travel

June 15 2024

Back through northern Spain and France 🔙🇪🇸🇫🇷

baacon Europe, Travel, Vanlife camper, europe, france, germany, spain, travel

I completely underestimated the Spanish north coast during our trip. I had only ever heard how beautiful the south coast was, but the north has so many beautiful places to offer as well! I was especially fascinated by the beaches, which could easily compete with the beautiful beaches of Portugal. But the north is primarily one thing: not as touristy!

The first stop on our tour was the Las Médulas mountain range, where we went on a nice little hiking tour. There was an old Roman gold mine here, which is why tunnels can be found everywhere, even if most of them were blown up at the time. From above, you have a wonderful view of the red rock formations and the surrounding area. Then we went straight on to Astorga, where we visited Gaudi's palace and the cathedral - except for these two buildings, the city is not particularly worth seeing. In the dark, we then drove the last 2 hours... and woke up the next day in a dreamlike spot! In the middle of a large meadow surrounded by mountains and a mountain stream! 😍

Since we still had plenty of work to do, we spent the day here in the sun and didn't leave until late afternoon towards Gijón, where we were surprised by the rain during the drive. But as soon as we arrived at our spot, it stopped raining and we could explore the city center.

We also saw many surfers on the beach who dared to go into the water despite the cold weather. The next morning we headed to the small medieval village of Santillana del Mar, which is really beautiful and well preserved. Here, in addition to many useless souvenirs and many sausage products, there is also super delicious ice cream! We then ended the day in a labyrinth, which we mastered in record time! 😁👍

In addition to beautiful beaches, we also had some of the most beautiful parking spots of our trip in northern Spain. Sometimes we stood completely alone directly at dreamlike beaches, like the ones in the pictures below.

We also really liked the city of Santander in the north, which we didn't expect to be so beautiful - and there is a free motorhome parking lot right in the city center including disposal and free water. ☺️👍 Santander also has a nice city center for shopping, well-maintained gardens and again dreamlike beaches - you can stay here longer! 🤠

From Santander, we continued to Bilbao - also a very beautiful and diverse city with lots to see! As in many other cities, the e-scooter was our preferred way of exploring the city - it's just much faster and super practical. It's a good thing I bought a scooter beforehand because it also saves you the eternal search for parking spaces in the narrow city centers. 😂👍 However, since there was no decent parking space in the city, we continued on after the city tour...

However, my personal highlight of northern Spain was the small town of Donostia-San Sebastián, where we spent two days and would have liked to stay longer. In addition to a beautiful beach and a very long promenade, there is above all one thing here: great bars and restaurants - hundreds of them! I have never seen so many tapas bars in one place - in the city center, you can eat something in almost every store. Even during the week, the atmosphere in the evenings was lively, and the streets were full of people. There is also a lot to explore here - it's worth a visit! ✌️

From there, we traveled to Germany in just a few days. Along the way, we visited the French cities of Bordeaux (highly recommended!), Bourges, and Metz. Then we crossed the border and visited Mainz (there are also so many beautiful places in Germany). After that, we drove on the highway for a few hours until we reached my family, where we will be staying for the next few days before embarking on a new adventure! 😎🙋‍♂️

PS: Thank you grandma for the delicious welcome! 😁❤️

May 11 2024

The first time in Portugal 🇵🇹

baacon Europe, Travel, Vanlife camper, europe, portugal, travel

At the beginning of our trip, we traveled along the beautiful Algarve, the tourist highlight of Portugal. These regions are usually flooded with tourists for a reason, and the Algarve is no exception. One should plan to spend at least a week here because there is so much to discover. In addition to stunning beaches and cliffs, there are many other activities. We saw a lot, and there were also opportunities for me to kite on the beautiful beaches. 🏄‍♂️

In 2020, a law was introduced in Portugal that prohibits camping in the wilderness and imposes high fines for violations. However, shortly before we arrived in Portugal, this law was reportedly relaxed again by the locals - at least unofficially. During our entire month in Portugal, we were only asked to leave our spot once, and that was without a fine. So, free camping is still possible, but it's important to pay attention to the reviews on Park4Night. 🙂

Another highlight of the Algarve is Lagos, a small fishing town that you shouldn't miss. Here we took a dreamy canoe tour, including a sunset, which is definitely recommended. In the evening, we went for drinks and partying in the bars of Lagos with the other tour participants. The next day, we headed to the lighthouse at Cap of Sao Vicente, the westernmost point of Europe, where the last bratwurst before America is served! 😂 Germans are really everywhere...

