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.  

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. 

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!

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!

Our last stop in Romania was Timisoara, ironically where I had began my last Romanian trip, and the weather was scorching. The heat continued until we got to Germany, which meant we had to plan when we would drive to avid the hottest times of the day. 
Crossing the Hungarian border I took the non toll roads and was taken over a country border crossing where my passport was checked etc. but very informally and with a big wave as I left, which surprised me considering the Hungarian borders are officially closed. Dennis on the other hand took toll roads and crossed on a motorway where he was waved through without any checks, but was advised to buy a vignette- which I had no idea about.
We met up when our roads united somewhere in the middle and decided to head to a spot at the Danube, with a nice view and where Gimli could cool off.
​We ended up having the most amazing and cheap Hungarian goulash and stew at the restaurant beside our park up, before getting absolutely attacked by the river mozzies. The heat was so intense that we found ourselves drinking cold beers in our underwear, true hobo style. The next day we planned to set off early to drive to the most famous lake in Hungary- Balaton. We drove a couple of hours in the morning, stayed at the lake a few hours to cool off and let Gimli swim in the dog lake, and then continued on to the town of Gyor, by the Slovakian border.

This was the day when we would have our morning in Gyor -Hungary, our afternoon in Bratislava- Slovakia and our evening near Brno- Czechia. There was no one at the border of Hungary and Slovakia apart from a vignette office which forced you to pay 10 euro for a vignette to drive on their motorways, despite us opting to cross the non toll roads which they had blocked off... Nice one Slovakia! We continued on and i was relieved to have left Hungary without having had a vignette and driving on the motorways. We spent the afternoon in hot Bratislava parked by the Danube yet again, but this time there were many people around enjoying the sun and eating on river boat restaurants. We walked for a few hours around the old town and hill top church admiring the Blue Church and old town square, before making our way towards Czech. We were definitely starting to notice the price increase now that we were in euro land again.

oWe continued on to cross the Czech border, which again was just a normal road with no controls. We arrived absolutely exhausted to a lake area which had a blaring loud outdoor movie playing. If we understood Czech and were in the mood, this would have been an epic place to watch an outdoor movie, but not at midnight after a long day of driving. I was lulled to sleep that night by what sounded like a war time action movie. The next day was much more enjoyable after a nights sleep and a walk in the forest with Gimli, we decided to take a dip in the lake. The whole area was relatively new and had picnic tables, outdoor gym equipment, kids playing areas and a bar, all for free- we were very impressed. Cooling off in the lake was the best way to start the day. Today we would drive over yet another border and at least then, one of us would be home!

 Arriving in Germany late that evening, again there was no sign of a border. We drove to our park up, just at the border, which was not accessible so we ended up at the town car park overlooking the hills, it was rather beautiful and much cooler than the days before, thankfully! We planned to drive to Dennis home city of Munich where we would spend a few days exploring, before I set off on the last leg of the journey to France. I arrived in Munich, hot, sweaty and absolutely livid from the German city traffic, which always knows how to get under my skin. After a quick trip to the dog park nearby, Dennis took me to his favourite Bavarian restaurant nearby where we had local food and beer- just delicious!

The next days were spent in the city exploring the whole place by motorbike including the Glockenspiel, English Gardens, Michael Jackson Memorial, the location of the famous Oktoberfest and much much more. Did you know there is a river you can surf on, in Munich? Now that was super impressive! We ate more Bavarian food, drank Bavarian beer and ended one evening caught in a heavy storm, carrying two pizzas on my head on the motorbike. What an adventure! We spent our last evening at Dennis apartment trying more delicious Bavarian beers and eating a traditional dinner, and for someone who loves food, this was the dream! Sadly the next day we would say see you soon, after traveling together for 8 months, as I made my way to France. It was bittersweet, because we knew that our two vans would never see each other again and they were such an iconic pair. I was heading home to my new campervan and would be back in a few weeks.  

I left Munich about midday and headed to the city of Augsburg to drop off the boat I had been transporting on my roof since Greece. Afterwards, I continued on for a long while until I reached the French border- my last one before home. I just wanted to cross over so I could finally relax and despite needing a PCR, there was nothing going on at the 'border', I was beginning to think all this official stuff was a hoax. In Romania, I had myself all stressed out worrying about what the rules were for each border- I guess that's what happens when you travel with a German eh? Up until now I didn't care, and I didn't need to care now considering the whole transit had been easy as pie. I stayed at a lovely French Aire 'free camping area', just over the border which i stumbled upon, on a road sign. After a great night sleep, I drove for abut five hours until I was close to Paris, where I stayed at a small hidden park up away from the highway. The following day I continued on to Cherbourg, my final destination, where I could finally relax and get organised. While here, I would need to get a PCR test (free in France, thankfully) and a tapeworm treatment for Gimli to enter Ireland. 

I had this all organised in advance and getting it done was very straight forward. It was so nice to be back at the seaside where Gimli could run free again, and I was pleasantly surprised at hoe much parking there was in the town of Cherbourg. I spent two nights at the harbour and one night out of the town at a peaceful beach awaiting the ferry. This would be the last night we slept in Maggie, and although I knew it, Gimli was unaware that very soon we would have a new home on wheels and a whole new adventure awaiting!

