How to hitchhike from Madrid (Spain) direction to Barcelona/Zaragoza/Pamplona

It's quite easy to catch a ride from this spot if you follow the isntructions correctly, at least for me. Normally it wouldnt take you more than half an hour to get out from this spot.I had to figure out this way going trough several posts on hitchwiki.org and try them out and actually they havent been that acurate. So I will explain you my way, which for me always worked pretty well.

Step 1:In Madrid you have to get to cercanias lines - the short distance trains which are going around the Madrid.
If you get to cercanias anywhere out of the center you can enter many times for free, but I am not going to explain you how ;) I think you will figure out if you live enough time in Madrid itself or just watch people getting around ;)


Step 2.: Get to the train going direction Guadaljara or Alcala de Henares. If u are not on that once - get your self to main trainstation in Puerta de Atocha or shortly said Atocha and change for this direction. There are the lines C2 or C7.





Step 3: Get out from the train on train station called San Fernando, there is no turniquet to check the ticket to go out, so at the end it wasnt necessary to buy a ticket,either I always buy one - as I have many friends who got caught trough the controls in the train - even though I havent. The ticket now could cost you about 1,7euro.

Step 4: Once out of the train station go to your left and the you will see the road going down the railways - there is the pedestrian tunel to cross to the other side of the rails. Go there. As you appear on the other side just go straight ahead, follow the road - you will see on your right some small block of flats and some bars where lately they had really good sandwiches for crazy price like 1,5 euro and really really big once.And on the right side you will see some huge store with furniture,which is annoucing that they didn't increase the prices because of IVA.
Then you will already see the sign for Zaragoza - thats the correct way,go around the round-about, ignore the exit to the something which looks like highway your way, but isnt. Go straigh ahead - being on the right side of the road, you pass 2 family restaurants,where everybody will greet you and keep looking  at you as you were crazy :) Just smile and wave :) Then you will see that the road is going down - its exit for the highway. You can start hitchhiking there with your sign, but in general that doesn't work much in Spain.
We are going to look for the gasstation - thats how it works in Spain - Gasstation to Gasstation, talk and talk and talk a lot.
When you get to the highway, just follow the stream of cars - for your safety you can cross behind the safety small fence, cross the bridge. Then you will find one chavola - small gipsy village made from cartons and plastic sheets, metal sheets and that kind of stuff - don't be that curious,they could be quite dangerous people.

I have created subtitles for you who don't speak spanish to this video, you just have to click on sign CC on the bar lower bar of the video and they will appear in English.

Pass beside the village, follow the streams of cars. Then you will get to really tiny part, when you will have to walk beside the cars runnig on the highway. At this moment one part of highway is in reconstruction,so thats why its narrow. But don't worry, its about 50 meters till you get to point when you can cross to the part of the highway which is being renovated and its closed for cars,you just jump over really small panel and be walking on the safe area. You will aready see the Gasstation there. Just walk there and start asking around. From there most of the people still go to close directions - Alcala de Henares or Guadaljara. If they go to Guadaljara,you can ask them to drop you on one gasstation before Guadaljada. Once I found the lift from that another gasstation directly to Barcelona,but you can find direct lifts even from that one. Just concentrate more to ask latinos,not spanish.

And because the one picture is more than million words I would like to put for you here one beautiful map.

Step 5 - As you get finally out of Madrid, never never ever get someone to persuade you that the gastation Medinaceli - its on 150km from Madrid it's a good choice for you, unless you are heading to Pamplona trough Soria - no motorways or highways - you can get to be in the middle of the forest in wrong side of the highway,where everybody goes back to Madrid or to Soria.Better get out of the car on km 103 - there is a big 24h gastation with as the people say amazing and cheap restaurant and there are lot of trucks parking as well.

The all people who will take you will think it just in the best meaning,the trouble is as you can see, that from this gasstation you cant get anywhere direction Zaragoza or Barcelona and believe me, its in the middle of forest and who will already get there - is going for 100 percent direction to Soria/Pamplona. It's around kilometer 150. The last gasstation before this one on this highway is KM103t

How to hike to BioFarm Príroda close to Lozorno from Bratislava Slovakia

Hmm, how to start. I am back to homeland again for a little moment,before getting back to world again and I have decided to join one CS activity close to Capital city of Slovakia - Bratislava.

