Meet interesting people on the road

this article is dedicated to all those who have helped me during the journey.

the views of all my friends in this article do not represent mine. I have no intention of hacking who praises whom. I just write it down. I have no intention of belittling or praising anyone in any group. I like all the friends mentioned, otherwise, I won't write. Judge others is the most boring thing. Thank you.

half a year ago, on January 20th, after an 11-hour flight, I arrived at Berlin TXL Airport alone.

at that time, I was carrying a backpack and a laptop bag in my hand. After eleven hours of flight, I reached the peak of exhaustion both physically and mentally. iPhone had plenty of electricity, so I took out 5 euros, bought a bottle of Coke from the vending machine at the airport, and put it online again and again, anxiously waiting for the next connecting flight.

almost exactly five months later, my friends and I had breakfast in Dubai and rushed to the airport.

the outdoor temperature in Dubai reached 44 degrees in June. We got out of the car and hurried into Terminal T1. Eight hours passed quickly when the two were drinking coffee and playing games on steam in costa coffee. I arrived at Kunming Airport seven hours later, and I returned to Hangzhou that night.

it takes five months to say whether it is long or short. In the past six months in Europe, I have been to more than 40 cities in 21 countries, 17 of which have traveled alone. Although Europe is beautiful, I have encountered the most beautiful scenery along the way. But they are people who meet by chance but forget about rivers and lakes.

for my first trip to Europe, I chose Poland and Hungary. In Auschwitz, I sat next to a boy with an Asian face in the car from Camp one to Camp two. I have a lot of experience in distinguishing the looks of East Asians. After taking a closer look, I feel that I am not Japanese or Korean, so I tentatively asked: "where r u from" he looked at my "TAIWAN"

this section is not long. After getting off the bus, I said goodbye, and I rejoined the tour guide.

after the visit, I waited at the bus stop in Krakow, only to find that the round-trip ticket I bought did not belong to the company. However, I miraculously found this boy again. He paid for the bus ticket of 13 zlotys for me, and I transferred the money to him with Alipay.

I ate a delicious Polish meal in one of the most famous restaurants in Krakow, without chatting. He is now a dentist in the Czech Republic, has a two-year master's degree at Peking University, and then travels around Europe after the final exam. He used to be an exchange student at my university, and he also has a lot of friends in our school. Having been on the mainland for many years, he is also a veritable backpacker.

"The last time I was in a very small city in Henan, because I didn't book a hotel before I arrived, I had no place to stay in the middle of the night. I was scared half to death when I saw a motorcycle on the way, which scared me half to death. I finally followed them to stay for one night. Fortunately, I haven't lied to me yet.

"it's actually quite safe to go to Rome, but I suggest you buy a password lock and just lock up your school bag. Don't laugh, you'll be like me."

"two days in Prague is enough, but in three days I suggest you go to the Human Bone Church."

Zhejiang University is fine, but I just don't like those Koreans.

"in fact, in recent years, I feel that the development of the mainland is better than that of Taiwan. Taiwan has some excessive democracy and feels that its development is stagnant."

it was dark early in Krakow. After dinner, we added FB to each other, and then we went back to our homes. This is the first time I have had the feeling of meeting by chance but never seeing each other again in Europe, and it was the Taiwanese who talked most when I was traveling alone in Europe. Maybe it's because solo travel and youth travel are not particularly popular on the mainland, so every time I want to chat and see Chinese faces and say hello, I tell them that they are from Taiwan.

on the shuttle bus from Krumlov to Halstadt in the Czech Republic, I met a Taiwanese couple who were on their honeymoon. My husband, a 37-year-old civil servant who graduated from National Taiwan University, had been chatting with me on the bus for four hours. From the history of Taiwan's Japanese occupation to Yang Dechang, he kept telling me that he envied me being a backpacker in Europe when I was 20 years old. Smiled and said, "but I can't improperly belittle myself. Do you know Cai Yuanpei?" He only went abroad for the first time at the age of 40.

"Taiwanese have mixed feelings about Japan. On the one hand, they have a feeling of being ruled, and on the other hand, they feel that the development of the Japanese occupation era is better than that of the Chiang Kai-shek era."

finally, when he arrived in Halstad, he said to me very seriously, "Thank you so much for telling me so much. It's fate to meet you in such a small car. I also see the hope of young people from the mainland in you."

naturally, I dare not receive such high-standard praise. I can only say, "there are too many young people like me on the mainland."