Returning to Bucharest after four years was exciting, but not only was I revisiting the capital, I would get to show Dennis some of my favourite spots around Transylvania too as well as discovering some new places. One of my least favourite things about the capital, was arriving and being greeted by narrow streets and traffic. Thanks to Google Maps, our first park up was a bit of a nightmare to get to, leading to me having to move a barrier, do a U Turn and get out. But once we figured it out, Dennis, Andrea and I could finally relax and be happy to have arrived in a new country. We did not need a PCR test to cross into Romania from Bulgaria, however as we were in a convoy of three, they did a proper check of the vans (even my toilet). We stayed beside a theme park, a 45 minute walk from the centre, where we did a great walking tour. Dennis and I even found a Romanian craft beer pub which I had actually been to on my last visit without even realising, and we had a typical Irish dinner in a great Irish pub- what better way to stay warm when its cold and rainy!

These few spots as well as Peles Palace, had been on my itinerary four years prior, and i wanted to return with Dennis. We headed up to Brasov, the main town in the Transylvania region and although it was incredibly rainy, we took the walk into the town from our park up. We had a short walk around and again we found an Irish pub with expensive food and Guinness, but we had to go ne more time! It seems weird to go to an Irish pub in Romania but we had not had a chance to go to one on our whole trip and It was about time Dennis had a real Guinness- not from a can!

Transylvania touring wouldn't be the same without a trip to Dracula's Castle or Bran Castle, located in the small touristy town of Bran. We didn't pay to go (it was closed anyway) but decided to take photos from what we could see outside. Our other stop that day was in the cute town of Rasnov, home to the Rasnov fortress which was closed because of Covid, but one of the reasons to visit was the fact that this image had been my desktop background for four years and now Dennis could see it in real life. It was kind of surreal!

After our long day, we stayed at a great spot called Rupea Castle which reminded me of Acrocorinth in Greece. Our park up had the most amazing view and there was a night guard there who was very friendly and allowed us to park overnight without hassle. The next morning we visited the castle before making our way towards Sighisoara.
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Sighisoara was a town that always stayed in my memories, mainly because of its cute colourful town houses and cobbled streets located in the upper oldtown. We were so lucky to have great weather there and a parking spot right in town, which encouraged us to have an outdoor lunch in the same place I ate four years prior- The Medieval Cafe. Of course we had to have the Transylvanian specialty of Bean soup in a bread bowl and a local beer, and luckily we did, because not long after we finished, a huge dark cloud rolled in and a huge storm came upon us. We ended up in another cafe drinking hot chocolate and Irish coffee, to shelter from the heavy rains. Later on we had another opportunity to explore the town properly and take pictures in the sun, the way Sighisoara is best viewed. 

Rapa Rosie was a spot we had chosen merely to be close the famous scenic road The Transalpina, but we had no idea it would be so col. It bares a striking resemblance to The Melnik pyramids in Bulgaria and is know to be very similar to Badlands National Park in the USA. The cool thing is, we were alone here apart from the odd car with people day hiking, and this made it just the more special. Our plan was to drive the Transfagaras and the Transalpina with the motorbike, but when we realised the first one was closed, we opted for the Transalpina, which did not disappoint. We began at the north of the road and took the hair pin road as far as we could, admiring the amazing scenery below and beyond for miles. It was a whole day of exploring and It was so worth it. Afterall, how could you miss out on the highest road in Romania and one of the best scenic drives ever? We were mad for the motorbike day trips, so this was something we looked forward to, and it was an amazing day.

The costs in Romania varied depending on the region so of course in downtown Brasov you paid way more than in rural areas etc, but we noticed it was indeed that little bit more than Bulgaria. With this being said it was still very affordable to have a drink or a bite to eat in a restaurant and we did, considering in the coming days we would slowly move on the more western European prices. Just like in Bulgaria and some other countries, In Romania a vignette is needed to drive on the roads, so when we crossed the border we bought one in the first gas station for a small price. 

We noticed a lot of Hungarian influence when it came to food, so we ate quite a few langos but didn't miss out on the yummy bean soups which are served in a big bread bowl (make sure your hungry for this experience). The beer was a little more than Bulgaria but still just over a euro for a large beer in rural areas and a little more in touristy areas. Entrance to Bran castle cost 8 euro per person, which I had done before, and would recommend it as a cool experience. We stopped off at Peles Palace on the way from Bucharest to Brasov, which I had seen before and had been impressed by, but of course entrance is at a cost and at this time, it may have been closed due to Covid anyway. 

Romania is a country with so much to offer both on and off the tourist trail and if i had more time I would have taken the time to explore more of these areas, but that only means one thing- Ill just have to plan another trip there, and so should you!

How is it possible to travel during a pandemic, you wonder? Well you are not the only one because this is a question i get asked a lot so keep reading to get the full story.

Covid 19 officially altered my travel plans in March 2020, but I had no idea what was about to unravel from this unknown pandemic. Would I have to go home? Could I just hide out in a forest until it blew over? Would vanlife be over for good after just two months on the road? Many people probably assume I've never had to deal with a lockdown during this pandemic, but truth be told, I was locked down for seven weeks initially in Spain, which had one of the strictest lockdowns last year, before many other European countries followed suit, and another one again a year later although much less strict.

