Casa Robino

Yesterday, I ate breakfast in Maastricht, lunch in Amsterdam, and dinner in Maastricht again.

I woke up earlier than usual. The night before, I started to remember all of the little things that I had forgotten to pack upon my chaotic departure... Things I hoped that someone might decide to lightfoot in my direction, but truly things that would only really be important to me. A few of my paintings and sketches, a pair of tweezers I've been carrying since Thailand, a pouch of henna from Morocco, my Turkish phrasebook... But, back to waking up earlier than usual... I felt an urge to take advantage of the daytime. I felt the urge to say my proper goodbyes to Laura and Robino, both of whom I missed the opportunity to give hugs to. I felt the urge to hitchhike. So, I hitched from Maastricht to Amsterdam (arriving around noon!) and back (arriving before dinnertime!) in the same day.

The more amazing thing about this story is that instead of bothering to walk all the way to our "official casa hitching spot", I tried the bus stop on Jan van Galenstraat across from the Albert Heijn instead. The very second I stepped into place, with my thumb and my UTRECHT sign, a driver who had been stopped at a red light unlocked his passenger-side door. Instantaneously. Not even a single second of waiting before my first lift! (And, thanks to my Turkish phrasebook, we could communicate, since he was Turkish, after all). Things are clicking into place!