We wake up very early this morning. - It's still dark outside. - The stream flows calmly in front of us, the water in the canals next to us. - Everything is a little bit like being on an island here. We are rewarded for our early start to the day. As we finish our coffee, the sun rises. The first rays of sunlight wander over our van and are reflected in the water. A pair of cranes strut past.
Suddenly a single canoeist paddles past. Otherwise, we are all to ourselves. I let the drone fly to capture these impressions. It's still very fresh, quickly under the outdoor shower. - Coffee is much, much more here. Not only delicious, but also deliciously warm. We look out over the river. - The whole area seems a little mystical. The early morning mist wafts over the banks. - Torgit claims it reminds her of the book "The Mists of Avalon". - I don't know, it's been a long time since I read that book. - But one thing I do know is that it was worth driving here through the salt pans. - It's getting quieter and quieter, we're lost in our thoughts ...
December 31, New Year's Eve. - Everyone takes stock for themselves.
The year is drawing to a close. - How was your year? Do you have any resolutions for the coming decade? The golden twenties? - Or do you just take last year's resolutions, still virgin and untouched? At the end of the year, you always draw conclusions, take stock and do a personal cash check. 2019 was certainly more eventful for me than originally planned. But rarely have I been so satisfied with the result.
I am grateful to have a certain foundation. - My big five.
Friendship, Family, Freedom, Fitness, Fun
Friendship: My five friends - yes, I can count them on one hand - have been with me for half my life. The best thing about it is that statistically speaking, their share of my life, your life, is only getting bigger and greater. - I am very, very grateful for that. I'm not sure if I've always deserved this.
Family: First and foremost my wife Torgit. - Without her, I wouldn't be here, I would never have gone on this journey. I cannot express my gratitude in words.
Freedom: Sitting here today in this place and tomorrow in the next means freedom. Not just having a roof over your head, but being able to travel like a snail. - Not just enough to eat and drink, but to enjoy diversity. - To be able to live, experience and appreciate the here and now.
Fitness: Most people want to be healthy. - But what is health without agility, without movement. For me, only health means "away from", away from illness. - Fitness is "towards", towards strength, endurance, dynamism. - Isn't it said that only a healthy body has a healthy mind? I would say there is contentment and happiness in a fit body. 2019 was better than 2018, but there is still more to come. - The journey is the destination.
Fun: to have fun, to enjoy life with pleasure and whimsy, consciously. - Giving more and more space to your inner child.
What are your big five?
Torgit: After Christmas, when it was 20 degrees and sunny, it didn't feel like Christmas at all, but rather like the middle of the year, I can now look back on our year. It was an eventful year in the truest sense of the word.
Turbulent. Life-changing. Lifechanging in new German.
Started with the annual good intentions: Live healthier, including working less. But more sport! - At our team startup with Tobias Beck in mid-January, I realized that this year's resolutions were even shorter than usual.
Maybe that's why I've been looking for properties? Out of the stress, into the countryside. In February, 'we' stumbled across our dream plot of land on the Sieg by chance and bought it on the spur of the moment. - Notary appointment within 3 weeks - someone has to do that for us. - Building application completed, kitchen chosen, building services perfectly planned by Marc. -
From April, a new sixth show home was added to the existing five in Arnsberg, so much for working less.
Then, in mid-April, the Tobias Beck Bootcamp, which I had spontaneously booked in mid-January. I, who normally never books seminars, persuaded Marc, who is practically dead coached, to go along. For what felt like a lot of money. - Did this seminar change our lives? - Perhaps it did subconsciously.
I quit my job, bought a van, sublet my apartment and set off to live my dream: To circumnavigate the Iberian Peninsula. We're in the middle of it right now. In the dream, in happiness. As the Dalai Lama says: "There are two days when you can do nothing: yesterday and tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, believe and live. - Just do it!
Note from Marc: Was it really the boot camp or was it a coincidence? - What is due is due.
In the meantime, the water level drops. - High tide is followed by low tide. The direction of flow goes from river to sea again. - As a larger ship passes by, we notice how high the water still is. - The waves spill over the shore and run out just before Hector. As the water subsides, the path also dries out. - We pack up and get ready to set off.
The way out of the salt pans also goes smoothly. We even see a few flamingos. As soon as we have pavement under our tires again, we can hear the mud in the wheel arches. I pull into the next Autolavado. Hector gets a scrub first. The mud falls down in big chunks. - We stop briefly at the supermarket to buy some grapes. At the next filling station, we top up the fuel and check the oil level. - Everything is fine. - Then we set off towards the sea and the beach.
Half an hour later, we are in Rota at the marina. The lighthouse is less spectacular than we thought. But at 28 meters, it is really high. - The old lighthouse behind it, on the other hand, looks modest and small.
The people strolling through the alleyways are already dressed smartly in the early afternoon. - The atmosphere is exuberant. Suddenly, a couple of people from Cologne "almost" jump in front of our car. - What brings us here? - We agree that it's not the beer. - We're missing the Kölsch.
We move on to the Puerto de Santa Maria. - Suddenly I have this song in my ear, "Island born of dreams
I've lost my senses" - thank God I'm no longer sure of the lyrics. - After all, my generation was tormented by two Mr. Kaiser. - From Roland and Günther, one Kaiser, a schmaltzy bard, the other, from Hamburg Mannheimer, now Ergo, made in insurance. - Not a good sign, is it?
Supposedly you can stand right on the beach at this location. - You can, but it's just too busy for us today - but the place is great for a late breakfast, as it's only 3.30 p.m. - We spontaneously decide to drive into the mountains and to a lake. Our route takes us along the Ruta del Toro. - The name says it all. To the left and right are large grazing areas for the cattle. This is where they come from, the bulls that are used in bullfights all over Spain. The local breed is also prized for its beef. - However, the animals seem to have very small legs, at least on the road signs. But then we see him, among all the grazing bulls, stands the one, the real one, the Osborne bull. - What was originally only intended as an advertisement for Brandy Veterano has become the national symbol of Spain. We think he's pretty cool and take a photo first.
The road gets narrower, worse, lonelier. - But our spot for the night was worth it despite the long journey. - It is located above the dam wall of the Barbate reservoir. From here, we enjoy a spectacular view of the reservoir and the Los Alcornocales nature park. - Everything seems very peaceful. A good place to end the year. We cook, today we have roast potatoes with salad and, for me, sausage on top. I want to add salt. - At the end, the lid of our salt cellar pops open. The entire contents pour over my food. What can I say, the year was salty, and so is the food.
Conclusion: From the sea to the lake, from salt to salt.
We listen to some more music, watch Dinner for One, but above all we share our thoughts. 2019 a year without lows, but with plenty of highs. (Torgit's note: My first New Year's Eve without resolutions or goals. I'm so happy, I just want our lives to go on like this).
Insight of the day: "Et es wie et es" - It is what it is, we are happy.
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