Hello London and Reflections on an Epic Adventure

At the end of my last post, I said that we delivered our campervan to go into storage.  What I didn’t describe was the huge amount of work that went into that - and that it all happened on my birthday. We handed over the campervan to a trusted business with both a touch of sadness and nervousness for what might befall it while in winter storage. Then we boarded the train for Bristol loaded down with seven bags to carry, only one with wheels. Dermot tried to find a suitable venue for a birthday celebration but I was so exhausted and sore that we decided to postpone my birthday and just had dinner in the hotel restaurant. We didn't even take a single picture that day. We should have at least captured the disaster as we simultaneously did laundry, packed, and prepped the camper!

We spent two nights in a hotel in Bristol recovering and taking care of details necessary to move on to London. The train ride in to London was very nice, but negotiating all that luggage to our London hotel up and down the station and subway steps proved too much for our inexpensive new rolling duffle bag. We had loaded it down with too much weight and Dermot eventually ended up carrying it. 

That night, we visited Dermot’s nephew and got to cuddle his two adorable boys. We roamed London the following day shopping for just the right luggage - and not finding it.  We then went in search of Christmas lights that night - and found loads (as the Brits would say).

Churchill Arms: so much stuff + candles = fire hazard.

Pad Thai, Duck Curry, Guinness and Bulmer's Cider

We had dinner at the famous Churchill Arms which is a mashup of different cultures: Irish owners from County Clare, Churchill memorabilia, flowering plants, flickering candles, and Thai food.

  

Link to more info on Churchill Arms

Take a close look at the pictures of Carnaby - they’ve put the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody in lights all along the street! So cool!  

On our last night in London, we got to attend the 8th birthday party of Dermot's great nephew - Finn!

Here are our photos.

Now for some reflection on this trip.  We put 9,918 miles on the campervan and traveled many more by train, subway, bus, plane, ferry, and on foot.  We roamed all over Europe from Ireland to Greece taking in beautiful, historical places; witnessing natural beauty; meeting interesting people; eating delicious food; and experiencing different cultures. Many of you have told us that we were "living the dream" and that's true. I felt lucky every single day and it brings tears to my eyes even now just thinking about it all.

That being said, after over six months on the road, we're very much looking forward to many things that just weren't possible living in a camper. We used to take these things for granted and maybe you do too. Here’s a list of some of the things Dermot and I are looking forward to:

Time with family and friends!

Yoga class. 

Knowing how much we weigh.  We've had no idea.  

Being able to order something online because you’ll be in one place long enough for it to be delivered.

Both of us being able to move around a room at the same time.

Having a second room to go to.

Having a climate-controlled bathroom you don't have to journey through darkness and/or bad weather, or an obstacle course that involves finding creative ways to avoid walking through standing water where your toiletries are actually there waiting for you! I  kid you not, I  frequently had to use a tilted landscaping timber as a balance beam to get past a flooded road at the camp in Barcelona before even having a cup of coffee!

Having real coffee rather than instant.

Not having to remember to take toilet paper with you to the bathroom.

Having a routine.

Not having to pack and carry a day-pack every time we leave.

Extra crispy chicken wings.

Being able to read the labels in the grocery store.

Chipotle.

Understanding road warning signs.

Toilet seats (you have no idea). 

Having a dishwasher, microwave oven, regular oven, mixing bowls.

Counter space.

Ability to have more than two pots on the stove at one time.

A spice rack.

Being able to cook virtually anything.

Washing machines/dryers we don't have to find change for.

Being able to buy more than two days of food at a time since the fridge has more than a 40 liter capacity.

Parking without worrying about height restrictions and/or being too long to fit.

Starting and driving a vehicle without going through a checklist.

Being able to communicate complex needs to strangers. 

Going to the mailbox.

Going to a gym where you know how to set up the machines.

Going to a store where you know where everything is. 

Knowing which stores will have what you need in the mall.

Turning on the radio and hearing music we know.

Feeling at home.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t express how deeply grateful I am for Dermot. This trip literally wouldn’t have been possible without him. We took a big gamble that we could be together 24/7 in a tiny space, facing untold obstacles for months on end. His calm demeanor made every bump in the road smoother. We've learned so much in the last 6+ months and we’ve grown together.

Writing this blog has also been a growth experience. In every instance, I wanted my post to be more informative, insightful, inspiring, and funny than it ended up being. The bar was lowered to keep up with posting something, anything, rather than giving up. I often thought “That'll have to do” as I cringed and hit the "publish" button. 

I also want to thank our wonderful family members and friends for all their support and good wishes. Even a few words from you touched us and make us feel connected to you. Your comments and “likes” eased our homesickness. Thank you so very much for joining us as we traveled through Europe!

Paris, Protests and Progress

We returned to a much colder and rainier Paris than the one we left. We wanted to see what Paris looked like dressed for Christmas so we headed for the Champs-Elysees. The streets were buzzing with activity and the usual assortment of characters posing for pictures. Only a few had Christmas window displays and lights up. We wanted to see Paris at night so spent the late afternoon doing little shopping and then warming up at the least expensive, yet heated, place to get a hot beverage - Starbucks! At sundown we joined many people brave enough to cross the street and stop in the middle island trying to get a picture of the Arc de Triomphe on the first day all the trees lining the Champs-Elysees were lit up. 

Then we took a scenic bus ride that was supposed to go from one end of the city to the other past many famous sights. It was fun to see all the people bundled up yet still seated in the outdoor cafe tables. The city look glamorous lit up at night but the pictures I took don't do it justice as the glass reflected the bus interior - classy right? About two thirds through our trip, the bus stopped and all passengers were required to disembark. The others looked surprised too and if there was an explanation, we didn't catch enough of it to understand.  As luck would have it, we found a nice restaurant for dinner just steps away.  When we returned to camp that night we realized we had made a rookie mistake and had run out of lpg gas for heating and cooking. It was too late at night to go get some, so we settled in under all our warm blankets and were cosy enough that night. 

The next day we had a cold breakfast and went in search of LPG and the "check engine" light in the camper came back on!  Sigh.  Several calls revealed that there was no way to get the van looked at until Monday. We stayed at camp perusing our Fiat manual and warranty, doing laundry and shopping that day. We learned that night that the protests in Paris had been very bad that day, in fact, they were throwing paving stones and making barricades right where we had been the previous day!  Link to article on the protests that day

Oldest object in the Louvre - 9,000 years old

After consideration, we decided to try to visit the Louvre Sunday, knowing we might find ourselves in the middle of more protests. We wanted to see the very oldest objects the Louvre had on display and had a wonderful time just roaming. There was a woman who sang haunting melodies in several locations near middle eastern exhibits.  She was being filmed but it wasn't a schedule event. She wasn't overly obtrusive and the acoustics were fantastic making her performance a beautiful and unexpected treat.

Our photos are here (apologies there are so few!)

The following day was devoted to visiting a fiat dealership. The verdict was that we needed to take it back to England for repair. They said they had reset it, but the problem would recur and though safe to drive, we shouldn't drive over 80 kilometers an hour.  Sigh.  Without going into all the details, we took steps to get the van to the dealership in Portsmouth, England where we had bought it.  They said they'd need to keep it for a week (which exceeded our time in Europe).  So we got ourselves to Bristol where we packed up and delivered the van to a business there which would take care of it for us through the winter.