From Münsterland to Southern Spain

On 10 October, I started in my hometown of Emsdetten. 25 cars and 3597 kilometres later, I arrived in La Linea de la Concepción near Gibraltar and met 41 people and a dog on the way. With the dog it was probably the most exhausting journey (although one of the most beautiful), as he shed hair and needed a lot of cuddling.
My longest ride was five and a half hours with Sarah, a Brit, from Geneva to just before Marseille. The shortest ride was for 3 minutes with Thanh, a Vietnamese man who gave me a lift to the centre of Winterthur.
For me, hitchhiking was a super great experience and way to travel and I will definitely continue to do it both during the trip and afterwards. Hitchhiking turns the journey into a destination and you get to know the environments you are travelling in in a completely different way than if you go to one (bus) station and get off at the next one. Above all, you get to know people you would otherwise never meet. For example, I travelled with a Russian and was able to talk to him about the war in Ukraine. In this blog post, I describe the encounter in more detail. I also describe two other great encounters, with a British woman from Switzerland, with whom I sang German music in the south of France, and with Mattia and Didi, who took me in when I was stranded near Lausanne.
I think the connection you have when hitchhiking is also special because both sides trust a stranger. In some cases, intense & intimate conversations have arisen precisely because we knew that we would probably never see each other again. One woman told me about her separation after 35 years of marriage; in other contexts she might not have done that.
But of course it doesn’t have to be that way. For example, I went with a man who didn’t ask me a single question, not even after I told my cousin about the trip on the phone and he listened in. But interestingly enough, he answered my questions in detail 😀
When hitchhiking, you meet people with whom you share the same views, like Fabian from Hesse, who has been supporting sea rescue for years, as well as people who have very distorted opinions, like Josef, who lives in Germany as a Pole himself, but said that we have a problem with foreigners and that more should be said in school about what good Hitler did.
I met people who have never given anyone a lift and, on the other hand, David, who has hitchhiked thousands of kilometres in Europe and Australia and, when he has time on the motorway, stops at every service station to see if there are any hitchhikers there – man of honour!

You want to hitchhike? Nobody does that any more…?

I was told a lot before that hardly anyone hitchhikes anymore and I have rarely seen people hitchhiking. And indeed, even as a hitchhiker, I got the impression that very few people choose this mode of transport nowadays. Apparently, 20/30 years ago it was still the norm. I interpret this to mean that, firstly, the options for getting around have become much more numerous in recent decades, people generally have more money, and that trust in others has also decreased. I’m curious to see what that will be like in 20 years.
I’m curious what you think about it and whether you agree with me.

In Switzerland, hardly anyone will take you, in France it’s much easier.

I have to disagree with this statement alone, because I am suspicious of such sweeping statements. Irrespective of this, however, I have had completely different experiences in some cases. It may be that hitchhiking is more widespread in some countries, e.g. France, and a long-term experiment would show that 17% more cars stop in France. And in other countries the scepticism is already greater: in Spain and Switzerland, for example, I had the feeling.
But in both countries I found carpools just as well as in France, sometimes even much faster. In Switzerland, I usually didn’t have to wait 5 minutes! (Once, however, I didn’t get away at all, but once in France, too).
In the end, it depends much more on where you are, how you behave, who is on the road at the moment, etc. You’re often more likely to be met by foreigners anyway. Often, you are more likely to be picked up by foreign travellers anyway, as they follow similar routes and are closer to the hitchhiking lifestyle.

Tips for Hitchhiking

If you can imagine hitchhiking, first of all take heart: Have the courage, it will be good! Of course, it can be exhausting, but if you feel like it, hitchhiking won’t disappoint you. Here are a few tips to make hitchhiking more relaxed:

