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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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It's been great! 
When I was last on here I think I was in Germany? Went to Norway for 4 months to stay on a farm and had the police called on me as I was going to steal her dog! She was going to put her down for pissing on the floor  So we had a bit of an disagreement and I had to leave. I made loads of friends there and I stayed with one, I paid her rent so it took all my savings. I met a German couple in a supermarket and we exchanged numbers. One day she messaged me saying she was visiting Germany for a couple of weeks and I said I'd go with her as a joke, but she said ok as long as I shared the driving. She even got me a job for 10 days there gardening at a Stone statue place. The owner was impressed with my work and offered me a job for the winter. 
We did exhibitions around Germany and the Munich one I met another guy on the stall next to us and we got chatting and he said I could work in a house rebuild in Elba Italy once I finish working where I was. I said great! How will I get there? He said he had a plane and we'll fly!   So I left the job and made my way to Southern Germany and we flew to Italy. Covid hit hard then and was trapped on the island. But plenty of work to get on with. It's an old lighthouse on top of a 360meter mountain so was out of the way, wasn't allowed to work but... ah well. I had to drive back to Germany and stock up with supplies for the house, I had to have a special work permit to get through the borders. Austrian border they checked the fuel to make sure you could drive straight through without stopping. Was still nice though. So drove back to Italy the day after and I had enough of the lockdown in Italy, Germany was better! So told the boss as I'd been there over 2 months and he understood and said I could take the van back to Germany. I ordered a drone too so was picking that up So got to Germany, got paid and had enough for a 3 month interrail pass and enough to last 5 or 6 months.
Could only stay in Germany and Netherlands for first 6 weeks as everywhere was closed. The guy in cologne rail station didn't want to sell me the ticket lol. But it was worth it, 903€ for all of Europe. I spent a lot of time in Netherlands, great there! Great shops!  Camped in Amsterdam Park for 3 days stoned  After 6 weeks Sweden opened and other places. So made my way to Sweden, tried to go through Denmark but got stopped at first stop and sent back to Germany. The police said I was a threat to public health and gave me a letter. So got a ferry from Germany. Amazing place, camped on Vänern Lake for a few days. Didn't see anyone except 2 people on het skies for 5 minutes. That cleared my head! Well... in Italy I started to get a lump on the back of my neck. Got really big after about 8 weeks, so went to a hospital in Sweden and they said it may go on its own lol. Useless!! So I decided to go to Dusseldorf hospital. Because I worked there I had health insurance and German EHIC card. Germany is amazing when it comes to healthcare. I walked in and walked out within an hour. It was an infected lymph node and he just cut it open, squeezed it out and bandaged it up. Left me with a hole in my neck but I felt great! No more pain and sleepless nights. Didn't stop me though and I was still in my tent. Washed it with bottled water and wound spray and it was fine. Healed nice! That was a good day, the day after. I flew around Flehe Bridge and made a video.
I'm actually a 'youtuber' now. By accident, I was on lockdown in an apartment in Turre and was bored, stoned and saw this video on Facebook of Storky doing Down With The Sickness by Disturbed. So I thought I'd do the whole song. Uploaded it and people loved it. Got 1.2M views in about 6 months. So I did more lol. There's some drone videos too.
Anyway... cut that thing off my neck... The only thing I really wanted to do when I left UK was to go to Auschwitz. So did that, during covid so hardly anyone there. I got the free ticket and no tour. Was only 3 of us who was there so they went that way and I went the other. It was like I was there in my own. That was an experience! That also cleared my head!!
So I did that. Travelled to loads more countries with no plans just seeing where I end up. I used to message people when I was at stations and how many platforms there where I'd ask them to pick a number. Whatever number they chose that's what platform I went to and got the next train. If it was 3 hour journey I'd asked them to text STOP within 3 hours and I'd get off at the next stop and that's where I spent the night lol. Great fun, I woke up one day I didn't know what country I was in, I literally had to check the maps.
