The Update #8 – Craving for more

Heyhey, it’s us again. We had a surprising week full of different things. A change of scenery can really give a boost in energy and we really had a diverse one this week. I write this blog while enjoying a toscabun, an incredibly delicious cinnamon-like bun. It certainly makes us crave for more.

We left you at the Glaskogen’s nature reserve. The weather was lovely and we wanted to enjoy it, we were at a very beautiful spot near the water. We just wanted to stay at our camp spot and spend time there, because it was so beautiful. We also wanted to use the privacy to take a nice shower and I wanted to bake an apple pie for Anne, Martijn and Espen where we would go for coffee the next day. We were very curious if the camp oven was able to bake the apple pie, but it turned out beautifully and it smelled amazing in Bob. Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked apple pie. Having an oven means that we can make these kinds of things on the road, which is really really nice. After that we read for a while. However, it was a warm day and the beautiful lake was screaming at us to go in and explore. So, we packed our SUP for a nice ride, we thought. Unfortunately, there was a lot of current and the ride was everything but comfortable. It was very hard work not to be sent flying against the rocks. We came a long way but we turned around earlier than we would have liked. We found a nice spot on a rock on an uninhabited island in the lake to eat an apple. We wanted to take a shower, however we have the rule that you don’t shower before you  have worked up a sweat during a workout. This was the second time we used the solar shower and because the sun was shining today, the water was not cold. Let’s leave it at that ;). We wanted to cook with the Dutch oven again, but now using briquettes instead of on an open fire because the wood was so wet everywhere. It wasn’t a great succes, Jap and briquettes is not a good match yet. It will get a little better every time we do it. haha and he has plenty of time to master it. The food was finally ready at 9:30 pm hahaha.

The next day (Monday) we went ‘for coffee’ at Lost directions vanlife a.k.a. Martijn, Anne, Espen and Foufour (dog). I write ‘for coffee’ because this got a bit out of hand, we didn’t leave until Wednesday. We had an appointment at 10.30 and even though it was not many km, it was still quite a long drive. We drove all the way to their house through a forest and the whole way we said: ’It is so amazing if you can drive to your house like this and live in the forest by a lake.’ Well once we got at the house we also just said: Wow!. Jealous may not sound very positive but man what a place to live! Unimaginable. First we got a tour around the property and we got to know each other a little better. It immediately felt very good and easy. They have now converted an outbuilding into a temporary home while they renovate the real house. The real house has really suffered a lot, you almost have the feeling that it is about to collapse, and it really smells like rabbits. I think that says enough. We had a nice chat over a cup of coffee and tea and a piece of apple pie. Martijn and Anna offered that we could spend the night with them on the land. Of course we did not decline that offer and offered to roll up our sleeves and help with whatever had to be done. We got the task of tackling their garden or actually thin out the forest in front of the house and build a wooded fence. What a satisfying job. We spent two full days on it and really had the feeling that we achieved a lot in those two days. We spent our days pulling saplings out of the ground, sawing with the bushcutter, cutting everything into smaller pieces, moving it on the wheelbarrow to the boundary of their land and piling it there in a heap until a hedge was formed. When we put down the tools in the end, we had created a wall of at least 50 meters long and 1 meter high! We alternated this with Fika, lunch and dinner while enjoying each others company.

Anne and Martijn traveled around in their old-timer truck for 4 years before arriving at this place. They mostly traveled from work-away place to work-away place and they told us a lot of nice stories about the things they experienced. They made us so excited that we immediately created an account and already sent our first ‘application’ to a place where we could possibly help out for a week or two on a fruit, vegetable and flower farm.

In the morning we had coffee with Anne and Martijn. We even got an extra water tank and homemade peanut butter as a thank you for the work we did for them. Really very sweet!! We had a great time with Anne, Martijn and Espen, it was really nice to get a taste of life in Sweden. We really enjoyed it and really enjoyed spending our time this way. What a fantastic way of life they have. They have a lot to do still and work is never finished in such a place, but they will build a wonderful life there as a family.

We moved on to the next appointment. We had an evening meeting with My and Philipp in Örebro. My is from Sweden and Philipp is Italian. They are still busy renovating their camper and approached us via instagram. They wanted to meet us and asked us many questions. They also offered us the opportunity to wash and dry our laundry there, which was of course perfect. They only had to work during the day so we had two hours to kill before they got home. In the recommendations of the lonely planet for that area, Nora was high on the list for its ice cream. We couldn’t resist, so we drove to Nora for a nice lunch and an ice cream for dessert. The lonely planet hadn’t lied, the ice cream was delicious.

