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It's been a whirlwind of emotion and family time back in Bulgaria, welcoming my darling little niece into this crazy, wonderful world. But life is leading me to yet another thrilling journey in my travel chronicles. As I wave goodbye to my twenties and step onto the fun and exciting stage of my thirties, I’m excited to try the lure of van life - a dream that has lingered in my mind for a very long time. Now, folks, let me tell you about this journey! Where to? Initially, my heart was set on Iceland, but as the universe would have it, things just didn’t align the way I'd hoped. There were too many things that couldn't happen the way I needed them to - one being the flight options for me and Julien and two being the whole renting a van thing in a smart way considering our schedule. But you know me - I never back down. When one door closes, I’m the first one to hunt down the next opening! So, guess what? We’re heading to Norway instead. Over the past year, I’ve been socking away every spare penny to fund this adventure. And the cherry on top? I get to share this amazing journey with none other than Julien. I wanted to make this a trip of total relaxation and discovery for both of us and didn't want to burden Julien with the financial side of my dream trip, so I took care of the financial side of things - renting the van and buying Julien's flight tickets too. Try Van Life The key to van life? The van, of course. After hours of research, I found the perfect fit. A long-wheelbase van packed with all the essentials, including a bathroom and toilet. It’s as close to my dream van as I could get. And the best part? We’re winging it! Planning? Not our jam. Itineraries? No thanks! We're all for living in the moment, meeting each day as it comes, and letting our curiosity guide us. We’re ready to discover and explore everything that comes our way, recommended or not. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m totally wiped from Bulgaria. But the prospect of trying out van life, spending quality time with Julien, and basking in the raw beauty of Norway? Absolutely exhilarating! This in fact will be our second visit to Norway. We were back there (in Oslo) in the winter of 2015 and froze our butts off at the -9 degrees celsius. Norway in the winter...Nope, never again. So, it's high time we explored outside of Oslo into what is, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. So, bear with me now (pun totally intended) as we embark on this epic Norwegian Van Life adventure. I can’t wait to take you along on this journey. Stay tuned to the blog, as there'll be plenty of updates on the way! As always, happy travels and keep adventuring! Until next time, my fellow wanderlust-stricken friends.

The Princess and the Pea

Last night after a nice pilgrims' dinner I opened my tent and was "in bed" by 10pm. I didn't sleep well though. Despite being at a campsite there was plenty of city noise.

What true freedom looks like?

It's official, I'm a Pilgrim…

Hola amigos! Gather 'round and let me tell you the tale of when my feet decided to take me on a rough detour during my Portuguese Camino from Porto to Santiago de Compostella back in 2020. Blisters! Yep, those pesky little things that can take a hike from pleasant to painful real quick. Even my trusty shoes, reliable companions of many years, betrayed me and this was so unexpected. I've had those shoes for over 4 years by this point, so why the heck....I will never know... Anyways, a friend suggested stick-on plasters, and they said it's been the best solution for them. Spoiler alert: it wasn't for me. In fact, it was the blister equivalent of thr owing gasoline on a campfire. So there I was, hobbling about with my funny feet, thinking, "How on earth am I going to heal these blisters fast and continue my journey?!" Google told me most blisters would pack their bags in about three to seven days. But here's the thing - I'm the kind of person that takes a week to beat a common cold and the flu? Oh, that's a three-week horror story for my system. So, I wasn't exactly brimming with optimism. But hey, I can't just give up, right? So, I booked myself a cozy old little hostel in Spain for three days, keeping my fingers crossed. I was on a mission: Get rid of blisters ASAP! With plenty of struggle and pain, I went to a local pharmacy... And there we go, enter the hero of my story - Blastostimulin. Now, before we continue, let me just clarify - I'm not a medic, this ain't a sponsored post, just me sharing my good, bad, and blister-y stories. This wonder medicine, designed to mend everything from wounds to ulcers and skin cracks, came highly recommended by the lady behind the counter. And oh boy, did it live up to the promise! Armed with my new-found friend, antiseptic, and plasters, I waged war on my blisters. Can blisters heal in 2 days? I'm not sure. But I can tell you this, Blastostimulin really turned the tide in my blister battle. Now, don't go thinking I spent those 72 hours running around. Nah! I kicked back, put my feet up and caught up on some much-needed rest. My fellow wanderers, remember, healing is not a race, it's a gentle journey. The blisters healed and I was able to hit the road again on the third day. So, there's no surprise - I will keep using this thing in the future too. And blisters are regular visitors for my sensitive feet, even with shoes I've had for years. Do you have any hilarious or helpful blister stories or peculiar remedies? Have you tried Blastostimulin or other cool healing products? I'd love to hear from you! And if you're planning to hit the road soon, check out my post on my trusty travel medication kit, my best buddy on the road. Remember, amigos, we're on a journey here - mentally, physically and every way in between. So let's keep moving, and keep laughing, one step (blister or not) at a time!

