The Hitching Post

A few key things to know when hitch-hiking:
1. set off early to give yourself plenty of time
2. find a good spot where you can be seen and people are actually able to pull over
3. avoid city centres
4. it is useful if you speak the local language


It's been many years since I travelled by thumb. Years ago, I hitch-hiked a fair bit in the UK & Europe, primarily with my boyfriend at the time but I also hitched across Finland alone. I figured if you are going to hitch alone as a woman, Finland is a pretty safe bet. And it was. Everyone was very nice and always let me use their (Nokia) phones if I asked where the nearest payphone was...

Anyhow, it's been a few years so I decided to dust off my thumb. I needed to get from Dinard, France to Brussels, Belgium having forgone a lift directly to Belgium the previous day because I couldn't bring myself to leave the splendour of the magnificent chateau that I had called home for a week.

Villa St. Germain, Dinard - my room is the top left

The setting for my dear friends Jane & Brendan's amazing, week-long festival of a wedding was extraordinary to say the least and I was finding it quite hard to leave. I was considering looking into squatters rights in France and staying or just hiding in the attic.

Eventually, as our numbers dwindled, I came to terms with the idea that it was time to move on. To be precise, 642 kilometres. And according to google maps, 6 hours and 24 minutes.  Ideally, I should have set off fairly early (in the morning) to get underway as it can take a long time to do a 6 hour journey hitching. After a bit of breakfast and a bit more faffing, or what I like to think of as preparation (I had taken photos the google map route on my computer,  made the relevant signs and brought some extra large bin bags in case it started to rain), I was ready to go.


first to Caen

then to Rouen

 then to Amiens
and finally Brussels (Bruxelles). Simple.


The few remaining friends at the chateau were heading to Mont Saint-Michel to go and see the castle on the island and offered to drop me off on the road there - already 58 km on my way! So of course, it was silly not to wait for them.

Part 1 - The Road to Rouen

It was just past 15.00 when they left me at the roundabout on the N176 (a little later than ideal but what to do?). At least I was already underway with less than 600 km to go.

15.18

We had joked that if I was still there when they had finished at the castle that at least they could pick me up. But I felt hopeful. This was an adventure! And it has been a while since I hit the road. Equipped with my first sign, I positioned myself and then it started to rain.  Sporting my new shiny bin bag poncho, I started to wonder if this was such a good idea when Frederick picked me up. He was going to Cherbourg but could take me 71 km further towards Caen! I was on my way!

71 km

He dropped me off at a hitching friendly spot at a major intersection where people on the road to Caen would be turning off the N174 on to the A84. The rain had stopped and it was quite scenic.

16.30

It wasn't long before Alexander appeared. He lives in Rouen but had meetings in Caen. He offered to take me there but I'd have to wait until 19.00. It was 17.15 so I felt it prudent to just carry on - another 53 km down so I was feeling newly hopeful.

53 km

We stopped for coffee in Ifs and then he dropped me off on the ring road to the road to Rouen (I should have realised that the ominous sounding phrase was not for naught).

17.15

Alexander- coffee in Ifs

A busy motorway slip road heading on to the A13. Cars speeding up as they passed.   I was starting to doubt that anyone would stop there when a BMW pulled up. Cesar was going to Paris and had to be there by 20.00. Hmmm. Tempting but not the direction I was supposed to be going in.

17.58

Cesar

He ended up dropping me off somewhere a little further down the road at what first appeared to be a handy spot right by a sign to Rouen.

18.17

I was holding both the Rouen and the Bruxelles sign on the off chance someone happened to be going all the way... and I was getting some quite entertained and incredulous looks from the passing cars. By now it was commuters and lots of women with kids doing their school run. All looking fairly unimpressed at my roadside stance. I was just thinking how women really don't pick up hitchers, when Adeline & Justine stopped.

18.29

Adeline & Justine

I was very excited to meet them, although a little dismayed when they pulled over minutes later.

1.1 km further down the road

18.33

these guys were all staring as I settled at this spot - they looked away when I pointed the camera though

But soon Giancarlo, an Italian truck driver stopped. And he was going all the way to Rouen!

18.45

Giancarlo's truck was very comfy and soon we were cruising down the road attempting to chat in a combination of Spanish, English, French (although he didn't really speak French), Italian & Nepali (he didn't speak Nepali either but I kept accidentally saying Nepali words).

18.53

trying to explain to Giancarlo what these words meant was quite funny

122 km

It seems, after exhausting our pleasantries, I dozed off and awoke in Rouen centre. Giancarlo parked and I hopped out wondering which way the road to Amiens might be. I walked to the main road, looked at a map at a bus stop and walked on further to a main intersection.