In the evening, a family of wild boars visited us at our camper. While we were sitting inside, we could watch them calmly eating outside. However, our "neighbors" had to flee outside while they were eating and waited for over an hour in their car before they could continue eating. 😁

The West Coast & Lisbon

Along the west coast, we continued to the capital of Portugal: Lisbon. The west coast doesn't have much to offer in terms of tourism, but it has Portugal's most beautiful beaches and huge rocky coastlines. We made a brief stop at one or two beaches, but unfortunately, the wind was not sufficient for me to unpack my kite equipment. Lisbon itself was a bit disappointing for us because there wasn't much to do for such a big city, and we found it quite dirty in the city center. Besides, a big city with a camper is never great. 😜 So, after three days, we moved on...

Porto: Our Highlight!

However, it was a different story for us in Porto. Even though our campsite was not great, the city impressed us! Not only the multitude of sights, but also the "flair" made Porto one of our highlights in Portugal. We especially loved the bar mile by the river, where there was live music every evening, and you could enjoy a cocktail with a wonderful view.

However, Porto was our last longer stop in Portugal. From there, we went through the Peneda-Gerês National Park back to Spain, but this time to the north coast! ☺️

April 21 2024

Spain - Part 2 ☀️

baacon Europe, Travel, Vanlife camper, europe, spain, travel

Through the Desierto de Tabernas (the only desert in Europe) and past the Sierra Nevada (Spain's highest mountain range), we continued on to the Francisco Abellán Reservoir - a beautiful blue lake surrounded by mountains. Once again, we were lucky to have a spot with a view of the lake. The next day, we even went swimming before continuing on to Granada. Granada is a city with a rich history - it was once occupied by the Arabs (Kingdom of Granada). Of course, we also visited the Alhambra - an old Arabic fortress. In the parking lot, we noticed something again - we had another rock chip! For some reason, our Sprinter seems to attract stones.

We spent the night at a reservoir again - we were headed back to the coast! ☺️ Here, we had a dreamy starry sky and an absolutely cloudless night. 😍

After another short stop in Malaga, we continued on to Gibraltar. Here, we parked at a campsite for the first time (right at the port of Gibraltar), as there are actually no free parking spaces and Gibraltar is known for its parking shortage. The border was only a 10-minute walk from there, so we grabbed our backpacks and walked to Gibraltar over the famous airport runway. There, we explored the typically English city center (Gibraltar is actually part of England, so the pound is the currency) on foot and then walked around the famous monkey rock, including its attractions, in 35 degree Celsius heat. The main attractions include, of course, the impeccable view of the surrounding area, but also a cave with impressive audio and light effects. Finally, we also checked out the old bunkers in the monkey rock, which couldn't be more historic. 😬👏

Unlike some others, we were well equipped... as soon as we arrived at the top, we were surprised by Spanish tourists who were completely exhausted and asked us for a sip of water. 😂

But Gibraltar was not our last stop in Spain... we headed to my long-awaited kite spot - Tarifa. 😍 In the last 2 years, I've learned a bit of kiting in South Africa and Bali, but never really mastered it. Here, we had enough time and of course the best conditions - Tarifa is not for nothing the top spot for kiting in Europe. At the same time, a friend of mine was also in Tarifa, whom I met a year ago in South Africa - also while kiting! 😁 Head over heels (as always), I decided to buy a kite equipment, which turned out to be very affordable in Tarifa.

