So as you all might remember, my last blog post ended where I was about to cross the border to Finland from Sweden in order to get to Norway.... It was entitled 'Its not Finnish-ed yet', and it certainly wasn't.

The morning of July 13th came around, the day Irish people would be 'allowed' into Finland (along with many other nationalities of course), but coming from Sweden, I was sceptical, but of course I would give it a go.

My friend Paddy from Wexford, who had arrived to Haparanda, the day before, stopped by to say Bon Vogage and kindly took Gimli for a walk while I got the van sorted. I headed off over the bridge into the queue and was stopped and questioned by the border control. With a little bit of a cover story, I naturally chatted my way over the border, and headed in the direction of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland.

I couldn't quite believe I had made it, considering there were a few points during the conversation I was sure I would be refused entry, but oh well. We had arrived in country number 7 of the road trip, and of Gimlis life!

Onwards I went, towards the city where I parked for the night in a not so glamorous car park outside the city. Gimli and I took the long walk Into the city from there, only to be greeted by one of the craziest storms I've seen in a while.

Our experience in Rovaniemi featured us crouched under a shelter for a good while until it passed. The following day I headed to the Arktikum museum (Im a huge fan of cool museums), which had science and anthropology exhibitions of the Arctic and what life is like in the region. It was fascinating, so much so that I couldn'teave without grabbing my copy of The Arctic Pocket Book at the gift shop.

That night, I spent parked at Santas Village (pinch me moment) just north of the city, where I found myself casually bringing my dog for a midnight walk in my pjs past santas office, with the whole place to myself. It was surreal, to cross the Arctic Circle here, but what was even more surreal was visiting Santa the next day and asking him for winter tyres for Christmas while giggling like a little child. Santa laughed and said I can come join his team for the winter.

​Our first hike was Eeron Polku which was signposted along the highway. It was an easy uphill trail with many info boards dedicated to the famous Finnish skiier. The views from the top were fantastic, and like almost everywhere in Lapland, it had a traditional laavu or hut complete with fire pit, dry toilet cabin and cabin full of firewood.

From there, I began my journey towards Pallas-Yllästunturin National Park where I stayed in various spots and did various hikes. I began at the Kellokas visitor centre and did a beautiful hike from there (Varkaankurun trail) and the next day me and Gimli took on a big mountain hike (Pirunkurun or The Starry Way) which was so much fun, however super steep and challenging in parts.
\nIn between dodging herds of reindeer on the road, I learned a lot about Lapland from the many visitor centers in the national parks, which all had free exhibitions. I ended my Finland trip with a stop at the Hetta visitor centre and a quick hike from there, before heading over the border towards Alta, Norway.
\nLapland was a magical place for me, full of mystery and amazing scenes at every corner. The stories of the Arctic and the life of the indigenous people of the Arctic, I found absolutely fascinating and I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to visit in the depths of winter. The midnight sun was a sight to behold during my quick visit to Lapland and that is something everyone must see at least once in their life.

As I sit here, ocean side, with only 20km between us and Finland, I think back to how I ended up here. Arriving in Sweden, my 'plan', well vague plan anyway, was to spend maybe a couple of weeks exploring Sweden- its nature mainly, reunite with old friends and then continue over to Norway for a date with the fjords, but after Stockholm, plans changed...

Let's rewind a bit shall we?

So, I got to tick an amazing event off my bucket list, spending Midsummer in Sweden, and with Swedish friends. Lis and I had the best time in Stockholm, going out for breakfast in the old city, making Midsummer flower crowns from scratch, indulging in some traditional Swedish food for Midsummer brunch and of course drinking schnapps with new friends in the sun. It was a Midsummer different from years gone by, but as Lis told me, this was one of the only years the sun shone all day and the rain held back. We had blue skies all day in fact.

