we kept on sitting in the kitchen and drinking coffee and just chillin till mid-day.
At around 1, not quite willingly me and the other girl, that came to visit me, left the flat with those big tourist bags and a tent, that also was not quite willing to stick to my bag as good as it should.
Total equipment:
- Bag full of unneeded shit (basically-clothes and clean underwear)
- Toothpaste, toothbrush and a deo
- Specially unshaved legs for kinky truck drivers
- Ukulele
- Food (two cans of beans, pack of bread and a pack of cheese)
- Tent
- Bed sheet ( I’m not suicidal – sleeping in sleeping bag is a murder this time of the year)
Yes, by the way. NO MAP OF EUROPE.
At the start it went very slow and unpleasant, because the first car, that picked us, was autobahn police, that took us to middle of nowhere a bit outside Maribor and tried to get some money from us, because of overt-stepping the law.
I said :
„Look, if I had money, do you really think I would be here with my thumb up?” and they just went away. Bad day for them, I guess.
So, further, with a help of 3 cars we got stuck in Vienna. There are two places that you, as a hitchhiker never want to go – Vienna and Poland. Vienna is big and complicated,
Poland is just big (way too much).
At around 7, when the sun started to slowly go down, and we already started to make plans, where to put a tent ( actually I didn’t , I was running around with – „I have a plan – each day – 3 countries, I’m not satisficed, we’re not staying here!!!”), a car picked us up. Some really tired lawier, who took us outside Vienna. But again – on autobahn. There I felt like Braveheart just pushing other girl forward with the same saying – „I’m not satisficed, we’re not going to stay here, keep marching even if it will be 20 km or more!!!”. And we didn’t have to do it long, cause the car stopped and nice guy from middle east took us again outside of Vienna, but this time to supposingly middle of nowhere.
As it was dark, the plan about the tent again striked. BUT NO.
There was one bus, I JUST HAD TO walk up to it and ask if they have free space for two nice latvian girls, and...haha. They were going exactly to Brno, Czech Republic, and later, they not even took us to Brno, but also gave us a room to sleep, and a breakfast next morning.
I was surprised why people are so kind and nice.
It turned out that they were some christian organisation.
Oh well, at least a pleasant one, and I even didn’t have to keep biting my tongue not to refer about anything in the Bible, because they even didn’t bother us with preaching, unlike most of people involved in this, that I’ve met.
Realy nice and realy pleasant.
Next morning I just couldn’t resist taking a photo of it.
I asked the owner of the organisation if realy ever nobody wanted to add „LED” to this mark. He remained silent. I think he didn’t get the joke, but who gets my jokes anyways.
The next day we went out of Czech with a speed of light, but then...we got stuck in Poland. I mean – nothing can get worse than that. Even if you drive through it with no stop, it feels like you’re stuck in it, but we were just stuck and that ...you know what is that.
Our moms started to send us hysterical sms. That they worried where we are (common, we’re in the middle of nowhere!!!) and that we’re two girls on the road ( no kiddin, I forgot about it, while I was all the road keeping the knife safely hidden but close to me).
We went to a gas station to find some car, and also to buy some local pre-payed card to call our mrs’s moms. Thank GOD, my grandmother taught me something some long time ago in polish. With a big gestures and pretty poor polish after only half an hour i purchased it. Success.
And soon after that we hitch-hiked one car. And it turns out that polish drivers have the same nice system as russians – they have radio in their cars and they just message each other about police on the road, or anything else...so, therefore they kept on messaging each other about two latvian girls going to Warszaw and needing a ride. After this car – hitch- hiking wasn’t even neccesary. We just sat from one to another car.
I again started to hold my hidden knive when it got dark and we took road around Warszaw together with one truck driver. I’m paranoyed of them. And he was too silent. And during the night there was nothing else around then just flat woods, romanian hookers and old drunks fighting IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING NOWHERE. That’s how interesting polish roads are.
But things changed when I somehow managed to gather all my poor polish knowledge and played on the truck driver’s feelings. I remembered one song from a polish movie „4 Tank Drivers And A Dog”, and kept on singing it, till he sang along, so the....night was saved from aqward silence. Here’s the movie, anyways - http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?4139-Four-tankers-and-dog
And a song that saved us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrQYLUShV0s
We got dropped off 200 km from Polish-Lithuanian border. Again a gas station in the middle of nowhere. No hope. Packed out our dinner/lunch and were prepared to sleep a night at some gas station, on the table next to it, surrounded by strayed dogs and sleeping truck drivers.
We left stuck some letters and the trucks that had Latvian number, and whose drivers were taking their nice night sleep.
And then, one car started to move. Latvian number.
Turns out it was some driver from Latvia, who just took a nap before long road back home. He picked us up. A nice man, who works for some gardening company in Latvia and is on is way to deliver some freshly bought plants. Not only he drove us from this middle of nowhere at around 1 am, when we completely lost all our hopes – even me, the braveheart, to Latvia, but also gave us the best latvian beer, food, stories about the times he was still a truck driver and later didn’t even bother about us not keeping the company, but just sleeping next to him in the front seats.
We reached Latvia, and the seaside at around 9 am.
Totally exhausted, stinking and with a one hour sleep.