• First things first: you need time. Sounds banal, and it’s actually obvious, but I have sometimes been very impatient. And the essence of hitchhiking is that you can’t plan exactly when and where you’ll arrive.
  It’s most relaxed when you don’t have a clear goal for the day, but just try to get as far as possible. But it’s also clear that sometimes you simply have a goal because you’ve booked accommodation or informed a friend you’re visiting, and then you think about how far you’ll get.
  Then it’s best to plan twice as much time as you would otherwise need by car. That’s a good rule of thumb. It can definitely be quicker, but in some cases it was even longer for me because I was standing somewhere where I simply couldn’t get away.
• Find out about the route. Check what route you would take by car to get to your destination or in that direction and update yourself several times a day. Maybe there’s a roadblock on the way and no one is going where you want to go.
  Put yourself in a place where drivers can see you easily and stop and go in the right direction. The more other routes there are for cars, the less likely you are to get a lift.
• Talk to people. It works best where you can talk to people. This way they get a brief (hopefully) sympathetic impression of you and don’t have to decide within seconds. I’ve also been picked up by people who only turned me down because they had time to change their mind afterwards at the petrol station. When they drive past you, it’s not so easy.
• Try to look friendly and be easily recognisable. Sunglasses and hats pulled up to your face are not a good idea!
• Service stops are ideal! You can talk to people there and they are all going in the same direction! That’s why it’s best to get out at rest stops in case you and the car part ways at some point. As a rule, you’ll get off much worse elsewhere. It can also be an option to take a bus or train out of town and walk to a rest stop. Important: there is a difference between rest areas and service stations, because at the latter people can drive in different directions.
• Paint a sign – maybe!? There are discussions among hitchhikers whether signs help or it is better to address people directly. If you have no way of addressing people and there are several route options for cars where you are, there is no way around a sign. I also liked to use one at rest stops when I approached people. Then they visualised what you were telling them.
• Check the site hitchwiki.org. You’ll find tips on how to hitchhike in and out of many cities. But check again whether the connections listed there still exist, as some of them are a bit outdated.
• Stay flexible. If someone is not going where you had planned, but would bring you closer to your destination, it is well worth considering hitching a ride with him or her.
• Don’t give up, but consider alternatives. Unfortunately, you may have to wait longer and, depending on your mood, you may be totally demotivated. Check in between if and how late there might be alternatives like bus or train, so that you can get to your destination in another way if necessary. Sometimes I was more relaxed when I knew that there was an alternative if I couldn’t get there at all.
• Do your thing. Feel free to ignore half of my tips. Everyone finds their own way to hitchhike 😊

Visit to Gibraltar: Absolute recommendation and a few tips

Even though I came to Gibraltar mainly to find a boat across the Atlantic, I definitely wanted to see the famous Rock as well and even though it is extremely touristy there, I can only recommend the visit.
It gets exciting as soon as you enter the city – the entire Rock is, in effect, simply a city plus a few beaches and Gibraltar has one of the highest population densities in the world. As soon as you cross the border, you realise that Gibraltar is British. English is the main language spoken (you can hear the British accent), the currency is pounds and there are red telephone boxes everywhere.
Despite Brexit, it is quite easy to get across the border, even your passport is enough and in my experience passport and luggage are hardly checked (I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t get a stamp in my brand new passport).
Just across the border is the airport runway, which you walk across towards the city. When a plane lands or takes off, the runway is closed and you may have to wait 10 or 15 minutes before moving on.
The centre of Gibraltar is not very spectacular and the most beautiful part of the town is the harbour. There are a few old fortress remains and otherwise a lot of shopping opportunities in modern concrete and glass buildings, which are not very attractive. The harbours of Gibraltar are also not particularly beautiful and very touristy. But well, one visits the place rather because of the over 400m high rock, which juts out directly from the city and offers a majestic view everywhere from the city.
To get into the nature reserve, which includes the entire upper part of the rock and also the monkeys, you have to pay an entrance fee of 16 pounds. A hefty tourist price, but well worth it. There is a lot more to discover on the rock besides the monkeys, which can be found in various places:
The dripstone cave “St. Michaels Cave” is really big and impressive. Unfortunately, it is elaborately equipped with light shows and sound effects. But having seen some more natural stalactite caves, I found it exciting and a bit funny. In the past, people believed that the cave was bottomless, so there was a rumour that there was an underground connection between Europe and Africa. The Barbary macaques also came to Gibraltar through this connection. During the Second World War, a hospital was set up in the cave, but it never went into operation.
There are still some tunnels in the entire rock from the Second World War, but most of them date from much earlier times. The most exciting tunnel, which I also visited, is the Siege Tunnel. There you can see some cannons and other old weapons and learn a lot about the sieges of Gibraltar!
A little below the tunnels there is also an old fortress, Moorish Castle, with a great panoramic view over the city.
The highlight for me, however, remains the free-living Barbary macaques, definitely one of my favourite animal species. The animals stay mainly in 2 places: near the absolutely overrated skywalk and at the top station of the cable car, because there they can often grab some food from tourists. They have become very accustomed to the presence of tourists and are quick to grab anything that is not well secured. Whether it’s a roll from their hand or a packet of biscuits from the backpacks they try to open themselves. I have also observed some monkeys jumping on the heads or backs of tourists or waiting in front of a shop to possibly grab the ice cream they just bought. The collection of mobile phones and cameras that the monkeys have already stolen is said to be considerable.
Some of the guides bring extra snacks to feed the monkeys and elicit a handshake or something. I’m out of that, I don’t like it. I prefer to watch the monkeys from a distance and leave them alone. It says everywhere that you shouldn’t feed them. That was one of the reasons why I broke off my tour and continued on my own.

