Our Island Home

"Brad, wait up!" And just as Brad glanced back to see what I was on about, the train doors closed before our eyes. Me on the platform, Brad on the train. I shared a giggle and a roll of the eyes with a fellow commuter, before I suddenly realised. I was alone. In East Berlin. No money. No train ticket. No ID. No map. No keys to the apartment. No phone. No Deutsch! NO CONTINGENCY PLAN!! The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin It is a strange feeling to be left alone after spending 24/7 with one person for almost 5 months. How, after 5 months of travel, had we never discussed what to do in this situation??  I vaguely remembered discussing what to do if we were separated. As I sat there pretending to act natural I thought to myself,  "Now, did we agree to meet where we last saw each other? or back at our accommodation?"  Holocaust memorial, Berlin The situation wasn't helped by the fact that I couldn't see ...

October saw our last few weeks of sleeping in the tent. The temperature dropped a few degrees and suddenly we went from saying, "Wow, I can't believe the sun is still up at 9:30pm" to "its getting dark, it must be 4pm". The best part about all of this? We were now driving down colourful autumn tree lined streets. Just your average day driving around Germany... Potsdam. Having left sunny San Sebastian only days before, 9 degree Zurich was certainly a shock to the system. The lady did stifle a laugh when we explained that we were camping... she openly giggled when we told her we were camping in a tent. Although it was the most expensive place we had visited (60 AUD per night for camping and 8 AUD for a coffee), Zurich was one of our favourites. We found an enjoyable and inexpensive way to keep ourselves occupied. People watching. And not just your average everyday people watching, but rich-banker-business-fashionista-Ferrari driving-people w...

Step 1: Wake up.... (Hangover optional)  Wakey, wakey! Step 2: Have breakfast and boil water on Trangia for Brad's morning coffee. IMPORTANT: steps 3 - 12 cannot be completed without Brad's morning coffee.  Some ducks join us for breakfast. Lake Zurich, Switzerland  Morning coffee on the trangia Step 3: pack up and enter next destination into GPS. Step 4: stop for scenic photos along the way. US Military Cemetry outside of Luxembourg closed Brad visits the glider factory, Germany  Portuguese Coast, Cabo Espichel. Not a bad spot for morning tea! Keeping the Netherlands above water - Delta works, Southern Netherlands A random pilgrimage site in Portugal, Bom Jesus Do Monte. We found it by following signs.  Step 5: prepare delicious (and cheap) lunch out of the back of the Peugot.  Porto, Portugal... Tuna and salad sandwiches on the menu! Step 6: realise the campsite in 3-year-old...