From Stockholm, Gimli and I headed towards Uppsala but not without an important stop at Karl's house aka Jonathan, my former ship buddy. We spent the afternoon in the sun, catching up on each other's lives and laughing about old times and getting to meet his family again. It was so much fun and so nice to see him after two years.
​
The reunions continued as we arrived in Uppsala and I got to spend the day with my first Camino friend, Carolin from two years ago. She took me around the beautiful town and we drank a few glasses of wine/beer under the Swedish sun. It was bliss, to come all this way and feel so at home, reuniting with these special friends and because of Swedens lack of 'lockdown', life was completely normal everywhere you went.

The next few weeks involved many forest walks, beach swims, lake views and yet another reunion. It turned out that my friend Paddy from Wexford, who I had only met in Salamanca when this road trip to Sweden began, decided to head towards Scandinavia himself. Three times we ended up in the same town, and we got to catch up and share stories and travel info, he even brought ice cream, like a real Irish visitor. We had similar plans and were both heading north to Finland and on Into Norway. It was nice to know a fellow Irish person wouldn't be too far away in case I needed help and at one point I did!

My plan to head to Finland was rather spontaneous considering the journey was so long, to the border, however I thought to myself, now is my chance to drive the whole coast, take my time, see lapland and the arctic circle by road, see more of Finland than just Helsinki, and eventually arrive in Norway.

What an adventure it would be.

Now, with only a few kms to the Finnish border, I still don't know if I will be allowed to cross, but so far we have had no issues so let's see what happens. Maybe the luck of the Irish is real after all! Maggie has had a check from the mechanic, I am stocked up with affordable Swedish food and we are ready to relax around here until July 13th (Irish people can enter Finland then apparently), when we will hopefully cross the border and head to see Santa in Rovaniemi.

The whole scenario seems so normal to me at this point, having driven almost 8k kms across 6 borders so far, but I know one day I will look back on this mad adventure and laugh at how crazy it all was, but for now, its adventure time!

Sitting beach side on my camp chair, listening to the waves of Lake Vättern, I can't quite believe the turn of events that led me here. Yes, I wanted to spend summer in Scandinavia but with everything that's happening inthe world, I certainly didn't think it would be possible this year. It's been almost a month since I left Spain and crossed 3 countries to reach this beautiful country, and I have zero regrets! 

Since my last post, we have spent time exploring Hamburg and reuniting with old friends Nina and Sean, one of whom I met in Latvia and one in Canada. We visited some beaches in the North Sea, met some fellow vanlifers and drank wine on the beach at sunset, whilst chatting about all things van life related. Who knew you could have a long conversation about showers eh? We actually laughed at ourselves for this! Also, thanks for bringing your last piece of French cheese for me, Tony!! 

It was only five days ago that we were in line for the ferry from Rostock to Trelleborg in the south of Sweden and I had no idea how easy it would be. We drove on, chilled for 5.5 hours in the sun and drove off only to have my passport glanced over and waved off. We spent two nights at a beautiful beach side park up close to Malmö and eventually headed to Malmö city to explore. I got to reunite with my old ship roomie Emilia, for dinner and beer before heading towards Helsingborg which I had been to once before on my first contract at sea. 

From here we continued towards Lake Vättern and spend a night in stunning Jönköping. So far I've noticed that roads are awesome, the people are super friendly, the services and parking areas for campers are wonderful and the weather has been fab for the most part. 

We are on our way north towards Küngsor to reunite with my old ship mate Lis, and together we will head to Stockholm to celebrate Swedish Midsommer and reunite with more friends. I am loving Sweden so far, to the point where I'm conjuring up ideas of how I can stay here forever. 

Watch this space! #VisitSweden

It's been god knows how long since my last blog. Well over two months that's for sure. As most you know know, I am still in mainland Europe and you're probably wondering about the 'ins and outs' of what went on when lockdown happened, and how I ended up on a journey towards Scandinavia.

It was the end of March when Covid lockdowns kicked off around the world and I was one of the many, many van lifers told to leave Portugal and make their way home (in a friendly way though). I genuinely believed it would be a couple of weeks and then things would be back to normal, so I decided to stick around and not opt for the 24 hour drive to France, for a ferry home, like the Irish embassy suggested. I went with my gut feeling and looking back now I've zero regrets.

