Exchange Madrid & Hitchhike Hamburg
Last year 14 lugians travelled to Madrid to participate in the exchange with ESTIEM local group Madrid. For five days we were going to explore the city and visit the friends we made in November, when 12 Madrilenos visited Groningen. Madrid having the reputation of a city with a vibrant nightlife, delicious hams and a lot of culture, in combination with the astonishingly cheap price for transport, accommodation, food ánd activities; this seemed like an offer we couldn’t refuse.
The first night set the tone for the rest of the week, starting with some cheap beers to get us going. After this we went to the famous club ‘Teatro Kapital’, a 7 floor high nightclub, each with a different music genre. As the next day started with a lot of Hangover ESTIEMers, the exchange continued with a lot of awesome activities like riding a beer bike, visiting a game of Real Madrid, having a BBQ in the spanish countryside and of course exploring the nightlife Madrid has to offer.
All in all this week has been an unforgettable experience. The interaction with students from another country gets you to look at things in another perspective and understand other cultures better.Besides that you see much more of a city, when you get shown around by locals. It is also really awesome that after one week it already feels like you have been friends with these people for a long time. A week of partying can be done everywhere, but a week of parties in one of the biggest cities of Europe, cheap activities and accommodation, with locals that will turn into friends is only possible with ESTIEM!
If you think this is something you would like to experience as well, don’t hesitate and sign up for this year’s exchange to Bucharest!
With 16 people we began our challenging journey at 8 am at the Grote Markt. Eight couples with fresh hopes, about to experience both the joy and the struggles of hitchhiking. Some of us well prepared and others a little bit less. Packed with our cardboard and list of challenges for on the road we split up to get to the best spot for hitchhiking. Our destination; Hamburg!
In 3 hours all teams left the city of Groningen, without any help of the back up cars. Surprisingly most of us were dropped of at the German border at a specific raststätte. We have selfies to prove it. The first couple already arrived in hamburg around the time of 12.30 pm, lucky bastards. They enjoyed some beers on a lovely terrace the rest of the afternoon. The last couple reached the finish line at 6.30 pm. Only two couples required help of the back up cars.
The main takeaway of hitchhiking? It is definitely more fun than you think! You will always find nice people to give you a ride. Think about this: if you are a dull person you won't pickup some stranger. However, if you're nice and outgoing you enjoy company in your car!
With the group being complete again, we could focus on the upcoming evening. We were welcomed by the local ESTIEM group of Hamburg at their faculty building. we enjoyed the diner they prepared for us and after that the international night started. All sorts of ‘pong’ and ‘stress’ related games took place. At a certain point we decided everyone was ‘on level’ and we headed towards the clubs. Hamburg has a surprising night life, very "gezellig". After some minor research everybody found their way back to the hostel. The next day we did some sightseeing in the city and played games at the terrace.
The picture above is from the Altstersee a lake in the middle of Hamburg. Fountains, swans and boat tours fill the water and create a great atmosphere in the centre of this great city.
We were all amazed by the fact that hitchhiking is still possible, people do pick you up! Some of the couples even shared a ride in 6 cars that day. We all got a little sneak peak into the lives of the people that were so hospitable to let us ride with them. However, most of the fun came from sharing the stories we experienced on the road.
