Do you trust it? Aren’t you afraid? I’ll never go to unknonwn people’s houses. What if they kill you? Oh, yes, I heard people saying that and much more. Friends, even who I thought to not be sceptic, but open to the others, said to me all this kind of things when I started to use Couchsurfing.Continua a leggere “Traveling with “Couchsurfing”: the world seen from a couch”
Archivi dei tag:backpack
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 18: Barcelona (Spain)
We arrive in Barcelona after 15 hours on a night train from La Coruña. The thought that in 24 hours I’ll be in Italy again, after a month travelling, makes me a little bit sad. With my traveling companion, we leave the huge backpacks which accompany us in the safes of bus station, to immerse ourselves inContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 18: Barcelona (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 16: Porto (Portugal)
All uphill. This is the first impression about Porto. It seems that the streets in plain, here, are not designed. The hostel is a pleasant surprise: it’s called Porto Wine Hostel and it is, obviously, themed on Vinho do Porto. Each room has the name of a different kind of wine and the corridors are fullContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 16: Porto (Portugal)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 15: Ericeira, Obidos, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra (Portugal)
A 9 in the morning, as we prepare to leave Lisbon, the housemate of Magui comes back home. He tell us about the night outside, about which he doesn’t remember anything. Then, he takes a salad bowl full of green jelly and he starts to eat it with a soup spoon. There is no accounting forContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 15: Ericeira, Obidos, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra (Portugal)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 14: Lisbon (Portugal)
After 13 hours without sleeping on the night train because of the evil child (read here), the only good thing is to see Giacomo clapping the hands each time that the little ball of lard tries to close his eyes; a deserved revenge after the night we spent because of him. Today, to see Magui againContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 14: Lisbon (Portugal)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 13: Bilbao (Spain)
The wonderful girl of Bilbao information office says that we commit a crime if we don’t visit Guggenheim Museum. Only because has been her to say it, we go there and we take a picture with the mastodontic dog made with flowers at the entrance, but considering the ticket price and our lack of interest for modernContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 13: Bilbao (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 12: Guernica, Bermeo, Mundaka, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Spain)
From San Sebastian we move to the second step in Basque Country: Bermeo. In this little fishing village on the ocean, Giacomo and I will be hosted by Izaskùn, a 39 y.o. woman who works as turist guide in Guernica. We already thought about visiting it and, with this coincidence, it’s good to go there immediately.Continua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 12: Guernica, Bermeo, Mundaka, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 11: San Sebastian (Spain)
Giacomo and I arrive in Irun, on the Spanish border with France, around 12pm. The 13 hours on the night train destroyed us. Although it is early August, clouds and a fine drizzle welcome us. We search for a train to San Sebastiàn, where we’ll spend a couple of days, before to move to other places ofContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 11: San Sebastian (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 10: Marseille (France)
I arrive in the Provencal city at 6.30 a.m., rested but still eager to rest on my couchette. On the night train from Luxembourg to Marseille, the 11 hours in have been passed in a flash. As is routine, after the visit of 9 cities in 2 weeks, I search for a map from the informationContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 10: Marseille (France)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 9: Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
I leave Amsterdam early, saying goodbye to Alberto to embark on my journey to France. In around 6 hours I’ll arrive in Luxembourg. I must be in Marseille tomorrow, so I hope to find a place in the night train which leaves from Luxembourg this evening. If not, I will have to spend the nightContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 9: Luxembourg (Luxembourg)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 8: Amsterdam and surroundings (Netherlands)
The smell of fresh herring on the port’s stalls says goodbye to me while I’m going to take my train at Rotterdam station. The Dutch capital city is waiting for me: I will spend 5 days there with Alberto, who is coming there from Florence by plane. I meet him near the station of Amsterdam and weContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 8: Amsterdam and surroundings (Netherlands)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 6: Delft (Netherlands)
I wake up with the sound of thunder: it’s raining hard. I hope, going in Holland, to get away from the rain. When I arrive in Delft, after a couple of trains, it is nice to see again Barbara after so much time. I met her in 2007, when she was a guest of the camping in whichContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 6: Delft (Netherlands)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 5: Antwerp (Belgium)
I say goodbye to Elisa and I try to find the Congolese quarter of Bruxelles, but I don’t find it. I leave for Antwerp. Upon my arrival, a slight drizzle welcomes me. I walk fast (or at least how much my backpack of 15kg allows me) to search for the house of Aaron, the boyContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 5: Antwerp (Belgium)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 4: Bruges (Belgium)
The day in Bruxelles is grey. It is raining a little bit. I take advantage of my InterRail pass and I take a train to Bruges (or Brugge… this Belgian bilingualism makes me crazy!). It has been described to me as the best preserved medieval town in Europe: the places with a touch of medieval are always myContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 4: Bruges (Belgium)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 3: Bruxelles (Belgium)
The banks of the Rhine accompany me away from the German mountains, towards the Belgian plain. Boats and barges are moving slowly on the large river, while on the opposite bank I see passing little quaint villages, still intact, unchanged for centuries, guarded by the castles perched on the hills behind. Bayreuth, Nuremberg, Koln, Aachen: in halfContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 3: Bruxelles (Belgium)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 2: Bayreuth (Germany)
The journey by train from Munich to Nuremberg is quiet boring. I’m leaving a little bit tired and already after few minutes I can’t wait to get off that train crowded with commuters. But, once I change the train in the city of the famous trials, I like this one more. It is small and slowly creepsContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 2: Bayreuth (Germany)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 1: Munich (Germany)
Joy, excitement, some fear, a sense of freedom. At the Bologna train station a guy gives me a pat on my backpack and screams: Go to Padua! Padua!!. Surely, he had mistaken me for a foreigner traveling in Italy and he’s encouraging me to visit his hometown, of which he is proud. I have toContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 1: Munich (Germany)”
ANDREA CUMINATTO 