Over the past 11 days we have been parked up in the lovely village of Reinfeld, Germany while we awaited our appointment at a Hymer dealer to have a new lock installed on Bijou and have her chassis lubed. We are near a small lake that we have circled nearly daily as we walked and talked about our life on the road and our upcoming travels.
I have been promising for a while to write this post outlining our summer travels (and beyond!) and believe me, I really wanted to get it done. But we have planned multiple routes only to be thwarted by overnight changes in border rules. We entered Germany intending to transit so that following our appointment, we could enter Denmark and make our way north. News reports indicated Denmark was ready to open its borders, and that’s where we needed to go in order to catch the ferry to Iceland and the Faroe Islands before heading north to Scandinavia! That was the doozy of a plan I referred to earlier. Pretty exciting stuff, right?!
We certainly thought so, but we were so gun shy about how quickly things can change that we just couldn’t bring ourselves to purchase the ferry tickets. Getting to Iceland is no cheap endeavor and we wanted to make absolutely sure we could cross into Denmark and that Iceland would stay open. We decided to wait until we were actually in Denmark before making the ticket purchase, but we never got the chance. Denmark reversed its decision to open to all vaccinated travelers and instead announced that only EU residents who have received the vax in the EU can cross the borders. I got my vax in France, but I am not a resident there or any EU country. So even though we could travel to Iceland, we could not transit Denmark to catch the ferry. Time for Plan B, or what we like to call The Path of Least Resistance.
Ultimately, Plan B is exactly like Plan A only in reverse. Instead of going to Iceland and the Faroe Islands in the spring we will do it in the late summer or early fall. In the meantime, we are headed to Poland, where we will visit Gdańsk, Łódź and Warsaw. Then we will travel north through the Baltics – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia who supposedly allow vaccinated folks to enter. From there we will take a ferry to either Finland or Sweden, depending on the border situation. Hopefully all countries will have opened their borders at least to those who have been vaccinated or tested. Once in Scandinavia we will make our way north and cross into Norway and travel to the tippy top before meandering south along the fjord-riddled west coast. Then we hope to enter Denmark and hop on the ferry to Iceland and the Faroe Islands before continuing south to spend the fall in Italy and possibly Greece.
So there you have it. If all goes according to plan we should be able to visit about ten new countries this year. That makes us absolutely giddy! It won’t take much to derail these plans, of course, but we have high hopes that things are improving for travelers.
One thing we will seek out in Poland and eastern Europe is Stolpersteine, concrete cubes bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. These plates are typically installed at the last location where the person lived or worked freely. You may recall that we found those that had been installed at the house where Anne Frank and her family lived before going into hiding in Amsterdam. Stolpersteine are all over Europe and sadly there is a high concentration in the countries we will be visiting.
When I learned about the Stolpersteine Project from former motorhomers Mike and Carol at Moho-Dream, I shared it on a Facebook group in which I am a member, a cooking group, no less. Another member, Jill, contacted me a few weeks later with this message: “I teach about Holocaust to 7th graders in my synagogue’s Sunday school. I had never heard of this and did some research. It was today’s class. In addition, I showed a YouTube video about a man from Brooklyn who traveled to Germany to see stones memorializing his family being installed. I reached out on FB messenger and now he is going to speak to my class about the experience.” Jill has since connected with others involved in this project and I was really so appreciative that she reached out to share this with me. So thank you Mike and Carol, without your efforts to document your experience with the Stolpersteine so many others would not have learned about this very important project.
Since our appointment at the Hymer dealer, where Bijou enjoyed her chassis lube, we will now be able to lock our main door without one of us having to crawl over the steering wheel to get out the front after locking the back door from the inside. This makes us feel safer as we head into new territory. We very nearly did not get the lock, though, as for some unknown reason the locking barrel they had ordered in advance did not come with the entire assembly. We had walked around Bijou when we were told the work was complete and noticed there was no lock, only a bright yellow plug in its place. Nothing screams “Hey look, there’s no lock here!” more than a bright yellow plug!
Apparently, they were just going to have us pay (German engineering does not come cheap!!) and casually mention that there was no lock in the door, but then leave us to our own devices to get it fixed properly. The guy said the equivalent of “You can just crawl over the steering wheel to get out…” which was absolutely the wrong thing to say to me. I don’t lose my temper often, but I totally went off on these people. When I get like this, Steven usually tries to gently hustle me away, but this time he let me have my say.
The guy finally got on the phone to see if he could scare up a locking barrel thingy. Then he drove 7 kilometers to another shop to retrieve one, although it would be generic and not fit our key. It would come with its own separate key. We figured that was better than nothing, but while he was gone, a light bulb went off in Steven’s head and he suddenly recalled that he has several of these spare locking barrels that fit our key! He had ordered them when he changed out the locks on all the bay doors and he got spares! He fished one out of his spare parts bag and it fit perfectly. Everybody was happy! We paid our bill and went back to Bijou. Steven said, let’s make sure it’s all working before we leave and, guess what, when we tried it, the door would not lock. Three mechanics fussed with it for another hour or so and now all is well. Crisis averted!
