Posts tagged “hitchhiking

Solitude, Bookended

Posted on 26 January 2015

I disentangled myself from the small car, swinging my backpack over my shoulders while waving goodbye to the two older Estonian ladies who gave me a ride to the Viru Bog trailhead from the too far away bus stop I landed at when the driver ignored my request for the stop before. The women smiled widely, kindly at me and I grabbed comfort in those smiles—not because I was nervous but because they acknowledged me as a young woman, out on my own, telling me how wonderful it was and to be careful and how to find my way back to Tallinn. They drove away and I plodded onto the path. The weeks behind me stretched out full of people, amazing people, people I…

Don’t Be Daunted: On Hitchhiking

Posted on 25 September 2014

It all started when the bus didn’t stop. All through the 90 minute ride, I stared out the window at the unfamiliar landscape, prepared to signal my desire to disembark when we turned off the highway. Proud of myself for recognizing the spot based solely on Google Maps research, I stood up. But the bus driver ignored me, even after I asked him to please stop, and drove on. Way on. By the next stop, I was too far from my destination to walk. I was determined to visit Lahemaa National Park, about an hour’s drive from the capital, Tallinn. I particularly wanted to visit Viru Bog, which looked beautiful from the photos I had scoured through online. The problem is Lahemaa National Park…

My Fortuitous Decision to Hitchhike in Iceland

Posted on 15 September 2013

I am not an optimist. Tell me, “everything will work out,” and I will reply, “it doesn’t have to.” I just think that people usually find ways to cope with what comes. “But life eventually happens as it should!” There is no “should,” only, “this is how it is.” Thus, I am a planner. I try to hold the reins and steer my life as I can. I fight passivity and simply accepting whatever comes, as it does. Travel takes these elements of my person and gives them a good shakedown. I walked along the road toward Akureyri. My early morning flight had just disembarked and, with no bus in sight, I began the trudge toward town. My visit would be just one night…