I am going to hitch-hike down there.
Do tomorrow hike which should be around 8 hours - let's see if I will be able to walk after it still (Last time I did 8 hour hike it was to Torres del Paine in Chilian Patagonia and the next day I would be happily let some butchet to cut my right leg just over the ankle). Anyway,there shouldn't be that huge changes in the hights, no running materials etc.

I writing this post just because in general to I wanted to put the probable map online and as I really like one page which I found looking for some calculator of turistic maps, but it seems to be in Beta version and I can't get the permalink from it and the clasical searchers doesn't drow it that pretty with all beautiful statistics.

I would like to write here how to work with this maps as well. As they are not in english and not everybody speaks slovak.

So here comes the MANUAL:
1.) You go to the point where you want to start your route. Click on right bottom of the mouse and choose the option "Začni trasu" - Start the route

2.) Then in some point if you would like to, you can try to put "Pridaj medzibod trasy" - means put the point in the middle - for example some place which you wouldn t like to miss.

3.) To put the ending point of the track choose the  "Ukonči trasu" - End of the route

4.) Then on the right side you have a bar, it s called hikepanner, you will be asked to choose Optimalization criterium for calculation of the route  -  "Optimalizuj trasu pre", where you can choose from 3 options - "minimálnu vzdialenosť" - the shortest distance, "minimálne prevýšenie" - minimal camber or "červenú značku" - red marking - long or mountain range routes.

5. ) And then press "vypočítať" - calculate.

And this is the result afterwards:

http://mapy.hiking.sk/

How to hitchhike from Berlin(Germany) direction to Czech Republic and how I did it after all

Alexander Platz -> Ost Creuz ->
 Treptower -> Flughafen Shonefeld
S5->S8->S9

So,my dears :)
I have was in Germany on the beginning of the last month and I went hitchhiking as well. I would like to write you hear how I got out of Berlin,as its quite complicated and how I really reached Prague afterwards.
So,wherever you are in Berlin you still have to get to Ostcreuz by some S-Bahn or U-Bahn.
There is no direct connection to the south from Ostcreuz and they made some change which is not in the plans of Berlin Metro.
So you have to jump on some train which is going direction Treptower (stairtower),its just one station with S8 and then change for the train which is going to the Airport. There by some other manuals u can get out on Altgleinicke or Grunbergalle - where u are still far away from the highway and from the main junction. I havent tried these exits,so I cant tell.
I went to Flughafen Shonefelfd (I am sorry,I dont have the o with 2 punkts for german readers) - what is the airport.
From here you just follow the sign to the highway saying Dressden.
When u get there you will see a ramp heading directly to highway. I dont have to remind you,that there is no speed limit in Germany,so you will be directly in the hitzone of starting rockets for the 200km/hour run on the highway. But at that point the cars are not going too fast. Here I made a video for you,where I am explaining everything.

Metro plan of Berlin

Hitchhiking on this ramp is quite complicated as there is not much space to stop and even though they will stop for you,you have to be quick to get in. Be carefull as there is just further on like 10 km from this junction,another junction which is to the highway leading to Leipzig and then one leading to Poland. And its connection to Big Berliner Ring - the huge highway ring which is going all around berlin with a distance of 20-50 km out of the city - so you could be taken anywhere. Anyway Liepzing could work for going to CZ,just it will take you bit longer time. Many people will refused to take you to different direction (I had a stop for Leipzing,but somehow they claimed that there is no way how to get from over there direction to CZ,not everybody is carrying the map in the head and I have already done that track before trough Leipzing from Prague - took me 4 hours. I was really lucky that time.)
And maybe you would do better to take the Leipzig way,as going around Dressden is quite complicated.Big city with its ring and a lot of traffic and too many junctions,which can take you anywhere. From Leipzig they are just pushing up to the north or down to the south- meaning Czech Republic.
Anyway I picked up the Dressden way to mae it differently this time. But it was a fight. Firsly to find someone who takes you further on the entrance of the highway in Germany is difficult. If they already take you and as I dont carry a map with me from the time I lost one long long time ago (didnt carry any even in South America,I somehow always scan the road to my head and if I forget,then the driver would help out).

