Day No. 41 - Every day is a good day ...

...to be alive, regardless of whether the sun is shining. - Shmi Skywalker from Star Wars in Episode I

Uwe, Wahl Berliner and not only a valuable friend, but also an advisor in all situations, gave me some feedback on our blog. - Loosely quoted: "Always only beautiful pictures and stories overwhelm people in the lowlands of life"

As Uwe's opinion is very important to me, I naturally thought about how I could counteract the positive images.

I already shared a bit of our weather report yesterday.

This morning I can only tell everyone in Cologne that the city on the Rhine is an excellent choice. Not only when it comes to the weather, but also. Here's a little comparison: Cologne also has a 90 % chance of rain between 2:00 am and 5:00 am. Thank you for your solidarity. But we know that when it rains in Deutz, it doesn't affect Südstadt. It's not called Südstadt for no reason. - Uwe in Berlin certainly has no reason to complain either! - It's neither too hot nor too cold on the Spree. And it's sunny too. Ideal weather for a meeting at the Schleusenkrug.

In Berlin 21° and Cologne even a sunny 23°. - We wish you all the best from the bottom of our hearts!!!

When it rains all the time, as it does here, you naturally try to motivate yourself and counteract the autumn depression. So let's take a look at my home town. The Bergisches Land region, and Remscheid in particular, is said to be one of the rainiest cities in Germany. "Children are born here with umbrellas" is a popular saying in Remscheid. But today, sunshine and 21°.

So what is it like in Cherrapunji in north-eastern India? - This city is considered to be the rainiest in the world. The weather forecast for today is also attached. Since this comparison seems to be a bit off, let's look at Bergen in Norway. Known to be the rainiest city in Europe. What do we learn from this? - No, the sun doesn't shine everywhere, but that comparison doesn't make you happy. But we take it with a sense of humor. The mood on board is still good.

We throw in some fresh ginger and laugh about the weather instead. As laughter is said to be good for your health, we decided to laugh more and, of course, drink coffee. Whether this is also good for your health in general? - We don't know, but it's certainly good for ours. - Torgit comments, "Even if the coffee is coming to an end, we thank Van Dyck" - The good "Ehrenfeld" coffee accompanies us on this tour. Torgit is visibly nervous, however, as our first package is already coming to an end. She doesn't know that I've stashed another kilo of beans in the safe. Yes, you heard right, we have coffee and books in the safe that every California has. I hope that a potential burglar will appreciate that.

Our campsite today, "Parque de Vila Chã", is also a special treat. When I went to the toilet early this morning, not only did the sky pour down on me, but I jumped straight into a puddle so deep that I was afraid of drowning. I quickly jumped back into the van to dry off first. What now? - To lower the level, let's talk about urine bags, popularly known as pee bottles. Because a camper van doesn't usually have a toilet. Yes, there are exceptions, but these are so badly designed in terms of the interior layout that there is no room for a proper bed. At least not one that is suitable for a guy just under 2 m tall.

But back to the pee bottle. These are now even available in a "female" form. Torgit's first question is how this is supposed to work. But when the pressure increases, such questions disappear. And how can I say it works, no, it works. But my problem, no, my challenge, was a completely different one. Can someone explain to me how a full-grown man is supposed to cope with 750 ml. Or what he does when "full is when full" occurs?

My tip of the day: An Ortlieb 2-liter hydration pack. Hopefully the company won't sue me, or hopefully Torgit will be able to tell the difference between our 10-liter hydration pack. As you can see, our mood is still just too good.

I briefly thought about having our friend Andrea fly in from Tenerife. - After all, she knows all about setting the mood. Her experience as an editor on underground TV, including Frauentausch and the like, should certainly pay off here.

But until then, you'll have to put up with positive pictures and stories from time to time - sorry Uwe.

PS: Here's a little addendum: the rain has just let up a little. We took advantage of the hour, er minute, and wanted to take a shower first. Yesterday evening, in the diffuse light, I didn't realize how nice our showers are. The timer for hot water or the complete rationing at the washbasins are certainly in keeping with the spirit of the times. Greta would certainly be pleased. I doubt whether it would be enough for a smile. I also have my doubts when I see the condom dispenser. Hopefully there won't be a second use here. - What do you think, Uwe? Did I pull it off in the end?

PPS: It seems to be clearing up a bit. - We want to continue to Porto.

But first we want to take up the cudgels for our campsite, "Parque de Vila Chã". - Even if everything is rainy and the showers seem antiquated, there is warm, no, even hot water. At least for seven minutes. The campsite is within walking distance of the sea. If you listen carefully, you can even hear it. Well, you can also hear the landing approach from Porto. But the price is unbeatable, the overnight stay only cost us €9. And the punch line with the condom machine is priceless.

Addendum: Just as we are about to start in Vila Chã, the sun comes out. So we make a short stop by the sea. Then we want to let TomTom guide us to Porto. But we quickly realize that simply trusting a sat nav in Portugal can turn into an adventure tour. The fact that all the roads near Vila Chã are paved with cobblestones is rustic. But then the potholes get deeper and deeper and the road gets narrower. Around the next corner, the road narrows again. Then we find ourselves in a narrow lane. As we can see the end, I think we'll be fine. The path is only about 100 meters long. But it's a tough one. The mirrors are already hanging over a wall to the left and right. Then there is also a power pole. With the mirrors folded in, I still have a little space. Will it fit in the back with the bikes? I can already see myself climbing through the window to dismantle the bikes. Torgit visibly calms down. But I start to sweat a little. The distance meters have long since switched to continuous sound. - Suddenly another strange noise, when I calm down I realize that it's just a plane and not a stone sticking out from under the ivy. - In the end, it looks quite harmless again in the pictures. But at the narrowest point, there were just 2 cm left and right. That makes you feel queasy.

Insight of the day: it could always be worse. But all's well that ends well. And if it's not good, it's not the end.