So that’s it on our travel plans. We left our cozy spot at the lake in Reinfeld this morning (Saturday, 5/22) and are now parked up at a stellplatz in a little resort town. We are the only ones here. Tomorrow we’ll cross into Poland. Personally I am looking forward to visiting Łódź, because, and you probably didn’t know this, Łódź is like the bra capital of the world. If the factories are open, I’m going in to visit with a fitter and I’m gonna get a few custom made bras that fit like a tattoo. Fun, right? Stick around, there may be photos. 🙂
And finally, I think most of you know that Steven has been spending time honing his drawing skills. He shared a few of his creations a couple of posts ago, which you should definitely check out if you missed that. He has also created a page on Facebook and would like to invite any of you who may be interested in his progress to follow his page. Click this link to get there.
Next up: Poland!
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I have all my fingers and toes crossed that your travel plans go off without a hitch! With all the talk about Americans being able to fly to Europe, we’ve started making our RVing in Europe plans again! Glad you got your lock finally fixed. Steven’s drawings are incredible!
Looking forward to your travels. Hope to do some of the same countries next Spring.
Thanks, Jean! We are certainly hoping everything will open up so that we can visit a few places!
I am so excited for you that your plans are in motion to travel in Europe! I definitely need to message you some information about getting established here as some things have dramatically changed since we last spoke!
Your plans look amazing!! I can’t imagine visiting one of those countries and you’re doing 10 – just wow! I’m glad you put your foot down, that’s unbelievable that they would think you’d be okay without the damn lock. Lucky Steven was more prepared than they were. Custom fit bras sound wonderful :-)))
Jodee, as per usual, you get me. 🙂
If you go to Poland you should co sider Krakow. Such annjnteresting place and lots of history. Schjndler museum, Auschwitz and Berkenlou sp?
We are currently in Poland, but in the far north. Krakow is on our list, but not this trip. As for Auschwitz, the jury is still out as to whether or not we will visit there. I’ve been to Dachau twice and I find these types of places very difficult to visit. But we’ll see. So good to hear from you, thanks for taking time to comment!
My favorites are the Baltics, especially Latvia. I also agree with Pam about going to Krakow.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the Baltics. We are really looking forward to visiting there and hope life has returned to at least a new normal by the time we get there in a few weeks!
Great to hear that others are now getting to know about the Stolpersteine project! We first came across the “stumbling stone” in Graz, Austria, outside a shop, and our curiousity developed from there. A lot of people who live in countries such as Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Greece know nothing about them so we like to try and spread the word a little when we can.
You might be interested in the Facebook page “Travelling Full Time” https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=travelling%20full%20time. Tina and Kevin are planning to tour Iceland in a campervan in a few weeks too. The Baltics are great, as are the Scandi countries on your list – you are in for a treat with these!
Thanks for the link to the FB group, Carol. I will check them out! We have been trying to get to Norway since 2017 but something keeps getting in the way, so I hope it will work out for us this year! I did go back and read your blog entries of your trip there, you guys had a lot of rain! But oh well, right? It’s still a gorgeous place and we plan to enjoy it no matter what!
OK, I read your whole post and the thing that excited me most was the bra-producing town in Poland where you can buy a bra that fits you like a tattoo. I DID NOT KNOW about this magical place! This may be ground-breaking for me and I will be glued for your next post about it.
Nina
Right?? I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. I have been planning our trip here for two years, even though I didn’t know the exact timing. That time is now and I PRAY they are open for fittings!!!
We’re planning a Scandinavian trip starting 21st June but we’re limited to the new 90 days in Schengen in any 180 rule, which we hope is enough time to do it justice. Does your visa allow you enough time to complete the Germany…, Norway, Iceland route and still have enough visa allowance left for Italy and Greece?
As the spouse of an EU national I am allowed to travel with him without regard to the 90/180 rule. We did have an issue with a border guard in Slovenia, who fined me for overstaying, however, we’ve since learned she was in the wrong in doing so. What I am limited to, as is Steven in some cases, is 90 days in each country. For example, we stayed over 90 days in Croatia and we both had to apply for temp. residency. But as long as we move on to another country before 90 days, we are golden. 🙂 Stay in touch and maybe we’ll meet up in Scandinavia! That would be fun!
That Pochard is very cool, I have never heard of it before. Looks very similar to the Red Head duck here in the states.
Yeah, I think they are very similar if not the same species. The pochard is also called the red-headed pochard. Good to hear from you, hope all is well where you are!
Sounds like wonderful plans. Iceland, wow! Hope you make it. Tgst firestvhijevwas gorgeous! Glad thd lick us fixed I wouldn’t be happy either!
