The road to Reims

Before I left Lille I asked Pascal if I could leave a bunch of things with him.  I hadn't gotten around to burying anything, which I was upset about, but I swallowed my pride and decided to leave them with Pascal.  It's amazing how little you need to survive, because, even after I left more then half my things with Pascal, I still wish I would have dropped off more.  That said however, I left my guitar, which I regret now, but I am going back to get it this week so it will all work out. 

So, with a much lighter load and an ambition to head south; I left Lille.  

Hitchhiking was something I had always planned to do, not only because I was broke, but I truly believed that it was the best means to travel.  The people you meet hitchhiking are always the people that you want to meet.  An uninteresting and closed mind person is not going to pick you up, which is something that benefits both parties since no one wants to get stuck next to a dud for hours at a time.  It's almost like speed dating, but for friendship - you let a hundreds of people pass by you, and you wait, and then suddenly the free-loving-intelligent-fun-and-happy-days-kinda-person comes along and bam! you got a ride. 

Pascal had directed me to the spot in Lille that every hitchhiker uses to get out of town: a three way funnel onramp with a nice pull off.  A hitchhikers dream.

Hitchhiking rule # 2 - Always have a sign where your going.  No one wants to get stuck with someone who might end up riding with them all the way just because they have no plans. 

Hitchhiking rule # 3 - Even if you don't get picked up, you can still feel good about hitchhiking.  Every time someone drives past you and doesn't pick you up they always reflect and feel guilty after; they decide that they should have picked you up - what could have been the harm of it? Now that they feel guilty, the next time that person sees a hitchhiker they will remember you and your smiling face and will be more likely to pick him up.  Your always supporting the cause.  Keep it up.

It took me 30 seconds to get a ride.  Hitchhiking was the bomb. 

I forget the guys name now, but he was a student at the University in Lille finishing up his doctorate on organic agriculture or something.  Anyway, really nice guy.  He took me as far Saint-Quientin and pulled over to let me out.  

Just as I was getting out something happened.  It was incredible because it happened so quick, it was bewildering really, one second I was opening the car door and then next I was getting patted down from every angle. 

Screech!

'Jimmy, Jimmy! prendre le sac!'

'D'accord,  d'accord, d'accord' 

'Jimmy, jimmy!

A french police van had pulled up right behind us and had immediately taken to me.  The leader of the group was a talking non-stop and ordering everyone to do something; I was in the middle of a SWAT training.  

'Ce qua ton nom? '

'What?'

'Anglais??!'

'Yes' 

'Whats you name?!' 

The leader had begun to interrogate me while another had begun to pat me down and yet another was opening my bag looking through it.  

'Where are you from?!'

'Uh, Canada'

'Canadian!!...Empty your pockets.. and give me your passport!' he was talking in a rhythmic way, fast and on tempo and he was almost bouncing on his feet, like a cop on his first day of work.  I got the feeling that none of these guys knew what they were doing, but were trying to do it very fast anyway.  

'D'accord, d'accord, d'accord' 

The initial shock had worn off, and I now came to realize that these guys were a joke; they reminded me of a group of penguins bouncing about.  One of the guys wouldn't stop saying 'd'accord, d'accord, d'accord'. 

'What is this?!'

The guy was trying to figure out my passport stamps as fast as he could.

'uh, Costa Rica' 

'D'accord, d'accord, d'accord... And this!?'

'uh... The UK' 

'D'accord, D'accord, D'accord - and this?!' 

'uh (and I almost starting laughing) ...thats France.' 

The guy was about to be embarrassed, but as soon as I said 'France' the guy looking through my bag had yelled  the leaders name and was holding up a clear plastic bag full of pills. The leaders face had lit up, he jumped on his toes and quickly snatched them, he turned back to me and said, 

'What is this?!' 

He looked like a boy on christmas morning; he thought he had just made a bust. 

'...they're multi-vitamins'

'oh... Why are they in a bag?!' he was diving

'well, I'm traveling and it's more convenient then a -' 

'- D'accord, d'accord, d'acord'  he didn't even let me finish.  

As soon as the guy had finished searching through my bag they took off.  It all happened in less then two minutes, and I had a strange feeling that they had set themselves a time limit.  The guy who I had caught a ride with told me it was common in France and that to not worry about it. I thanked him again and he took off.  

He had left me at a toll station, which must have been a good place because as soon as I walked around I saw that there were a couple other guys hitchhiking too.  Two long haired frenchmen who were, and I probably wouldn't have thought about it if these guys hadn't suggested it, but instead of standing beside the road, these guys were sitting on the lane dividers between the toll booths, close enough to give the drivers high-fives as they went by.  

'Are you allowed to sit there?'

'haha who cares' 

It was good enough for me.

I ran in between the cars and climbed up onto a barrier.  I set my backpack up behind me, set up my sign, hung my legs over each side and laid back in the sun.  I almost didn't want to get picked up right away - I was having the best natural high just sitting there and smiling at the cars were passing me by.  Being a hitchhiker felt so good right then.  People were smiling and telling me that they were going the other way and that they wished they could give me a ride, and I told them that it was all right and wished them a good day.  I felt like I was on top of the world - I had just begun an adventure and couldn't have been happier.  My pal got a ride and I wished him well; two seconds later I got one too.  

The guy who picked me up told me that I was his first hitchhiker ever. 

You should have seen my grin.