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The most legendary hitchhiking adventure the North has ever heard of
‘’The most legendary hitchhiking adventure the North has ever heard off’’, this is what Gijs, the former chairman of the hitchhiking committee, promised us last year. This adventure started on October the 30th. For a sum of ransom, we were able to go to the city with the big cathedral: this epic adventure went to Cologne.
Shivering and packed a group of thirty people stood near the Grote Markt at half past seven in the morning. Some inexperienced, others with many stories and a lot of skills. The cardboard plates were also very different in design. From complete artworks to illegible signs and spelling mistakes, everything was present. After Salwa got ahold of her first Ice, which she refused under loud moaning, the adventure could begin. All the couples started quickly. Ready for an unprecedented, exciting adventure.
Where the first hitchhikers were picked up after a few minutes, Mees and Tom had a little less luck. Tom's muscular body often caught the drivers' attention, which unfortunately did not work out well on this day. Photos of license plates kept passing and soon the hitchhikers noticed that a number of photos were missing. While many members were actively hitchhiking to Cologne, Maarten and hitchhiking partner Thessa turned out to be completely out of the direction. Maarten took the time to grab a coffee in his hometown, Emmen. Question marks popped up, but the competition had already begun. Charlotte and Brandon passed everyone in a second, so the tension was high. Maarten, who was meanwhile loading wheelchairs in for an elderly trip to Cologne, didn't care. In good spirits, Maarten had persuaded hitchhiking partner Thessa to join this elderly tour to Cologne, but unfortunately the pair did not have much luck. After a rejection from the bus driver on his well-considered plan, the two got on the train, completely against the rules.
Along the way the hitchhikers met all kinds of people. Flores and Christian found out that they were in the car of a supplier of pet food products, after a strange and grim telephone conversation, while Boyen and Eva were overwhelmed with information by the sound engineer from Sesamstraat on Tour. In addition, the crazy hitchhiking list, prepared by the former hitchhiking committee, was not forgotten. Sticking KIC stickers on bumpers and taking objects (with permission) out of cars, all kind of crazy assignments were done.
Where others were stuck in unknown places along the Autobahn, waiting for good luck, other teams had a fast pace. While half of the hitchhiking couples were already in sight of the finish and the other half were still trying to get the attention of drivers in every possible way, a photo of the hotel on behalf of Charlotte appeared in the group on WhatsApp at exactly 12:16 pm. The battle was over ... While Maarten had switched off his location facilities and Boyen was now lying under a cardboard sign, as a true wanderer on a bench, the res of the couples arrived around noon.
After a long afternoon, all the couples surprisingly enough, arrived in Cologne. One with a slightly larger smile than the other, but this did not spoil the fun. After a culinary meal at Vapiano, the pub crawl started.
The next morning hit differently for everyone. Some had seen the sun rise a few hours before, while others had a full night of sleep. After an extensive breakfast, the group gathered outside for a visit to the MAKK museum. In this overwhelming building, close to the Dom, there was a large collection of applied art. While Maarten imagined himself in his own childhood, many members were impressed by art that they would love to have in their student room.
After a lot of impressions and the necessary cappuccinos, it was time for a free afternoon. The sun was shining in the blue sky while everyone enjoyed all the beauty that Cologne has to offer. The day ended with a joint meal in a typical German restaurant, where the former hitchhiking committee spoke to us once more. Time passed and everyone went their own way. Part of the group settled down for a real "beauty night", which some men at KIC were not afraid of. Others once again joined Cologne's nightlife.
You could tell that there were double feelings during breakfast. Some of the group had already booked their train tickets back to Holland the previous day, while others were in good spirits (and occasionally with a little bit of fear) to once again embrace the hitchhiking adventure on their way to the familiar 050.
We want to thank the hitchhiking committee for this legendary adventure where we have pushed boundaries and especially enjoyed everything with each other. Thanks to them, we have had the opportunity to create new memories with a group of enthusiastic KIC members. We are still recovering a little bit, will you make sure that you will be there next year?
Eva Kraaijeveld - Editorial committee Study Association KIC
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