Feeling down about my experience on the farm, and sensing a fever coming on, I was really alone on the evening before I left the farm. Oktoberfest felt like a long shot. I had sought council with my good friend Jonah back home, but the decision on the next path was mine alone to decide.
A conversation with the host couple on the farm and being ignored by my fellow workaway companion, lead to Jonah receiving an earful from me. I had to rant, and I knew he would be the most understanding.
We’ve been strong support for one another for a while now and I value every conversation we indulge in.
So the following day I announced to the host couple that I would be leaving. They kindly took me to the closest bus stop, which was about 5km away. They also provided me with some breakfast snacks, as I had turned down their porridge that morning.
I’m not sure if this was to avoid a bad rating/review or they were honestly being kind, but it didn’t matter. I was appreciative of the food, as it came in handy.
The bus was another two hours wait, though the host couple told me that hitchhiking was common in the area due to the many pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.
So I smiled and held out my thumb.
Thirty minutes passed and I was considering the warmth of the pub opposite when a friendly older gentleman pulled up and opened the window.
I beamed with excitement that it’d actually worked.
“Ourense?”
“Si”
So I jumped into the car. He spoke zero English and I spoke minimum Spanish.
“Galicia es muy verde”
(Galicia is very green)
“Si! [something something something]”
(Yes, [inaudible Spanish])
“Si, es muy Bonita”
(Yes, it is very beautiful)
“Muy”
(very)
This conversation was spread over a forty-five-minute drive.
Fortunately, my first hitchhiking experience was a success. I’d made it to Ourense. He left me near the train station.
“Mucho gracias senor, adios!”
I made my way to a cafe and ordered a bacon roll in order to use their wifi.
I had no idea what or where I wanted to go. Oktoberfest, Munich was an idea, but it was so far away and I wanted to see more of Spain, though again, I was going through my budget far too quickly.
The fever was getting worse, so I settled for comfort. I headed back to Madrid on a five-hour train and booked into a Cats hostel, as I’d liked the one in Porto.
This one wasn’t so soundproof. My God, it was loud.
My face had swollen up, so I looked like a chipmunk. I’m not sure if that was swelling from the rake incident – yes it really happened – or the fever.
Either way, it hurt and so did my throat and my brain. I couldn’t sleep with the noise.
So I went downstairs to the bar and ordered a straight double rum to put myself to sleep.
It worked.
It turned out that I had some friends from home in Barcelona, so I checked out early doors to catch a decent train to Barcelona and then plan a route to Munich for Oktoberfest.
€120
Yeah, like fuck I was paying that.
So I was planless again. I bought a doughnut and a coffee from Dunkin-Donuts and sought advice from Jonah again.
He helped me regain focus on the mission. The goal was Australia, I should be traveling east.
But the options to make it to Munich were scarce. Either stupidly expensive or I would arrive too late for Oktoberfest.
I went back into a mood of despair. I messaged Nat, whom I had become friends with previously in Madrid, and she said she would join in me in El Retiro Park.
That’s where I laid for the entire day. shivering in the sunshine. No plan. No hostel. No energy to think.
Nat was taking so long that I went to a bar within the park and bought an overpriced smoothie. Pineapple and oranges or something. I can’t remember. I just thought I may as well top up my Vitamin C levels.
That’s when I met Austin.
A cool American dude rocked up with his backpack, similar size to mine and wearing his Chupa-Chups “fanny-pack” (bum-bag). Austin was having difficulties with his data and needed to contact his girlfriend, so I allowed Austin to use my phone.
Finally, Nat was ready, but also hungry, and so told me to meet her at 100 Montaditos.
One hundred varieties of tapas for €1 each. I believe the offer is only available on Wednesdays and Sundays.
We sat down for tapas and beer. Austin’s girlfriend finished work and he ran off to find the oldest tree in Madrid.
Nat and I were intrigued by this 400-year-old tree and went to see it for ourselves. We all returned to 100 Montaditos for a final beer and I met Riley, Austin’s girlfriend for the first time.
I still had no plan and actually, no bed for that night. Riley and Austin offered their sofa to me. Reluctantly I accepted.
This act of kindness sparked some positive energy and I suddenly started thinking and creating potential options to reach Munich.
I booked a blablacars to Barcelona for an early start the next morning and went to sleep.
I awoke around 5AM. I felt feverish still, but not as bad as the previous two nights. The sunshine seemed to have worked absolute wonders. My blablacars driver had also canceled his trip.
This time though, I didn’t feel deflated. I had a strong sense of determination. I managed to find another one and little did I know, this was going to be the best trip I’d made so far.
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
We struggled to find each other at first, but I told them I was next to the giant baby heads and we found each other relatively quickly after that.
It was a Ford Transit which meant there was so much space and the six-hour drive was comfortable.
The passengers were so varied; the driver was from the south of Spain, we had a Catalonian girl, a girl from Tenerife, a guy from Belgium, Gent and myself, London.
The music was good and conversations interesting. We stopped for a €10 three-course meal, which was super tasty.
I had stuffed peppers, roast chicken and lemon sorbet. Delicious.
I was mocked for my travel pillow. Greg and I were laughing consistently throughout the drive about me wearing an eye mask, earplugs and wearing my travel pillow – I didn’t obviously. I don’t even have an eye mask, nor earplugs. Lord, the shame I would envoke upon myself to combine all three in public.
Loren from Catalonia ended up using my pillow to sleep and recover from her hangover, so I guess I won the argument of usefulness.
We arrived in Barcelona and exchanged social media for future contact. My friends from London were still in Barcelona, so I met up with them and went back to their rented apartment.
It was nice to have a conversation in person with someone from back home. I could have a fairly in-depth conversation with someone I had known for years. Conversations whilst traveling can be draining, as you have to avoid certain subjects and you exchange the same small talk with everyone you meet.
The visit also gave me the chance to have a shower before the soul-draining coach journey I had ahead of me. Twenty-two hours of coach and waiting time to arrive in Munich, in time for Oktoberfest.
I lost track of time with my friends and I had a real rush to make it to the bus station in Barcelona, resulting in me requiring a €10 taxi, which really pissed me off, but hey, my fault and my problem.
I made it to the bus station and found my bus, which was delayed. I bought a pain au chocolat for the first coach trip to Lyon.
And I waited. I waited for my first coach trip to take me to Munich. An antagonizing twenty-two-hour coach journey.