Despite breakdown to the festival (June 19 - July 5, 2022)

Since our last update, some time has passed. The reason for this is that we are currently quite stressed. We do not know when and how our journey will continue. The Bikebär (our bus) broke down in Tours on the Loire and was towed to an Opel garage. Unfortunately, no one has taken the time to take a closer look at the bus yet.

But let's start at the beginning:

Over hills and dales

After our last stop in the Spanish Pyrenees, we drive to Gavarnie on the French side of the mountain range. From there, we go on a three-day hike along the French-Spanish border. We originally planned to camp, but since thunderstorms are forecasted, we decide to stay in two of the many refuges in the border area. The refuges are serviced huts, equivalent to our SAC huts. At night, a powerful thunderstorm rattles the walls of Refugio de Bujaruelo, our first accommodation. We're really glad we chose not to camp.

We really like the Central Pyrenees landscape. The alpine environment reminds us a lot of the Alps, except that everything is much more remote. You can walk for hours without seeing a single building. Our route takes us across smaller and larger streams that need to be crossed without a bridge. The trail markings are sometimes there and sometimes not, so we sometimes just walk in the direction of the compass.

The breakdown

Back in Gavarnie, we prepare for the long drive to Stockholm. We bought tickets for the Lollapalooza festival and have a week to cover the distance. It should be no problem. On the first day of the drive, we make good progress and reach Tours in the evening. The next morning, we need to refuel and turn off the engine in the line in front of the gas pump... but it doesn't start again. The tow truck service also doesn't see a quick solution and takes the BikeBär to the nearest Opel garage.

Lollapalooza

The garage informs us that they won't have time to take a look at the bus until 8 days later (July 4). We decide to fly to Stockholm instead of being down in the dumps in Tours.

The festival takes our minds off things. It takes place in Gärdet Park in the middle of Stockholm. Stockholm consists of several islands, so ships are used as a common means of transportation here. To get from our accommodation to the festival, we commute by ferry, which we think is pretty cool. There are well-known bands such as Imagine Dragons, Kaleo, Lewis Capaldi, and Pearl Jam, but also many smaller Swedish bands that the Swedes are almost equally excited about. The atmosphere is cheerful, but compared to Swiss festivals, it's very civilized: there are no brawls, no kids sleeping off the worst hangover on the festival benches in the afternoon, and hardly any litter lying around. Alcohol can only be consumed in designated areas. Many stands have sold out of beer and wine since Saturday afternoon.

We enjoy the festival as sober as ever.