What would be the point in returning back to Ireland to sit in my mother's house or in the van in the driveway, when I could at least be somewhere abroad and not stranded there for the summer waiting for the restrictions to be lifted again.

Luckily my friend Susie who I had met in 2013 in India, kindly invited me to park at her beautiful place in the Spanish countryside, 7 hours from where i was in Portugal. Having slept one night in the forest and ripping my window off the bedroom side of the van, I drove most of the way towards spain with nothing but a plastic bag blowing in the wind, to cover the gaping hole. I stayed at a truckers rest stop when the sun finally set and a storm set in, as well as the tiredness. The rain leaked in the window onto my bed and I just wanted to be somewhere safe finally. The next 7 weeks in Happyland with Susie, Teto and their pets, was so peaceful, fun and enlightening. I had so much free time and space to develop my yoga and meditation practice, catch up with my friends and live for each day.

When the lockdown started to ease on May 11th, I could leave and travel around the province of Caceres, where I was, in the region of Extremedura. I headed to a couple of places including a secluded lake side spot in the forest which was so tranquil, that I stayed for five days just enjoying the peace and nature.

Ages before the this had happened, I had the idea to spend winter in Portugal and summer in Norway or Sweden, but now I figured I would head back to Portugal once borders opened and finish where I left off. So my plan was to hang around the forest until that happened, until one morning I read something about the rules and regulations, regarding campers, and that they were going to introduce fines etc. for campers parking near beaches and limited access to beaches aswell, so I thought well why not head to Sweden where the summer will be more accessible this year, considering they have had no lockdown. It's a long drive I thought, but when I saw a Ukranian couple posting that they needed a ride to Germany, I took it as a sign.

I messaged them and within a couple of days I had driven to Salamanca (where I met a fellow Irish camper in his van, having spent 6 weeks in quarantine in the carpark), Valladolid and onwards.

Julia, Stan, Gimli and myself headed off from Valladolid and encountered a 6 hour breakdown on the highway, meaning we had to be towed and brought to Burgos to get Maggie's battery recharged. Luckily a lovely Romanian mechanic helped us immensely and we were on our way in no time.

We drove the long stretch to Urrugne, France just over the border, which we crossed at almost midnight. I'm not sure if we took the wrong road but where we heard there are normally no police, we were stopped and questioned and our passports were checked. After telling them I was heading 'home', and them not even asking about the Ukranians plans, they let us on our way. The next day we drove to an area close to Limoges where we stayed lakeside before heading off to Vezlay the next day to visit a friend of theirs. After a brief walk around the UNESCO town of Vezlay, we headed down the incredible tiny french country roads to end up at their friend's house. That evening we met some friends of friends around the campfire, drank Burgundy wine in Burgundy withe the backdrop of live bass and clarinet. We stayed another night, and met even more people that night, I counted at least 15 new friends including a couple hiking through a section of France, looking for somewhere to camp and who were invited to come and stay at this place. We had champagne, more Burgundy wine, and I even cracked out the rum id brought from the Caribbean, which everyone was excited about. As the night went on, we cooked over the fire, chatted, laughed and played music. I vaguely remember playing the drums that evening, if it was good or not is another question. After our great visit to this much needed social house, we headed to Germany via Luxembourg, as the borders were open and I had a friend who had just done this trip. We drove right through Luxembourg via the highway with no issues at all, and onwards toward Dasburg in Germany on the open road. We stopped at a motorhome area where I planned to sleep that night, and my friends were picked up from there and taken to their final destination.