Tips for Gibraltar

There are four ways to get to the top of the Rock: a cable car from the city centre, shared taxis including a guide, minibuses or walking. I was talked into sharing a taxi with other tourists and in hindsight would rather not recommend it if you have enough time to walk. The nature reserve is expensive enough and both cable cars and taxis/minibuses cost about the same again. At the various places there are many signs with information texts, so in my opinion there is no need for the guides, even if they of course convincingly tell you that it is worth it.
The walk from the town up to the top station of the cable car takes about 1.5 hours, I guess, and is a bit strenuous because you have to climb about 350 metres. But then you are rewarded with a fantastic view over the bay and across to Morocco, and you can admire the monkeys that often hang around on the way up. After that, it’s almost all downhill. For the paths you can simply use google-maps, there are no other paths.
From the top station it’s about 10 minutes to the stalactite cave and from there about 1 hour to the tunnels and fortress on the north side of the rock. Then another 10 minutes back to the city centre, so you walk a total of about 3 hours between the different highlights. You can also start with the tunnels on the north side and end at the cave.
The viewpoint on the south side, which is called something with Hercules, is not worth it at all, as the view is better from above. In my opinion, this point is only there to justify the taxis because “you can never do both the south side and the north side on foot, so it’s totally worth taking a taxi”….
In Gibraltar, you pay in pounds, but you can actually pay for everything with a card (including Maestro), so it is not really necessary to exchange money at the border.
By the way, if you are short of money, you can simply grab the paper wristband for the nature reserve from the bins in front of the checkpoints and stick it on your arm (adhesive tape would be helpful for this). It probably worked for some hitchhikers on the spot. But if you have the money, I think it’s only fair to everyone else to pay the entrance fee, even if it’s high.

The successful search for a boat and life with other local sailing hitchhikers

For the first nights in La Linea, I had booked a hostel and was able to arrive there relaxed. I didn’t know yet if I was really in the right place, but I knew that a friend had started from here 3 years ago.
On Tuesday evening, I already visited two harbours and saw that some people had put up notices looking for a ship. So I made a note of my own and put it up on Wednesday before I went to the Monkey Rock. I also wrote directly to all the people whose notes I found to exchange. Some did not reply or replied late. In retrospect, I know that their notes were already out of date and they were already on their way. But a Basque called Mahats got back to me and we met. He told me that there were some others on the spot looking for a boat and that some of them were camping in a “jungle”. I immediately came along and was able to exchange ideas with them directly, which was also totally helpful and motivating over the next few days.
From Friday onwards, I also spent the night in a hammock in the little forest that we call “jungle” and which is right on the edge of the harbour. For some years now, a camp has been set up there every year from September/October by some who are looking for a ride to the Canaries. Of course, it’s not completely legal and the police come by from time to time, but they tolerate it.
I found the place mega cool, as many peers and like-minded people get together there and you totally get along and support each other! Everyone is happy when someone else finds a boat and comes along, although you are also in competition somehow. We did a lot of things together, ate together, went to the beach and spent an evening in Gibraltar for karaoke. On Saturday evening, I played a bit of street music and Mahats, Sven, Dilan and Luka came to the centre especially to see me 😊
There are several ports in Gibraltar and La Linea, but the port “La Alcaidesa” in La Linea is already the one from which most people start towards the Canary Islands, so we mostly hung out there and tried to get into conversation with crews. Since we couldn’t get onto the jetties themselves, we stayed in front of them, talked to people, I played the guitar and when it was possible, we slipped onto the jetties because that was much more helpful.