I am not very sensitive to other people's political beliefs, so I have never asked the Taiwanese about their identity with the mainland. However, all Taiwanese, whether they are the 40-year-old middle-aged woman I met in Austria, the young man who resigned to take the ancient road of Santiago in Paris, or the uncle who drove himself around the Icelandic island, of them gave me the common impression of being very polite and friendly.

Unfortunately, I missed a train to Vienna. After buying a ticket, I found that I could not read the train timetable at all. There is indeed a gap between the English proficiency of Austria and Germany and the Nordic where I live. However, I have had some experience in finding someone who knows English. I saw a blond young man in a trench coat. Look. Look like a student, that's it.

he is studying for a master's degree in biochemistry at the University of Vienna, and he is going back to school that day. Of course, the topic along the way is bound to be discussed in Austria, but what he is most interested in is the story about China

getting on the train, which happens to be the place where the train from Halstadt to Vienna changes. Tourists were in a hurry rushing to the next place with large bags and small bags, so a small station was suddenly crowded with Asians.

"I don't know why there are so many Asians in such a small station in my house. There is nothing to see here."

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"Why do Chinese girls always wear masks when they play outside?"

"I know that Chinese generally uses the character to express objects, but the character is limited, how to use them to express new things? Build a new one? "

Austrians, like Germans, always keep a straight face and do not know how to be flexible. However, just as Nordic people are generally believed to be aloof, this so-called national character is more about strangers. If you break through the wariness between people, then you will find that the people of the world are probably enthusiastic.

in March, there was ankle-deep snow on the ground in Stockholm. My cat was watching kindle in the Youth Brigade, and there was an American in the lower bunk. He has a master's degree in Upenn and is now spending his gap year in Europe.

while chatting, the conversation naturally turned to Trump.

"you're right. It seems you still know something. I'm from New York, and New York is a blue state, but have you seen Mexican and Hispanic illegal immigrants in the United States?" They are a very serious problem. If Hillary Clinton is elected, I don't know how to control the current situation. Look at Europe, as you can see, Swedes advocate freedom very much, but what have refugees done to law and order in Sweden? I didn't vote, but if I did, I would have voted for Trump. "

my dad did vote, he voted for the Republican Party, but not because he supported Trump, he has always been a Republican supporter.

"and it's really scary, why are people who support Trump considered abnormal on Facebook? This is not what a democracy should have. Why should support for a presidential candidate be suppressed? "

I met a lot of Americans on the road. Although it is a famous immigrant and multi-ethnic country, whether it is the YMCA members who stopped me to chat when I came home from classes on the streets of Sweden, the backpackers I met at the Youth Brigade in Prague, or the Mexican people I met in Prague, Americans should show enthusiasm and extroversion.

I have also met southern Europeans.

I used the ride-sharing software blablacar from Zurich to Milan, accompanied by three Italians. The driver works in a Chinese company in Zurich, one passenger is a postdoctoral student in Zurich, and the other's experience is very interesting.

he is now studying for a master's degree at the famous ETH in Zurich (Einstein's alma mater and the best school in Europe outside the UK), but he is studying for a double degree at Tongji and will return to Shanghai in September to continue his studies.

"I have been to Henan, Hunan, the ancient city of Phoenix in Hunan, Henan? I have been to Shaolin Temple. Oh, of course, I have been to Hangzhou, and I have also been to Beijing. Well, I have also been to Shaanxi, not Shanxi or Xi'an? To Xi'an "

" Yes, I made a 24-hour green car to Phoenix with my backpack alone.

"my favorite food in China is Spicy Hot Pot. Yes, you're right, it's not sanitary. In China, you need to be careful."

"of course, we Italians like to talk. Swiss and Germans are very boring. When I first came to Zurich, I could even hear the sound of the engine on the bus." Oh, you live in Sweden? They are even less like us, we are always (a gesture to speak on the lips).

"if you are homesick, you can have a look at Chinatown in Milan, where there is a lot of food, but those things are not very authentic, everything is still according to Italian taste, such as fried rice with bacon."