After some beautiful nature trails and exploring, me and Gimli headed to a very quiet camping area about half an hour from there and chilled for the night. Surrounded by more trails to take Gimli, it was an ideal place to stop. Next we headed north to Cologne where I initially got lost and followed signs to a camp site which charged me 12e for the night. The only night I've ever paid for in 4 months, but I had a lovely river view. I explored the city and the next day decided to move my van to the free riverside area which I had discovered on my walk. I parked at the river for two more nights and enjoyed amazing weather, incredible Rhein views and got to catch up with a dear friend who I met in Zanzibar five years ago. She invited me over to do my laundry and make home made pizza and was so kind, something only travellers will understand. Haha! The day we left, she came to say goodbye and we headed off towards a lakeside town called Haselünne which looked beautiful on Park4night, the app which i use to find overnight spots.

It was a long weekend in Germany so I was caught in crazy traffic and angry speeding Germans on the road. I even had an encounter at the gas station, when they accused me of not paying, which made me even more angry, as I did pay! I headed off and finally made it to a beautiful but packed spot by the lake, which was full of German posh motorhomes, complete with staring eyes, as I approached, to park Maggie. Luckily I got an amazing spot facing the lake, just before many more arrived and were forced to the back of the area or out of the area completely. I decided I would stay here for a few days and enjoy the great weather, lakeside walks and peace, despite the initial feeling of being judged! Its day two and I finally feel like I'm respected, now that they know I'm not a dirty hippy so I am enjoying life to the max. After this, I plan to head to the north sea for a night or two, Hamburg to catch up with a friend and onwards to Sweden for the summer. The rest I will leave unplanned, but I can imagine there will be plenty of adventure awaiting us!

For anyone wanting to keep up to date with real live travel information for Europe check out https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/
This is the source I, and many of my van friends have used and are currently using to keep an eye on rules and borders etc. It applies to anyone traveling not just by road!

Wow, well what a whirlwind it's been since my last blog post. If someone had of told me I would be writing this next blog from the Spanish countryside, I would have been rather confused. And so much you be! It's hard to keep up with me at the best of times but these past few weeks have been another level. From being parked in a beautiful coastal town to being on the run through Spain and Portugal, it's all happened to me.

So, where shall I begin? The past few weeks saw me visit some cool places such as Nazare- home to the biggest waves in the planet, the beautiful UNESCO town of Obidos, the most westerly point of Portugal- Peniche, the ultra hipster town of Ericeira, I skipped Lisbon but headed to Sintra which was underwhelming, luxurious coastal town of Cascais, Sines and Sagres with a few unexpected spots in between including beautiful Comporta beach.

The pandemic seemed to be happening all around the world without having much affect on me, or in Portugal in general and it seemed to be the safest place to be, and still could be, in my opinion. Pity the feds don't agree! I saw myself stuck in a small beach valley for 2 nights just terrified to tackle the steep monstrosity of a hill, to get out of the place. I sat there for two days thinking I would just die here because I was not going to attempt this hill, I lost sleep over it... Imagine! Then one morning I woke and decided I needed to get out and move south. So I did... Just before this I had spent a couple of nights just outside Sines at a beautiful cliffside motorhome area with a few other campers around. It had beautiful walks, amazing sunsets and a nice community feel, of people just waiting out the pandemic. We were in the best position... or so we thought.


Every day the situation and the law changed for people like us, vanlifers, motorhomers and nomads. First the campsites closed, which didn't affect me because I only used the free camping areas anyway, but then gradually things got worse... And slightly scary...


Having made it up the hill (Go on Maggie!!!), I headed for Sagres, the most southerly part of Portugal and parked at the fort with at least 25 other camper vans. It seemed like a great place, and it was. People had been there for weeks and felt as though this was the perfect place to keep distance, but be close to supermarkets and be able to stay active around the many cliff walks.

I stayed there 3 nights and really loved my time there, planning to stay indefinitely with the situation around just getting worse. With constant updates from various FB pages relating to campers in Portugal/Spain during the lockdown, I knew it was inevitable that we would be moved on, and I was right! It was just a few days ago that the GNR (police) stopped by the Sagres area and ordered us all put of the area, not just the 'area's' but the country! We were told to go home, not easy when it's a 23 hour drive (prob 50 hours in Maggie), to the nearest ferry going to Ireland. Not that I was planning to do this, but still!

