Monthly Challenge, Road Trip, Travel, Globetrotters
My Most Epic Road Trip Ever
Country hopping the long way from Europe to Africa
Since Globetrotters opened their monthly August Challenge with the keyword of “Road Trip” it got me thinking about my best road trip adventures. I’ve done a lot of road tripping in my life and still have stories to write about. I’m calling this one my most epic because of the duration, places I visited, and people I met along the way.
Norway to Sweden
It started out in Drammen, Norway where I was living with a boyfriend in the early 1990s. I had moved there from Orange County, California.
He was a piano musician originally from Bulgaria. He mostly did gigs at piano bars all over Norway but he also took on gigs in other countries. He got an offer for a gig in Spain and Namibia. He asked if I wanted to come along, “sure!” I said eagerly. In those days I never planned travel too much. I took on the adventure willingly.
My boyfriend had a silver Citroen station wagon. It was an older model, very cool looking (sorry I don’t have photos because we didn’t have mobile/cell phones back then). It was the kind of vehicle that could ride on three wheels if you were to lose one. Very James Bond-ish. Luckily, we kept all four wheels during our multi-country journey.
Sweden to Copenhagen to Germany
Leaving Drammen, we drove south to the Capital of Oslo. From there we drove to Malmo, Sweden to catch an auto ferry to Copenhagen. It was awesome to cruise through the Norwegian countryside and Southern Sweden. Lots of tall pine trees and open roads.
It was the first time I took an auto ferry. It held something like 500 vehicles. It was huge. Upon arrival in Copenhagen, we set off towards Hamburg, Germany where we were to visit a friend of his for a few days.
Stopped in France
The next several hours were a blur as we sped along a highway to get to our next destination of Sevilla, Spain. We were stopped somewhere in France at 3 am by the police. They said we were speeding. We probably were but I was asleep. The French Police woke me up by shining a light in my eyes. They insisted my boyfriend open the back up so they could look through our stuff. When they realized he had his electric piano in one of the big cases, they let us go on our way.
Our first overnight stop was to visit another friend of his in Toulouse, France. From there we drove through Andorra, stopping only for a quick bite to eat at a cafe. From cool mountain air to the rolling plains of Eastern Spain, the road was endless. It quickly became much warmer too.
Sevilla, Spain
By the time we reached Sevilla, I was exhausted. Fortunately, we stayed in a wonderful big house that belonged to the Bulgarian Ambassador to Spain. We met up with yet another longtime friend of his who was also a musician. The two jammed at some informal concerts together. It was fun.
Sofia, Bulgaria
The next stop he had in mind was to fly to see his family in Sofia, Bulgaria. He wanted them to meet me. He gave his car to someone to drive it back home. Meanwhile, we flew to Sofia (my first time there) and I met his family. His brother and sister-in-law owned a cafe in Sofia. They also owned a Lada.
Those two things stuck out in my memory because the cafe had a toilet in the basement that was a squatty-potty. Another first for me was using one of those. Ew. I digress. The Lada was memorable because it’s the Russian version of a basic car, like a German VW. It was very generic. They made a lot of jokes about it. We also visited a GUM department store in Sofia which is a Russian-owned chain store. It had a lot of empty shelves and what was on shelves was sparse junk. It was weird.
Bulgaria to Egypt to Zimbabwe to Botswana to Namibia
From Sofia, we were to fly to Namibia stopping along the way in more countries. We had a 5-hour layover in Cairo, Egypt but didn’t get off the plane. We then flew to Harare, Zimbabwe, and had several hours for a layover. We met a nice British couple who offered for us to come over to their place for a drink and a rest. I was already tired and had to pass on the offer to smoke a joint with them.
Later, we got back on a flight to Gaborone, Botswana. It was shocking as we got off the plane to be met with military soldiers in green fatigues and black berets, carrying rifles. It was just how they did security. They opened our luggage up and messed up the interior contents. They then made us fix it all back up.
Our last leg of this 30-hour adventure was flying into Windhoek, the Capital of Namibia. Fortunately, we were staying for 3 weeks at the house of an editor of a leftist newspaper. Windhoek was really an interesting experience. (I’ll have to write about it someday) From the many people I met, to the drive we took all the way through the Namib desert to the city of Swakopmund on the Skeleton Coast. We saw pods and pods of dolphins there. It was amazing.
Our luggage was also rifled through by airport security at the Windhoek airport. It wasn’t until the next day I discovered my jewelry roll was missing. I was only carrying inexpensive jewelry, like a gold necklace and bracelet. It all disappeared somewhere along the way. I don’t know which *airport security* may have taken it. (I did file an insurance claim when I got back home to California and was reimbursed).
Partying in Windhoek
Our adventure in Windhoek also included partying with the nephew of South Africa’s former President Botha. He was amongst other notables we dined and hung out with at the Casablanca bar and restaurant where my boyfriend was playing. Even the violinist from the band, ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) came in for a visit one night. I didn’t know who he was until my boyfriend introduced me.
One night, there was a rowdy group of people at one of the tables. It turned out they were Americans visiting Namibia. I found out one girl was from Orange County, California. She was with a group of students who were planning to go to Cape Town, South Africa which is only 14 hours away.
Tragedy in South Africa
I didn’t think much more about the students until the following year when a news story broke out about a young woman being killed by a mob in Cape Town. They had dragged her from a car and smashed her head with bricks and stabbed her to death.
I was stunned to slowly realize this was one of the young women that had sat at the table at the Casablanca Bar in Windhoek. I learned that from the people I stayed with in Windhoek.
I had stopped traveling by 1993 as my boyfriend and I broke up while living in Orange County, California. I was working full-time so couldn’t afford to travel. It didn’t stop my wanderlust and curiosity, however. Eventually, I went on to travel again.
As for my most epic road trip ever, can you see why it left an impression upon me?
