We are back in the Netherlands. The first three months of our 'travels without end time' are already over. Time for reflection! How did living together and traveling in a van work out and what did we find really great and what was a disappointment. Are we going on the road again? In this blog we look back and look ahead.
Conclusion
Let's get straight to the point, we loved travelling with Globus2. We got to see so much of Spain and especially Portugal and it was all very worthwhile. The past three months have really flown by. So yes, we are already planning our next trip. In January we hope to leave for the east coast of Spain and then make the crossing to Morocco. Was travelling all one big party? No of course not! Let's start with the disappointments or what we encountered.
Lowlights
In random order and criss-cross:
We had more rain than we thought. Maybe we should have left a month earlier for the weather.
You keep cleaning. Especially when the weather is not so nice, you keep bringing all the dirt inside. Of course, we don't have a hallway where you can take off your shoes and coat. So sweep, sweep and sweep again every day.
There are plenty of camper places in Spain and Portugal. However, if you want to be somewhere nice and preferably with a view of the sea or a valley, you have to search quite a bit and spend a lot of P4N * hours. We spent an hour to an hour and a half there every day.
While we're on the subject of camper spots. We thought we could stay for a week or two at some spots with the awning out and the chairs outside. Of course, that's no problem at a campsite, but we don't want that in principle. For wild camping in these countries, the chairs could have stayed at home. Perhaps we were too good...
Finding free camper spots in big cities was also difficult. Especially because after finding a place to stay we read a lot of negative reviews about burglaries. We preferred to pay for a safe place to stay.
Globus 2 is equipped with a dry toilet. Perfect! Number 1 disappears into the grey water tank. But what to do with message number 2 if there is no bin nearby? We are stuck with that bag, until we do find a bin. Awkward! A bit uncomfortable, but that is also part of vanlife.
Kelly and I have known each other for over 1.5 years now. That is still relatively short and we also lived on opposite sides of the country, so we only saw each other on weekends. So it was quite a big, exciting step to move in together in Globus 2 of 8m2. Besides the fact that we had a fantastic time together, we also experienced some less pleasant moments. Globus 2 then has no place to retreat to. Taking a long lonely walk is then the only option. Fortunately, we always managed to find each other again to reconnect.
The gas tank emptied much faster than we had anticipated, so Kelly had to go on a kind of cooking ration.
Globus 2 has a separate grey water tank. This fits exactly (if the tires are properly inflated) under the bus. A small bump in the road meant that the tank no longer fitted and we had to put a bucket under it. A tank under the bus also feels
while you are standing in a parking lot at a large supermarket a bit crazy.
*P4N= Park For Night, an app that allows you to find both free and paid overnight accommodations.
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Highlights
Let's start with the places we've been to that we really loved. If you have the chance, the following places are definitely worth a visit.
Picos de Europa Beautiful mountain area. Especially the enchanting walk Ruta del Cares (SP) was a highlight here. You have to walk this once in our opinion.
Can you add that one highway from northern Spain. Went all the way along the coast.
National Park de Somiedo (SP) Great natural area for walking with many blue lakes and beautiful valleys.
Santiago de Compostela (SP) In Northern Spain we have walked parts of the Camino del Norte several times. Who knows, we might walk this route in its entirety again. The atmosphere on the square where the end point is and the famous cathedral gives us goose bumps. There is a special energy here.
National Park Park Peneda-Gerés (P) Especially the fairytale forests on the north side of the nature reserve enchanted us. Unfortunately we did not walk here.
The village of Podence (P) See blog The most dangerous roads
National Park da Sierra da Estrela (P) Highest point in Portugal with breathtaking views.
Douro Valley (P) Great route to drive through with a camper.
Porto (P) Nice, relaxed city. Cool sights and of course delicious port tastings everywhere.
Algarve (P) A real holiday destination; beautiful beaches, azure water, rugged cliffs. The icing on the cake was the seven hanging valleys trail walk.
Gibraltar (UK) Peninsula with the famous rock where hundreds of wild monkeys live. By the way, to reach Gibraltar on foot you have to walk over a runway! Also the cave of st. Michael is well worth a visit.
Seville Vibrant city, you will be taken into the Spanish temperament.
Caminito del Rey (SP) Once described as the most dangerous path in the world. The “King’s Path” has fortunately been completely renovated and is safe for walkers. The path is absolutely spectacular. (Link)
Living together
Living together in a small van went really well. We never get in each other's way (it's simply too small for that 😜) or disagree about what we're going to do or anything. We love driving, we laugh a lot and can enjoy the walks we take together so much. We also each took on our own tasks. That happened very organically. For example, Kelly always cooks and Richard does the dishes. Richard drives and Kelly checks before leaving whether all the windows are closed, magnets are on them and the steps inside are in place, etc. Kelly sweeps, Richard fills the water. That way we form a real team. And yes, such a small space also means that we can trigger each other quite a bit. Then we lose connection and sometimes it feels like we have to end the trip prematurely. Fortunately, we have always found each other again. After all, your partner is the biggest mirror for your own development points.
"Home is where love lives"
Travels without end times part II
We will be staying in the Netherlands during the month of December. Richard wants to do various jobs on Globus 2 (see previous blog ). The bus is also due for a major cleaning, both inside and out. Of course, now that we are in the area, we want to spend the holidays with the family. We will be leaving again in January. After having seen the entire west coast of France, Spain and Portugal, we would now also like to see the east coast. After that, we want to cross over to Morocco. With Globus 2 to Africa, in such a different culture. We are already really looking forward to it. So we will also use this month to delve into the local sights and customs. Do you have any tips? We would love to read them! Post comments under the blog, so that not only we, but also the other readers can see them.
Where are we?
So we are back in the Netherlands. Both in the east (Kelly) and the west (Richard) of the country. Time to visit family and friends. Working on Globus 2 and suffering a lot from the cold and the rain. When are we going again?
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