With absolute half-knowledge, it was the first time in over a year that I went back on the water. The first time, however, I spent more time in the water than on it... The second day was also far from successful because my chicken loop (attachment of the kite) broke on the first attempt, and I had to save myself from the water with the kite for the first time - practice makes perfect! 😂 After the chicken loop was replaced in the store, I went back on the water two days later, and finally spent more time on the water than in it for the first time! 😋

In total, we spent two weeks in Tarifa and met many great people during this time. In Tarifa, you can stand directly on the beach in large company (dozens of campers line the beach car park). Additionally, there's a lot going on every evening at the two beach bars and twice a week there are also parties. However, due to Covid, they are currently only allowed until 10 pm. This didn't stop us from continuing the party afterwards at our camper, which escalated a bit since there were sometimes around 100 people around our camper and the party was only disbanded by the police the next morning at 6 am. 😂🥳

At some point, it was time to leave Tarifa behind and head towards Portugal. After a short stop in Cadiz, our next longer stop was in Seville, where we explored the city center and celebrated Janet's own little birthday party in the camper. 🎉☺️ From there, we continued to Portugal - passing another completely open border station. 😁

Our first stop in France was the beautiful Monaco. The night before, we had a perfect view of the city from our parking spot. As we headed towards the center, we quickly realized that we had no chance of finding a parking spot with our huge vehicle. So, we found a spot outside the city and walked about 30 minutes to get to Monaco. We explored the beautiful city and its magnificent harbor. One day was enough for Monaco, so we went back to our parking spot above Monaco, where we found a beautiful viewpoint only 10 minutes away. We had a cold beer and watched the beautiful sunset. 🌅🍻

February 20 2024

France - off to the south 🇫🇷

baacon Europe, Travel, Vanlife camper, europe, france, travel

We continued heading south across the French border. We encountered our first border control, not because of Covid, but because the border guards mistook our camper for a delivery van and wanted to take a look inside. When I opened the back door and he saw that it was a camper, the door was closed again within 2 seconds. 😂👍

Our first stop in France was the beautiful Monaco. The evening before, we could already see it from above, as we had a parking spot with a perfect view of the city. When we drove towards the city center, we quickly realized that we didn't have a chance of finding a parking spot for our huge vehicle. So, we found a parking spot outside of Monaco and ended up walking for about 30 minutes to get to the city. We then explored the beautiful city center and the magnificent harbor. One day is enough for Monaco, so we headed back to our sleeping spot, located above Monaco, where we found a beautiful viewpoint only 10 minutes away. There, we enjoyed a cold beer and watched the stunning sunset. 🌅🍻

Welcome to Saint Tropez… 🤑

The next day, we headed to the small town of Saint Tropez, which I only knew from the DJ Antoine song. 😁We again experienced the narrow streets of the Mediterranean villages and had to reverse 100 meters through a small alley because the road became narrower and narrower. 😬After the fifth attempt, we finally found a passable way to our parking spot, which was beautiful and right by the sea. We explored the town center and the harbor, and on our way back, we ate the most delicious crepe with white chocolate. 🥰

The next highlight: Marseille

On the way to Marseille, we made a brief stop in Cassis, a beautiful little fishing village with an impressive harbor. In Marseille, we explored the huge city center and felt like we were in Turkey in some neighborhoods, suddenly finding ourselves in a huge market full of fruits, vegetables, and spices. 😳We spent the night by a beautiful lake about 30 minutes outside of Marseille – completely undisturbed and right by the water. 😍

Bullfighting in Nimes & First Breakdown in Montpellier

We then made a weekend stop in Nimes, where we met an old friend of Janet's who showed us around the city. In the evening, we went to the arena to see the annual Nimes Ferria. However, since it was a Friday, it wasn't a real bullfight, but rather a "preparation" for it. Nevertheless, it was a very special experience, and we watched the young bullfighters trying to pull a piece of cloth from the bull's horns.

After a hike the next day, we went to the beach on Sunday for the first time since we started our journey, enjoying the perfect weather and the wonderful water temperature!

