Our diary from the road

After discovering the weak points of our Pössl Summit Prime 640 in Norway - the water pipes that partially run directly along the metal exterior of the FIAT Ducato - we decided to fix this ourselves. With the help of a friend and my employer's support in the form of a workshop where we could do the work, we retrofitted insulation to all critical water pipes in 2 days.

If you've ever wondered whether places from postcards actually exist, let me introduce you to Reine. Nestled among dramatic granite peaks, dotted with bright red fishermen's cabins, and surrounded by impossibly turquoise water, Reine is the kind of place that makes you stop mid-sentence and simply stare. It's often called one of the most beautiful villages in the world — and honestly, we get it.

Visiting the Lofoten Islands had been one of those long-held travel dreams. The kind you tuck away in your mind, hoping that one day life will line up perfectly and make it happen. And then suddenly, it did.

We visited the Vesterålen Islands, a tranquil archipelago located just north of the Lofoten Islands. We arrived by ferry in Andenes, the northernmost town in the archipelago. The town is best known for whale watching, as the deep waters off the coast are home to sperm whales all year round.

After spending a few days in Tromsø, we travelled to Sommarøy, a tiny fishing village which literally means 'Summer Island' in Norwegian. This tiny fishing village is located about an hour west of Tromsø and is home to around 350 people and more seagulls than inhabitants. It boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in Northern Norway. We parked Wilma at a private campsite right by the sea. It was surrounded by crystal-clear water and white sand. It was beautiful to look at, and the weather was teasing us to go for a swim - but the water temperature isn't "pleasant" 🥶

We spent a few incredible days in Tromsø, often called the "Gateway to the Arctic." It's the largest city in Northern Norway, and back in the 19th century, a French visitor gave it the nickname "Paris of the North." After spending some time here, we can see why – it's lively, stylish, and full of surprises, even this far above the Arctic Circle. Our first stop was the Arctic Cathedral (Ishavskatedralen), one of Norway's most distinctive and modern churches. With its striking triangular shape inspired by Arctic icebergs, it's impossible to miss.

After driving straight across Sweden for five days, we finally reached Senja, Norway's largest island, often lovingly called "Little Norway." And let me tell you – it was love at first sight. We'd heard so many wonderful things about the island, but nothing could have prepared us for just how breathtaking it really is. Before crossing the bridge to Senja, we made one last pit stop in Finnsnes, the final proper town before the island.

After exploring city after city, we felt the pull of nature again, not to mention the itch to finally try out our SUP board. Our first stop was Gmunden, a picture-perfect town on the shores of Lake Traun. On Sunday, we spent the whole day out on the water, paddling with the mountains as our backdrop. Did you know that Traunsee is Austria’s deepest lake at over 190 metres? In the evening, we bought a pizza, sat down on the lakeshore and watched the sun set over the water, it's the simple moments that really are the best.

We arrived in Vienna on a Friday evening and checked into a busy campsite. Luckily, we found a quiet spot in the back corner. The weather was on our side this weekend, with blue skies and sunshine and we were so excited to explore Vienna. And what should I say: Vienna is overwhelming in the best possible way. Walking through the city feels like stepping into a giant open-air museum. Every corner reveals another architectural masterpiece or historic story carved into stone. It's no wonder that Vienna consistently ranks among the most liveable cities in the world.

Finding a good spot for Wilma near Bratislava turned out to be much harder than expected. After circling around and losing our patience, we finally decided to look for somewhere on the Slovak-Austrian border. That's how we ended up in a tiny village called Deutsch Jahrndorf — the kind of place where foxes and rabbits literally say goodnight to each other. The local highlights? Apparently, a fire somewhere in the area was the talk of the town. And the shop opening hours were… let's say "creative." The local organic store looked so promising, but the sign read: Fridays, 14:00–18:00. Closed next Friday. So much for our shopping spree. Slightly disappointed, we reminded ourselves that we weren't here for village adventures anyway, we were here for Bratislava.

After spending a few relaxing days at the B&B run by Martha and Michał near Krakow, our lovely hosts suggested to visit the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. "If you like mountains and hiking, you should visit the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia." Mountains? Hiking? A chance to stretch our legs after eating far too many pierogi? Absolutely! So off we went and soon found ourselves parked in a beautiful spot in the heart of the Tatras, surrounded by towering peaks and a small, crystal-clear river.

