Transporter 5

4:30am Berlin 
The transporter wakes up. He had a short night and he knows the day will be a long day. On his agenda a lot of packages to pick up. One first at Treptower Park with the mission to escort him - yes, this time the transporter is only taking car of dudes - to a remote and secure location on the side of Lake Geneva.

9:30am Geneva airport
The head, mind and body in the clouds we reach safely Switzerland. Next stop the rental car desk. Gps destination entered, we are on the road, fifth way of transportation for today after my feet, S-Bahn, airplane, bus and now a car.

We cross the city of Geneva, we soon cross the border, we are in France.

11:57am Evian
We are in France but there are German flags everywhere, a little Vichy touch I thought, but no, only the Mannschaft having of head quarter an hotel in Evian during the European Cup starting next week.

A photo posted by jeremie Gerhardt (@mrbonsoir) on Jun 3, 2016 at 3:26am PDT

There is market in town, my German package is easily attracted by all the cheese producers offering to try everything. I almost have to drag Steffen - let's call this package Steffen for convenience - out of the market place or all of our € would have been spend in a few secondes in cheese and saucisson. But really who can blame him?

One jack-jack cable for the car,  café and croissant, water from the source later and we are back on track. Next stop is the parking place of Intermarché in Lugrin to meet the local.

1:56pm Lugrin
We meet another big dude - let's call him JB for convenience - for another mission: to buy food for three days and seven people. Challenge accepted.

2:43pm Meilleirie
At home first before the rest of the group, the mission is to prepare the house. Our host JB uses all his electronic skills and fingers to bring light to the flat. Gipsy mission accomplished!

First beer, first cheese, first rondelle de saucisson and first jump into the water. It's fresh, so fresh but at least we know we are still alive. 10h before I was struggling to leave my bed in Berlin, now I'm struggling to not lose a finger toe in Lake Geneva but I'm definitively awake.

Then three more people arrive, only one is missing, that will be the last mission for the transporter today. For now people arrive from France and Germany, the last package will be picked up in Switzerland close to the French border arriving from Austria by train. For the first time I will have crossed three times a border.

10:00pm
I lost track on what are doing, mainly we talk - the people here almost all met in Norway about ten years ago - drink some stuffs, eat good stuffs, take pictures, watch Lausanne under the rain when we are not. We hope the weather will be fine for tomorrow as we plan to go higher in the mountain.

A photo posted by jeremie Gerhardt (@mrbonsoir) on Jun 15, 2016 at 3:48am PDT

Barcelona in less than 15 hours

Preparing your trip
What is slowly becoming a reflex when I'm traveling to a new or known destination is first to check if there is an available spotted by locals guide. Then to buy the app and/or check the online version and finally contact the local bloggers to see if any of them has some time to share with me once I reach their city. I did that last year for Boston, New-York and last earlier this month for Copenhagen. This time - it was a first time  in Barcelona - I had the chance to meet one of the spotters (Cynthia website in Spanish) and to be guided in the city without thinking if I had to turn right or left, I just had to talk and to follow.

First evening in town

I met Ana Cynthia in front of the Liceu theater. The central pavement is almost full of people. I'm looking around watching the people. On the other side of the street an inevitable bachelor party group. English men this time, what a fun evening to be drunk with your buddies. The future happy married man in underwear completely wasted, laying on the ground when his friends are gently beating him, so much fun.

Then my tour starts. I have a very short introduction to Barcelona and the old city district. Slaloming between the small streets, places and churches and arriving in front of the first bar. It's closed. No worries the city seems to be full of other options. Some meters away we enter the passage for a first real stop at the Bar Pasajes.

We were two, then beer glasses and olives came, then we were three, then there was live music in the second bar, it was crowded, then we left because hungry and the bar was empty of food, then we were surrounded by tapas and spoiler alert we won. I don't say that one or two tapas pieces left the table alive, but 95% did finish in our stomachs.

First Saturday in town

A very nice thing with the Spotted by Locals app - and i'm not only saying that because I'm part of Berlin team - when you are traveling in foreign country - and what is a foreign country when you are already living a foreign country - is that you have all information offline. The great advantage is that you look less like a tourist, you still look like a compulsive smartphone user for sure but it's becoming tricky to sort between tourists and locals addicted to their phone. You can browse the city map stored offline on your device without stress, you always know where you are.

Let's say you are at the under-construction cathedral, it's full of ugly tourists including myself, you walked around, took pictures and you want to run away as soon as possible to your next destination. No stress, take one road that inspires you, especially the one without tourists, walk some minutes and delicately check on your app if you are going in the right direction. You already look like a local and soon people will ask you their way.

Now it's time to reach the airport, I could hang around for still one hour but I feel frustrated to not be able to move as I usually do, which means with my bike. I got to the airport bus, some minutes later I'm entering the terminal and quickly start to put some words down about the last 15 hours. A lot to tell.

Berlin express

Béziers Marseille en ter avec de la place, tout baigne.

Marseille Nice en ter avec plus une place, tout baigne, dans la sueur, la ventilation ne fonctionne plus. Après deux heures les contrôleurs daignent ouvrir les fenêtres, c'est trop aimable.

A Nice je saute dans la navette de justesse. J'attrape mon avion.

Vol Easyjet sans encombres. Ma voisine teutonne me parle tout le long du trajet, en allemand. Première conversation dans la langue de Goethe depuis un mois, ça marche encore! Joie.

S-Bahn en travaux en arrivant à Berlin. Mais chaleur d'été sympathique, très content de rentrer à la maison.