Then it was time to drive to Philipp, My was still at work. We chatted for a long time with Philipp, he is from Italy and we talked about making pasta, pizza and bread, hahah what else. We also did a short tour of the city. The city was nicer than we expected! Philipp tried like a real tour guide to provide us with fun stories about the city. Some of the stories were also about ghosts that lived in the buildings, haha. After the walk we were served delicious pizza and of course a grand tour through the camper had to be given. Friends of Philipp and My also came by and we felt like real celebreties at one point. We also talked to Philipp and My about the mosquitoes here in Sweden and they came up with a fantastic tip. We were told that a device called thermacell can keep the mosquitoes 20 meters away! We needed to get our hands on that device as sitting outside isn’t much fun if you get attacked by mosquitoes. It was a bit of a hassle, but we found one in the end although they are a bit pricey. We have had the device for 4 days now and in those days we haven’t used it because there were hardly any mosquitoes. haha! The rain gear effect but then for mosquitoes.

My and Philipp also recommended a lake nearby where you could lay near the water and swim. This ‘lake’ had been a place where they mined for limestone, which was then flooded. It was a beautiful area and here we made plans for the next few days, in the end, we decided to drive a bit towards Stockholm (or almost all the way to Stockholm). After lying in the sun for a while and enjoying the surroundings, we went on our way to Stockholm. This was still 2.30 hours in the car but everything went smoothly and we were able to find a nice place in nature to spend the night. In the evening we had a call with ús Ramn.Wein or Riemmer and Marijke, they also had some questions for us about traveling, so we answered them while we had a beautiful view over the lake. After that we took the time to take in the piece and quiet of nature before going into the hustle and bustle of the city tomorrow .

Jap and I spent five days in Stockholm in December 2014, but in December there is snow, it is dark, very quiet and cold. This time it was the opposite, warm and busy. We enjoyed the day in the city very much. We hardly recognized any of it which was funny. We watched the changing of the guard at the beautiful palace and strolled through the streets of Gamla Stan. We also tried to avoid the main streets a bit and look for the ‘hidden’ places in the city. As a result, it was sometimes really hard to find nice places, but we had a wonderful day. In the evening we had a nice dinner at a good Italian restaurant and both had a delicious truffle ravioli. When we walked back to the camper at the end of the evening we saw a lot of people looking at the water in the park where Bob was parked. There appeared to be a beaver sitting in the grass. He had just come on land to enjoy the dandelions there. He plucked the leaves very neatly and ate them out of his fists with both hands clasped around the leaf, so cute.

Yesterday it was 5/6/2021, which was supposed to be ‘the best day of our lives’. The day of our wedding that we canceled. In the morning we both got up with tears in our eyes. Despite the fact that we still stand behind our decision of postponing the wedding, it sad. We were entirely prepared and looked forward to it for a long time. It was not surprising that we had mixed feelings about this day. It just felt a little frustrating, and it was hard not to get stuck in what could have been. And what our journey could have looked like right now. Normally Bob would be on the boat to Canada right now. Anyway, we cannot change anything about it and we know that this will all turn out well. So, we decided to make it the best day of our lives anyway, we’re together and we’re in a great place right now, and that’s all that matters.

We gave each other an extra big kiss and hug and left for Tyresta national park. We had a lovely walk there and packed things for a picnic. In the evening we continued the picnic with a BBQ with a wonderful view over the lake. Live life traveling a.k.a. Canan, Sjoerd and Rotty (dog) joined us at the camper place and we chatted all evening. We also received a sweet email for our wedding (they didn’t know it was cancelled) from our dear friends from Australia, Sharky, Lisa and hunnybunny. Despite the fact that this made us really wanting to change everything and go straight back to Australia, it was the perfect ending for a really perfect day.

As I wrote in the beginning. It was a surprising, varied week with lots of fun new things and meetings. It’s funny that we meet people by connecting with them through instagram. But to be honest it is also quite difficult here in Sweden to get in touch with people. You meet very few people because you can hide very well in this beautiful, large and green country.

Much love from us.

Jap and Lon.

Menu of the week

Spendings of the Week

Budget per day €54 and per week €378 and per month €1700

Route

Driven kilometers: 614