My money ran out in friedrichshafen Germany and my train pass so I was stuck there... sort of. I walked around looking for work for a few days, sleeping in the forest. Oh, I'm totally immune to mosquitoes now lol. I need led a shave so I saw this guy mowing the lawn of a boat club and asked him if I could use a plug. He saw my backpack and we talked, he said he had a break in an hour and he would take me back yo his and I could shave, shower and have food. Yes sounds dodgy but I'm a big boy... sort of  We got to his and he gave me the keys and said help yourself and brings the keys back down and left. So had a shave etc, some food and cleaned up a bit and took the keys back. Said Danke and swapped numbers. I was actually hitch hiking outside this restaurant and the owner asked me if I wanted some food and a drink on the house. I don't like having things for free so I said yes as long as I can do a drone video and some photos in exchange. He said that's great and we did a deal.As I was there chatting I got a phone call from the guy I had a shave at. He said he was impressed I cleaned up and didn't steal anything and said he just bought the apartment next door and it needs work. He said I could stay there and work for 15€ an hour. So I worked there for 2 weeks and headed off again!
So much has happened I can't go into it all now... But France was so hard! I had no cash at all and no food, I was going to burger places and pizza places saying I'd sweep the floor etc for a burger. 9 times out of 10 they'll just give you something. I walked down the Rhone River for a couple of weeks and I woke up one day and I had nothing, it was so hot so I couldn't walk, I slept all day and started walking at 21.00, walked 27kms and I had enough, I did a translation saying I need food please do you have work! I saw a guy on a harvester and showed him! He offered me 4 days grape picking starting that day! So did 5 hours, still no food but had water, and got paid and went for food. That was tasted all look good and it was only a sandwich! I got chatting to the owner and said I had a drone. He asked how much do I charge and I said I hadn't really done it for money. I said I'd do the videos and pay me whatever he thought is right. I did the harvesting, vinification and the olive fields. So edited them all and showed him. He gave 580€ 180 For the work and 400 for the videos. I got the first bus to Spain!!! He gave me a bottle of wine too but I have that to the bus driver for helping me get a ticket to Spain. So got to Barcelona, bought a new tent and bits and camped up in Badalona, the view was amazing and I was there on the last day of a festival so I could see all the fireworks all I've Barcelona,so good! Got videos of it. So then I went to Benidorm, didn't like it so walked straight through lol. I camped up and was looking at the map and saw Vera, I thought to myself Pink Floyd has a song called Vera I'll go there for 2 weeks... That was October 2020 and I'm still here. It's great here and the people are amazing, if it wasn't for my friends here I would have been screwed! I know hundreds of people here, well, from Vera Playa to Carboneras asive walked it so many times looking for work.
I'll be heading off again April 2023 and may go to Norway to visit friends. Not seen them in 3 years. Vera will be my winter base as it doesn't really get too cold here. I still stay in my tent but I do get dogs sitting jobs like now, I'm in a villa in Anatad looking after 2 dogs and a cat for 2 weeks. And I'm looking after 3 cats I December for a month so I'm good for Winter. Things are getting better for sure. Been difficult with covid and brexit but I'm surviving. My YouTube channel is doing ok but I use copyrighted music so can't monetize it.
Back on here just to see what's happening and catch up hopefully with some guys I used to chat too.
Being a solo backpacker it does get lonely. I have had 3 relationships since travelling and 2 flings so I can get company it's just hard to find when you live in a tent and it comes about by accident. My last one was with a really beautiful girl from New Zealand. Oh I must say when I first got here, the 2nd day I was looking for work and and across an Italian pizzeria called Memoli and I did a drone video for her, she has the same sort of spirit as me, free and like travelling so I said I'd be there about 2 weeks and she said I can go there everyday for a free pizza!!! 2 years later I have become really good friends with her and I clean floor and hell out for a pizza, don't like it for free. Anyway, I was there one evening chatting to Gessikas husband and I saw this woman Sat alone, she was stunning and I told myself I'd talk to her before she leaves. So she got the bill and I decided to talk to her. My opening line was Hola I'm Aaron the local homeless man I sleep on the beach! I really hope you didn't get stood up as he is a fool!! She laughed and thanked me. I showed her my backpack and said I was a Backpacker and we just talked and walked until 06.00 in the morning! I told her I needed a shower on the beach and she said I could use hers at her place. So we went back to hers and we talked more and she just said... I really think you should hug me now! Never forget that! We was together 3 months, was going to go travelling together but she realised she was thinking with her heart and not her head so it's not what she wanted. We are still friends though. But chances like that don't happen often, I don't really go out drinking etc. So it would be nice to find some penpals on here maybe? Why Fab? Well, you know you can talk about most things with a Fab Penpal lol
Hope you're all well and comment and let me know how things are and have been. |
