Tue 13 Sep 2005
Well, I’ll just write the short story here, but suffice to say I’ve
had some very interesting experiences. Thursday I met some people from
a national radiostation and they broadcasted a couple of short
interviews with me! First it started with the subject of where I was
going - which was of course, hitchhiking to England! Then they gave me
a lift while keeping reporting on my progress. And there was quite some
progress! At the locks of IJmuiden I met two Brits, Andrew and Emma,
in their very small wooden boat. I thought the boat could never
make it across the sea.
But it could and they did go to England and we spent three days
sailing together. First, on Thursday to Scheveningen and this day
I really enjoyed myself, mostly by leaning over the side of the boat
getting rid of my latest meal. Friday then I was still feeling uneasy,
but nonetheless I joined Andrew and Emma in their 91 year old
minimalistic boat (meaning there were just oars and sails for transport
and no motors of any kind). We sailed for about 48 hours straight. Day
and night always 3 hours steering, 3 hours of and back to steering
again.. It was a very intense experience, but I’m really glad that I
went!
Then on Sunday night I thought I could finally get some real sleep,
until of course the Dutch radio people interviewed me again at 6.15 in
the morning (for them that is, which means it even was 5.15 for me).
January 28th, 2006 at 22:24
Woohoo! Progress! Great to hear everything is going according to your non-existent plan :) And, of course, to hear you’re safe.
What’s the name of the radio station? Maybe there’s a site somewhere, perhaps with streaming versions of the interviews…
January 28th, 2006 at 22:24
Great, that you have crossed the channel, by “boat-hitch-hikking”!!
Where did you sail to? Keep up the good work, up to Scotland now!
January 28th, 2006 at 22:24
Across the channel, by boat. that’s something i’ve never done. envy envy envy envy.
But tell me, how’s britain?
Robert
January 28th, 2006 at 22:25
Go Jurgen! Go Jurgen! Go Jurgen!
January 28th, 2006 at 22:25
The one I put in the kitchen, so you could find it?
By the way Jurgen, what are you doing now? We want updates!!!!!
Robert
January 28th, 2006 at 22:25
By the way… I found the sugar spoon :)
January 28th, 2006 at 22:25
@Wouter: Indeed! My non-existent plans are really working out quite fine : )) About the interviews, they were done on ‘Nederland 2’ (Vara), I was interviewed a couple of times on breakfast radio on Thursday the 8th and on Monday the 12th of September. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts about the interviews! Monday I felt asleep about 5 seconds after doing the interview and I can’t for the life of me remember what I said or even if the interview wasn’t just a dream :-)
@Gerard: We sailed to the city of Harwich and anchored there early Sunday morning.. As it turns out I haven’t made it to Scotland yet – travelling without a tent I realised I prefer weather like you’re should be having right now in Portugal as opposed to the rainy Scottish climate!
@Wieke: Sorry about hiding the spoon! But I’m glad it turned up somewhere. I myself happen to be missing my second pair of socks, perhaps they’re hiding near your sugar spoon?
January 28th, 2006 at 22:26
Woohoo! Found it and listened to the interviews. Like a proud parent I’m downloading the streams now for perfect quality, and future listening :)
I suddenly realized that my phone has made its national radio debute before I did :/
If anyone wants to listen to our famous traveling friend (realplayer alert):
Ontbijtradio donderdag 8 september 2005: http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/radio2/vara/ontbijtradio/08.rm
Ontbijtradio maandag 12 september 2005: http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/radio2/vara/ontbijtradio/12.rm
Jurgen Simonsma uit Groningen stortte zich donderdagochtend in een bijzonder avontuur. Samen met een onbekende schipper die hem een lift aanbod, waagde hij de overtocht van IJmuiden naar Engeland. Niet met een modern, groot schip maar in een klein houten bootje. Filerijder Robert-Jan Booij zwaaide hem uit. Vanochtend bellen we hem met de vraag hoe zijn avontuur is afgelopen
January 28th, 2006 at 22:26
By the way, if you don’t want to listen to the entire (3 hours each) shows, on the 8th the interview started at about 01:49:30 in the show, on the 12th at 00:37:30.
January 28th, 2006 at 22:27
Hey Wouter!
Thanks for the info :-) And thanks for the phone also, it’s really useful. I even got an UK phone number now. By the way, just a note; the interviews are all in Dutch.
Take care,
Jurgen
January 28th, 2006 at 22:27
more about that interview, my dad told me there was also something written in de telegraaf.. is it right or is he just kidding me? you might become a famous dutch traveller in this way!
January 28th, 2006 at 22:27
Ah, if you know which edition it was, Esly, please tell us.
I’m always on the lookout for more Jurgen-collectors-items :)
January 28th, 2006 at 22:28
i don’t know wouter, i am not sure if he was serious or not….
January 28th, 2006 at 22:28
So, haha, it must be cumcumbertime now :-). Just kidding. Have a great journey Juergen. I’ll listen to the interviews as soon as I can I think :-). At work it is quite impossible :-).
As for me. I’ve been for a week with my friend of study in Lublin, Poland. Bocholtz (NL) to Piotrkow Trybunalski (PL) took me 24 hrs for 1100 kms, leaving at 21:00. In three hours I could not find a trucker to take me all the way there. Wroclaw (PL) to Maastricht (NL) took met 15 hrs for a 1000 kms, leaving at 07:30.
Explore!!!
January 28th, 2006 at 22:28
Esly, I don´t have the faintest idea if something appeared in the Telegraaf! You´re the only person to tell me about this :-)
Frank, I tought I´m a late hitchhiker – often starting late in the afternoon, but why on earth do you choose to leave at 21.00? Looking for a challenge and don´t feel like enjoying some sleep at night? And yes, it´s not cumcumbertime, it´s just that time on the internet is time which is not spent travelling – and there are always so many people to meet and places to go!
January 28th, 2006 at 22:29
Hi Juergen, starting in the evening was logic for me. I took my travelling case (backpack) with me on my 9 to 18 J.O.B.. I was quite sure that I could hitch through the night from Holland to Poland on a truck, even sleep in the cabin (especially having heard Asia’s experiences)… and go on through Poland the next day with full energy. So the answer is TIME :).
In fact I started earlier, but could not get a ride on the local A79 motorway onramp for an hour or so. So I got back to Meerssen, bought the famous Limburger Cheese for my Polish friends, and took a train to Heerlen, a bus to Bocholtz and walked to the border petrol station there…
I might do it again, when I go to Poland at the end of the year. It will be much more easy, because I probably will travel on the way from Deventer/Enschede to Warsaw. And traffic really never stops there.