Trip 2015-16. Day 398. Hitchhiking from Germany to Portugal: Arlon - Longwy - Thionville - Metz - Bourg-en-Bresse - Lyon

Hitchhiking in France
Before my friend turned 30 a very kind driver saved us from freezing cold at an absolutely hopeless (non)hitchhiking spot somewhere in France. We also managed not to get a heart attack traveling for three hours with Bep, a 79-year old Dutch woman from Australia who hadn’t driven on the left side for 30 years.
Hitchhiking in France
She shared a lot of wisdom with us.

About life:
“If there’s a problem, there’s always a solution”

About the Holocaust:
- Mom, there're people crying there, you need to do something.
- No, Bep, these are animals.
They came back in the same cattle wagons and when I saw them getting off the train I said to my Mom:
- I told you, there were people there!
They were skeletons, literally skin on bones. They all had very long arms and legs. There were women with babies who looked like skinned rabbits.

About the war:
My father always said "Don't forget that Germans are our neighbours!". Through the whole war there were two Polish guys hiding in the attic of our house. My parents were in the resistance and in the end of the war helped also German deserters.

About the system:
- It’s not allowed!
- Yes, but it’s also not allowed to pee on the blue stones (as we used to say in Maastricht).

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