Thursday was the first day I approached people, and two possible opportunities arose right away. First I spoke to Manuela, who had sold their house in Germany with her husband and two sons and had been travelling around on a sailing yacht for over a year.
Later I spoke to Silke, who has been travelling the world with her Swiss family for 4 months on their own catamaran. They too have broken up everything in Zurich and are on the road indefinitely.
Both families didn’t actually plan to take anyone with them, but we each got on very well and stayed in touch. On Friday evening I was invited to Manuela’s, Christoph’s, Theo’s and Alfred’s on the sailing boat and we had a nice evening. The four of them also play Doppelkopf and we have similar ideas about many things in politics etc. After the evening I had my first possible ride. Theo would have come along on a buddy boat they travel with so I could have had a seat with them. I’m still grateful for that and could very well see myself going with them. We would have had a super good time for sure and I hope we still meet again!
But as they didn’t know when they wanted to leave, wanted to wait for good weather with their small yacht and wanted to make a few more stops in Morocco, it would have taken some time for me to get to the Canaries.
So when Silke got in touch on Sunday and said that they wanted to leave on Monday and that I should drop by, it came in handy. Fortunately, it was also a great match with her husband Fedi and the kids Stella and Siro, and so the family council decided that I could come along, after I could tell them that I had some sailing experience and had played Mexican music on the guitar. (Silke and Fedi were in Mexico for a few months 20 years ago).
So now it can start tomorrow and I am very happy to start this part of the journey!

I am happy that I found a boat so quickly. Even though it’s really beautiful here in the jungle, there are great beaches and some new ones arrived today that are really cool, you’re still drawn on and I noticed that I’m not really relaxed and I think it’s the same for the others. Whenever you’re on the beach, for example, you think that you could also be at the harbour and possibly have exactly the encounter that will get you a ship. It’s a test of patience, this way of travelling.
Now I’m looking forward to my last evening in the camp, which I can now enjoy in a completely different way. I want to get out the guitar and we want to sing in a big circle. By now there are almost 20 of us here, after 6 when I arrived. That’s another reason why it’s good that I’m getting away now 😊.

But I’m also sure that the others will find a boat soon. It’s just the season for it and it’s only just beginning. There have been many here in the last few weeks too, all of whom have made it as far as I know. Some start very soon after arriving in Gibraltar: the record was two French women who arrived in the afternoon and left in a boat at night. Others have been here for a long time, waiting for the boat to start on which they can join. Julio, a Spaniard, has been here for a long time. He is out with his dog, which of course makes the search enormously difficult. But Julio seems relaxed about it and at peace with himself. He has been living in nature for over a year and a half, camping in the forest or mountains with his dog Sky. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’ll find a way too!
The fact that I found a boat so quickly is probably also because I have quite a good “profile”: In particular, my sailing skills (most people here have never sailed), the different languages I speak and my guitar are big plus points, I think. More thoughts on this in my blog post on hitchhiking across the Atlantic including some tips!
By the way, when you are here in the camp, you get the impression that hitchhiking across the Atlantic on sailboats is the most natural thing in the world. Quite a few – some of them only 19 years old – have the plan to travel around the world without using the plane and without spending money on transport. Inspiring people and many great encounters. I can’t wait to see who I meet on the Canary Islands!

Week 3: Burriana, Madrid and Southern Spain

Last week, I not only visited some friends on the SEA-EYE 4 in Burriana near Valencia, but was also able to visit the two rescue ships AITA MARI and OPEN ARMS. Once you’ve been on a rescue ship, it’s super exciting to get to know the different ships and to see the differences in the condition of the ships (the NGOs often can’t do much about that) and how the NGOs’ operational strategies adapt to the different conditions.
On Tuesday, I went to Madrid. Above all, I wanted to visit two people there: my buddy Cristhian from Mexico, whom I know from Bonn, and my friend Juli from Argentina, whom I met in Mexico. But since they were both in the middle of moving house, I couldn’t stay with them, so I tried Couchsurfing for the first time in my life. I was able to stay with André from Peru for two nights and got on well with him. On Wednesday, we had Peruvian food together and I’m already looking forward to hopefully getting to know the country next year! And Couchsurfing I will definitely continue 🙂
Apart from two nice evenings with Juli and Cris, I didn’t do much else in Madrid. I already knew the city and needed a break.
From Madrid, I went to Granada and I’m still really enthusiastic about the city! The houses are mega beautiful, the Alhambra is an absolute highlight from the outside (unfortunately I couldn’t go in, I have to come back) and the tapas are sooo good! In most bars you get a free tapa with every drink and most of them are mega delicious. I can really only recommend Granada to you – including the hiking destination “Los Cahorros”, which I visited on Saturday.
I was able to stay in the shared flat of Jan, whom I know from the former Mexico volunteers and who is also doing Erasmus at the moment. I also met Berni again, with whom I studied “Computer Science” in Mexico (I only studied abroad) and who now works at the university in Granada. Unfortunately, I missed my Chinese friend Luisa, who I also knew from Mexico and only found out afterwards that she had just moved to Granada. Of course, I also met a few new people and had a great time in Granada.
After Granada, I stayed in an Airbnb near Marbella on the beach from Sunday to Tuesday and took a break. Because – and I could hardly believe it myself – even I need a break from people at some point. One of the lessons I’ll write about below.