Ok, maybe two.
Of course, the way home was spectacular.
I mean – walking the same roads towards home.
And there it is – more beautiful then I remember it.
Hidden between green trees this grey-blue building.
And as in a fairy tale – my mom and grandmother sticking out of the window and waving.
My grandma’s cooked food was never better.
The coffee was the best.
My room was the best.
My cat's Mizzy and Vaseline were the best.
Kisses of mom never felt better.
I didn’t take any additional sleep, just, after I had a talk with parents went out and
met most of the friends.
The next day I took a bus back to the seaside to meet other part of the family.
So typical for me – to spend a day at the seaside and not even bother myself to go to the beach.
I spent whole afternoon playing with a kid of neighbours, with a dog, a family and then a bus home, an
d straight away bus to the festival side.
I spent a night before festival at my friend’s country house. It again felt like a dream come true – all the tractors, cows, the dogs, the bugs, even the snakes, THE WILDERNESS. I felt like a little kid and even didn’t bother much about the bug bites.
In the morning just before dedicating ourselves to festival atmosphere we went picking the flowers of lime.
Later the festival side.
What can I say about that...
The first band I saw, and their song stuck to my head as the ultimate festival hymn was this – lithuanian band „Happyendless”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G411NArkmc
I got totally disappointed in „Happy Mondays” which were my main aim when I went to the festival. Shawn was the only one from the band, and totally in the back, because of the back vocal, who took all the attention. Eh. When will those bands learn – if you die, then do it nicely. Don’t put it as a public agony. But they played „24 Hour party people” and „Kinky Afro” and I faked a big excited smile.
Unkle – uuuunkle. Although they played most of "War Stories", also a slight disappointment. If you can’t do it live, don’t. The only thing that saved the day was the massive light show. I kept my sunglasses on for whole show and thank God for a few times, that I’m not epileptic or something.
Here’s some insight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wANfVRg1GXs
Afterwards some party around. Things that caught my attention:
- Sleeping nets next to the seaside, right in the woods. Cool idea. Really nice relaxed place.
- The bar – buy two beers, get a string panties. One my friend got really hooked up on this offer collecting panties for each day of the week. Lucky her.
Next day came very nice. I took massive swim sessions in the wild river. Nice – fishes, river snakes somewhere, the seaplants and me. And as I’m pisces by my horoscope, you can imagine – I didn’t come out of the water till I felt slight sea-sickness.
At the festival theritory next day was about like in Tim Burton’s „Nightmare Before Christmas” – what’s this, what’s this – I never seen before.
My friends took and icecream licking contest, we all took silly pictures by some main mobile phone commercial, and, of course, again the bands.
- Scissor sisters – they melt latvian hearts by some speech, that included „Our guitarist’s grandfather was born here 130 years ago. This gig is special to us. You, Latvians had gone through lots of shit, so this song goes out specially for you” (now comes long screaming and crying in the public) and then they continue with „thanks” in Latvian – „paldies” and all the crowd goes mad. So less needed for happiness. I just LOVED the outfits. And the dancemoves. And as old and annoying the song „I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” is, I just couldn’t resist dancing and singing along to it.
- Leisure Society – I was sooo into not watching them, but in the end these „Arcade Fire” wannabies were ultimate thing to hear and enjoy while drinking ice cold cider in this heat.
- Kira Kira – Iceland is crazy. And this was way too much for me. I spent whole 10 minutes waiting for something, waiting for some reincarnation of Bjork, but just got tired and went away. There are some things you just don’t have to bother your brain with...
- Ten bears – I was soooo looking forward to hear them, but eventually saw only their last song – cover to a song, I think, from 90’s – „Pump The Jam”.
- Bla bla bla, latvian bands, who cares anyway.
- Muse – haaah. I loved it. As all the crowd. I think at the time they were playing, there were no people around other stages or dj tents. Or even the bars. Even though they made absolutely no connection with the crowd, I was laughing myself out while they played intro to song „Knights Of Cydonia”. Here it is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0hlDqjWr8U . And, as much as I went through their twitter, it looked they enjoyed their stay in Latvia, even though it didn’t look like on the stage.
- Benji B – I wanted to stay whole night listening to him after all the shows ended and only dj’s were left. Too bad none of my friends thought the same, so, 15 min of him, and nice dubstep and we were off to some cheap dancing tent.
I went home afterwards with a taxi. 130 km for 5 eur. Luck, oh my luck. From where do you come from? How did I deserve you?
Then some other days spent with parents and friends, even one rehearsal with my band, and non-stop calls reminding, that I’m actually needed, my ego just ate and ate, and went higher and higher, and then, during my last night at home, I made this. It’s supposed to be cornflowers. Just to remind me who and from where I am,
even if I continue this fucked up lifestyle with wandering around...
Plain. For the first time I actually cried while stepping on a plain. Well, ok, I didn’t. I swalloved tears with my red eyes. I never cry. But still.
In the end, being again in my new home, I can only say I feel very weird.
I could compare it with hedgehogs.
It has it’s smell that he is recognized for within his other hedgehog friends and relatives. And then you take it in your hands, and he looses it, and he’s never the same to the others. Left out, basically.
With this – old and new home it works the same ways. Only every time you go there or here.
