Month: June 2018

We already feel quite experienced with this whole thing of sleeping, eating, tidying, securing everything to avoid flying objects and start driving. Funny to see how quickly you get used to things and adapt. Next step of maturity would be to choose our accomodations more in advance. So far it has been possible to plan our accomodation on the spot (half an hour before we arrive mostly) using a super handy app for campsites, but I guess the more we head south to touristic destinations the more we need to plan ahead and ensure we have a spot. Let’s see.

Night 1: Belgium, Donkmeer, camping called Roosendaal. Pretty basic, but we were such first-timers that we were excited by simply parking this monster without hitting anything. The owners were lovely, around 70, hippy style. 15€/ night. There are older people camping there for months, mostly after they retire. Some of them with on-the-edge kitch style decorating their ‘gardens’. At one spot Gioia said the legendary: ‘I think they have a birthday party’ when looking at the tons of things hanging from the walls and spread on the outside. I took a photo of the party location:

Night 2: France, Calais. Camping called Municipal Le Grande Gravelot, 20€/ night. The place is totally new, built last year, with state of the art facilities and located next to the sea. Pity i did not get to see the sea, not only because I had to put Alex in bed when Martijn and Gioia went, but also because the wind force was enough for me to take off. Plus I hate wind from the bottom of my heart. I know I chose the wrong country to live, but honestly I realized how much I hate wind after some pretty traumatic holidays in Tinos 2 years ago. Myrto, Manos, Panagiotis and Aggeliki know…in Calais Martijn and Gioia also went to the supermarket, first time the bike was used.

Night 3 (where we are now): France, Rang du Fliers, camping called L’Oree du Buis. 24€/ night (we noticed the prices go up, but do intend to keep things in control). This is vast, huge, enormous etc. It has ‘neighbourhoods’ of campers, tents, bangalows, motorhomes etc. Much better than the other two with forest-like setting, but still not my thing. Not that I don’t enjoy it, on the contrary, just it is not this place I intend to write down and come back. Plus 9€ for internet. Right. Of course, we did not pay.

Sometimes it is so extremely nice that I wonder: why not everyone is doing this. And some other times I am wondering how we will survive 2 months. Good moments are when we drive, with music, no kid is screaming and we feel it gets warmer (it happened today, i removed the socks and felt like the world is mine).

Or when we wake up with Gioia and Alex in our bed.

Bad moments are when we have to put the kids to bed (they both sleep at the same time and next to each other). And when I had to cook today, which took for ever with everything costing ten times the usual effort.

But then again comes a good moment and we get a huge smile. Like when Gioia yesterday, who sings 95% of the time we drive, started screaming out of the blue ‘iedere dag prima’ (Dutch for: every day is perfect). It becomes the trip motto: #iederedagprima!