Review of my Europe journey

When I write that I am now 3 weeks on the road, I can hardly believe it myself and it seems longer: how much can you experience in 3 weeks???
In the first part of my journey I have

• seen 12 cities in 4 countries
• met 46 people (& 1 dog) in 25 carpools
• met 19 friends again
• slept on 12 different mattresses and 2 sofas
• travelled 3527km between my stops
• 428,412 steps taken on site (approx. 300km)
• bawled German songs with a British woman in the South of France
• talked to a Russian about the war in Ukraine
• Lost 4 things (headphones, USB stick, sweatshirt, towel) – unfortunately also belongs to me and the things no longer…
• played billiards, darts, table football, cabo and geocaching
• not worn long trousers for over 2 weeks
• spent countless hours standing on roads and at rest stops
• played street music
• had lots of great encounters

I’ve had a really great time and I’m extremely grateful for everything I’ve been able to experience and I’m looking forward to much more to come.
In Madrid and Granada, however, I also noticed how exhausting the time was. I usually slept in other people’s rooms. On other journeys, I had time on the bus or train rides to come down and process things. But when you hitchhike, exciting things happen along the way, you are busy talking to people and there is always a certain insecurity. That’s why I skipped a stretch at the end of the trip and used Blablacar/bus/train.
As much as I like having people around me, meeting old friends again and, above all, getting to know new faces, I also noticed that after two and a half weeks it was enough – especially when you have to tell people who you are and what you’re up to in most encounters. (But it’s nice that the reaction to my plans was almost always enthusiasm).
That’s why the two days in Marbella were really good for me and my social battery is already pretty full again for the next encounters in Gibraltar and the next adventure.
In Latin America, however, I will definitely have to adjust my travel speed a bit. It’s nice that I planned a long visit to Mexico right at the beginning, because Mexico really is a second home to me!

Learnings

Now I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned with you (there will be a separate post on hitchhiking). I’m sure there are things you’ve always known, and some of them are just logical. But maybe there is also something new for you:

• Spain is and remains my favourite country in Europe (Germany excepted). Especially the food, the language and the colourful life on the streets convince me again and again!
• Lifehack: if you want to swim at the beach, bury your valuables in a waterproof bag under your towel in the sand! (Thanks, Sandra)
• Street music takes some effort and practice (regardless of the fact that you should of course have practice with the instrument you are playing :D)
• If you travel to Granada, you should book tickets for the Alhambra much earlier if possible. In my case, they were fully booked for more than 7 days – but fine, I’ll come back!
• Spain still needs to catch up on its own history
• Video telephony is really practical. I don’t know why I didn’t use it before.
• Freetours are a great way to get to know a city. Well, I knew that before, but I discovered it again and just wanted to recommend it here!
• Switzerland is expensive. Yes, that’s right, we know that too. But do you know how expensive it is? I went to a “cheap” restaurant and paid 26 euros for a Rösti and a Coke!
• Everyone has their own way of travelling (can also be applied to other things). You can be inspired by others and you can also adapt your way a bit, but in the end you will only be happy if you stay true to yourself. Sounds a bit trite, I know, but maybe you’ll forgive me if I add something banal:
• EU roaming does not apply in Switzerland. So obvious when you think about it. But I didn’t before. My dad made my entry into Switzerland a lot easier with a Swiss SIM card. Thank you at this point!

