From thumbs up from friendly strangers to midnight police raids, a bitcoin-themed van continues its turbulent tour of Europe.
Ariel Aguilar has been at the helm of Bitcoin (BTC) promotions, driving around Europe in a BTC-themed van called La Bitcoineta. Speaking to Cointelegraph journalist Joe Hall at Plan B Summer School, the Argentinian bitcoin proponent recalled the ups and downs of the journey through nearly a dozen European countries.
“Bitcoin is work. Bitcoin is time. Bitcoin is hope.” La Bitcoineta parked at the Plan B Summer School in Lugano in 2023.
Part of La Bitcoineta’s journey was by van from Serbia to Lugano, which included a border crossing between Bosnia and Croatia. Aguilar had waited until midnight to cross the border, raising suspicions among border and customs officials.
Ten minutes later, after an initial check at the border, the van was stopped by an unmarked vehicle manned by five plainclothes officers. The bitcoin enthusiast said:
“They said, ‘We are the police, we need to search your vehicle.’ I thought it most likely they thought we were smuggling people.”
Once again, Aguilar was allowed to continue his trip to Lugano, humorously noting that he avoided “bribing” an official who discovered Aguilar’s copy of “The Bitcoin Standard,” a book by BTC proponent and economist Saifedean ammo:
“I didn’t know if he wanted it, but just in case it would be seen as a bribe I didn’t give it.”
Other parts of the journey have resulted in more positive experiences. Aguilar pointed out that foreigners in Switzerland saw “thumbs up” signs at the sight of La Bitcoineta driving by. Meanwhile, people in crypto-friendly countries like Spain and Portugal don’t seem to have noticed the transporter’s presence.
La Bitcoineta has traveled from Spain to Gibraltar, Portugal, Andorra, Switzerland, Munich, Prague, Oslo, Romania, Serbia and Lugano.
Related: Venture Capital’s ICO Gambits Have Left the Bitcoin Ecosystem Underfunded – Adam Back
The journey continues towards Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. A trip to the UK is planned in September before heading to Madrid, Amsterdam and Luana before ending in Lugano.
Aguilar said next year’s tour could include lengthy trips to different countries to assess varying levels of Bitcoin adoption.
“Let’s say we do Germany, we do France. The idea is to interview a french bitcoiner to see he’s not a shit coiner right? If he is a real bitcoiner.”
This would mean that Bitcoin advocates in different countries could attend La Bitcoineta’s lectures and presentations on the subject.
The van has also seen quite a bit of merchandise. La Bitcoineta spawned a famous meme featuring Bitcoin proponent Michael Saylor after Aguilar gave MicroStrategy’s CEO a tour of the van at a conference:
“He loved it, especially because of the big phrase ‘Bitcoin is Hope’ written on the side of the van. He took a picture and uploaded it to his Instagram.”
As for the photo, Aguilar says his cameraman was the source of Saylor’s meme-worthy facial expression:
“He was filming instead of taking photos, so it took him too long, and that’s when Saylor got that angry look that the meme has.”
La Bitcoineta is also covered with signatures of influential Bitcoin figures like Adam Back, Ammous, Prince Philip of Serbia, Jack Mallers, Elizabeth Stark and other “OG Bitcoiners” who left messages on the van for posterity.
The interview is part of an upcoming Cointelegraph documentary about what it’s like to attend a Bitcoin school. Subscribe here (https://www.youtube.com/@cointelegraph) to watch it.
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