(Austria)with 2 Australians chicks going
to Vienna-Budapest..they let me sleep in their van as well..via Beograd--
towards Zagreb-Ljubjlana-Varazdin-Maribor..crossed into Austria at the
border crossing Spielfeld..then Graz(capital of Steiermark)nice scenery in
Austria..up to Vienna..where I left the Australians..real nice chicks..
will tell more later on..got a very funny ride between Vienna-Salzburg
P.S..Link for Thessaloniki(Greece) http://www.greecetravel.com/thessaloniki/
Tiger

So..border crossing over to Greece from Turkey..took a while..
specially on the Turkish side(exit)I met an American couple..
they were hitchhiking to Saloniki..we got picked up..all 3 of us..
by some weird looking couple in a VW bus..driver looked bit stoned??
so..we went on..stopped in Xanti in a roadside caf?..this dude(driver)
took ouzo like we drank coffee so after this we moved on..and it became dark..stopped bit before Kavalla...again roadside caf?..
you know..Greece..people can be very liveley..there was bouzouki music..
plenty of ouzo flowing..the American couple had an argument with this
crazy dude..he was plain drunk.. I moved out of that caf?..and walked
about 1km.further down the road..where I slept the night on the roadside
in a field..next morning..to my surprise..I was picked up by Greek police..
and was driven by them to the police station in Kavalla town..mystery??
another big surprise..in the police station..the American couple+the wife
of that crazy dude also present...we got some food(feta cheese with bread)offered by the police..I was taken into a separate room..could not
talk to either the American couple or the wife of this dude..
So..police asked me questions about the ride with this dude..
they told me following story...which is really awful
after I had left that caf?...the American couple had an argument with that dude..he was acting foolishly..went outside on the road..now..that road..
was pitch dark..no street light..this crazy dude..must have been jumping
around on the street...a truck coming from Kavalla..did not see him in time
fellow got hit...fell under the wheels...and was killed on the spot
can you imagine the wife??how she must have felt??I can't??
so..after this police interrogation..we were all set free....and hitched ride
to Thessaloniki...where I stayed in the Youth hostel..I needed a bath...
and I was really upset about this accident...will tell more later on..
Tiger

I don't remember where we stayed in Mashad..
it's a pilgrimage place..we moved on to Tehran..
Gunilla+her friend decided to stay on a while..
promessed Gunilla to visit her on my next trip..nice chick..
I moved on towards Tabriz again..my money situation was not very great crossed into Turkey again via Bazargan..took a straight bus to Agri..
now..it was middle december...I recall half a meter of snow in Agri
in the hotel where I stayed..they heated with stoves burning on wood..
nice and warm..next day..bus to Erzurum..change bus and direct bus
to Istanbul..I was in a hurry..stayed in Istanbul for 2 nights..cheap hotel..
bus to Ippsala..border between Turkey-Greece..Greece..was nice..
Alexondroupolis..Komotini..Xanthi..Kaval la..Thessaloniki..
will tell more later..something tragic happened near Kavalla..
P.S..link for Mashad(Iran)
http://www.farsinet.com/mashhad/
Tiger