So the time has come to say goodbye to GB. Tomorrow night we are beginning our 2014 European adventure! It's going to be so odd living away from home for a few months, and even more odd seeing the travel plans we've been working on for months turn into reality. Planning for this trip started around last November and at first was just a nice thought to get me through final exams, but as my gap year drew nearer I thought there would be no better time to travel than now. I'm incredibly excited to get out and explore, and especially with such a great travel companion. One of the best things about this trip is the fact that we don't really have a schedule. Obviously we have places we are travelling to, and a budget that does limit us in some ways, but we can take whatever route to each destination that we fancy on the day, and if we wish to stay in a certain place for more than a couple of days, there are no flight times or train times to prevent us from doing so.
The camper is pretty awesome and I feel like we've done a great job of making it homely. We (mostly Tom) have had to do a considerable amount of work on it due to it's age, but it is still in remarkably good condition. After purchasing a combi microwave/grill/oven, rebuilding all the shelves, fitting a mains power invertor, cleaning out the water tank, resealing all the windows and vents, replacing all the corroded brake hoses, buying alarms and fitting them, borrowing the memory foam mattress from my room, cleaning the bathroom, hoovering the entire camper, repainting the tables, putting up curtains between the cab and living space, rewiring the telly and fitting an xbox 360 and buying some basic necessities it is now ready to be lived in! Whilst doing up the camper I have learnt that D.I.Y is not my calling in life, and so have decided to steer clear of it from now on. Probably for the best.
Originally, the idea we had was to convert a VW T4 and travel round Europe in that, but, as time slipped away we realised we would have to let go of that dream. After toying with the idea of a Toyota Hilux, we figured that we really needed something with space; we settled on a Fiat Ducato motorhome as it combined the element of space we required, with the element of convenience we would struggle to find with anything else. This was owing to the fact that it has a permanent bathroom complete with a flushing toilet, a good shower in its' own cubicle as well as a cooking area with 4 gas rings meaning that almost everything we could need for a comfortable trip was right around us.
The camper is pretty awesome and I feel like we've done a great job of making it homely. We (mostly Tom) have had to do a considerable amount of work on it due to it's age, but it is still in remarkably good condition. After purchasing a combi microwave/grill/oven, rebuilding all the shelves, fitting a mains power invertor, cleaning out the water tank, resealing all the windows and vents, replacing all the corroded brake hoses, buying alarms and fitting them, borrowing the memory foam mattress from my room, cleaning the bathroom, hoovering the entire camper, repainting the tables, putting up curtains between the cab and living space, rewiring the telly and fitting an xbox 360 and buying some basic necessities it is now ready to be lived in! Whilst doing up the camper I have learnt that D.I.Y is not my calling in life, and so have decided to steer clear of it from now on. Probably for the best.
The route we have planned takes us through 10 European countries and covers a good mix of cities, rural locations and beaches. I am most looking forward to visiting Barcelona on my birthday, Les Calanques in the South of France, Gorge du Verdon, Cinque Terre, Zurich, Garmisch Partenkirchen, Munich, Berlin and Amsterdam. For each destination marked on the map, we have researched a few things we would like to see, such as castles, natural wonders such as the Padirac Caves and man made wonders such as the Pont du Gard. We are taking bikes and a kayak, (after being kindly lent one for the duration of the trip) which means that we are not limited to what can be seen from the roads, can explore further and have way more fun in the process. Hopefully the Go-Pro can be used lots in circumstances when Tom's normal camera and our phones cannot and we aim to get as many awesome shots from the trip as possible. Dating and travelling with a film-maker is pretty convenient when you want your trip documented well....
In order to keep costs down, and to embrace the culture of each country we visit, I fully intend to make the most of the local markets and stuff my little face with bread, cheese and ham and whatever other culinary goodies Europe can offer. As an avid foodie, I would imagine this blog will contain lots of posts about cheeses and bread and pasta and for that I can only apologise in advance.... As for Tom, I think he will soon learn that sandwiches are not an acceptable dinner food, and by the time he has spent 3 months with me I hope to have him fully converted to the way of the falafel, cous cous dishes, tapas, spicy food and smorgasbords.
I'm going to really miss my home comforts, and I'm pretty gutted I'm not going to be around to say goodbye to all my friends as they head off for their first term of uni, but I've promised I will bring them back treats to congratulate them on surviving freshers and not drinking themselves into oblivion, and not having a work related breakdown before I've even reached italy. I'll be back before you know it gurls!! My skype username is lucieeeebelle and I will hopefully be able to catch up with people whenever I have wifi, so add me and i'll blow you lil' french kisses through my webcam xxxxx
No comments
thanks for leaving a comment! I appreciate all feedback ✨