Contemplative

We are now nearing the end of our adventure and one starts to get rather contemplative at this stage. The things we have done and seen, the things we would like to do differently / again / missed out, what are we going to do next…
It has certainly been an experience for us all. On the one hand there is the thought about when can one do this again, there is still Spain, Eastern Europe, vast swathes of France, Norway we hear is great in a campervan etc. etc. etc. And then on the other hand there is thinking about how we get back into a ‘normal’ life.
You couldn’t do this forever, and in some ways two months stints would work really quite well, the problem what do you do in the in-between times.
A few things we have learnt. A campervan is very good way to see a lot of Europe, but not all – southern Italy would be better in a car that you didn’t care too much about, preferably narrow and pretty short, with an Italian number plate. Caravans would be a nuisance unless you are going to stay in one place for a long time, that might not be such a bad idea in some places. Cars are so passé. You don’t need much stuff and much space, but you did need slightly more space than we have! When the weather is warm, no problem, but when it is cold and wet, you really want slightly more space for four people. The toilets in France on average are much yuckier than anyway else in Europe, the Swiss win the prize on that score, but on other measures France scores high for tripping – cheap camp sites, the best bread in Europe and pretty good street signs. Germany is the friendliest place we have been through. Italy has way too much stuff – culture, food, wine, coffee, history…