Mollie Guidera & Caroline Von Konig | Guest contributors
Team #9’s adventure started two years ago when Mollie Guidera and Caroline VK met on the Camino De Santiago, a VDP trip which led them through the French route, and into the open hearts of strangers. Their journey and friendship through college continued, tinged with the bittersweet and rapidly looming final destination – graduation.
How does one brace one’s self for what there is to come? ‘Jailbreaking’ out of Trinity and getting a taste of the ‘real’ world seemed like the best dress rehearsal you can possibly get. Hopefully life after Trinity will be just as magical as the Scottish highlands.
So it was decided. They would yet again throw on the backpacks and attempt a second pilgrimage. Destination? Wherever human kindness would lead them.
Some say big dreams need big plans, but Moll and Caro VK set off with a good breakfast instead.
First of all it lead them to BusÁras, where Pat Walsh, Bus Éireann legend, got them last minute on a bus to Belfast. En route they met team #33. Discovering that all four of them had been keen pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela at some stage, any initial thought of rivalry and competition was abandoned. However their ways had to part, as #33 was headed to Italy – or so they thought. Fate had it that they missed their flights by seconds, and their plan B was to call team #9 and meet them at the ferry port. After Stena Line agreed to let all four pilgrims continue their journey to Scotland for free, there was no doubt about it – team #42 had been born.
Welcome aboard! It’s time to treat yourself. After having been fed, they met Frank McNulty (Chief Officer), who opened his heart to the four jailbreakers. Attempting to complete the Gumball Challenge, not only were they invited to hang out with the Captain McMillan on the bridge, they also got to complete challenge #22 – going for a swim. After observing the rough seas, Frank took pity on them and brought them to the Spa. Jacuzzi time. He then kindly organized a visit to the Truckers Lounge, hoping to organise a hitch hike – apparently once you are stuck in Cairnryan you are literally stuck. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to be going anywhere into deeper Scotland. Then they bumped into Thomas, their saviour, who couldn’t have been any kinder, and took a detour, rife with philosophical chat, to drop them right in the centre of Glasgow. After an appeal on facebook, a friend’s friend had offered them a couch to crash on… But alas Brian and Domhnall from team #33 (who got a different hitch hike) called them up with the tempting offer to join them to go to Edinburgh. Domhnall’s brother was on a holiday there with his football team and kindly offered the floor of his hotel room. The decision was made within seconds – off they went to the train station. ScotRail appeared to have a ‘No Jailbreakers’ policy, but they were lucky – Richard Savory, Station Manager, turned out to be more sweet than savoury and played his connections to get them on the next train.
Scotland had beaten Italy in the Six Nations and spirits were high everywhere. Hoping to take advantage of this and collect some sterling they shook their bucket. Luck again was on their side and they met Lee. He enquired where they were hoping to go. Judging Orkney Islands to be just a little too ambitious they said maybe Aberdeen? Lee had a better idea: He handed them his business card and made a phone call. Turns out he owned a hotel in St Andrews and in the blink of an eye he booked them a room for Sunday night. Any vague plans on reaching the tip of Scotland were abandoned – Their final destination was deemed to be the home of golf.
Thus they decided to take it easy the next day and spend it discovering the capital- Edinburgh Castle, The Elephant House, also known as the birth place of Harry Potter, a lot of snow and a third jailbreaker team – John and Dan from team #19. More Bantiago. After the short bliss of a jailbreaker reunion 216 miles from home, all three teams decided to go separate ways. ‘¡Bueno Camino! ¡Qué nuestros caminos se crucen de nuevo en Dublín!’ (May our ways cross again in Dublin!)
Having gotten everywhere and everything for free so far, they assumed getting to St Andrews should be a piece of cake. But alas- it was a Sunday and no high authorities were there to listen to their pleas. Desperation was reached and they almost didn’t have to fake their tears. Luckily Frank, the Ferry God, had donated 20 pounds meant specifically for situations like this, and not charity. Kate, an old school friend, who had kindly accompanied them to the bus stop donated the few missing pounds to get the girls on the road. Having gotten so far, failing was not an option.
They reached St Andrews and had just enough time to discover the beauty of Scotland’s oldest University town before it got dark. Luckily both of them had a friend studying there who – as luck would have it – were acquaintances. Not only were they treated to dinner and drinks but also did they get a chance to enter the house Kate& William lived in together as students. Sure, why not?
This brought the 36h to an end. All they had left to do now was to make it back home. Preferably for free and soon. Paying for flights was not an option so they attempted it the same way they came. Cruising cross-country and braving the sea. Bus to Edinburgh. Bus to Cairnryan. Ferry to Belfast (Stena Line were baffled as to where they had left their other halves). Hitch-hike to the Bus station (Thank you to Raymond and Florence from the Bladnoch Whiskey Distillery) and then at last, a free bus, destination: HOME, bringing the journey time up to exactly 60 hours. 60 hours and no money spent (ok, ok they did pay for some food and drink). 60 hours during which they rediscovered their faith in humanity. It’s astonishing how far a bright green T-Shirt from the future can get you in the name of charity. If in 2103 people are still as kind as the kindness Jailbreak brought to light, maybe we are not all doomed after all.
