I'm not quite sure why but I sing it to myself as I set off on my journey home from Krogis in East Germany. Ok so hitching isnt walking, and nor is cycling for that matter, but it must count for something? Smiling and grimicing at the same time, I look down at the huge pile of stuff I have packed to carry home with me - one rucksack packed to bursting, one suitcase, one very awquard to carry portfolio case, one djembe, one amplifier, a collection of fire staffs, circus equipment... oh yes and and one unicycle - This is going to be a long ride...
I had made it safely, and quite quickly back to Germany from Macedonia. And arrived in Krogis in the early hours of Saturday morning, I walked into the familiar courtyard, the old grey buildings silent and stern. I noticed a huge sign had been painted on the side of the wall. I had been asked to paint it myself at the start of the summer, but declined, partly because I didn't want to spend my whole visit up a ladder, and partly because I wasn't entirely convinced of the words: "God rewards those who seek him with a desperate heart." There was something a little to absolute about such a statement. Like it was some kind of equasion for success. What about everyone else? I thought to myself: And what kind of rewards do you mean? As I walked up the stairs and found an empty room to lay my head for what was left of the night I wondered how cinical I had become and thought: perhaps their is truth in such a statement?
I woke to find my good friend Daniel out in the garden digging over the hard ground to make a vegetable patch. He had been taking about doing it for ages and it was so great to see him out with his boots on swinging his sledge hammer at the earth. The next few days were filled with chats and coffee, music and fair rides at the local wine festival, but no wine, as the new rules of the mission base stated that they could only drink in the secrecy of their own rooms?!?! After spinning around at high speed on one of the rides at the fair though I was glad not to have any beer in me, as I wasn't convinced it still would be after that. I stayed an extra day to celebrate Daniels birthday with him, and took him out with the rest of the guys to the river to build a fire and roast brotworst. The heat of the south and the long days of summer had given way to the brisk cold nights of autumn. We stood around the fire closely turning ourselves every so often to warm our backs as well. Another Summer is over...
At midday on Tuesday I said my final goodbyes, I picked up my rediculous pile of belongings and set off for home. I struggled to carry it all, even around the corner to my first hitching spot.
It was indeed a long ride home. The first half of the day wasn't too bad, I managed to get to a motorway services and then found another long ride from there half way across Germany. The next guy I hitched with was a fellow cyclist. (I noticed this by all the biking stickers on his car and by the mountain bike that was laying over the back seats.) One of my faviroute things about hitching is all the great people you get to meet but it has it's down sides too. We were so busy chatting about bikes and travelling that we completely missed my turning and as there was no way back I ended up going much further south than I wanted. I spent that night dosing in and out of sleep in the enterance of a petrol station and after a very long night, the morning I agreed to go even further south with a truck driver on his way to Luxembourg. He then proceeded to break down and dropped me at a junction on route. After another short ride to a better spot I finally found a guy in a camper van going all the way to Calais! I might even make it home tonight. I thought to myself.
We made it to the coast by around 5pm and while we stopped in a petrol station I noticed a British couple who I assumed were on their way home. I couldn't believe my luck when they agreed to take me over the channel. They weren't leaving till 8 and they were going from Dunkirk but that would give us time to get something to eat. We arrived at the ferry port an hour early to descover that the road to the boarding area was closed due to an accident. Our 8pm ferry from Dunkirk turned into 11pm from Calais. And my hope of a warm bed that night was squashed. I ended up at the new cobham services on the south of the M25 at 1am and settled in for another long night of half sleep.
It was an early start and still dark when I found my next lift but It would be light by the time we arrived at reading services. I was so close I could almost taste home! I arrived in Chippenham at 8am, to stubborn to catch a bus or call a friend I carried my stuff around the bypass to the next round about and almost broke my back in the process. Finally I found my last ride home with a Lithuanian guy, of all people. He dropped me right outside my house. I found the key hidden under the mole as my brother had said and opened the door...
After 5 months, 14 countries, thousands of miles, countless shows, hundreds of kids, mountains, beaches, rivers, islands, amazing cities and I wont ever forget the bear... I am finally home!
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