Whilst in Spain in March 2020, I kept an eye on the restrictions and made some vague plans of what to do once I could freely move around again, but too ended up changing. You see, before this, I had made it to Sagres, the bottom of Portugal, when the police ordered all campers and holiday makers to leave and return home, but I knew if I went home, I probably would end up getting stranded on the island indefinitely, which I tried to avoid. Instead, I stayed with friends and when news came that restrictions were easing, I planned to move around Spain a bit to explore, and maybe even go back to Portugal, however, these countries still seemed rather strict and the border between them was still closed, so I needed to plan differently. My idea to travel South quickly changed to North- way North.

When I learned of the lack of restrictions in Sweden, It quickly became my aim to drive there. My route went from Spain-France-Luxembourg-Germany and a ferry to Sweden. I kept an eye on the border rules and knew that certain ones were closed (France-Germany), open or due to re open, and that is how I made it to Germany for the ferry. To my surprise, the ferry to Sweden involved nothing but showing up last minute with a ferry ticket and once I got to Scandinavia, I enjoyed the summer as normal around Sweden, Finland and Norway (which proved tricky to get into, but finding loop holes in the rules proved to work in my favour). 

From Scandinavia I continued to Denmark, Netherlands, Austria, Italy and Greece where I spent the winter, just in time for another lockdown. Luckily in the Peloponnese region of Greece, the numbers were relatively low, and there was a vast amount of wild land to park up and be safe. The locals were very tolerant and friendly and for the most part, the police left you alone. 

1- Countries that were usually packed with holiday makers were empty
2- World famous beaches and sites were isolated which gave me a once in a life time experience
3- Lockdowns helped people bond and form community vanlife groups 
4- Locals were extremely friendly (in most places) given the situation
5- Roads were relatively empty or little traffic at least
6- Life was as normal in certain countries, when others were in strict lockdown (Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Bulgaria and Norway)

1- During lockdowns most things were closed including museums and historical sites
​2- In Greece for instance, travelling was only allowed for essential reasons and in written form (no one ever checked us in 6 months though)
3- Planning your next step was difficult as the rules changed constantly
4- PCR tests became mandatory for many places and travelling onwards had to be planned carefully (more so in 2021 than 2020)
5- Many countries closed their borders fully, making it tricky to get from A to B
6- The option just to 'go home' was no longer an option without breaking travel rules, paying for mandatory hotel quarantines etc.

With the app 'Reopen EU' it is much easier to plan a travel route, while adhering to up to date Covid rules for each European country. I have used this app to see what is needed to cross borders, in terms of PCR/Antigen tests/ forms and overall restrictions within that country. Joining relevant facebook groups allowed me and my friends to share and receive information from others who had just take a route that we intended to. 

Its worth knowing that sometimes you can have everything organized and no one will check your documents and just wave you through and then sometimes you may have read that nothing is required but you could be questioned and asked for documents on the spot. Nothing can be planned but I have learned just to have everything in order just in case- Its better to be safe than sorry. (Or refused entry or fined)

The good thing is that as I write this in Bulgaria in June 2021, many EU countries are relaxing their restrictions and welcoming tourists back for the summer. Vaccines are being widely distributed which is allowing more freedom, but I would not suggest getting this just for freedom, when a simple negative test will do and as long as a vaccine passport allows a negative test option, then that will be my ongoing plan. 

Travelling during a pandemic has not been hard at all despite the rules and what the media talks about, but without seeing for yourself, It may seem daunting. 2020/2021 so far has been a crazy ride, travel wise, but for me, I am lucky enough to say that the pandemic allowed me to travel more than I had even intended back in Jan 2020. Just like following the sun, I ended up travelling to countries with the most relaxed rules, just like many others, and It has turned out to be a safe and fun adventure.

Bulgarian currency is the Bulgarian Lev, which at this time was about twice as much as the Euro, so halving all of the prices were easy. When we arrived we had no idea how much things would cost but quickly came to know that the prices were very cheap- depending on region of course.
On arrival by road into Bulgaria we bought a 'vignette' which basically covers you for using all roads. The cost varies depending on how long you will stay, but we bought a month pass for around €15 and It is mandatory to have this in Bulgaria unlike tolls in other countries. It  scans you as you drive past the cameras, and there is no way to travel Bulgaria 'avoiding tolls' as there is in other countries. With that being said, once you have paid or the vignette you never have to worry about taking the wrong road and paying a hefty toll (like Greece for instance), and you can take advantage of the many great roads they have in Bulgaria.

Food- In Bulgaria, so far we have been shopping in Lidl and Kaufland (German supermarket with more variety and slightly higher prices) but bare in mind we have not been all over the country yet so, there may be many more local ones to try out. Lidl prices are slightly lower than Greece and other parts of Europe but you will obviously pay more for special things. Eating out in restaurants can be extremely cheap depending on the region, for instance we paid €14 for two main courses, 4 beers, garlic bread and a dessert in Saparava Banya and in Bankso the famous ski town, the menu prices were outrageous that we had a beer and left. We recommend checking the menu before going in, to get an idea. A local 500ml beer should be €1 or 2 Lev on average to give you an idea.

Diesel- On average Diesel costs around €1 per litre but can be a few cents more or less depending on where you are and how close the gas station is to the highway. 