"see the dark clouds in front of you? That's Milano, that's my home, but Mmmmm.... "

Southern Europeans naturally know how to enjoy life. Getting up at ten o'clock for a meal of brunch, having dinner at nine o'clock in the evening, and going to bed at one or two o'clock in the morning seems to be a routine. Even when I was staying near Rossio Square in Lisbon, I was often woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of a fight outside the window. Northern Europeans do not think highly of southern Europeans as uneducated and lazy. Despite the economic downturn, everything in southern Europe is lovely, as charming as the beautiful sunshine of Andalusia.

I also see a lot of friendly and enthusiastic South Americans.

while walking in the streets of Copenhagen, two people shouted "china!" I know a little Spanish, so I think you're calling me.

it's not common to call a stranger chatting in the streets of northern Europe, so I froze for a moment.

"I am Brazilian, he is Colombian, and you are Beijing? Shanghai? Hong Kong? Oh, I don't know that place.

"Oh goodbye, good luck, give me a high five".

"Oh, missed, one more".

"good luck again!"

Vueling is booked from Barcelona to ZurichAir's morning flight, however, has been vaguely worried about the city, which is said to have the largest number of thieves in Europe.

there is a Libyan and a German in the room with Youth Travel Service ("I am from Cologne, I don't like Munich, we never wear those weird clothes and we don't drink that much beer"), when a boy, an Argentine, comes in.

as usual, it is a routine greeting and inquiry. When asked where to leave Barcelona, he said, "Oh, I'm flying to Zurich the day after tomorrow."

is it such a coincidence? Coincidentally, he was on the same plane as me.

"Barcelona at four o'clock is nothing to me," he said leaning against the railing on the bus. "but it's different for you. I speak Spanish and I've been here many times."

"I was in Andorra, you know, a country on the border between France and Spain as a waiter, and then went to do snowball work for a ski resort somewhere."

"Ah, not much income, 1300 euros a month".

"I went to Switzerland to find my girlfriend. Yes, Zurich is expensive, but you earn a lot if you work there."

"my girlfriend can speak German and French, just like me, my English is not good, no, you speak very well, you speak very fast, it seems very fluent, yes."

it is sometimes a pleasure to be praised for being good at English abroad.

there are many Argentines, and I have seen them in Prague.

"I am Argentine, but I was born in Italy and went to university in Italy."

"I'm working all over Europe. I'm running a bar in Prague. I've been living here recently, yes. Mmmmm I recently saw an expansion of the airport in Madeira. In the past, only highly skilled pilots could go there, but now it's all right. I'm going to open a hotel there.

"Ah, yes, Cristiano Ronaldo's hometown. I was an Inter fan. I watched the Champions League that year. I went to the scene and played Arsenal. I smiled helplessly at the end of the speech."

similar to their sovereign state, Portugal, Latin Americans have also shown enthusiasm and openness to the land. They do not care too much about the future, as long as they are happy every day, bask in the sun, and continue to play football.

of course, I have also met a lot of black people. What I remember most is that when I went to Stockholm for the third time,

he was a South African. When I learned that I was Chinese, I couldn't help but open the chatterbox.

"I have been to Beijing and Shanghai, oh, many Chinese people are too racist".

"When I was shopping at the Nanjing convenience store, the salesperson followed me and looked at me strangely as if I were going to steal!"

"I took a taxi in Beijing, and my friend told me about 50, but the driver charged me 300?"

"My friend teaches English in Nanjing. He is also black. No parents take his class. They all want whites to teach their children."

"my friends and I go out to play at night. They take us there. Is it KTV?" When I went up to the second floor, there came out a bunch of girls who took a catwalk. It turned out to be a place for prostitution. "

he muttered these words non-stop as if he had finally found a Chinese to listen to his story. He is my favorite black man, and I understand what happened to him. In an unfamiliar country, it is indeed an unbearable experience to be discriminated against. I met a lot of black people who couldn't buy tickets online because of my credit card. The scalper who sold tickets at the entrance of the Bernabeu Stadium was black, and the Canadian who had lunch with me in Madrid was black. The Englishman who told me about Barcelona and Amsterdam in the youth brigade room was also black. There are a lot of black people I don't like, and there are also many black people I like. Black people are very enthusiastic, but most of the time you have to be careful who takes the initiative to chat up and talk to black people. I'm not a racist, but I still want to make sure my wallet, cell phone, and passport won't be stolen. In any case, be vigilant, both black and white Asians.

