Today, I shouldered my smaller rucksack and set off on my trial trek. My adventuring spirit was slightly dampened when my father drove me half a mile down the road to a layby, but from there I was definitely my own beast, free from the shackles of family favours and connection, a leaf in the wind... I was picked up by two of my mother's work colleagues who recognised me from her photos. They took me a few miles down the road and deposited me by a junction. Then I realised that I stood under this sign:
Now, even I realised that people are unlikely to stop near an accident area, so I had to walk for a couple of miles before I found a long enough stretch of road to carry on thumbing. I was picked up by a nice Irish chap and his sleeping toddler. (I don't think the kid had any part in the decision process.) They droppee me in a local port town, with the logic that the cars getting off the ferry from Ireland would probably slow. We were wrong. After 45 minutes of nothing, a stroke of luck. One of my old friends, whom I'd not seen in years, drove past on her way to her new house in the outskirts of Glasgow. So we passed a very plenty hour or so catching up, and from there I caught a bus into Glasgow.
Once in Glasgow, I meandered in a straight line towards Costa to fill up on tea. Recharged the batteries with An Englishman's Breakfast Drug, then got some food and took it to the large Square in the city centre to share it - very vocally - with some pigeons. It was very fun to share my food with the little flying rat thingies, even if I did end up sharing more than I ate.
I met a bloke who is starting a 5-day block of 16 hour night shifts, and a barista who told me there was nothing interesting about her whatsoever. I wasn't convinced. Then, with the rain starting to hit places only I'm allowed to know about, I went my merry way to the hostel, where I sit now surrounded by interesting strangers.
I heard stories today; of being hit in the side of your car by two aggressive deer, of living in 3 different places in as many years, of a man's pre-work ritual, of a man who's child was in intensive care (and I didn't pry further). I'm still trying to work out how to say to people 'hello, I am interested in anything you say, so say stuff' without them thinking I am trying to sell things, but I'm getting there.
Tomorrow, greeting more old friends, searching for more stories, and meeting my first couch-surfing host!
Til' then.
I met a bloke who is starting a 5-day block of 16 hour night shifts, and a barista who told me there was nothing interesting about her whatsoever. I wasn't convinced. Then, with the rain starting to hit places only I'm allowed to know about, I went my merry way to the hostel, where I sit now surrounded by interesting strangers.
I heard stories today; of being hit in the side of your car by two aggressive deer, of living in 3 different places in as many years, of a man's pre-work ritual, of a man who's child was in intensive care (and I didn't pry further). I'm still trying to work out how to say to people 'hello, I am interested in anything you say, so say stuff' without them thinking I am trying to sell things, but I'm getting there.
Tomorrow, greeting more old friends, searching for more stories, and meeting my first couch-surfing host!
Til' then.