My plan for Easter was to visit a friend in Berlin. The last time I came here with my study abroad program he was back in Colombia, so it wasn't possible to see each other until now. To get to Berlin, I used a means of transportation I'm not used to, nor very comfortable using.Yet, being young and adventurous, why not given a try?
What I'm talking about is called Mitfahrgelegenheit. People who are driving from one city of Germany to another post their info on a website so that other people who need a ride there can call them. I was not very comfortable with the idea of riding with a stranger, especially after I told my parents of my plan and they almost flipped out. However, Juan, my friend in Berlin said it was completely safe. So I asked Vera, one of my Freiburger friends, to call these people for me, since my German is still not that good and having things clear setting up these things is vital. I got a round-trip from Freiburg to Berlin for 75 euros. I had looked into buying a train ticket about a week ago, but because I waited for so long to book it and it's Easter, the cheapest price I could get was 163 euro. The difference was abysmal. Also, the train ride takes 6 hours, while the ride take 8 (theoretically). The balance tipped in favor of the Mitfahrgelegenheit, so I took it.

I met the people who were riding with me on Good Friday morning in front of the Hauptbahnhof. Thomas was the driver, and he signaled me to sit up in the front seat. The other three girls knew each other, so they had taken the back seat already. Half an hour after we departed, an uncontrollable lethargy began to overcome me. I tried to be a good co-pilot, struggling to stay awake, but it was pointless. We made a bathroom stop and switched drivers to Anja, one of the girls seating in the back. We had short conversation about what was I doing in Germany and her summer plans in South America, when sleep started firing all its artillery to take me over, again. I surrendered shortly afterwards. Every now and then I opened my eyes, but for short periods of time. However, I noticed the signs on the road said Karlsruhe and Munich.

My brief knowledge of German geography made think that we might be going the wrong way, since Karlsruhe is only an hour away from Freiburg (we had been driving for 2 hours at this point) and Munich is to the southeast of Germany, while Berlin is Northeast. I dismissed my worries and thought maybe they knew what they were doing. I was a study abroad kid that barely knew the language and surely knew much less about driving in Germany.

The next bathroom break we made Thomas and I stayed inside drinking some coffee while the girls were outside smoking. I asked him how long would it take to get to Berlin, and he said probably 5-6 hours. According to my math, we had been driving for 4 or 5 hours already, so we couldn't be just halfway to Berlin. The reason, Anja got lost. While Thomas and I slept, Anja had taken a wrong turn started driving BACK to Freiburg!!

The rest of the ride was uneventful. I got to Juan's house safe and sound and without any complications, except the 2 hour delay on the road. I guess the lesson to be learned from this is not to fall asleep in when you're shotgun, or seat in the back. And if you think things are not right...you might always know better than a local stranger.