Day 26 Armenia and Germany - Return to Dresden

The new day starts well. The security check was smooth, and now I have arrived at the business lounge at the airport. Still don't know why, but I'm not asking just in case I don't want to wake sleeping dogs.

There is plenty of food and drinks here, and I decide to go for the local drink option in a handy swivel glass. Sitting on a cozy stool with a view over the gates, it's not dramatic that the plane is delayed.

The flight went well, and then I got myself into the adventure of the German railway in Frankfurt am Main. It's quite astonishing that it is not possible to buy a seat reservation one hour before departure.

Otherwise, I am really curious. The last train journey, apart from a short S-Bahn ride, was from memory 1997.

Well, the journey with the ICE went great until Leipzig, from there it continued with the regional express.

Now I am finally back home in Dresden. I am very excited.

Time for a summary:

I was traveling for a total of 26 days, driving approximately 5,600 km and passing through 9 foreign countries.

I had passengers on some stretches, sometimes only for minutes, sometimes for several days. Among them were a US citizen, three Turks, a German, a Dutchman, an Iranian, and an Armenian.

I came into direct contact with the police twice, once I had to make a contribution to traffic safety.

The van had 15 different technical defects, some of them occurred multiple times. There was something from most categories, some things I had to repair multiple times or couldn't get repaired, so certain features had to be omitted. I didn't need most of the spare parts I initially took with me, only a light bulb.

The fuel consumption was never below 7 liters but never exceeded 8 liters of diesel per 100 km.

I fulfilled a lifelong dream with this action, which would not have been possible without the support of many people.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my family for their high tolerance towards this action and for their support.

Furthermore, I would like to thank especially Fnark from St.R. in D. an der E. and Kay from Dresden Bulli e.V. for their support in repairing the van. But also to all the others who worked on it with me or sponsored parts and equipment, my special thanks.

Furthermore, I would like to thank all those who provided me with clothing, medical items, toys, safety items, stationery, and much more. This way, support was provided to various humanitarian projects in North Macedonia and Armenia. A kindergarten and a school in Armenia were also taken into account, but also during many chance encounters with children, teenagers, and adults, joy was spontaneously brought and/or safety was increased.

Every smile and every little joy make our world better, and many small things make the world a little safer too.

My special thanks for many of these material donations go especially to Kristin H. from the neighborhood and the colleagues from DEKRA Dresden.

And finally, I want to thank my friends and colleagues who encouraged me to carry out this journey and not to let go of it.

Thank you all very much!

P.S.: In mid-July, our family will fly down to Yerevan and explore Armenia and Georgia together in more detail. Perhaps someone will be interested, starting or returning with the van from there in August?