I desperately tried to hatch a plan, contacting everyone I knew and hoping that I would find a private parking space somewhere in Portugal to stay until I could move on. I had many messages and many friends on the case, trying to hatch a plan with me. I was so thankful, but yet we couldn't find a solution in Portugal. I knew I needed to leave the area now but had no idea where to go. I headed to Lidl to stock up on even more food for Gimli and myself, with no idea where I would be going and with the idea that maybe I would need to hide out for a few weeks with no access to supermarkets. Bearing in mind, they took al our licence plates and would been the lookout for foreign campervans, this was the reality. 

In the Lidl carpark I met a few other campers doing the same, even a Swiss family in their RV who said they didn't see an option but to drive back to Switzerland where they had no home. This is there home after all, just like mine and the others living in their campers. The whole situation seemed just crazy that all at once, there would be hundreds upon hundreds of vans and motorhomes on the road just driving aimlessly to get 'home', crossing borders, closed to the general public and driving through countries where the virus was extreme. Very unsafe right?


I had been in touch with my friend Susie, my yoga sister who I had met years ago in India and who now lived in Spain, and she had invited me to stay at hers until this thing ended. I had originally decided not to, before I knew how dramatically the situation would change, but then last minute I decided that this may be the best and most safe option. The plan would be to drive from Sagres to Evras and cross the border there, at one of the designated areas and pretend I was going 'home', but then to continue on to her place and hope no police spotted me on the small roads, obviously not bound for Ireland.


My mind was racing all night as I slept in the woods with one other camper (who I'm convinced didn't know what was going on in the world) and tried to decide what to do. Did I mention, in the panic of this situation, I broke off the whole bedroom window when trying to enter the woods. I swear that tree just appeared!! I did a quick patch up with some plastic bags and duct tape and just prayed things wouldn't get any worse. It's not like I could even get this fixed with everything being closed, so it was a few weeks of being freezing until things reopened.


Despite an awful sleep, I awkwardly maneuvered my huge bus out of the forest and headed off on the 643km journey wondering how I would even pay for gas. Considering both my atm cards had expired and I was using Google Pay to buy groceries etc. I needed to make sure the gas station accepted this before filling up. Risky! A friend encouraged me to try my atm card and see if I could get cash out because it could potentially still be working until the end of the month. Luckily, I did this and I managed to get enough money for the gas and the tolls. I drove the toll roads the whole way to Evras, stopping there briefly to stock up on over the counter inhalers before crossing the border. The police gave me a slip of paper to show any Spanish police when I was there, to show that I'm going home. I agreed and continued on. A few hours down the road a storm came and my headlights began to fail as the sky became dark. I panicked and decided to stay at a truck stop that night, to avoid exhaustion causing a crash and not being able to see the road. I had a decent sleep despite still having no bedroom window attached and being an easy target to rob, but I did feel safe surrounded by truckers sleeping too.


After a quick breakfast, I continued on the 45 min journey, having been told by a friend to hurry as police were cracking down on anyone out driving, I was a bit nervous I have to admit. Its not like my van blends in!


I drove down a series of small roads in the Spanish countryside with some Incredible mountain views and just wished I could stop for some pictures. I continued on! I arrived at Susie's mid morning and was greeted by her at the big gates. Her and her boyfriend helped me maneuvere my van into a great flat area right beside the guest house which had a bathroom etc for me to use, including a hot shower.... Amazing!! Van people will understand this

