Day No. 100 - Days on the road... - Camping Olhão

... and not yet landed under the bridge.

Torgit and I sit over a cup of coffee and take stock.

Home is where we park Hector. - When you're on the road, you inevitably push yourself out of your comfort zone day after day. There's always something new to discover. On the one hand, that's not only nice, but also an absolute luxury. - On the other hand, you realize how important a certain comfort zone is from time to time.

For me, the chaos type, certain routines are particularly important to achieve stability. Having a fixed place for things creates a sense of security, safety and well-being for me.

This is certainly difficult to understand from the outside. - A van like this is small, so you can find everything, right? - If only it were always that easy. 😉 - My glasses turned up again today. Etienne's dog found them on the beach. I already had the feeling yesterday that we would have to go back again. So this is a done deal.

Yesterday, Torgit received a message from a good old friend - he had the feeling that I was a "little" complicated, which doesn't really make things any easier in a confined space. - He told me to calm down and loosen up a bit. - Perhaps I would be missing something without the external confirmation that I seem to have gained from my job. - Now you could take such a question in a negative way. But you have to know that it comes from a long-time sailor and world traveler. Someone who has years of experience of living in the smallest of spaces. And in that respect he is absolutely right, I don't have to, but I should get into the habit of being more relaxed. - But above all, he's right in his assessment of Torgit: "You're old and smart enough to deal with it. - Although I have replaced old with experienced. - Even if the lines were only indirectly addressed to me, thank you for the feedback.

Torgit really has the greater peace and quiet. - The tailgate can't be opened because of the bikes, the roller blind on the sliding door keeps sliding up, the cupboard doors are stuck, the sleeping bench can't be opened, the cool box is ticking (whatever that means?), she stays much calmer and more relaxed than I do - so I become a little more relaxed too.

Yet it is I who often and gladly quote the prayer of the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:

"God, give me the serenity to accept things that I cannot change, the courage to change things that I can, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other."

I have the courage to change, but I sometimes lack a little composure. - Maybe I'm still learning. That's why I'm grateful that we can draw on the experiences of people who have traveled before us.

This is also one of the reasons why we write this blog. On the one hand, we want to share our happiness with people. On the other hand, we want to share our experiences with those who are planning such an event themselves. After all, the easiest way to learn is from the mistakes of others.

Every now and then, we notice how differently travelers approach their tour. Yesterday, for example, Justin, our temporary neighbor, surprised me. At first glance, the Tattoo Surf Nomad looks exactly as you would imagine him to be. Surfer, tattoo artist and nomad all in one. At second glance, just a really likeable guy. - On the road in an old VW LT camper van from 1985, I would never have imagined that he would go into such detail about his "home technology" beforehand. - But I was still able to learn a lot from him. Justin's Instagram page is well worth a visit.

In comparison, we set off much more spontaneously and relied more on VW's wealth of experience. Sometimes perhaps a little too much. That's why we are all the more grateful for the experience we are now gaining with Hector.

Sometimes it's just the little things: For example, in our future home, we would prefer to have a free-standing cool box. - This would then be able to release heat more easily, last longer and be easier to replace if the worst comes to the worst.

It's often the small, simple ideas that make life easier when you're out and about. For example, how can I use less water when washing up? - This suggestion also comes from Justin. A spray bottle with water and washing-up liquid. Primitive, simple and ingenious.

Conclusion: We are grateful that we are not only able to explore Europe, but also ourselves, day by day. Here too, there is a lot to do, let's get on with it.

In the afternoon, we take a long walk around the campsite. It's huge, campers from all over Europe seem to be spending the winter here. We see campers and caravans from Scandinavia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, France, Holland and so on. There are also a few Germans here. But it's the yogurt group that dominates. We found one van and three Bullis on the whole site. We found a T2 from England particularly nice. But the best one of the day was sent to me by my sister from Remscheid. It takes pride of place as the blog starter.

To celebrate our 100th, we decide to go out for a meal. As befits our status, we visit the "Casa de Pasto Armenio" restaurant, three hundred meters away from us. You don't treat yourself to anything else. Torgit chooses the fish platter, but I prefer the meat platter. So much for my attempt to eat vegetarian. The starter is a salad platter and mussels. Both the fish and meat platters are plentiful. Torgit treats himself to two glasses of wine, I have two Cokes. Afterwards, we each have an espresso. It's so delicious that I order a second one. - When we receive the bill afterwards, we are amazed. All in all, we only have to pay twenty euros.

On the way back across the campsite, we notice once again how many campers are sitting in their caravans, just like at home in front of the TV. Outside, the Christmas decorations are twinkling. Again, we ask ourselves why we don't stay on site.