Since we were already near Kraków, we couldn't resist visiting one of Poland's most famous attractions: the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It's not every day you get to wander through a place that's been in operation since the 13th century, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, and has enough underground tunnels to make a mole dizzy. We joined a guided tour led by Marek, a man with a dry and dark sense of humour that made the history lessons fly by. Marek didn't just show us the mine; he brought it to life, mixing fascinating facts with jokes.

After stopping in Warsaw, we headed south to one of Poland's most popular cities: Kraków. While many visitors head straight for the old town, we took a slightly different approach and it paid off. Just outside the city, we found a dreamy campsite on the property of a warm-hearted family who run a B&B in their historic manor house. Wilma got a shady spot under the trees, and we were greeted with open arms by our hosts, Martha and Michał.

After changing our plans due to the rainy forecast in Masuria, we found ourselves in the Polish capital. We explored the colourful old town with its historic charm. As we walked through its lively squares and streets, we could feel the history.

Our Polish road trip kicked off in the best way possible: with the beautiful city of Gdańsk. We didn't really know what to expect. We found the perfect spot for Wilma, right by the harbour and just a stone's throw from the historic city centre. Finding a level (ish) spot proved a bit of a challenge, but we were lucky as a fellow German camper-couple was just leaving.

After 13 hours on the road, we finally arrived in Berlin, exhausted and starving, just dreaming of a quiet spot to park Wilma and relax. However, reality had other ideas: our booked 'campsite' was essentially a glorified car park at a busy junction, right next to a petrol station. It was not exactly the peaceful green haven we had imagined. It wasn't cheap either. But never mind, on the plus side, the bathrooms were spotless and the owner was really friendly. Sometimes you just have to take the wins where you can find them.

This week was all about spending time with family. We caught up with my mum, aunts, uncles, cousins and my godchild. First stop: Westende. We played endless rounds of pétanque, embarrassed ourselves at mini golf 🏌️‍♀️ 🤪 and took every opportunity to enjoy cake, coffee and a chat in cosy cafés while soaking up the sun.

What a week! The weather was chef's kiss, and we took full advantage of it. We explored the beautiful "Polders" on foot from our idyllic camping spot near Oudenburg.

We realised that we had far too much stuff. Way more than we needed — or even used! So we sold and donated a lot, and only packed what really mattered (ok, ok … we are now also the proud tenants of a self storage unit…). Finally, we gave up our apartment and moved into Wilma, our trusty van. Feeling tired from the last months but excited, we hit the road heading for Belgium. The land of chocolate, beer, and of course fries. We've eaten them three times in seven days – no shame!

If you've ever dreamed of traveling off-grid with your van and still having enough power for your gadgets, lights, or even a fridge, then this one's for you. We just finished installing solar panels on our van—and it's a total game-changer. But let me tell you—it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Let's dive into how it went, what we used, and what we learned.

When you're living or traveling in a van, power access becomes one of the small luxuries that makes a huge difference. After upgrading our battery setup, the next logical step was to improve how we actually use that power—starting with a high-speed USB-C outlet. We went for a 100W Power Delivery (PD) USB-C outlet, and now that it's in, we can't imagine life without it.

Our van came with an ok looking silver plastic water tap in the kitchen. It was all fine until we started using it regularly. We noticed that the last bits of water always ran down the shaft and accumulated on the kitchen countertop. That is not just annoying as we always have to notice and clean it up, it's also not good for the longevity of the kitchen as we suspect some water will inevitably find its way into the wood.

So, our idea of "camping" or "vanlife" or simply traveling with Wilma is to be as independent as possible. That is why we swapped out the chemical toilet for a dry composting one. Step one to "independence" - check ✅ Besides the toilet, the other 2 limiting factors are power as how long does the battery last us and water. While water is a tough one to fix (we chose to go the "use as little as possible and be really sensible about it"-path), power is an easy one to fix. The sun gives endless amounts and never charges you a dime! You just need to harvest it and save it up so you can use it when the sun is shy.

In June 2023 we found what we thought was the perfect camper van for us. The best part: it was available immediately. Very happy and overcome with joy we signed the contract to buy this 6m long FIAT Ducato based Yucon V600 (predecessor of the Yucon 60B).