Our next stop was Montpellier, a city that we didn't expect to be so beautiful. After exploring the city center and the bar district in the evening, we headed to our parking spot, where we had our first breakdown of the tour. Just before we arrived, a large stone hit our windshield, leaving a large crack from top to bottom. The next day, I called my insurance company and the garage, and we took the car to the garage on the same day. Thanks to the ADAC, we slept in a hotel in the city center, giving us another day to explore Montpellier.

Reserve d'Orlu & Andorra

In advance of our trip, we had planned a brief stop in Andorra. On the way there, we made a stop at Reserve d'Orlu, which is supposed to be beautiful for hiking. We packed our backpacks the day before and spent the night in the great outdoors with perfect weather. However, the next morning we woke up to pouring rain that didn't let up until noon. So, we scrapped our hiking plans and headed directly to Andorra. The mountain pass to get there is absolutely breathtaking, and Andorra itself is definitely worth a day trip! ☺️

January 5 2024

Finally in the warmth: Italy! 🇮🇹

baacon Europe, Travel, Vanlife camper, europe, italy, travel

Our first summer destination on this trip - and also the country with the smallest and narrowest streets. 😂 With our 7-meter Sprinter, we had a hard time in some cities/villages and actually got our first scratches on the car. 🙄

As we crossed the border, we were curious if we would face a control due to Corona, as it was described in the media everywhere - but there was no one there. 😂 So we also entered Italy without any problems. However, in everyday life, you could still very well perceive Corona, as some Italians even wear an FFP2 mask alone in the forest. Of course, they don't give up wearing it even when cycling or jogging, no matter how steep the hill is. 😆

What did we do first in Italy? Of course, eat pizza! 🥰 Then we left the beautiful Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como behind and drove to the charming city of Verona, where we first familiarized ourselves with Italian aperitif culture. 😅🥂

Deserted: Venice

With grey skies and our umbrella, we took the train to Venice - cars are completely prohibited here, except for residents. Then we took the famous water taxi to the Rialto Bridge - one of the main landmarks of Venice. We were lucky with the weather, and the rain only briefly set in as we ate our pizza for lunch - together with my family, who were also visiting Venice at the same time.

Right after lunch, the rain stopped, and we visited the Piazza San Marco, which was completely deserted thanks to the weather and Corona - Venice has certainly not seen this few people in decades. 😁

The best pizza of our trip: Milan

Since we didn't really like our parking spot in Milan, right in the middle of a large parking lot, we only stayed for one night in Milan. Nevertheless, we visited the entire city center, ate the best pizza of our trip, and ended the evening at the endlessly long bar promenade with a cocktail. Milan is really one of the most beautiful cities in Italy - especially in terms of all the possible activities!

Along the Mediterranean coast

The next morning, we set off early, right in the middle of rush hour, heading towards southern Italy. Specifically, we went to Genoa, with a brief overnight stop in the village of Crocefieschi, where we did a beautiful via ferrata and had to seek refuge in the refuge from the approaching thunderstorm. 😳😬 In Genoa, we stayed on a mountain with a fantastic view over the entire city. From there, we continued towards France, with stops in numerous small, charming fishing villages.

The last villages before the border

Halfway to the French border, we tested the outdoor suitability of our Sprinter again, on the way to the Degli Artisti via ferrata. With a length of 7 meters, the potholes and bumps on the small forest path were quite a challenge, but we made it to our overnight spot without touching the ground - would we have made it up with "normal street tires"? 🤔

But as soon as we arrived, we set off again for the via ferrata, which was about a 30-minute walk away. Halfway up, we suddenly could only see 10 meters ahead of us because we were in the middle of the clouds. The highlight was the 50-meter-long suspension bridge, which we couldn't even see halfway across. After a 90-minute descent over scree, we were finally back at the camper and could put our feet up.