Thermal Baths and Hot Springs- We have come across many thermal baths and hot springs, some varying by price and some completely free. We began our trip in Rupite which was completely free and had a paying area for some extra facilities like showers, but only vost €1.50 for this. In Sapareva Banya, famous for its hot springs and geyser, the local hotels and thermal areas charged around €10-20 per person to use the facilities much like a waterpark, however we came across an old thermal bath house which was free, not sign posted at all and had a pipe with hot thermal water and cold water which could be mixed to have a great hot shower. These can most likely be found all over Bulgaria if you ask locals or keep an eye out.
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Having been in Bulgaria for almost a month now, we can safely say that wildcamping is tolerated and widely practiced by many locals who have campervans, and tourists travelling around. This is not to say it is legal but from what we have experienced we have never had any issues from locals or plice, quite the opposite actually. They pass by, intrigued or not bothered by it at all, which is quite nice. The police have been very relaxed here from our experience, too relaxed if you ask us, but very friendly and the same goes for the locals. We have parked near vineyards, national parks, forests, hot springs, city centres and small villages so far and have felt nothing but being welcomed.

Our experience so far have been very positive with the locals, whether at the supermarket, in a camping area, in a restaurant or just passers by. The Bulgarians absolutely love to take their campers out and about and generally do it with their friends on weekends or special occasions, which we experienced on Orthodox Easter. They like to enjoy themselves and are very open to approaching you and being friendly- I've even had many people come up to me to take photos of the van or ask where I'm from and just general chit chatting even whilst out hiking or having a drink in a bar, they are extremely welcoming and love to give tips and advice on their country. We found that a great way to get to know the people was during the wine tasting in the Melnik region, because whilst learning about the wine, the hosts were telling us about the history of the country, their own lives and the current situation in the country- a very interesting experience and we loved it. 

Beginning in Rupite, my first impression of Bulgarian scenery was pretty positive, surrounded by tall mountains and hot springs, this was a prominent volcanic region of the country. During the past few weeks here we have experienced the rolling green hills of Melniks wine region, the steep and snowy mountains of Pirin and Rila National Parks, the rugged and steep gorges near the Rhodope Mountain Range, the modern city scape of Sofia and the laid back hipster scenes of Plovdiv. The scenery changes her all the time and we still haven't reached The Black Sea yet.

With 300 days of sun every year, the Melnik wine region really surprised us with the weather and at first we just thought we were lucky. Upon arrival in Pirin and Rila, the weather was warm and sunny below the mountains of course but when we got higher and higher the snow became deeper, roads inaccessible and the temperatures dropped as expected, but for May this still surprised us- but apparently this is rare and has not happened for ten years. The lakes of Rila were absolutely beautiful even if they were still frozen, and the various rivers flowing through the gorges and cities were very calming and a great place to relax. As the summer gets closer we are preparing ourselves for 40+ degrees at the Black Sea, but for now our temperatures of 25+ are perfect.

As a vegetarian predominantly, I was excited to get to a new country with more options available than in Greece for instance. Luckily in Lidl they have vegetarian burgers, various tofu flavours and various cheese based foods which I have been buying. The cuisine here is typically Balkan style with Turkish and Mediterranean influences so there are many meat based dishes as expected, especially grilled meats. They are big on their 'kavarmas' or stews, which are very tasty and can be ordered with veggies or meats. For vegetarians there are various salads including the national salad -Shopska salad, the breakfast 'Banitsa' (soft pastry with traditional white cheese), Bean soup which is everywhere and is cheap and delicious, various fries/potatoes, grilled vegetables, breaded cheese and so on. There are definitely options available but if you are in a small town, don't expect much except meat, meat and meat. The food is very delicious but now that we have been eating and eating and eating in restaurants, having missed out the last six months, we are taking a break, to cook more food in the vans, but there will always be time for a meal or a beer out and about.

From talking to the locals, we have heard that Bulgaria had a very short lockdown period and has since been relatively normal. Since we arrived (May 2021), we have noticed that there are no travel restrictions, no masks are needed in most places except supermarkets and indoor restaurants, museums, all shops and tours are operating (even free walking tours in Sofia and Plovdiv- highly recommended @11am every day of the year), hotels, campsites, cinemas etc. are all open as normal, in fact we have not seen anything really that is closed since we arrived. Life is as normal here and people still abide by the rules in some places but It feels as if no pandemic exists here, which is extremely refreshing. A lot of what we do, is outdoors, eating on restaurant patios, hiking outdoors, going in outdoor hot springs, doing city walking tours etc. so It is a great way to stay safe but still live your life. 

​I highly recommend coming to Bulgaria when possible, to do some great wine tasting (see other blog post), do some amazing hiking, travel cheaply, meet great locals and enjoy some great weather. Bulgaria is certainly the place to be!

Since we had left Greece, we had Pirin National Park on our list, due to it's many hiking trails and amazing views. After Melnik, we made our way towards the the National park which went through the picturesque ski town of Bankso, which to me, looked so like a scene from The Rocky Mountains. There were ski shops, restaurants and bars everywhere as well as a main town centre, an old town and a beautiful backdrop of the snowy Pirin mountains no matter where you stood in the town. We planned to stop here on the way back, but first-hiking!

We took the 12km twisty road up to the furthest carpark we could reach without being stopped by snow on the roads, and spend two nights parked there. We were surprised at the amount of snow still around and hw the temperature dropped- after all we were almost 2000m above sea level here. 

