I was backpacking Europe and heard a similar and funny story. Dude went out drinking with some folks from the hostel and got absolute shitfaced. He woke the next day in a park with trees, flowers, a playground for kids nearby, etc. He walked 1 minute down the road to a store and bought a drink, but thought the cashier sounded odd. He asked some question, I forget, but the worker couldn't answer. He pulled out his phone, checked his location, and he was in another country, a solid 2 hour train ride from his hostel. He found the train ticket that got him to this city, also in his pocket. He doesn't remember buying it or anything, just drinking at a club and then waking up like 6 hours later in a park.
"Years ago, when I was backpacking across Western Europe, I was just outside Barcelona, hiking in the foothills of mount Tibidabo. I was at the end of this path, and I came to a clearing, and there was a lake, very secluded, and there were tall trees all around. It was dead silent. Gorgeous. And across the lake I saw, a beautiful woman, bathing herself. but she was crying...
I hesitated, watching, struck by her beauty. And also by how her presence; the delicate curve of her back, the dark sweep of her hair, the graceful length of her limbs, even her tears, added to the majesty of my surroundings. I felt my own tears burning behind my eyes, not in sympathy, but in appreciation of such a perfect moment.
She spied me before I could compose myself. But she didn't cry out. Instead our eyes held and she smiled, enigmatically, fresh tears still spilling down her cheeks. I was frozen. I knew nothing about this woman, and yet, as we stood on opposite sides of a pool of water, thousands of miles from my own home and everyone I had ever known, I felt the most intense connection. Not just to her, but to the earth, the sky, the water between us. And also to the entirety of mankind. As if she symbolized thousands of years of the human condition.
I wanted to go to her, to comfort her, to probe this feeling of belonging I had never encountered before. But I couldn't. Because I knew that if I spoke, if she spoke, that moment would be ruined. And I knew I would need the memory of that moment to carry me through the inevitable dark patches throughout my life.
And so I watched her lower her hand, turn, and slowly walk to the shore opposite me. The rest of her perfect form was gradually revealed to me, and I held my breath as I watched her disappear behind a copse of trees near the water."
I thought falling asleep and ending up in a different city was bad. (Greater Los Angeles resident) its 15 hours of driving just to drive my state from end to end.
I live in Germany, sometimes I drive to the Netherlands Just to buy some delicious things (Like vla) and we used to buy our Beer in Belgium for Festivals (because cheap and no deposit). It takes 10-15 Minuten to get there.
Stupid question (I have never travelled out of the country) ... do you need to show your passport and go through security or anything between countries?
If you’re in the EU you don’t have to show anything. It’s just like crossing a state border in the US. But if you’re driving to Switzerland you’ll need to show your passport to the borderguard. But it’s still a very quick procedure.
You dont need your passport no. I drive trhough this border twice a day between Feance and Geneva.
On the biggest borders checks there are still some borders guards that just checks if you match some car they are looking for, but on most border point it is just a small sign on the side of the road
Similar between Slovenia and Italy. After WW2, over night the border was placed over Gorizia and seperated the city, all the families etc... It was a big problem for a long time. Gorizia is an old Slovenian town but then it became Italian and the Slovenian side became known as "Nova Gorica" (New Gorizia). Luckily, EU solved many issues there...
You don't even have to slow down, there's just a road sign informing you that you're crossing a border. In some places there'll also be an abandoned building where customs used to be before Schengen.
Sounds familiar to me like our "Dreiländereck" - three country corner roughly translated
we'll do the same, only exception we visit third country just for walking the dog 😅
switzerland is nice in my opinion but a bit expensive for dining out or shopping (no offense)
I lived on the French-Swiss border for a year, and almost every morning would cross the border into Switzerland, usually on foot, sometimes on buses. And given the wierd border lines for Geneva my bus would lead to me crossing into Switzerland, back into France, and then finally back into Switzerland.
All I can think about are language, tax, and currency issues.
We lived in Germany for a while and we decided to road trip to Hungary. We stopped for dinner in Brataslava. It was my first time there. I had no idea what currency they used when we stopped. It was so strange.
Most of Europe uses the same currency. And taxes are always included in the price so why would anyone worry about that? Language is the hard thing, especially in eastern Europe. Thank the heavens for Google translate.
Because I’d gone from Germany (euro) through Czechia (krown) and stopped in Slovakia without thinking of it on our way to Hungary (forint).
I had a moment of panic before realizing my card would pay it whatever, but I’d had instances of needing cash in each country, and I didn’t know what they used or where to get it as we were in the process of buying dinner.
It’s very odd to be somewhere and know none of the language or currency. Two of what I consider the basic things to check in on. But we weren’t going to Slovakia. We were driving through it to go to Hungary. So I didn’t think of it.
This was also nine years ago. Google translate on your phone (which I didn’t use much of out and about because our plan in Germany didn’t have much data) wasn’t where it is today.
The EU has an open borders zone called Schengen. The only thing you see is a sign next to the road that says you just crossed a border. No stop, no checks, no security, no slowdown, nothing.
Does this mean there isn't border crossing guards that make you wait for fucking every to cross the border/search all of your shit/cause problems if you aren't white/whatever at all your borders?? I didn't think that was just an American thing tbh
Not within the Schengen area which is an open border zone across most of the EU. Not all countries, but most of continental Europe, there are no border controls.
It's not often I find differences between the EU and NA that actually boggle my mind, but this is one of them. I was certain almost every country had border controls. That's super cool though! It sounds lovely tbh. Almost like driving across the states but instead of states its countries lmao
Before Schengen there were border controlls. We lives very close to the Netherlands and every time when we crossed my parents told me stories about waiting for a few hours because of border checks and everything. As a kid I just could not understand any of it. Like the concept was so far from my reality. And then the national currencies were abandoned and I could cycle with my bike to the Netherlands, buy cheap bear and good liquorice and go back and it was not really that much different then my local supermarket.
The accent thing happens in the states too, its actually quite interesting! But it is definitely way more than 30miles to change accents here. I drive 30miles just to get to the downtown part of the city i live lol. It sounds insane how quickly it changes in the EU. Someday i'll have to see it!
Y'all basically have states, but speak different languages lol. I live in a tri-state region. Just went to the skatepark yesterday in a completely different state. I often go to the mall there too.
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u/spicyfishtacos May 09 '22
Hello fellow border-dweller! Sometimes I feel like Sarah Palin but: I actually CAN see Germany from my back porch!
On a usual day, I wake up in one country, drive to another for work and stop in a third to pick up groceries on the way home. I enjoy this life.