My first ride was lady which was going from a Market,where she was selling clothes. She was going home - direction Polish border. That I found out in the moment we passed the exit for Leipzing and she said that the next one is hers. Great,standing on a highway again with these racers. Cool,who is more suicidal? I would still have to write how I got ot Berlin ;)
Anyway,I jumped out and lifted my thumb. (In germany you can wait for police quite a long time to come and take you to some safe place). Anyway,I was lucky,in few minutes stopped a car. The mister was working on building new railways for S and U-bahns,funny chap and I had something like 4 hours of german conversation for free :) He really made my day. We hit around 50 km away from the Dressden one Stau - traffickjam,because of some accident,so I had the chance to see the part of Germany which is close to Poland with its funny Polish names written in the part of Germany. The part called Klatzko.
And then he decided to drive trough Dressden as I have never been there before and show me around with a car. I would really need to come back one day as it really seemed wonderful! And I have finaly new camera,so the photos shouldnt be that rubbish as it was with my old phone ;)
As he was going about 20 km behind Dressden my direction,I was lucky to hit the highway going down to Prague. The sun was already falling and the rest of the light left to me. I had half an hour to catch someone. But the third or the fourth car stopped and took me to Prague. The guy was going to Austria - this way is a passage from Germany to Austria,so there is some traffic (in comparation with some czech roads on the north).Not much to say,just that the person who I was sitting next to really hated people from East Block and poverty and the poor countries and the developing countries,something like talking again with some people from Sao Paulo,but he was more arogant and so sure with his own situation in life and his own wealth.Even though he knew that I am slovak and its the part of east,he wasnt arogant to me,but to the people on the gasstation who were from Slovakia and as well the negative horrified talks about how the people live in Romania just simply made me feel very uncofortable. Anyway,there should be always someone "chato" (boring,bothering,annoying) on the way,shouldnt it? ;)
The pure time of travel: 5 hours (even with a traffick jam)
I left at 3 pm and arrived at 8 to the perifery of Prague.

How to make Halusky (typical slovakian food) if u are outside of Slovakia

This is how it should look like

I have got many questions on this topic lately and thanks to my friend Paterson from Salvador I pushed myself to write a recipe to all the world to  know the Magical formula ;)
My halusky is bit different than original ones,but I have never met anybody who wouldn't like them,so here it comes ;)

Firstly,bryndza exists just in Slovakia and the countries where are Karpaty mountains - Means Ukraine and Romania (Yes,they know it as well in Romania,it said that our bačas originaly came from these lands walking with sheep looking for better grass,walking trough the mountains and remeber the history,this teritory was long long time one,not "billion"states like it is now)

So now,what u will need for Halusky itself:
Potatoes: Count for one person one potatoe (if they are the big once,if smaller,count one and half,always is enough and even more than it should be)
2 types of flour (wheet flour - no mandioca,no corn one,wheet one)If they dont have it,just take which they have,normaly is the one which they make bread with,so it means its not for cakes one ;) Anyway,maybe closer to the ecuatorial line you will be,more problems u will have to find such a thing like wheet flour.
1 egg (depands on how many people will be - but I would say for like max  6 people 1 egg, if u have to cook for 12 - make it 2)
pinch of salt
1 butter

The special sauce I invented once upon a time in stead of Bryndza (as u cant really get brindza anywhere outside of Karpaty region)
You will need:
Butter
Onion
Garlic
Milk or cream (if there is no cream,use milk)
Flour
Salt
Sugar
Beer and/or wine
Some green spices (I use anything which is green in general and not spicy in it - depands what I find in the kitchen and what smells good ;)

   How to make halusky itself:

Sometimes you can end up making halusky looking like this! ;)

Grate a potatoes on a side of cutter which is the thiniest one that it will make just kind of watery mass.(no slices or something like that. I know its a lot of work,but its the best that way)Do NOT spill the water from the mass out. Add 2 types of flour and bit of salt and egg in it. Just to make the mass sticky and bit running - f u put too much of flour,dont worry,u can put a bit of water in it as well. The mass should be something between sticky and running.
Put water in a big pot. Put a bit of salt in it.Make it boil. Put a bit of your dough on a chopping board. And u can start to "throw" (how we say) Halusky to the boiling salty water.
When the halusky will be swimming on the surface of the water for a little while (for exact people it could be like 2-3 minutes),you can take them out with a strainer and put them on a side to prepared bowl. After fishing several times of halusky,you can put a butter on them,to melt on them and dont make them to stick together.