I’m happy about your feedback!

A week ago Sunday, I was stranded in Lausanne. The last two people to give me a lift were Mattia and Didi. Mattia told me when they dropped me off that I could spend the night with them if I got stuck.
I’m sure I would have still made it to Geneva. But a few lost headphones and a long search later, it got dark and I accepted the offer. And as it happens, that’s exactly what was to happen: Mattia and Didi were super nice. There were also Angela and Damien in their shared flat. They had just cooked dinner and invited me to eat and play billiards as a matter of course. I was able to teach them a new game of billiards that I know from Mexico and that they have been playing ever since, as they wrote to me.
The conversations with them were totally exciting. They recently bought the house where the six of them live and a farm belonging to it and want to start their own solidarity-based agricultural project there. Mattia brews his own beer and Damien, who comes from Guatemala and had contacts for me there, is a baker. So my breakfast the next day was extremely tasty: home-baked walnut bread with French cheese.

The next day, my destination was Avignon, to meet my buddy Jakob there: An ambitious goal for one day, especially after things didn’t go so well on the last day. But luckily Angela drove to Geneva for work the next day and was able to drop me off at the rest stop. The second person I approached there was Sarah – a British woman who has lived in Switzerland for 40 years. She was a bit sceptical at first, but then agreed to give me a lift. What luck, because she was able to give me a lift until just before Marseille and we had a really cool car ride together. Despite the age difference, we were able to have a really good chat, confide in each other a lot – maybe because we’ll probably never see each other again – and drove through a beautiful landscape. Sarah showed me her Spotify playlist “#IamGerman” and we sang the Toten Hosen and Cordula Grün together (not the Malle version, but the original by Josh – an important difference in my opinion). Another of many experiences I would never have had if I were travelling through Europe by bus or train.

I had another such experience on the way to Barcelona. After I had been picked up twice only for short distances, a Porsche Cayenne passed me at a rest stop. So far, the reactions of luxury car drivers have been rather reserved or dismissive. But Timo (name changed), a Russian, kindly offered me a ride to Barcelona. He was happy to have my company, as he had been on the road for several days to bring the Porsche from Helsinki to Alicante for a friend. This is one of the many contrasts during my journey: I hitchhike and try to find accommodation with friends, and at the same time this luxury car is driven 4000 kilometres so that the owner can have it at his new place of residence. By the way, Timo was only able to leave Russia for Finland because he has another passport besides his Russian one.
It was clear to me from the beginning that I wanted to talk to Timo about the Russian war of aggression and the situation, but at the same time I knew that I needed tact, because I didn’t know how he saw everything and I was extremely dependent on him as a passenger.
Fortunately, as the journey went on, I found out that he condemned the war as much as I did. He said that he knows many people who have relatives on both sides and who have to fight against each other. By the way, I don’t want to give away too many details about him because of that.
But he also said that Ukraine had turned too much away from Russia because of its EU-friendly course and that they had thus lost access to many Russian-speaking people in their country, who in some parts were not even allowed to speak Russian. This does not justify a war in his eyes either, as he called it, by the way, but he did not want to leave it unmentioned.
When I asked him if there were protests against Putin in his city, he answered in the affirmative, but also said that he did not believe that the protests would bring anything. People would be put in prison for several days and thus silenced. That is why he did not take part in the protests, because as a family man he did not want to go to prison. In general, Putin is not the only mastermind of this war, but he is already old and much supported by a staff that is sometimes even more cruel.
For me it was an exciting opportunity to talk to a person from Russia in these times. But at the same time, of course, this is only one perspective of many.

The oppression of women during the fascist era under Franco

I am aware that the period of fascism under Franco in Spain is a huge topic that many of you have already dealt with and that has been dealt with much better in numerous articles than I could here. Nevertheless, I would like to give an impulse here to deal with the topic again or even for the first time – but nothing more.
Whenever I’m in Spain, I stumble across it again and again. I find it exciting but above all frightening that for so long after the Second World War (until 1975) a fascist dictator was able to hold power in a European country. This was probably made possible by the neutrality he received with Spain in the Second World War. But this did not change the fact that after his coup, supported by the fascists in Germany and Italy, he executed several hundred thousand people, deported about 1.5 million people to concentration camps and further restricted the rights of the natives in the colonies. I am stunned by this every time…