On our first day we did a hike that would lead to a few beautiful lakes, but seeing the snow all around us, we weren't sure how far we would get. We took the trail from the carpark up into the mountain which eventually became more and more difficult with the snow being pretty unstable in places. The view was incredible despite not being able to reach the lakes, so we stopped to enjoy the sun, the backdrop and the powerful river gushing down the mountain beside us. We figured that if we had cross country skiis (or even knew how to do it) or snow shoes, we may have been able to do more hiking, but for now this was as far as we got, and we even got to see the 1300 coniferous tree on the way!

The second day there, we took a shorter trail in the opposite direction that would 'eventually' lead to the peak of Mt Vihren, which we knew wasn't going to happen, but again we decided to walk as much as we could before the snow stopped us again. The views were absolutely beautiful up in this region, despite there being chilly evenings and mornings and the restaurant was extremely cheap- I paid €4 for soup, fries, garlic bread and a beer!

On my first full day in the ski town of Bankso, I decided to do a hike with Gimli, while Dennis worked. We had parked by the main river in the centre of town, which was walking distance to many things so I searched for reachable hikes from this area. On Google I found a hiking trail called Krinetz Hiking Trail, about 2.5km walking from the van. We headed off around 11:30am and within a half an hour we had reached the restaurant at the beginning of the trail. I had decided this would be the place to have my after hike beer! We headed up the path and into the pine trees, where the smells and sounds were everything I was looking for. I love forests and so does Gimli. There was no one around so he could run free, exploring his surroundings! We walked for about an hour into the mountains and then took some time to sit in the beam of sunlight before heading back down to the restaurant for a beer (500ml) and a salad- €3 in total. 

On the way back from the hike we took the route through the town and then to the old town, by passing shops, cool looking bars and restaurants and smiling faces. Bankso was absolutely beautiful and even when i took a look in the real estate windows I was so surprised to see beautiful furnished apartments for sale here for as little as €12k, It was such an amazing area! Needless to say we were both shattered when we returned to the van after god knows how much distance we had covered, but It was such a great half day out.

Not only was this town famous for having Bulgaria's only hot steaming geyser (located right in the heart of the town park), but It had many lovely hikes around the area which I took advantage of. Having a Labrador is great because, even though he can be lazy at times, he is the best companion for long hikes, and it gives him the exercise he needs. 

Today we headed off on what we thought would be a short hike through the woods and back again, but which turned into a lot more than we bargained for- in a good way! Following the trail on Maps.Me, I had planned to do a hike to the lake in Panichischte which seemed like a decent day hike- and it would have been, if we didn't go the wrong way! We began by taking the trail into the mountains, starting at St Petka church, where the red arrows began. Instead of continuing straight, we went right for about an hour which was beautiful but in the end, was not leading to the lake. I then turned around and returned to the beginning and following the main road, came t the trail head of the hike to Panichischte lake. path was straight for most of the beginning, and led past some picnic spots, water fountains and a fast flowing and refreshing river- which Gimli took advantage of.

As we continued it got steeper and steeper for the last two kilometres which was doable and relatively moderate, apart from the fact that we had walked two hours earlier in the wrong direction. The trail was very easy to follow with red arrows the whole way and eventually leading to a main road, with water fountain and entrance to the wild lake. Gimli had a nice dip and after four hours of walking, we decided to head back. the trail around the lake could be continued and would be very nice if you wanted to extend your day. We took the trail all the way back down to St Petka church and through the town, back to the van. I found the trail on the app Wicilocs, where there were many more, shorter and longer ones to take advantage of. We had the 7 Rila lakes coming up, so we were saving ourselves for this. 

The Seven Rila Lakes, is one of, if not the most popular natural attraction for tourists in Bulgaria, so of course before I even arrived here, I knew I had to visit them. I had been to Bulgaria briefly a few years prior but had not had a chance to travel much within the country so this was a great chance to spend some time in the Bulgarian nature and take in some beautiful scenery.
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We parked in the small town of Sapareva Banya, where I had done my previous hike, and made our way up to the Rila chair lift with Dennis van. We decided not to bring Gimli as I knew it would be a long hike and I could only imagine him jumping off the moving chairlift. He was happy enough to chill in the van, after his almost 15km hike the day before!
When we got there, the lift was broken so they offered us a jeep ride about three quarters of the way up to where the lift would bring us for €7.50 return each and the chair lift would have been €10 return each, so we took it. 

The German military G Class monster jeep brought us steep up the muddy, rocky mountain in ways we had never seen before, this was an adventure in itself. It ate up everything in its way and carved its way through the crazy terrain, to finally drop us at the area where the snow began, where we would hike the rest of the way to the beginning of the trail. We walked for about 30-45 minutes to get to the start of the hike, and didn't see anyone but three workmen making their way down. I was getting the impression we were the stupid ones, hiking to the lakes in the snow, but no ne mentioned anything to us.

The trail began with some snow here and there and a flowing river weaving in and out of the area, but as we carried on, we noticed the snow got much deeper, and even worse was that the river was somewhere beneath us, so we had to navigate by the previous footsteps and the noise of the river in the hops of not falling through the snow into the river. I fell through twice and my left leg was submerged up to my hip in snow, but luckily it wasn't at the river.  Still though, this was becoming very challenging and as we began to meet a few people on their way down, we were getting more of a taste of what was to come. The lakes were apparently frozen, and with the depths of snow, would take hours to reach, as well as the continuation of this damn river beneath us. We decided to continue to the first lake which was frozen but still pretty majestic, and then onwards to the second lake which we figured would provide a good view of the others in the distance. The climb up here was like something out of a mountain disaster movie, as we climbed almost hands and knees up this steep snow wall- with no equipment obviously!