It was 40 days ago when I arrived in mainland Europe. Far from home but closer to the sun. It's hard to believe it's been 40 days but I feel like it's been longer in many ways, the places I've been, the views I've seen and the people I've met make it all so amazing. After the Douro Valley I headed to Viseu which wasn't that great sonic continued to Aveiro (the venice of Portugal) which was super cute, touristy but cute and quirky. I explored the town and the beautiful canal lined with gondolas and colourful little buildings before continuing on to Costa Nova. This town, famed for its stripy, multi coloured houses 2as recommended by many along the way and I was so keen to see it. I got a great park up by the beach with a few other campers and explored the town the following morning. It reminded me of something you'd see In California, very alternative, quirky and totally different to anything I'd seen on this trip, or any trip really (apart from Curaçao(. After a morning of exploring I headed to Coimbra where I parked up at a great motorhome spot just a small bridge away from the old historical centre. There were tonnes of campers there but funnily I liked the community feeling of it all. The weather was lovely and the people around me were very friendly. I headed into the old town and explored the streets and the oldest university in the world which was really cool. I was planning to go see the university but I ended up not bothering and instead I left for Tomar even earlier to meet Dave a friend of mine I met almost 6 years ago in New Zealand. Tomar was awesome, the free campsite was so quaint, relaxing and ahead a community vibe with people staying for days upon days which meant we became familiar. Dave and myself mounted and set up my solar panel and also repaired the side of my van which had been damaged a few weeks back on the god awful tiny roads I found myself stuck on. People watched as we spent hours and hours for days, up on the roof with tools and spray painting the van. Luckily the town had a decent hardware and a huge china shop where I bought lots of handy gadgets for my home on wheels. Over the week, Dave and myself cooked lovely dinners together, chatted over beers in the sun and visited the coolest historical ruin- the knights templar castle. It was a strange feeling to leave Tomar, saying goodbye to my Donegal neighbours and the others parked around me. It's funny when you stay somewhere a few days in a van it seems like a lot longer than you'd imagine but in a good way. I was do thankful for these few days to have a familiar face around, to share travel stories and travel tips and to meet some new people who were travelling around too (albeit by fancy motorhomes). As I make my way down south following the sun, I am full of butterflies, the wanderlust kind, the ones that make me feel so happy to be able to live this life. Vanlife is like no other and I love every minute of it! 

Big thanks to Dave for all the help, truly grateful!! 

I feel like all my posts begin with I can't believe I've been on the road for..... But it's true! I've been in Spain and Portugal almost a month now and even longer if I count my week around Cork. Since my last post, so much has happened and I feel like this is a regular occurrence. So much so that I can't keep up with it all!


After spending time in the national park, I spent some time in beautiful Porto which I loved so much I stayed 3 nights. 70c hot showers next to my park up and the view by the river was so nice. I ended up there sooner than expected, considering I had a dodgy experience in a beach town earlier on the night I arrived. I had been surrounded by a few cars at midnight and felt very uncomfortable even though the place was so chilled and beautiful during the day and I had seen other camper vans around. Around 1am I noticed the guys who parked up, looking into my van and being very peculiar. I had a strong feeling I needed to leave, so while my guard dog lay sleeping on the bed, I holled in the drivers seat, pls on, as the guys stared at me, and drove off. I was followed to two locations until I eventually lost them. I continued to Porto and the rest is history... Or so I thought.


I met a lovely girl in Porto called Lena who had a gypsy caravan and was travelling Portugal for over a year with her dog. We changed loads about life and swapped stories, before I headed off into the douro valley to explore what I had heard was one of the most beautiful regions of the world. And they were right!


Arriving in Souselo, I parked up at a free motorhome area complete with free showers, toilets, electric hook up, water and views to die for. The place was so great that I couldn't leave and ended up there for 4 glorious nights. It helped that I had lots of new van friends and the weather was a least 24 every day.


I met John and Gillie an English couple and their Chihuahua whiskey who parked next to me on Day 2. I spent evening drinking wine and watching movies with them and days, sitting in the sun chatting. John even kindly offered to repair the side of my van which I had damaged a while back. Whilst checking out my van, he spotted a slash in my back tyre and came to the conclusion that, that was the reason I was being followed. I had no idea! Luckily, I mean major lucky, that I have 4 back wheels so I could get away at the time, and hadn't even noticed the issue. John was super nice and put extra security on the van and both of them were so kind to me during those days! I was so grateful.