Our last stop in Italy was the beautiful city of Imperia, which has an impressive harbor and a beautiful campsite right by the sea. We set off on the e-scooter to explore the city center and had delicious all-you-can-eat sushi for lunch. 😍In the evening, we watched the dreamy sunset over the harbor."

November 26 2023

In the mountains of Switzerland 🇨🇭

baacon Europe, Travel, Vanlife camper, europe, switzerland, travel

No matter how many times I've been to Switzerland, it never loses its charm. The huge snow-covered mountains, the brown cows with bells around their necks, the yellow flowers on the green fields, the cheese on every corner, and of course, the Swiss accent make Switzerland a breathtaking experience every time!

Our first destination was St. Gallen and the quaint town of Appenzell. Here we parked by a beautiful river with a view of the surrounding mountains.

Our next destination was the beautiful Lake Walen - one of the deepest lakes in Switzerland, with crystal-clear turquoise water. The perfect spot to mix up a delicious milkshake in the camper and relax :).

Of course, we also did some hiking - an absolute must in the Swiss mountains. We visited two beautiful mountain lakes, both of which were highlights! At the first lake, we were surprised by many snow avalanches crashing into the clear water on the other side of the lake. A few young Swiss people were calmly fishing nearby :D. At the second lake, we parked the camper for the night and had a nice barbecue over the fire under the starry sky on the frozen lake.

We didn't want to miss out on city life, so we also visited the beautiful city of Zurich. We were fascinated by how many people were gathering here during Covid times to have a beer by Lake Zurich or dance to guitar music on the promenade - it felt good to be among people again. Afterwards, we visited the largest waterfall in Europe - the Rhine Falls. We ended the day with a movie on our screen - of course, we made sure to have every luxury in the camper. 😁😜

Then we headed south in Switzerland, where we got the first summer feeling because people here all spoke Italian 😀. We went on another hike and tried a via ferrata - but we had to give up after the first 200 meters because people coming down told us that the via ferrata was closed further up... 🙄🤨

Just before the Italian border, we took a short detour to the Roman bridge, which is located in a wonderful landscape and is definitely a MUST-SEE! Afterwards, we crossed the border into the next adventure. ☺️👍

October 18 2023

Let's go with the camper van! 🚐

baacon Europe, Travel, Vanlife camper, europe, germany, travel

It's time! Our journey within the four walls of our camper begins, taking us across Europe, starting with our home country - Germany. Over the next six months, we will not only explore the most beautiful corners of Europe but also share numerous tips and tricks for the perfect van life experience with you.

1. Stop: Okertalsperre & Hahnenklee

Our first stop was the Okertalsperre near Altenau in the Harz Mountains in the district of Goslar. Thanks to the beautiful weather, we rollerbladed around the area. Unfortunately, we also noticed the restrictions due to Corona at the restaurant "Der Windbeutel König". The restaurant was closed and didn't even offer a delivery service... 🙁

But the sunset and incredible view from the dam were enough for us 🙂.

2. Stop: Kassel & Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe

In the middle of a snowstorm, we headed to Kassel. We set up our campsite directly at the Stadtpark Wilhelmshöhe. The museum, Löwenburg and the castle were just a few of the many highlights of the beautiful park near the city center, reachable by hundreds of steps.

3. Stop: Stuttgart

In Stuttgart, we met with friends and they showed us around the beautiful city and its surroundings. Our highlight was the vineyards - I didn't even know that Stuttgart had so much nature to offer :D. In the evening, we threw a small flat party and the next day we continued our journey...

4. Stop: Würzburg

From our parking spot, we had a direct view over the entire city of Würzburg. We stood in the middle of the vineyards while the city presented us with a unique light show from above. The next day, we explored the city center and didn't miss out on visiting the Residenz, Marienberg Fortress, the old Main Bridge, the Cathedral, and the Pilgrimage Church.

5. Stop: Lake Constance

With the best weather and crystal-clear water, the vacation feeling is in the air! At Lake Constance, everything is well maintained and the streets are currently empty. We did a lot of activities, ate delicious ice cream, and of course, saw beautiful sunsets!