Leaving the bakehouse for the big wide world

Regina Schreyer, who comes from the village of Plankenfels in southern Germany, knew from an early age that life is too short for “would have, might have, could have”. She wanted to travel, to discover the world. After completing her bakery apprenticeship in Bamberg, she decided at the age of just 19 to take to the road and have some adventures!

The journeyman tradition

Taking to the road as a journeyman or journeywoman is a centuries-old tradition, but hardly a walk in the park. Those who embark on this journey tend to have very little money - trust and openness are their true currency. The idea is that journeymen and journeywomen from all kinds of different crafts and trades should spend three years and a day on the road, working in many different places and honing their professional skills, while at the same time growing on a personal level. They have to stay at least 50 kilometres away from their homes - and smartphones are not permitted. They are easily recognisable because they wear a special hat, carry a walking stick and a pack for their belongings and wear the traditional clothes of their particular trade: in Regina’s case, a houndstooth check waistcoat marks her out as belonging to the bakery trade.

Starting out during the pandemic

In November 2020, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, Regina began her adventure – as a member of the journeymen’s association “Lion Brothers and Sisters of Europe”. Bad Segeberg, her very first port of call, came as quite a surprise: “In Franconia, where I come from, you can find breweries serving up fantastic beer on every corner, whereas people in the north drink almost nothing but industrially produced beer - what a culture shock!” she laughs.

Heartwarming encounters - and stupid chat-up lines

Regina’s journey was colourful and diverse - just like the people she encountered along the way. People would often approach her, invite her in for a meal and welcome her into their homes. Finding work was not a problem, either. She would spend just a few days at some bakeries, and several months at others. Not all of her encounters were pleasant, however: “I also heard a lot of stupid chat-up lines - but I learnt to deal with them.”

Regina helped some punks in East Friesland herd their sheep - prompting them to name a newborn lamb after her. In the Lusatia region she sat up late into the night engaged in animated discussions with a priest and drinking “far too much wine”. She came across some “vegan hippies” on an organic farm near Chemnitz. 

Bonn in her heart - and the world in her sights

Regina walked across all of Germany’s federal states. She became particularly fond of Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia: “It’s such a beautiful city with warm-hearted and open people!” Her journey also took her far beyond Germany’s borders, however: Norway, West Africa - from Ghana to Guinea - and the Middle East were all places she visited along the way. She will never forget the time she spent in Oman: “I fell in love with a beautiful man there.”

23-year-old Regina just recently ended her journey after four years on the road - but she still has itchy feet. Which is why she is now back with her boyfriend in Oman: “For just a few months for now.” And then? “Let’s see where the wind blows me.”