I met a group of Dutch friends who parked the other side, and ended up on a river walk with them and then taught them all yoga the morning I was leaving. I felt as if I could stay there for weeks and never tire of it. The vineyard walks were lush and the sun beaming down as I relaxed by the van, were just two of the many things I loved. The day I left, the gang helped me get out of my parking spot and up the steep hill which we had watched many fail at, I was terrified of that part. I headed off for Peso do Regua where I stopped at a camper area which had 27 campers by the end of the day and was a payable site for electricity and water which I hadn't known. I got away without paying and managed to get my tyre sorted and brake fluid added whilst in town. Luckily I had been told it was a public holiday the next day. With the van full of diesel, a new tyre fixed and laundry all done, I was ready to head off deeper into the valley to rhe heart of the douro wine region Pinhão. It goes without saying that I am looking forward to whatever van life brings next... The good things obviously

I can't believe it's almost 2 weeks since I got to Spain. It feels a lot longer than that and now I'm actually in Portugal. This past week has been full of beautiful scenery, kind people and some of the best night's sleep I've had (who knew the sound of the waves could send you into such a deep slumber). I'm writing this as I lay on my comfy bed, dog at my feet, with a view of the ocean out my bedroom window. I'm so pleased to be able to just 'be' and enjoy this.
Don't get me wrong it's not all beaches, sunsets and rainbows, there are times travelling with a dog can be stressful, tidying up constantly can be endless and there are times when you end up on scarily narrow streets and think its the end of the world. Thankfully most of the time, things go smoothly but when they don't, it scares the bejesus out of me. Those of you who saw my insta story the other day will know what I mean. Google maps took me up and down some treacherously narrow roads whilst looking for the campervan park. I ended up on roads and stone bridges that just about fit my van and scratched the whole side of someone's fence up in the hills whilst trying to squeeze through. I just kept going!
My bad!


I've stayed at some beautiful beach areas especially in Portugal where they have been secluded at night and so peaceful and the evenings are lit up by the bright orange sunsets (when its not overcast of course). I've been on long morning beach walks, exchanged 'Bom Dia' with the locals and bath in the Atlantic ocean as the sun rose. I've gotten used to cold beach showers and ocean bathing now. I'd rather do this than not bathe at all, and that's not an option. The temperature here is not hot but it's definitely comfortable to be able to do this. There's something very therapeutic about cold water on your body first thing in the morning and cold salty water, even more so. I don't think I've craved a hot shower once since I've been on this journey and probably won't as long as the ocean is close by.


I spend my days planning my route and reading reviews on Park4night as well as reading and watching episodes of friends as I cook! I have barely spent any money apart from filling up with Diesel (cheap in Spain, hella expensive in Portugal though), buying bits and bobs in the supermarket and laundry of course but this is essential stuff. The most luxurious thing I've bought recently was a manual coffee maker for the stove (I have lot's of freshly ground coffee with me) and that was on sale at €2.99. I have discovered Intermarche, a cheap supermarket that has everything and more, even laundry services outside which are awesome and cheap. I am quite close to Porto now and plan to head there tomorrow. For now I continue to work as a travel writer for 'Ireland Before You Die', which is fun and I can work when I want to, and I continue to enjoy the sound of the waves and the outdoors because this is Portugal and this is what I've been waiting for!

Sitting on the roof of my van watching the surfers catch waves in the distance, i cant help but pinch myself. Its only been a werk and i feel like this is what i should have been doing all my life. As the sun begins to set i retreat to my bed to do some writing whilst Gimli peers out the window trying to spot other dog friends in the distance. He has met so many here and seems so happy, especially on the beach. He sleeps so well at night and his faint snoring soothes me to sleep every night while his big fur body keeps me warm. Not that its terribly cold at all here, it was 23 degrees the other day and just beautiful.

