21. Security

I ask a lady in her garden if she can refill my water bottle. We chat for a while, she offers me a bed and food, but I am stuffed and I have much more to travel that evening. I don't see the cosy sleep as worth the extra kilometres that I will have to do each day if I chose to stop here. Additionally, though she and her boyfriend are very nice, I don't see anything of any extra-intrigue here so feel that a stop would also fail to provide a journalistic pay-off. I opt to set off down the road with my water, off to do another 40km and sleep on some wet grass somewhere instead.

As always, the country road is pitch black. A pretty neat side-effect of this holiday is that I seem to have now overcome any fear of the dark countryside I once had, and cycling for dozens of kilometres without being able to see 2m in front of me is becoming a much less harrowing experience. A car drives up behind me and starts to slow down. I realise I lied when I said I have over come any fear of the dark countryside I once had, as my mind now starts viscously conjuring up a range of ideas regarding what the psychopath in that car is about to do to me. The car honks at me twice in the middle of the long and empty lane. A car door opens, then slams and I hear heavy footsteps clumping after me. "Hey!" a woman's voice shouts, and I turn around to see the woman from before. She shoves a load of euros into my hand and says she was worried for me. She insists that I should go stay with her as it's raining. I let myself calm down a little, then decide that I can't refuse this level of hospitality and follow her back. While cycling I realise she has given me 30 euros, I am blown away.

The evening is spent drinking wine in their garden while I teach them how to play contract whist. It's very pleasant, I feel very comfortable and the situation contrasts very strongly with all my previous nights, feeling like a much welcomed slither of normality. Though then again, I'm sure for them it probably wasn't so normal. In fact it probably seemed rather unusual having me there, drinking their alcohol, sleeping in their house and teaching them card games. Regardless, it was a merry time and enjoyed by all.

Morning comes and I have a lovely breakfast in their sunny garden. I give them a hug, and set off to continue with 80 euros now in my pocket all together and only 3 days left. It seems money won't really be a problem anymore.