At the top we caught a glimpse of the second lake but with frozen and soaking hands and feet, we were already planning how to descend. Returning the same way was a no go unless we wanted to risk rolling down the snowy mountain and falling through a crack in the snow to the river below- so we decided to take the higher 'trail' which went along the mountains edge, and looked treacherous but that just shows how much we didn't want to return the way we came. Step by step I walked and tried not to fall down the mountain and as the wind grew stronger and the snow fall came, I really felt like a character in Everest. After a while we finally made our way back to the chair lift and eventually back to the starting point where the jeep had dropped us off. He picked us up again and to finish off the day, it ended up that our driver was an ex Olympic cross country skiier, who now drove this epic monster jeep 6-7 times a day up and down the mountain. His enthusiasm for this 42 year old rock solid machine was contagious!

Our day in Rila was nothing like we had expected and we were certainly not prepared, but looking back, It was a crazy but cool adventure. According to Mr Olympics, this was one of the first years in a long time to have so much snow in May, so we were just pretty unlucky. We will try again in the future hopefully! Don't worry though the story had a great ending because Dennis had discovered an old thermal bath house beside our vans, with hot water from the local geyser, so we put on our swimwear and spend some time warming up in this epic stone bath house with the hot therapeutic healing water- followed by another amazing dinner at our favourite restaurant of course! 

The choice to come to Bulgaria was made spontaneously and after 6 months in Greece, it was time for a change of scenery, language and cost of living. Bulgaria, still being part of the EU, with little or no restrictions and a lower cost than Greece, seemed to be the perfect option to wait out the pandemic.

The first spot for me was Rupite Hot Springs, while Dennis stayed behind to explore a few more days in Greece. Rupite had great reviews on Park4Night and when I arrived I could see why. With a huge open space to park, free thermal hotsprings steps away from the van and a backdrop of beautiful mountains, I could see myself spending a lot of time there. And I did! I spent a week in Rupite, and maybe half of that time submerged in the healing waters, which were the perfect way to relax on a cold day. When the weather started to heat up, I eased back and only spend a couple of my last evenings there.

It was coming up to Orthodox Easter and the crowd came rolling in as the long weekend began. Dennis. Gimli and I, took a long hike across the hills overlooking the hotsprings and when we returned we decided to move on. The people were so friendly here and the atmosphere was really warm and welcoming but we wanted a more chilled weekend and I had run out of gas so we chose another spot

We stopped for gas at a recommended fill up station where we quickly got our German and Greek cylinders filled up without hassle. I chanced it by asking if they could fill my Irish one which had never been filled in Greece and sure enough they did it within a few minutes, It was smooth sailing in Bulgaria it seemed!

We took the mountain roads towards the towns of Melnik and Rozhen and onwards up to Rozhen Monastery where we parked with an incredible view of the Rozhen sand pyramids, a unique mountain range in this region. Melnik Itself is one of the most famous wine regions in all of Bulgaria so we were excited to try some of the wines while we were in the area.

With the temperatures soaring, we thought it would be a great day to hike to Melnik, which was fantastic but proved to be a struggle back up the mountain later on. Was it the heat or the beer I had at lunch? Who knows! The views through the Pyramids were absolutely fantastic and so unique to anything I had seen before. We walked 4km to the town, took a stroll around the cobbled street and had our first ever local meal and beer in a restaurant which seemed surreal. We both had Kavarma (Bulgarian stew) and a local beer which was so incredible to enjoy in the sun, while Gimli reaped the benefits of the shade and relaxation under the table.
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It was hard to believe there was a pandemic at all, considering life was so normal here as everyone enjoyed their long Easter weekend. We were excited to explore the wineries over the next few days.

Melnik was an area we were told to go because of the beautiful town, but little did we know, there was a huge and varied wine region to discover. When we realised that Bulgaria was once one of the worlds leading wine producers, we knew we had to try it out. Our first taste of wine in Bulgaria was at a restaurant where we had some 'homemade' white wine, and absolutely loved it- pity we had no idea what it was, so we knew we would enjoy going to the wineries to learn a bit more about the region.

Villa Melnik- This was our first stop in the wine region, and the road leading to here from Melnik town was so incredibly beautiful, with rolling green hills, snowcapped mountains and vineyards everywhere. We parked at the winery and got a tour of the winery, the winemaking process and the history of the region. One of the most remarkable things we learned was that this region had 300 days of sun per year, and was absolutely perfect for wine making, being surrounded by mountains. We were taken to the cave cellar, dug out of the mountain and then finally to the tasting table where we tried a variety of local wines including the rare Melnik grapes Sandanski Misket and Broad Leaf Menik. The wines were so delicious we were finding it hard to chose a favourite, and it was paired with a platter of cheeses and meats.