During this trip, as I said, I got a different approach to the time: In the “Museo Valenciano de la Ilustración y Modernidad” there is currently an exhibition on “Elena Francis. Frankism & Subordination of Women”. In 1950, the most famous radio consultation of Franco’s time began. Elena Francis started the “Consultorio de la mujer”, i.e. the counselling of women. Thousands of desperate women turned to the programme with their problems and received advice based on Franco’s doctrine: the woman as subordinate to the husband, entrusted with the household, without personal or professional autonomy let alone personal rights.
It is important to mention here that Elena Francis never really existed. She was a character invented by Àngela Castells, whose responses were later invented by other women and even by a man in the last 18 years.
This ensured that women in Franco’s time submitted as the dictator and his henchmen imagined.
No matter what request came, the answer was always that it was up to the woman to be patient, straighten out the problem and submit to the man. Even if a woman wrote that her husband had cheated on her, she was told that it was the woman’s fault, that it was normal for a man to have an emotional crisis and that she just needed patience so that the man would come back to her. Under no circumstances, however, should she judge him or put him under pressure.
Here are a few quotes from the programme at the time:

The man’s job is to negotiate with everyone, and the woman’s job is to talk with a few. The man’s job is to talk well, and the woman’s job is to be silent. The man’s task is to strive for money, and the woman’s task is not to waste it. The man’s job is to be master of all things, and the woman’s job is to be accountable for all things.

“Consultorio de la mujer” from Elena Francis

The life of every woman, no matter how much she wants to pretend – or disguise – is nothing but the eternal desire to find someone to submit to.

“Consultorio de la mujer” from Elena Francis

Her husband is in a moral crisis and an extraordinary disorder. He is no ordinary conqueror, shimmying from flower to flower. This is one of the many cases of good husbands standing in the way of an unscrupulous wife who does not care for a family’s happiness and therefore takes pleasure in destroying it. Rest assured that if you are tactful and patient, your husband will come back more in love than ever. But you must not insult him with words or come down hard on him.

Advice to a betrayed woman

I find it really hard to understand how short it has been since such statements were broadcast on public radio and I am glad that we have come much further in the meantime. But the fact that the exhibition is in a small corridor in the basement alone shows that there is still a lot missing.

On Monday, 10 October, my journey started in Emsdetten, in the house where I grew up. From there I went to the next bigger street and out into the world!
With several stops in between, I finally made it to Würzburg. In the process, a total of 5 different cars gave me a lift – and different fits very well here. On the one hand, there was Josef from Poland, who told me that Germany had a problem with foreigners and didn’t want it to count that he wasn’t from Germany himself. On the other hand, I also rode with Fabian, who talked intensively with me about sea rescue. But the highlight was the trip with Uli, Katja and Birgit. We had a lot of fun and I sang several songs for Uli for his birthday.
After a super nice evening with Magnus, Laura and Michi in Würzburg, where I was able to see how Sea-Eye merch is made, my dad picked me up the next day. Together we drove to Lindau with a stopover near Ulm. There we enjoyed the evening sun in the harbour on Lake Constance. Super nice place, I can highly recommend it 😍

On Wednesday morning, Hanna, a friend from Sea-Eye, came over for breakfast before I set off for Switzerland. After an emotional goodbye to dad, the super dear Remo and Kathrin took me with their two children and during the car ride I decided at short notice that I was going to Winterthur and not to Bern 😃 .
My friend Vincent was there with the travelling circus Circolino Pipistrello. The circus show was really cool and in the evening I was able to learn a bit about the travelling life of the circus people. I also unpacked my guitar while people were waiting for the show and was able to inspire some people with my music.
The next morning I had a look at the work of the circus people: because the main task of Circolino Pipistrello is circus education. So several dozen children came by to learn the message of Circolino Pipistrello: anyone can do circus!

Then on Thursday I went to Zurich. I got there in two trips, and both Luca and Marzena took a little extra way to let me out in a good place 👌😊 In general, hitchhiking has been going really well so far. I’ve already learned a few things and I’m happy to share my tips with you. Just text me! I might also write an extra entry from southern Spain.