We are pretty disappointed that we didn’t get to go to Iceland now, but it looks like Denmark won’t open for another month, so we made the right decision to come to Poland instead. And at least our door locks. 🙂 I see you guys are in Florida, have fun and travel safely!
Other than Iceland, that’s is pretty much the route we had planned for this summer had we been able to pick up our new motorhome that is sitting waiting for us in Germany. We are hoping to be able to pick it up soon, but so far the border remains closed to us. Based on the rules as they are written, I am surprised that you are allowed in Germany. But I have heard that the rules can be one thing, but what happens on the ground can be totally different.
Yes, you are exactly right, what they say and what they do are two different things in our experience. Our saving grace is a French license plate which doesn’t draw attention, thus we got waved right into Germany even though they do have quite a border presence. I’m sure you are chomping at the bit to get to Germany and get your new motorhome and hit the road!
Belarus? Suddenly in the news.
No, the closest we’ll get to that border is Vilnius. All new territory and completely different from where we’ve been.
Speaking of zoos, the other night we watched The Zookeeper’s Wife on Netflix. If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend it. It’s the true story of the family who ran the Warsaw Zoo and how they hid over 300 Jews there from the Nazis during World War II, saving them from certain death. While many of the zoo’s animals perished during the war, the same family was able to reopen it, and the zoo is still there today if you ever get to Warsaw.
Steven has seen the movie and really enjoyed it. We will be in Warsaw in a couple of weeks or so, and I know there is a lot of history there that we will need to read up on. I’m looking forward to it! Thanks for taking time to comment, we really appreciate hearing from you!
Your travel plans look amazing and my fingers are crossed it goes well. Your courage and adventurous spirit are truly an inspiration to me and the pictures are just amazing. Miss you guys but so happy for you. Trace
Thanks, Tracy! We are excited about our route and look forward to exploring countries of eastern Europe. Lots of history there and also a bit of mystery. Mostly the mystery part gets dispelled after a day or so as we get comfortable in our surroundings and everything gets normalized. Read that you are in Nashville! That’s one place we never really got to explore although we did stay there for a few days. Both of us came down with the flu so we just hunkered down to recover. 🙂 Stay safe!
The path of least resistance sounds like a very good plan. And just perfect as we all ease back into ‘normal’ life. I appreciate that you can have a good hissy fit when it’s called for, LOL!!!! That is just ridiculous that they were going to send you out without a proper working lock. Looks like you guys have an interesting summer ahead, with a big variety of adventures (including a bra fitting, haha!!).
I think I scared them a little, but at least it got the job done. In the end, we have our lock and we are happy! Fingers crossed it all works out, including the brafitting (one word in Poland…). I am taking along my personal photographer and it is up to him to keep it PG. 🙂
Another great blog. Since our plans to motorhome Europe got postponed last year, we’re chomping at the bit to get started this year. With the scheduled opening of France to US travelers on June 9th, we’re seriously thinking about coming over and renting a MH for 3 months to “test the waters” and look into purchasing. We want to go to the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon Show in August/September. Any advice? Should we wait, or go for it?
Thanks, Larry! Oh, if only we had a crystal ball, right? Barring another wave or variant, I’d say get your tickets and come on over for the show. What do you have to lose? I do have a few things to tell you guys, but I’ll put it in a personal message and send it to Connie. I’m so excited you are finally coming over!
Not sure whether to reply to 2chouters or Larry but we’re thinking of doing the same starting in Sept — renting a MH for three months for a “test before maybe buying.” Have you researched / sourced extended motorhome rentals? Digging into that now.
I don’t know if it’s the best deal available, but we found long-term rentals available from Indie Campers https://indiecampers.com/rv-living
Thank you! I’ll check them out. Hoping to be in Europe this Sept to take in either the Dusseldorf or Paris Le Bourget shows (or both?), and roadtrip in a rental car for a couple of weeks, scouting the motorhome situation.
Glad to hear about your upcoming travel plans and hopefully you make it to Iceland sooner. Reinfeld is simply gorgeous. The lake and the surrounding lush green landscape is such a refreshed. I just hope that the new normal is reaching us real soon; it would be a pleasure to read your interesting travel stories. I am not aware of Poland being the bra capital of the world. Looking forward to your visit to the factory, and also to read your experiences. The portrait in the end stunned me. It’s so close to photography… and yes lovely pictures!
We’re booked for mid August – mid-September. We’ll be at the Düsseldorf show. Perhaps we can meet up?
Amazing drawings!
If you want to know what the sculpture is at the start of this edition have a look at the animated movie Ice Age! And Iceland will be worth the wait, beautiful country.
Is that who that is? Huh. See, the kids grow up and we stop watching Disney, so we were in the dark. Yeah, Iceland is still iffy now due to the Delta variant, things are changing fast. Iceland is yellow again! Damn it!