How to make a sauce:
As I am alergic or better said I have some problems with clasical oil,I use instead butter and I think it tastes later better than if u made it on oil. But its your choice. Pur a butter on a saucepan. Make it melt.
Meanwhile chopp the onion on really small pieces. Put them to fry.Put a pinch of salt. During the time,pour a bit water after few minutes - to dont get dry. Till then u can be throwing halusky. When the onion gets a bit dryer and still doesnt have a color,pour a bit of beer. When it gets dryer,if u have some wine for cooking u can pour it there as well. All the alcohol will avaporate and there will just stay the better taste of onion. When the opion will be getting the nice golden color,cut the one piece of garlic to very small pieces,u can even smash it if u want and put it inside (than it again depands for how many people are u cooking).
Fry it a bit with another piece of butter and with the onion.. Put all the spices you found in the kitchen and thinking that it could taste good - I recommend the green one and not spicy ones (sorry I dont remeber which one should it be - but by the smell mayoran and some others).
Mix it. Now we are getting to making a real sauce :)

In a meanwhile you could make on a side to a small glass (2dcl) the mixture of milk and 2-3 spoons of sugar and 2-3 spoons of flour.Start pouring a normal milk to an onion and garlic on a saucepan - do max 2-3 dcl. Mix it.  Then pour the mixture you made aside to already the mixture on a saucepan - keep mixing it till it will go thicker and thicker. If its not getting thicker,just put there a bit more flour,but a little bit. When its warm,its more liquid than when it get colder ;) So dont worry. U can try it and put more salt or spices or sugar if u want. But this is normally it ;) Not a big magic ;)

  This is how it will look like

About Oškvarky (in english it should be burnt cinders),which normally in slovakia goes on the top.
Well,in south america I had a quite problems to find in different places bacon alike as in Slovakia. U can use english bacon or something which could be good bacon. But in general,please in Chile or on this side of Corillera,do not buy the bacon for Chicharones! And in general all the bacon I got in touch with its too salty for making Oškvarky. So its just up to u.

In general to halušky we use to eat at home (original place where I come from in Slovakia in our family) the cucumber salad. Easy to make easy to eat.
U will need:

It should look like this,don't worry,it's eatable ;)

Cucumbers (depending on how many people will be there,I would count 2 for one person,but not many people like this type of salad around the world. In north of Brazil once I made it for bigger presentation party the people were amazed and ate it sooner than halusky,in Marocco I had to eat it afterwards on my own ;)
Salt,Sugar,Vinegar.
Grate cucumbers on the second thickest part of the cutter,put inside a pinch of salt,a pinch of sugar and one small cap of the bottle u have vinegar from with vinegar. Mix and taste ;) It should just taste fine,if not,put more sugar or salt.
Anyway - my granny puts there peper to make it spicy and cutted pieces of tomatoes and peppers.But its not a necesity and I like it more without. Its just up to your taste ;)

And then I just can wish u anywhere you are on this planet: Bon Appetit!, Buen Provecho! or Dobrú Chuť!:)

How to hitchhike from Prague direction to Germany (Dressden,Berlin)

I did this way twice,last time 2 weeks ago from this moment and it always worked.
To get out of the Prague direction north to the Germany,you should take the metro to Letnany - the line C (red line) and then try to take anything what is going to Čakovice (especially the bus going to Cakovice Shopping Center would be great option). From there is going just one Bus to Ďáblice (little devils place ;)
where you can enter on highway. But walking distance is about 200meters from this shopping center. As the bus goes every 40 minutes its easier and better to walk down there.  When u will be approaching to highway - you will see that the traffic is getting very dense. I would recommend you rather to go to gasstation,as trying to catch someone  directly on the exit  to the highway is a bit complicated (even though there is one place where they can stop,they simply wouldnt do that).
And I found my ride on gasstation in 5 minutes. As there are comming as well the people for MC Donalds,there are lot of people stopping to get some meal ;)
I used this way twice and always was very successful and I have never waited longer than few minutes.
From this place this time I went directly to Usti nad Labem,but you can be lucky and find someone going directly to Berlin,Leipzing or anywhere you want to go. Just look on the number plates and make your pick ů0