20.34

It was drizzling and although the sign above me said Amiens, it seemed like all local traffic. Suddenly the parked car behind me started and I rushed to the window to see where they were going. I just needed to get to a road that was actually heading out of town. The driver said he was just going to get cigarettes and drove off. Five minutes later, Youness was back; he'd figured it out and took me another 500 m or so down the road where the road to Amiens started.

20.55

Youness

By now the light was fading. With over 300 km left to Brussels, I was beginning to mull over my options when Samir & Faouzi stopped. Paris? Again, the universe trying to send me to Paris... but this time, I thought it might not be a bad idea. It didn't seem like I was going to get to Brussels that night, and even if I made it to Amiens, what would I do there?

As we drove through the lush green French countryside, I was still thinking I might get out somewhere on the road to Amiens. We were taking small country lanes, following the sat-nav relatively unsuccessfully, it seemed, as we kept ending up in cul-de-sacs. At one point when were driving down a deserted country lane, alarm bells started going off in my head. Of course, as a hitcher, especially a woman, there are certain risks and being alone with two men in the middle of nowhere as darkness approached could pose a very real threat. But after numerous U-turns, we were back on a main road. I tried to figure out where we were from the photos of maps on my camera, but I hadn't photographed the road south to Paris from Rouen so it was in vain.

21.24

sun setting over the countryside

Neither of my hosts spoke much English so the conversation was fairly basic but it is surprising how much can be communicated with a little effort - and my French was improving by the minute. They were both French Algerian and impressed that I knew who Zinedine Zidane was. As the kilometres and minutes passed I settled more into the idea of going to Paris. The guys (who were actually very sweet), offered to put me up but that didn't seem like a good idea, so I got hold of the number of my friend Tom, who lives in Paris. I was planning to see him the following week when I was due to be in Paris... so I was a few days early.

22.54

Samir (Faouzi didn't want his picture taken)

We arrived in the bright lights of gay Paris close to 23.00 and dropped off Faouzi. Samir  then punched Tom's address (who thankfully had responded with welcoming enthusiasm) into the sat-nav and we proceeded to weave our way through Paris, again driving in circles and taking wrong turns until we arrived at my friends doorstep.

As it turned out, Tom already had house guests, two friends of mine, (another) Tom & Margie, who were visiting from San Francisco with their little daughter who I haven't met yet. So it was such a treat to spend a couple hours in the morning with them going to the farmers market.

In hindsight (which is, as I always say, a wonderful thing), I was very pleased to have taken the detour to Paris. I hadn't seen Tom & Margie in years and they were leaving on Saturday so I would have missed them when I returned the following week. Had I known, I could have arrived in Paris 3 1/2 hours earlier with Cesar. But for me, the adventure and the challenge was what made the journey fun and I met a lot of people even if our communication was somewhat limited.

 

Part 2 - Paris to Bruxelles

I had looked into buses to Brussels but decided I still really wanted to try to hitch. It was only a three hour journey and I was determined to do it in one ride. After taking the metro out to the end of the line where it looked like the A1 road to Brussels started, I situated myself with my sign. It was pouring with rain and I was grateful Tom had insisted I borrow an umbrella as I would have been drenched otherwise.

14.03

Within minutes Gedo pulled over, kind of in the middle of the road jumping out of the car to help. He told me this was not a good spot to hitch and before long we were on the périphérique.

14.08

As we drove he chatted in animated English about how hitching was not a good idea, that French people, particularly in Paris were not that helpful, and that I really should take a train or bus. He even offered me money. By the time we got to the spot where people do hitch, he had talked me into going to the euroline bus station to find out how much the ticket would be. Time was slipping by and it was pouring with rain, plus, I was enjoying Gedo's lively banter.

When we go to euroline, he parked in the structure and then handed me his car keys. At first I was confused, then I realised it was so I could leave my bags in his car without feeling uneasy he might just run off.

14.38

Gedo at the ticket counter

Gedo is the friendliest person I have met in a long time. He struck up conversation with everyone he crossed paths with during our two hours or so in the bus station. My bus was due to leave at 15.30 but ended up delayed until 16.00 and he stayed with me the whole time escorting me right to the bus itself.  We parted company arranging to meet upon my return the following week.

Although I was a little disappointed that I hadn't succeeded in my mission and made it to Brussels by thumb, at least I had made a new friend.

Gedo kept my sign as a memento