A difficult start

January 14, 2023, Stolpe an der Oder - Nuremberg: Before I get into the camper, the most difficult stage of this journey is already behind me: saying goodbye. Icke - my wife - cannot come with me. There is her dad, who was almost killed by a severe case of COVID-19 and she doesn't want to leave him alone. And there is Berry, our dachshund grandpa, who has been with us for almost 14 years and with whom I share the heart of our wife - sometimes more and sometimes less harmoniously. This week, a new malignant and very aggressive tumor was discovered on his left front paw. He has already undergone two surgeries on it, and the question is: what happens now? Icke is very upset about it, and it broke my heart to leave her alone. Many tears were shed this morning. I was on the verge of canceling everything. But Icke didn't want that. I can handle it, she said and practically pushed me out the door.

During breakfast, I had a phone call with Richard Ott, our tour guide. I have known him for 35 years. Back then, he was employed at the German Ice Hockey Federation and responsible for the leagues that I was allowed to take care of as editor of the specialized magazine Eishockey NEWS. If one of us had problems over the years, the other's phone would ring. This time was no exception. And just like back then, we found a solution. If things go wrong at home, I will not join the ferry to Tangier in Algeciras. I will turn around. Not primarily because of Icke. Or because of Berry. I'm doing it for myself. What can the most beautiful experiences in Morocco give me if my thoughts and my heart are in Stolpe? If I feel like I'm in the right place at the wrong time. I don't want that. That wouldn't be fair to the other participants of the trip either.

After driving more than 500 kilometers, I am now here on Saturday evening in a small suburb of Nuremberg at a beautiful parking spot. I'm sitting at the table, buckets of rain are thundering down on the camper roof from the sky, while the heater next to me asserts itself with a deep rumble and spreads cozy warmth inside the camper. A five-minute soup and a piece of cake from Bärbel, the best neighbor of all time, have already made me feel a bit sleepy. In my thoughts, I once again go through the things that I have forgotten despite a long list. The deck chair for sitting outside, the sieve for the tea, the second bathing suit - hopefully this list won't be longer than the packing list...