Almost home

Short version: I'm in Warsaw now.

Long version...', 'Italy could be a better country: it's really difficult to hitch-hike there. I got to Warsaw from Nice in little under 2 days only thanks to Poles (you can always count on your fellow countrymen when coming back home - or at least other Poles can).

Anyway, it's good to be back in Poland and see sign saying "BAR BABILON ZAPRASZA", "LUKSOR KEBAB NON STOP" or "TYLKO U ANI BROWAR TAKI TANI 3,50". They had tea for 2,50 PLN in Babilon, thank you, one more please. At last normal prices. Nothing better than tea at 4 a.m., when you're waiting for a sunrise and enough light for anyone to be able to see your "W-WA" cardboard.

I'll stay for a couple of days with my relatives here.

So, a little summary:
Germans are generally quite helpful, but you have to ask them. Italians are OK, if somewhat noisy. They're afraid of hitch-hikers, but that doesn't have to be a drawback for everyone. French (at least in Nice) are generally unpleasant. Maybe Vincent was right when he said that everyone there just tries to screw you. When asked for directions, they point the other way. When asked for a favor, they ask for money. Hrmpf. I didn't have much to do with Austrians, but half of the country stinks. They decided they have to build their biogas facilities in regular intervals along motorways to indicate that they're ecologic.

And now - the dessert. The Alps. Somehow I didn't feel like writing about them earlier.

Both crossings were magnificent. On the way to Genova it was raining most of time, but between that - sights were breathtaking. Lone monasteries on tops of mountains, overlooking valleys and so on. On the way back, there were the Mountains of Fire (which makes it better than that - long time since I placed some song citation) - at least 5 fires, quite close to each other. There were a lot of these guys flying around all the time. Which reminds me, I've seen them practicing near Ile Rousse earlier: they flew just few meters over tops of the masts of boats anchored there.