Blog
Start of the trip
June 6th saw me and my little family in Europe. We are going to stay for 7 months ! Visiting relatives and friends as well as France, especially the south, in order to see if we could possibly find a piece of heaven and settle down there, build a home, grow some food, etc.
How: buying a second hand mobilhome, and ride the roads, tracks, mountain tops and valleys. We are going to visit other places where things are happening "alternatively" meaning out of the ordinary way of common grounds. These places include self-building houses, natural homes, permaculture lands, organic farms, handicraft, artist collectives, etc. I set a map with whatever interesting I could find on the internet...and for the rest, the word to mouth of contacts made on the way, I hoped, would make the trip the more interesting!
Nikola and I, freshly arrived from the airport in Split, Croatia.
Nikola and his partner's wedding, at which I played piano during the ceremony.
Nikola and I, freshly arrived from the airport in Split, Croatia.
Play "This is how it feels" of the album "Many a story"
Off we go with all the paperworks, visas, passports, vaccins, etc, fly to Brussels in Europe, get another session of paperwork, visas, folders, papers, more papers, translations, problems, stress, etc. Then we buy the mobilhome, 1991 Peugeot J5 with Capucine (double bed on top of the driver seat), 147000 km, get it all sorted with insurance, plates, equipment, etc.
We drove away all excited on the ROAD BABY !!! Only to brake down 29,4km away. Tamtamtam...the distribution belt had snapped, the threat was heavy as the whole engine might have needed be replaced! We finally flew to Croatia to attend Nikola's wedding (see details in the "News" section), which was really nice as they flew us there in response to our mobilhome breakdown. And when we came back, the mobilhome was fixed without having to change the whole engine! Fiouuuu. "Lucky" we have been according to the mechanic. Then, finally, after a month and a half preparing, waiting, paperworking, stressing a bit, we took off with the mobilhome !!! Down to South of France. Direction: alternative places and people. Goal: to learn, meet, share, expand and grow. The final goal: build our own project in a very near future.
 On the road baby !!Finally on the road with our "good to go" mobilhome!!! Going down south of France, I'm all excited :) |  Beautiful FranceI forgot how beautiful France is. And after having lived 5 years abroad and coming back just twice each time for a month, it is so nice to visit and flirt with old and full-of-charm France. |  Old villagesand its old villages, streets, ... |
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 old villages.This is something New Zealand doens't have and will probably never have. I missed it so bad, even though I love New Zealand for many reasons, Europe has a charm somewhat different. |  markets...and markets, and old beautiful architecture. |  marketsand markets everywhere... |
 and stoneStone building all around the place. How old, how strong, how heavy duty ?! |  Our home that moves on wheelsThis time, no piano on board, but a baby. Our home from the inside. It's of all comfort, with bathroom, kitchen, fridge, etc. This is a legendary invention! Love this. |  "My girls" |
 The convoiA friend has funny enough, bought the very same mobilhome a week before us. And here we are on the convoi together for a bit along the trip. |  And the rivers.Down at the Sautadet, beautiful water falls. |  Handycraft markets |
 Old......doors ! |  Dady's girl |
Visit Eourres, an alternative village perched in the mountains where things seem to make sense.