We are in Greece! We’ve come this far. Now back in a country where we feel more close to home in a certain way, but also it feels so far as well. We have now left for the second time almost two months ago. We have seen many countries, discovered different cultures and crossed different landscapes. Even though we are only at the beginning of a long journey, it feels like we have been gone for a long time.

We notice that life on the road is very intense. We experience a lot of highs but also some lows. We are intensely enjoying everything that comes our way. Even though our adaptability can still grow a bit, because sometimes it is difficult to deal with setbacks, especially if you have slept poorly, I think we generally handle the difficult moments well. We quickly express what is going on inside our head and then do something about it. Where at home we still had the inclination to walk around with something for a long time and not talk about it straight away. We feel energized, assertive and always enjoy the outdoors with all the inconveniences that come with it. Nowadays we only set up the inner tent and when we wake up at night we look up and see the stars above and fall asleep again.

In the Netherlands we hardly see any stars anymore. Every time I look up into the sky at home I get a little sad. The idea that you have to go on a holiday to see the starry sky in its full glory. That the kids growing up not knowing what they’re missing. Now that we are treated every day with beautiful sunsets and the stars on clear nights, I notice how important it is to me. We are void and have a beautiful wild nature and sky around us. Everyone should be able to enjoy that.

What we long for more in the meantime is stability, tranquility and a base. We see a lot and meet a lot of people. We are exposed to many stimuli and to the unknown. We enjoy it, don’t get me wrong but it’s also a big contrast to what our life was like a few months ago. We talk about what we want to get out of this journey. This journey is now our life. Probably two years of our lives. And we can do anything we want. What we find important in any case is listening to our gut feeling. And right now that feeling says, find a place where you want to stay for a while. That’s why we’re taking a short break at the moment to make a plan. We both want to gain more knowledge and learn skills so our goal is to find an organic farm in Turkey to work and learn there for a while. That is a place where we can find peace, meet people, discover the culture of the country and learn skills that interest us. Just a period in which you know where your bed is that night is what we need at the moment.

All this does not mean that we are traveling and don’t like cycling. We look forward to the coming time and after some rest days we often want to get back on the bike. We still have a long way to go before we get to a farm and we are going into the unknown with full energy in the time to come.

Last week we also experienced a lot. We made our first campfire on the first day in Greece, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Previously, we did not always dare to light a fire because we are afraid that we could be discovered because of it. Also that same night we saw a large animal, or at least a shadow of it, but certainly heard it. We still don’t know if it was a fox, boar, wolf or maybe even a bear.

A few days ago there was also a curious fox in our camp. After the sun had set and it was fairly dark, Q could see a fox from the tent that was next to our bags.

Furthermore, we are now experts in bonding tires. Q has had his 4th flat tire (3rd was not glued well enough). But this turned out to be a blessing, as it happened in front of a house where we were later invited for a delicious Greek lunch, with grilled fish, salad, delicious feta, home-brewed ouzo and cold beers, the good life.

We have been able to find beautiful spots on beaches where no one comes. In the end we ended up at a campsite where we were able to do some chores and have a delicious meals. We borrowed a bbq from a mobile home and used it for 2 days, for lunch and dinner. The campsite is on the beach, which makes it really feel like a holiday.

So now enjoy our rest day. What will tomorrow bring us?!