My new van
So, for those of you that follow me on my social media platforms, you will know exactly where I have been - everywhere, but if you are blissfully unaware of my recent travels, then let me give you the inside scoop.
I left off, quite a while ago, when I returned home from a year and a half trip in my old van Maggie. Yes, I say old not because of her age, but because she is no longer my travel companion, instead I opted for a new van which I have named The Duke (short for Ducato). While traveling in Bulgaria, I was thinking long and hard about what my dream van would be, and after much debate, I realized I was looking for a motorhome rather than a van. I wanted a 'smaller' camper, but with everything I needed such as hot water, a big kitchen, a fixed bed, a heater and, the full camper set up, without having to settle, and that is when I found The Duke - a Knaus Fiat Ducato from 1992. This suited me down to the ground because I knew that after 30 years, a vehicle only needs a road test every two years in Ireland, not every year, which gives me more flexibility with my travels. I quickly got the ball rolling, and got home to meet him in June.
I spent a few weeks getting him ready for the road, by decorating, installing LPG cylinders and solar panels and he was good to go on a quick road trip to the West coast of Ireland and to Northern Ireland on some short breaks. I left again in August and that is where my new journey begins.
I left off, quite a while ago, when I returned home from a year and a half trip in my old van Maggie. Yes, I say old not because of her age, but because she is no longer my travel companion, instead I opted for a new van which I have named The Duke (short for Ducato). While traveling in Bulgaria, I was thinking long and hard about what my dream van would be, and after much debate, I realized I was looking for a motorhome rather than a van. I wanted a 'smaller' camper, but with everything I needed such as hot water, a big kitchen, a fixed bed, a heater and, the full camper set up, without having to settle, and that is when I found The Duke - a Knaus Fiat Ducato from 1992. This suited me down to the ground because I knew that after 30 years, a vehicle only needs a road test every two years in Ireland, not every year, which gives me more flexibility with my travels. I quickly got the ball rolling, and got home to meet him in June.
I spent a few weeks getting him ready for the road, by decorating, installing LPG cylinders and solar panels and he was good to go on a quick road trip to the West coast of Ireland and to Northern Ireland on some short breaks. I left again in August and that is where my new journey begins.
Where have I been?
Having taken the ferry from Rosslare to Cherbourg in France in August, I drove via Belgium, (where I reunited with my friend Emily, and her new van), The Netherlands, and finally Germany where I met up with Dennis again in Hamburg. After spontaneously changing our plans from Norway to Poland, we hit the road and spent a few months traveling all of Poland, exploring the hidden gems of the country, before continuing on to Slovenia (where I got to reunite with my friend Annaline from the US), onwards to Italy and then on to the stunning island of Sardinia, where we spent Christmas and New Year.
The island blew us away and we were able to park at some of the most fantastic spots completely alone, it seems not many people go there in winter. It was bliss! We spent Christmas parked on a beautiful cliff in the sun, and had three Christmas dinners al fresco, before making our way to Cagliari where we spent a fantastic New Years' Eve. We then decided to complete the circle of the island and eventually move on to Spain by the end of January, and that is where I am writing from today.
Having traveled to some of the most beautiful inland spots in Spain, we finally came out to the coast and chilled for a while before Dennis was due to drive back to Germany for work. I had no plans except to continue on to some nice spots, get some writing done and get a few things upgraded and fixed with the Duke (the joys of an old van that needs a lot of love). We said our goodbyes, for the third time this trip (Poland, Italy, Spain), and went our separate ways, but do not worry we are reuniting in Ireland very soon.
The island blew us away and we were able to park at some of the most fantastic spots completely alone, it seems not many people go there in winter. It was bliss! We spent Christmas parked on a beautiful cliff in the sun, and had three Christmas dinners al fresco, before making our way to Cagliari where we spent a fantastic New Years' Eve. We then decided to complete the circle of the island and eventually move on to Spain by the end of January, and that is where I am writing from today.
Having traveled to some of the most beautiful inland spots in Spain, we finally came out to the coast and chilled for a while before Dennis was due to drive back to Germany for work. I had no plans except to continue on to some nice spots, get some writing done and get a few things upgraded and fixed with the Duke (the joys of an old van that needs a lot of love). We said our goodbyes, for the third time this trip (Poland, Italy, Spain), and went our separate ways, but do not worry we are reuniting in Ireland very soon.
Where to next?
As the world is constantly changing and the price of diesel is CRAZY at the moment, no plans are finalized yet for our future travels, but we will be road-tripping in my van around Ireland for a few weeks in June (The first time in one van) and then we need to decide on our next move. We have many ideas but as things are so unstable, it is hard to make any clear decisions as of yet, which is kind of how I like it (not so much for the German though). So let us see how this all unravels, and stay tuned for some more Spanish stories, as I make my way north through central Spain, and onwards into France for my ferry home in May.
See you on the road!
See you on the road!
Just for laughs...
What do two digital nomads do when there is no internet connection at the beautiful parking spot? Take our things and go sit on the mountain in the middle of nowhere. Sorted!
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