​I have made new friends too, Aura from Spain and Tom from Germany who i met when wild camping at Playa Esteira a couple of days ago. We got talking and the travel tips and stories continued for hours after that. Aura left to drive further on but stopped by again the day after much to our excitement. Its kind of a cool feeling when youre in the middle of nowhere and someone stops to say hi again, as if youve known each other years. It was awsome. From her van, her home on wheels, she reached to take a hand made dream catcher which she gave to me, without even knowing my obsession, i returned the gesture giving her an embroidered cushion cover i had gotten in India and never used, she was delighted considering she had forgotten her pillow for on the road, which I hadnt known. Its funny how things work that way! Tom and I parked next to each other and cooked a delicious lentil curry that evening in my van as the sun set at my dining table window. And then of course, a herd of cows and some men chasing them, ran by. Random! That day was scorching hot so we played on the beach with Gimli, did some laundry by hand and i did some writing in the van. Some people stopped as they drove past, to say hi, pet Gimli and admire the view. It was a really lovely atmosphere!

​This week has been full of surprises, bad and good. Getting stuck in carparks my van is too small for, nearly getting blown off the extremely high viaduct bridges from the strong winds and then of course finding absolutely magical places to park. I have spent almost every day with a sea view which just keeps getting better. Who knew that falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the waves could be so soothing. Ive never slept better- and neither has Gimli.

​As i go into week 2 i wonder how this trip can possibly get wven better, but then i cast rhay wonder aside and just decide to let it happen. Its been a positive effect so far! This week has been super cheap too, ive driven a long way and only filled up diesel twice which is very cheap in Spain and ive gone to Lidl for my groceries which a) is great because i can always park there and b) is super affordable. I am now in the region of Galicia, a region i have been before whilst on the camino and the coastline is spectacular. The tiny roads leading down to them, not so much. If youre thinking of doing this too, what are you waiting for, its an amazing life, just like life should be.

A few months ago, I never would have thought I would be laying here in my very own home on wheels in Spain, dog on lap and a blissful coastal view ahead of me. Some people say it's the dream, i say you should live your dreams and create your own reality. There really is nothing holding you back, except what you want to believe is holding you back and so i created this life im living!

​I was asked by a random old man in Cork if I had won the lotto, truth is living in a van is rhe complete opposite to winning the lotto. You dont need money to do it, you basically cut out any bills you used to have and minimize costs in your life. I sold my car, bought the van, gave it a makeover on a budget complete with all furnishings I had spent years collecting around the world and now all i have to pay for is diesel and food once in a while. Easy!


Its day 2 in the north of Spain and i feel like I've been here ages already. From the moment i drove off that ferry ramp and onto the right side of the road with Maggie and Gimli, i knew i had made the right decision. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the view of the snow capped mountains before me were just incredible. I had no idea what to expect and i had never been to Santander before. I headed for the free motorhome area which i had found on Park4night and before i knew it, that evening i was neighboured by 14 other like minded campers. You could spot Maggie a mile away, the only funky looking green bus in the middle of all white motor homes. After filling up water and emptying my toilet for the first time (easier as less disgusting than i thought) i took the 30 min walk into the city and back. We explored all the streets, the waterfront and then walked around the park opposite where we had parked for the night. It was perfect!


We had a great sleep despite the anxiety of looking at the big bag full of laundry i needed to get done the next day. Its funny, normal errands become much more tricky when you have a big van which needs a specific parking area and a dog in toe. It proved to be difficult the next day finding somewhere, having gotten stuck in a car park and a dead end road, i left Santander for Suances, a town I knew nothing about, except they had a laundromat and i was desperate. I drove through all the small streets with no luck finding a parking spot and with panic approaching i decided to just pull in and chill. Moments later i kept driving only to find a side street with a big space to park and close to the laundromat. I took Gimli and my 15kg of clothes over my shoulder and headed in. It was a struggle to get the clothes in and out with Gimli there but i did it. In the mean time whilst passing time, we found the most amazing viewpoint with ample parking facing out over the coast and beaches, this would be our home tonight. I've learned that when things get tricky, just stop, breath and know that in a few hours you will be in a beautiful moment you didn't know could exist. Excited to see what's around the corner!