I stayed in Zurich until Sunday morning and had enough time to meet some friends. For example, my buddy Ali. Ali lives in what he says is the biggest flat-sharing community in Zurich (37 residents) and from their roof you have a great view of Zurich. So we played chess above the roofs of Zurich.
I also met Marlies, whom I know through the association of former Mexico volunteers, animo e. V., and we cooked Mexican food 🙂 Since Marlies lives near ETH Zurich, we passed by there and I spontaneously signed up for an action run that was taking place there. I had to fight my way through an obstacle parcous with five others at the same time and came 4th – after all. By the way, I was the only one in jeans and a T-shirt, the others all had sports clothes with them 😀

I spent the three nights in Zurich with Barbara, whom I know from a joint rescue mission on the SEA-EYE 4 in March. I went swimming in Lake Zurich with Barbara – with a view of the mountains and Zurich at the same time. Unfortunately, the weather was not so nice during my time in Zurich, so it was already a bit cold. Barbara was surprised that I came along. While jogging up the Uetliberg (mega view!) Barbara told me something nice: namely that you notice that I meet people without reservations and categories. She based this on the fact that she is about 20 years older than I am and that I still really wanted to visit her. Until then, I hadn’t really thought about the fact that this could seem extraordinary. I like Barbara and it was clear that I wanted to see her when I was in Switzerland.

But I don’t only know Barbara from the Sea-Eye context in Zurich. I also met Agi, Fabi and Koni, with whom I went to a concert in the Kochareal on Friday evening, which I will report on below!
On Saturday, I went out on my own, explored the city and played street music in a few places 😊
Now, after a long Sunday, I’m near Lausanne with the super dear Mattia and Didi, who took me in because I couldn’t get away from here. Today luck was not on my side when hitchhiking and I didn’t find a good spot in Lausanne to hitchhike on.
But otherwise I wouldn’t have met Mattia & Didi and their friends Damien, Clara, Angela and Leo. They live in Tolochenaz, where Audrey Hepburn is buried, and are just starting a SoLaWi (Solidarity Farming) project here. They invited me to dinner and afterwards I showed them an alternative billiards game that I know from Mexico.

The Kochareal in Zürich

The Kochareal is a large area in the west of Zurich that has been occupied by a large group since 2013. Zurich is generally considered a good place to squat vacant buildings. It’s a nice contrast to the otherwise super-expensive banking city, I think.
The Kochareal consists of several buildings and former factory halls that used to be used for coal storage, among other things. Not only has free living space been created for more than 100 people, including many children, but the residents and guests have also lived out their creativity in a variety of ways: there is a cinema, a pool, a sauna, a bicycle workshop, a free shop and several concert rooms. All self-built!
Unfortunately, this special place will be razed to the ground next year, as “325 low-priced apartments” (City of Zurich) are to be built. As sad as it is about this diverse cultural space and as difficult as it will be to bring a similar project to life, the construction of flats is understandable in a city like Zurich where the housing shortage is extremely high. That’s also how my friends on site see it, and I think they view the whole thing very reflectively.
Where old things go, new things can arise, and so even such a great project as the Kochareal has to come to an end.
Website of the Koch-Areal

Platzspitz – the open drug scene in Zürich in the 80s & 90s

The Platzspitz is a square in the middle of Zurich’s city centre next to the main railway station. Today, the well-maintained and beautiful park looks back on a blatant drug history:
In the 1970s, an open drug scene developed in Zurich, i.e. where illegal drugs such as heroin were openly dealt. After several ultimately unsuccessful interventions by the police at various locations in Zurich, the Platzspitz developed into one of, if not the European drug hub in the 80s. For a while, the distribution of clean syringes was banned, but this did not lead to a reduction of drugs, but to the spread of HIV or hepatitis C.
Thousands of people came to the Platzspitz every day to inject themselves with heroin, among other things. Sometimes up to 15,000 syringes were distributed a day when this was allowed again.
Dead people lay in the trees for days, the situation was appalling and the “Needle Park” was reported worldwide.
In 1992, the park was evicted, but according to critics, it was poorly prepared and supervised. Several hundred drug addicts were driven through the city for days. A short time later, a new open drug scene emerged at Letten Square, which was even more brutal. When this was broken up three years later, the city was better prepared and the eviction was accompanied by offers of help. No new open drug scene developed and today about half of the drug addicts in Switzerland are in treatment – a unique figure worldwide according to the Zurich doctor André Seidenberg.
It is undisputed that the use of drugs and the consequences of their use are still a problem in Switzerland and worldwide, and that there is still a lot to be done in terms of treatment and prevention.