This is a brief story with little pictures on the time I missed the monks brewing beer along the side of the road.
After a couple pizza-filled weeks with Mylena in Italy, I was on my way north, with only one problem. I was really sticking to my budget and avoiding tapping into my reserves. I attempted to do as the French man taught me at the train station in Lake Como…I would hop a train! Just kidding I already did that once and had trouble getting off.
No my plan was to take this German rideshare, mitfahrgelegenheit! It was brilliant, the thought of some kind stranger who would take you in the same direction they are already heading. I organized this trip with a lovely elder woman name Elma and set my alarm for 4:15AM, as she was picking me up at 5AM.
The trek from the city center of Lake Como toward my cabin in the woods was long and I was dreading walking the 30 minutes in the dark early hours alone. Fear deep in my lumpy throat I quietly walked along an unlit dirt path through the forest with nothing but my mini flashlight. I was worried the light would draw attention toward some homeless and/or forest warriors (opposite of Chuck Norris) but I knew it was my only hope of following the path out.
Four mini panics and 20 stalling in place to hear the “crickets” later I reached the bus stop where I hopefully waited. I didn’t have a phone to call Elma, however we had the exact stop and I had her number should anything get mixed up…that is if I could find a phone.
I waited for another 40 minutes and began to lose hope, until I saw her Toyota Camery driving around the corner! Relief swept over me as I left the empty bus stop bench and into her warm, cozy driver seat.
We began small talk as I painfully forced my eyes wide awake. She was a saint who explained that I was about her children’s age and she likes to imagine other strangers are helping her kids just as well. I used up most my energy from the brave hike to her car that I felt guilty that I could not give more of a decent conversation.
Nodded off throughout the entire 1.5 hour trip as we made our way to Kempton where I would catch the train to Munich and finally see my friends Veronika and Nick again!