Marginal disasters and their redemption!

After 3 long years, the time has finally come: Norway, here we come! This time with Buddy on Board!

We were filled with great excitement when it was decided: Mama Doris is buying a T5 transporter so that we can embark on our long-awaited camping trip to Scandinavia again.

Here again, a huge, irreparable THANK YOU to Mama Doris and Papa Norbert! ❤️‼️ Without you, this blog would have been quite empty this year.

The planning wasn't entirely stress-free, as 1 week before departure, we still had to organize winter tires and repair windshield and radio. We also noticed that our equipment from the previous Multivan didn't quite match the transporter. One seat had to be removed and replaced because it couldn't be folded down. On the brink of our nerves, we went to the hardware store and bought wood, had it cut to size, and built boxes to replace the seat and serve as a sleeping area. Of course, this didn't work right away because the first box didn't fit. So: remeasure, have it cut again, and rebuild. Thank God Dorina was there to help us! Thank you again ❤️

After that, only the packing stress remained, alongside full-time jobs, certain doctor's appointments, hay and straw deliveries, and mowing and stable work. Our washing machine was also running at full capacity, as newly bought clothes had to be quickly washed. Before the last wash, we said 'bye cocoa' and the washing machine broke and suddenly started leaking water. A normal start to the vacation is simply not possible for us. We then decided that the broken washing machine is a problem for Future Maxine and Future Jenni and left it at that.

Once the car was packed on Sunday evening and we had slept a few hours, we finally set off on Monday at around 6:30 am!

Buddy was a model dog and slept or looked out almost the entire journey, unlike us, who reached the Danish border after nearly 9 hours and were happy about the quieter and more regulated traffic. But even this transition didn't go without a brief adrenaline rush, because OF COURSE we were the ones who were waved out at the border crossing. We had to show our passports and vaccination certificates, in front of us a large tent with drug-sniffing dogs and police officers. The beads of sweat on our foreheads revealed our fear of having to unload and reload the meticulously organized bus, because after all, we didn't have any drugs with us. 😁 But the nice, hardly intimidating police officer took away our fear.

So off we went towards Sweden. After about 3.5 hours of uneventful driving, we arrived at the border crossing. Here we also had to show our passports, vaccination certificates were not necessary.

From here, we then searched for our first place to stay overnight. After half an hour, we finally found a small, quiet picnic area surrounded by horse and cow pastures, including a campfire and barbecue area, which we claimed for ourselves. The nearby sewage treatment plant was also very romantic, but we were lucky that the wind direction was on our side and we wouldn't have noticed it without a sign. Buddy was also delighted when he could finally run freely and bark at strange noises. Overall, we were very satisfied and enjoyed hot pea soup. We slept well, and Buddy snored his way into the deepest dreams.

After our breakfast cornflakes, we are now on our way to the Norwegian border. Yay! ❤️

We are very excited and send warm greetings to our loved ones back home!