For the past few weeks, we've been receiving dispatches from Leon Logothetis, the star of the National Geographic Channel reality show, The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody. For the third season of the show, Leon attempted to cross Europe with only five euros a day, relying only on the kindness of strangers. So far, he's serenaded a folk singer for a ride, taken a dip in frigid lake waters in exchange for a room, and worried about being met at the Russian border by Kalashnikov-toting border guards. He rounds out his journey in his final post, below.
I am writing my final blog from an Internet café close to red square in Moscow. I am not sure whether I can believe it, but I actually crossed most of Europe relying entirely on the kindness of strangers. I must admit to still being in a state of shock about having arrived. I very nearly did not make it, but I will save this for later…
The last leg of my journey was spent predominately in Eastern Europe, and what a culture shock it was from the relative decadence of Western Europe. This has been my first foray into the east and was jam-packed with interesting people and bizarre experiences. I spent the night with a fetish designer who took me on a tour of her clothes factory and the local fetish scene. I was saved again by another American couple who took pity on me and let me stay in their hotel room on a fold-out bed. This little adventure was to take an interesting turn the next day as it became evident that the couple was traveling around Eastern Europe with a large group of students from the University of Texas-Pan American. It transpired that they were very interested in my little journey, so we made a deal: If they bought me a train ticket to Berlin, I would go to the university when I got back in June and give a series of lectures about my experiences. They accepted, and I am due at the university at the end of this month.
While on a train to Warsaw, I was stopped by the police for having my feet on the seats. Considering that I had not slept in 24 hours, I thought this was a rather harsh judgement, however, the local policeman felt differently, and I was fined 50 Polish zloty (approximately 15 euros). I managed to persuade the policeman to accept my five euros as I did not have any other money, and after some tense negotiations he agreed to my request. I was completely out of cash, and I am still not 100 percent sure if this policeman was in fact a policeman, but I was not about to argue with a man who had a gun.
As I traveled further east it, became harder and harder to
communicate, and I was truly ruing my lack of language skills. I was,
however, given a lifeline by a kind American lady in Prague who gave me
an Eastern European language translator. This little book came in very
handy, though it did not stop me from very nearly not making it to Red
Square at all. At the Russian border with Latvia it quickly became
clear that the crew did not have the correct documents for the
equipment to cross into Russia, and we were all denied entry. This was
obviously not good. I could not believe that I had traveled all this
way and then a bureaucratic mishap was going to scupper all my plans.
As I started to take all this in, I looked at the map and noticed that
there was another land crossing 90 kilometers farther north, so I decided to try
that crossing. However, this time I would only go through with Steve
the cameraman, one camera, and one microphone all strategically placed
in Steve’s luggage. The rest of the crew would have to go to Riga,
Latvia, as getting them through the border was practically impossible.
As we approached the second border crossing my nerves were jangling as
the reality of not being able to finish this journey was staring me in
the face. Being faced with Russian border guards looking like they had
never broken into a smile in their lives did not add to my mood.
After a nervous three hours, we finally made it through the border, and the journey could be completed.
During
my trip I have had the good fortune of meeting lots of fun, generous,
and inspiring people, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank
everyone I met along the way who made this whole trip possible. If not for them I would still be standing under the Eiffel Tower waiting for the sun to
return from behind the storm clouds. To everyone who helped me: know that you have made a true friend and that my house in is always open, should you want to pass on through.
The Amazing Adventures of a Nobody airs internationally on the National Geographic Channel, and on Fox Reality in the United States.
Photo: Above, Leon smokes a celebratory cigar in Moscow's Red Square. Below, Leon celebrates after he crosses the border into Russia. Courtesy Shankly Productions.
Sounds like you are having a great time. Good luck!
Posted by: Russia Cruises | August 02, 2008 at 01:26 PM