Orbelus- Next was Orbelus, an organic winery in the region or perhaps in Bulgaria, which meant they produced less wine, which was a little ore expensive but still very affordable. We were the only guest here and so, we had the opportunity to sit with out host for about three hours and chat about wine, Bulgarian life and most importantly Bulgarian history. We had learned that during the Communist times, everything was owned by the state, so they produced wine in these regions for trade, and Melnik was a famous trading town, given its location. It wasn't until Bulgaria became part of the EU, that they received some funding to be able to re establish this wine region and that is why you will find all of the wineries are relatively young. When you see the road leading to this winery and many of the other wineries, you cant help but agree that they definitely deserve more funding, like many other countries get to keep their industry thriving. It seemed like these wineries were hidden in the corner of Europe, considering we didn't even know about them until we arrived, which was a shame because the world was well and truly missing out- especially the wine enthusiasts!

Our last winery was Zlaten Rozhen which was big and fancy and the only on where we sat at a bar. I couldn't remember the last time i sat at a bar! We chatted to our host, a young Bulgarian winemaker from the northern city of Vratsa about wine but mostly about Bulgarian life. We must have sat there for hours and hours before realising we didn't even know what we were drinking at that point. This was a winery which we had heard a lot about because it is well promoted around the area and many of the wine shops in Melnik sell their wines. It was amazing to see the contrast between the three we had visited, and even though we learned so much about wine, we learned even more about what its like to live in Bulgaria. I had been wine tasting in Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Slovenia and I was very impressed by the wines being produced here. Having learned that there were a few other regions to try out, we knew this wouldn't be our last winery experience in Bulgaria.

We paid between €5 and €7.50 for 4-5 wine tastings, some with food platters and some without, s check this beforehand. 

Its been three months since my Greek adventure began and man has it gone by fast. So much has happened, that it seems like it has been three years, so ill try to sum it up as much as I can.
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The first few weeks saw me chilling at a secluded beach called Zacharo where other vanlifers came to join as they passed through. We started a group called Greece on Wheels, and from there, we organized our first group meet up (pre lockdown)- a vanlife beach Halloween/Full Moon party which was such a fantastic evening, even if the hangover nearly killed me the next day.

Many of us came from all parts of Europe, there were Germans, Finnish, Scottish, Dutch, Austrian, Irish, Swedish and Polish and Hungarian, and later on we would have Slovak. We all had one major thing in common, and that was vanlife. To us, the road was our home and we absolutely loved to talk about our past travels and future plans, around the bonfire.

After Zacharo, in convoy we left to Elea Beach, a renowned hippy beach complete with forest showers and an endless stretch of beach to park at and be isolated. We had heard this was were everyone went during the first Greek lockdown in March so we felt safe to settle here in case another lockdown was on the horizon, and low and behold it was.

Greek lockdown came into effect and a couple of people left the group to go home where they felt safer while the rest of us jumped for joy that we were 'locked down' on this paradise beach with great weather, a great group of people and a daily drive by bakery. What's not to love we thought?

As the weeks went on we spent the days sunbathing and drinking beer during the day and sitting by the fire and drinking beer at night, we basically consumed a lot of beer during those weeks, and we had no regrets. A few of us had van trouble, which kept us busy trying to fix and figure things out, while others worked from their vans, gave exercise classes on the beach or took us out on boat trips. We looked forward to 10am to get fresh pastries and bread and 5pm for the best sunsets when we could open our evening beers, as well as the weekly market to get our cheap veggies. In order for us to do this, we needed to fill out an 'essential travel' form which we had to carry with us- only one of our group was ever checked up to this day. The days were blissful, sunny, and fun and we were thoroughly enjoying each other's company.

We chatted about our journey to Greece, where we wished to go after the pandemic, our vans and van builds of course, and pretty much everything van related. Some of us even found out we had met before on previous travels without even knowing. The world sure is small!

As the weeks continued on and lockdown became a thing to get used to, with it being extended time and time again, tensions were high and feet were itchy and many of us wanted to spend time at other spots around the Peloponnese. Within a short time, some had had opted for the long drive home, some had moved back to the old beach Zacharo and some had moved further south in the Peloponnese to discover more and stimulate the mind. With only three of us left at our 'Greece on Wheels' camp, we too decided to make a decision to move on too.

With no 'plan' as such in our minds, we drove from place to place slowly discovering the incredible landscape of the Peloponnese, an area i had previously known nothing about, and a place i would later discover was steeped in history and breathtaking views. With 4 peninsulas to discover, I had no idea, we would go on to discover so much amazing scenery, celebrate Christmas on a beautiful beach and new years overlooking a magical small island called Monemvasia. We were lucky, and we reminded ourselves daily of this.

As we continue on the journey in smaller separated groups now, we make time to meet up, share our favourite spots and check in on each other, with the intention to perhaps stay somewhere warm for the rest of winter.
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My time in Greece so far has surpassed my expectations, not that I really had any to begin with, but I have to admit, us vanlifers really are in the perfect place to feel safe, discover beautiful places and wait it out until winter and this pandemic are well and truly over.

​Thank you Greece for taking care if us!

Greece, a place i had heard about many times over the past 9 months from other van lifers who had tild stories of winters spent there. It never crossed my mind that I would end up here. Like right now I am sitting on the beach in 27 degree heat in October, how did that happen?

Well I had actually planned to go from Norway to Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France and take the ferry home for winter to get some things done with the van, spruce her up a bit and spend Christmas etc, but things changed. My gut told me that the covid pandemic was not over and if i was to go home, i might not get out for a long time. The ferry website indicated that and so having chatted to a fellow solo female vanlifer Sophie who planned to spend the winter in greece, i thought why not.