the Youth Travel Service in Paris is owned by an old Korean couple who have been in Paris for 27 years and have opened a hotel in the 14th district.

maybe it's because the boss is Asian, so there are especially many Chinese and Koreans. I do not like Koreans very much. There are many Korean students in my school. They talk loudly in class and do not hand in their homework. Korean tour groups seen in Europe are generally not of high quality. I often hear a lot of Smecta in a very quiet place.

the boss and his wife are very friendly and the dinner prepared is delicious. After dinner, I took the plate to the kitchen, next to a middle-aged Korean mother. I didn't know what to do with the plate. I didn't know if I needed to wash it.

"you want to wash the dishes".

"would you like to wash the dishes?"

"I don't know, I don't work here" (then tell me why I want to wash dishes. Hello).

"well, it looks like the shopkeeper and his wife washed it yesterday."

"it's all right, I've washed it for you".

"Oh, no".

"I wash".

I smiled, and so did the boy from the Middle East. Compared with the polite but indifferent Japanese, there are some Koreans who are quite cute.

finally, let's talk about Chinese.

buying food in a small dining car in Vienna, I accidentally found that the shopkeeper was Chinese. After 20 years in Vienna, I first came to study abroad, and later I followed my parents to work in this dining car. He is from Qingtian, Zhejiang, the famous hometown of overseas Chinese businessmen.

"after all these years, Vienna because of the law and order of refugeesNo, I kind of want to go back.

the enthusiastic hostess wanted to tell me about a very cheap airline. As soon as I wrote eas on the paper, I said Easyjet. The shopkeeper nodded in surprise and smiled helplessly. "now the children are so good that they will check their tickets."

I saw an Asian face in Malta. He felt like a Chinese, but he was an American. When he was disappointed, he asked me where he came from. I said China, and he said to me in Chinese, "Ah?" You are Chinese.

his parents are from Shanghai. They went to study at New York University in the 1980s and have now returned home to live. He was born in the United States and is now a junior majoring in mathematics at Harvard University. he is now exchanging in Greece and traveling in Europe, where he has traveled to 51 countries.

"I didn't spend my parents' money when I came out. I do internships for $1w a month, not much. As students go to Silicon Valley for $2w a month."

"The internship salary in domestic companies is too low. I worked as an intern at HNA and only 3000RMB for one month."

"now I don't like to go to places with a large number of people, especially places with a large number of Chinese people. I like China very much, but many Chinese people are of poor quality. I buy a lot of things in duty-free shops everywhere and make a lot of noise. Santorini, you know? The above menus are all in Greek, English, and Chinese.

one of the strange and coincidental things is that a month after I left Malta, I saw him again in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Sometimes it feels like the world is big, but sometimes it feels small, doesn't it?

there are many interesting people and many people who have helped me. The innkeeper in bad goisbon confiscated my change for my anxious sake, and as I ran to the railway station, I was taken to the train station by a passing driver (I don't speak English but I guess you were going to the train station), and the youth brigade in Lisbon heard my roommate talking about how to speak cocaine out of Colombia and discuss Erdogan and his great Turkic ideal with the Turks on the night bus to Madrid. At Malmo's bus stop, I saw a black uncle who couldn't take a bus because he was short of one euro. He asked me in Chinese: where are you from in China? you met a Hong Kong working class who saved three years' salary to travel to Europe in Croatia.

there are also many touching things, such as the security brother at CPH airport catching up with me and returning the card bag I dropped. At the Paris subway station, I was reminded that I had lost my key. at the Copenhagen bus station, a young German fell to the ground crying because he missed the bus. Several Asians pooled a few hundred kroner to get him a new ticket home.

everything is fine. Travel is the process of meeting interesting souls on the road, over and over again. There are many interesting people in the world, and as the black brother I met in Sijing said, "people who travel are generally more open-minded, and they are more interesting."

stop-and-go in Europe, it's hard, but there are a lot of gains and a lot of opportunities to go to Europe, but only once at the age of 20. In any case, I may miss the person who sleeps with his head on the window of the night bus with his head on his back.

A person who travels alone is probably not too bad.