Gulliver’s travels, Plucky voyager takes in breathtaking sights

Mojacar made its mark this week on a young man embarking on the walk of a lifetime. Matthias Klima, a 19-year-old student from Bavaria set off on a cross-Europe walk last month. Starting at the rock of Gibraltar, he will finish the walk in the Turkish city of Istanbul and expects to arrive there sometime in September.

This week, the intrepid traveller arrived in Mojacar and enjoyed a walk along the paseo maritimo, taking in the views.

Klima told Euro Weekly News: “Mojacar is very beautiful and I enjoyed passing through the beach area.”  He added that he was surprised to find so many English people around the area.

During his walk along the beachfront, Klima stopped and chatted to some expatriates who took an interest in his adventure.

Mojacar resident Brad Swift, spent some time with the young walker and took photos to share on the Mojacar community forum.

Swift, a keen walker himself, described Klima as a “very determined young man” and wished him all the best on his travels.

Members of the Mojacar forum are figuring out how they can send Klima an ‘Indalo man,’ a symbol of Almeria, to bring him luck in his travels.

This is the second epic walk Klima has undertaken, having completed a walk across the United States last year. Klima, who is on a gap-year, said he walks “because it is the oldest form of travelling and makes you slow down and take in the beauty around you.”

In an interview with Euro Weekly News, he described funny moments when trying to converse with Spanish locals and described people he had met as “very friendly and helpful.”

His route will take him up the coast of Spain and France, down through Italy before taking a ferry to Greece, hopping across the Greek islands and eventually making his way through Turkey up to Istanbul.

Klima’s walk is sponsored by hiking-shoe company LOWA but is mostly self-funded.  The young German said he was always grateful for offers of a place to sleep and hoped to be hosted by people who hear about his journey.

His journey can be followed on his website walk-europe.com.