I had a great time in Denmark, with my Serbian bestie Gordana and her husband who had recently moved there. The best thing was, It was my birthday and they spoilt me rotten. Leading up to our reunion, I had spent a week exploring the beaches and forests of Denmark as well as giving Maggie a much needed makeover. She was ready for her new adventure. 

Following Denmark, I headed to Holland and stayed almost two weeks at Sophies, where we got new floors down in our vans, shared our excitment for Greece and planned our route there. When things started changing with covid regulations and Sophies van was not ready to leave yet, I decided to head north to get some last mechanics done on Maggie and then to head swiftly to Greece.
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With my diesel leak fixed and a new vrake system restored, Maggie was good to go. In 5 days i managed to drive all the way to Ancona for the ferry to Patras but with some epic stops inbetween. I got to reunite with my friend Mel who i had met in Tanzania 5 years ago and it also happened to be Canadian Thanksgiving that weekend so the timing was perfect. We hung out, drank wine and relaxed in the sauna until we had to say goodbye the next day.

I headed off towards the Austrian Alps where i froze my ass off, and continued through Italy until i reached Ancona. I had a few forms to fill out for the borders but no one checked anything and the ferry was as easy as pie.

I boarded in Ancona and took the option to camp onboard which was amazing. I had use of electricity, showers, WC and a nice safe spot with the other campers on the open deck for a whopping 21 hours. It was not as bad as Ireland to Spain that is for sure.

So 9 months later, who would have thought we would be arriving off a ferry to Greece to spend the winter in the sun. Greece was our 13th country this year, and Gimli was well accustomed to being a well travelled van dog. Over the past 9 months i have been stopped only at 3 borders (Spain to France during lockdown, but i was let go), (Sweden to Finland, which took some sweet and white lies but I was also let go), (and Austria to Italy which I was only asked where I was going and then let go), so 2020 has been kind to us so far and we have seen a lot more than we first imagined we would back in January.

Bring on winter in Greece and a 2021 full of more adventures and new friends.

Arriving in Andenes from Gryllfjord via our first Norwegian ferry, was the beginning of our island adventure through Vesterålen and Lofoten archipelago, but let me tell you about Norway's best kept secret - the island of Senja. A friend of mine Lars, told me to check out this island paradise, telling me it was less discovered than its island neighbours, and that It would be even less busy this year because of the lack of tourists in Norway. He was right!

Senja, for us, was an absolute gem in the crown that is Norway, my already favourite country, but this clarified it! We spent time in Senja doing many hikes including Husfjellet, Hesten, Skøytnesset and Knuten most of which were of 'medium' level, but I beg to differ.

One I thing I noticed about hiking in Norway is to take the grading system with a pinch of salt and always be prepared, because you could set out for a medium hike and it could be relatively easy or you could set out on an easy hike and it could be challenging. Also, if you think you're at the top, you probably aren't and if you think you have further to go you probably already reached the summit. Hiking in Norway works in mysterious ways, just like the weather.

Check out
https://outtt.com/no/norway
for the best and most detailed information about hiking in Norway!

The views were undeniable and we were lucky enough to have sun the whole time, and not much traffic on the incredibly narrow cliffside roads and even narrower pitch black tunnels. The turquoise water, white sandy beaches and steep jagged cliffs are what make Senja famous and it is described as a mini Norway. An absolutely fantastic part of our trip.

The ferry was the best way to reach Vesterålen rather than drive the entire way around via the mainland. I'll be honest though, I didn't know about Vesterålen, I thought we were heading to Lofoten but soon discovered that the Vesterålen islands lie north of Lofoten. I was so glad we got to experience this. The drive alone from the ferry terminal to our park up at Bleik beach was just phenomenal, so much so that I most likely curse out loud when I saw the views. The park up was incredible, right alongside the white sandy beach but with heaps if space between us and other campers. Somewhat of a campers paradise. The hills behind us had some trails to walk and get an overall view of the beach and nature reserve, and we were amazingly beside the trail head to a famous hike known as Måtinden. We headed off on this trail one sunny day to get a mountain top view of Bleik, with no water and unprepared for what we thought would be a easy stroll. 4 hours later we arrived back to the van, parched and exhausted, but with an incredible sense of achievement and adventure. Again, don't take the hikes lightly.

In Svolvaer, Lofoten we took on the Tjeldbergtinden hike, which overlooked the town and whole coastline, it was beautiful and much more to our skillset. Bringing a dog on a hike can be tricky so I have to choose carefully. This was Gimlis first birthday though, and it was the perfect way to celebrate.

We also hiked to Kvalvika beach at midnight, being such a popular place there was paid parking everywhere and it was always full because people camp at the beach. We got a spot at midnight and set off on an incredible hike with the full moon glistening in the background over the lakes. We took on the slippery and steep Nubben hike, overlooking the town of Ramberg but it was pretty treacherous on the way down and extremely foggy at the top and even got to see Unstad beach, famous for arctic surfing!

In total we drove from Finnsnes to Å, where the road ended and there was no choice but to take the ferry back to the mainland, to the town of Bodø.

Senja, Lofoten and Vesterålen were absolute highlights of our entire 6 month trip, if not the best part. The scenery is indescribable, so I encourage you to visit and see for yourself, the hikes are so rewarding and no matter where you go you will always find a trail of some kind. I would call this region the Caribbean of Norway, don't miss out!