How I traveled to another country to buy Bitcoin. A story of two cold and tired people.

My phone’s alarm goes boom at 05.15 AM on the 9th of December 2017. It’s Saturday. My wife’s already up and my coffee is ready. I’m cold. The heating system is set to go over 19 degrees only at 8 in the morning. I light a cigarette and look out the window. Snow. Motherfuck!

4 days earlier I told my wife I need to buy Bitcoin as soon as possible and for that we need to go to another country. Are you on crack, buddy? There are no Bitcoin ATMs in Germany and until the online exchanges verify my ID, the price will go crazier than it already is.

I carefully hide my cash in a backpack and we re heading towards the tram station. Tram is late. I’m thinking I should get more cash so I draw another thou’ from the ATM. We’re going to Rotterdam. To buy Bitcoin from an ATM.

We are smoking in the bus area near the train station. It’s freezing and we can’t find the bus to Rotterdam. It’s too early for any of us to be a reasonable person so we get a little bit anxious. Then angry. Then we laugh and kiss. It’s all good.

In the bus my wife tries to sleep while I’m checking the bitcoin prices every 7 seconds. Please don’t go up until I make the damn purchase.

In Rotterdam it’s cold as hell and raining. Great. Now let’s find the first ATM. The city is not special. I prefer our good ol Dusseldorf. I’m saying to myself that I’m starting to think like a grandpa. Fuck it!

We can’t find the damn ATM. Google maps says we’re in the right place but how the fuck could there be an ATM on the side of the river? There’s only boats here. Could it be on a boat? Fuckin Rotterdam! Oh wait…a small bar. A yellow box inside the bar. Wtf? It’s the motherfuckin Bitcoin ATM! Fuckin A. Now we wait until 2 PM when the bar opens. So we smoke.

Bar opens. We ask the bartender about the bitcoin ATM. He doesn’t give a fuck. It’s not his so he doesn’t care. Sweet. I buy my first 0.1 Bitcoin. It works! We have a drink. My hands are shaking while waiting for the confirmation. It went through! I buy some more. This yellow box is eating 500 Euro bills like it ain’t nothing. All I get in return are some numbers. “Sorry, this machine is out of bitcoin”. So how does this shit works? I only bought like 0.35 and it’s already out? Now what?

One hour later and my bitcoin in my account we’re in the Arab neighbourhood looking for the second bitcoin ATM in a mobile phone shop. The ATM is out of Bitcoin. There are at least 4-5 people wanting to buy and they are all either on the phone with the ATM owner or asking the poor shop boy what kind of business is this if you can't find the product. Time to give up and enjoy the city while we can.

But we can’t because it’s cold as hell so we’re walking around waiting for the 6PM bus back to Dusseldorf.

My wife tries to sleep. I’m checking my phone every 7 seconds for the bitcoin price. Please go up. Go up, cuz!

This is how I bought my first Bitcoin. In the meanwhile I’ve got myself a Nano S to keep my motherfuckin’ digital property secure.

Since then I learned about freaking Altcoins and Airdrops and other crypto-crazy terms. Who knows maybe I'll write something about that too.