First time hitchhiking/Pandapand
"But isn't that dangerous? I don't think that's a good idea. Especially, not for girls."
I had a few people tell me this before my first solo-hitchhiking experience. This was my first mental block. And you know the image of a psycho-killer (Qu'est-ce que c'est ?) driver. I planned to hitchhike from Leipzig to Krakow and started the day with a sign, a quick look at this wiki, and some big expectations. But due to a case of the scatter-brains and ego, I got off at the recommended site but walked along trying to find a better spot by myself. I asked for directions on how to get on the A14 highway but got directed toward the A38 highway instead. Increasingly tired, I settled for a place with some sort of proximity to some highway.
My Sign/My Attitude
I could tell my sign was not a hit when I had people squinting through the windshield. I had made my sign using a cereal box, white paper and clear tape. However, I think the first sign was too small. Also, I was a bit shy standing on the side of the road alone. I made only the vaguest attempt at eye contact. After two hours of waiting and one car headed toward the wrong town, I walked back for an hour toward the bus stop where I first got off.
Defeat
Near the bus stop, after munching on some sort of wurst, I talked briefly with a guy working at the gas station. I told him I was headed to Dresden and was wondering where I could hitch a ride. He told me the area in front of the station would probably work fine. I stood there for about half an hour, before giving up and leaving for the train station.
Dresden
After paying 23 precious euros (I like to save my money for food & booze) for the train, I got to Dresden and feeling utterly wiped out crashed at a hostel (another 15 euros) too tired to set up something through Couchsurfing.
Attempt #2
The next morning, I got up and checked the Dresden website. This time I copied down the information word-for-word. I still had my a size-too-small sign but was still optimistic about my prospects. I got to the hitchspot at noon and waited for the next two and a half hours with no luck. At this point, I was frustrated and a bit confused on what to do next. After wandering around the center of town, feeling a bit down, I went and bought a A4 notepad and marker. Not wanting to pay for another hostel, I found a random place in the woods to pitch my tent.
Fear-Be-Gone
The time in the woods was the turning point of my so-far-failed-experiment. After passing a bunch of Verboten signs and unsure exactly what I was doing, I ended up alone in the woods. Once it got dark, all my fears set in. Every sound I heard sounded like a footstep, eminent death and every change in light appeared to be a person. There, I willed myself unconscious after a few hours of paranoia. I woke up at 6 in the morning and felt like a new person. What I imagined to be threatening in pitch-black darkness, turned out to be a bunch of squirrels and birds.
Adventure Time
I tried the same location in Dresden again, and this time 15 minutes in and I had a ride halfway to the German/Polish border. A succession of signs led me through Wroclaw, Katowice and Krakow. At the rest stops, I waited no more than 5 minutes for the next ride. Overall, the day was glorious...I was speeding down the Autobahn, talking to business men and truckers and state attorneys and couples and leftist-magazine editors.
Hit the road Jackie!