Google Censored me yesterday…

As I said, yesterday's weather was horrible, but despite the fact that I felt chilled to the bone and really soaked in rain and my own sweat I had some interesting encounters with donkeys and bugs that ride horses - yes, really, I have photographic evidence - browse the pics. I was also lucky to get a really cheap room for myself in a privately owned property that seemed more suited to the AirBnB audience than Booking.Com but I loved it as it was right on my path, and FINALLY, I had a real duvet - not a lousy ass blanket - gosh I hate these. And the pillow - a single one - not a sausage weird ass pillow. Call me spoiled - I just don't like the Spaniards` bedding and culture about sharing a super long pillow. How does that work anyway? I slept so well with the duvet - it kept me really hot and the comfortable soft pillow I could squish under my chin. Hence I'd urge you to count your BED blessings, especially if you've got an expensive mattress hahaha. Also, check out the bug! After a late morning, I went for breakfast and wanted to walk around town for a bit, but it started to rain and I hid under a big umbrella at a coffee shop and had my €4.55 breakfast: coffee and croissant + a big sandwich to have on the road as my route was so much through the woods today. I advanced another 23km and 80% of the time it rained on me. It was not very motivating or exciting to be walking and soaking… And realised my poncho is not the best at all…as water does keep getting through on the inside 😭 Despite that, I made some good pics which I share below. I got to a nice private place and I'm even doing laundry tonight + they have a tumble dryer 🤩 However, I need to get to sleep as I'm planning an early start tomorrow morning and I need my shut-eye… So, unfortunately, I won't be able to share more or finish my post about exercise and horniness.

Through the woods

Rest is Over - Time to Leave Vigo (Spain) So yesterday was mostly spent like the other 2 days, reading, watching videos, doing a course on Boundaries etc. And finally today I can step well on my foot and I'm ready and keen to make some progress - I even did some stretching this morning to get me more prepared for the road. I didn't really explore Vigo (Spain), but with the few outings I had to the pharmacy and for food, I noticed that there are banks and pharmacies every 50 metres… Weird. Is this town rich, poor, healthy or ill? The other thing is everyone here is really compliant with the govs order to wear a mask. People wear them everywhere -all the time, so unless a person is eating, drinking or smoking - they'll be putting their mask on. Anyways it has also been pissing rain a lot and last night's rain would have poured through my tent if I was sleeping outside… So I must look for sheltered places for tonight if I don't want to wake up swimming in my sleeping bag. More updates later. 😉 Soo good walking through the forest! The days before I had to sit still in Vigo I found it difficult to make it 15km without feeling exhausted; stopping for short breaks all the time. Today started with a nice breakfast and a walk through town until I got to a massive hill that tortured the crap out of me. But at the top of it, I had the joy of walking many kilometres in the forest. Loved it. I stopped for a very late lunch (5 pm) after walking 17km and decided to sleep at a hotel again due to the rain that kept pouring and soaking my face as the poncho made me soak with sweat underneath. I also had the great pleasure of meeting a cat that trusted me and let me stroke it. Cats here are very frightful. I had a weird experience with the hotel tonight, they sprayed my backpack with disinfectant and put it in a black bin bag, they also checked my temperature 36.3°C… I mused they should spray me down with disinfectant and put me in a black bin bag too… Have a murder mystery party after.

With a new blister, which seems to be a bitch I walked the 11km to the next big town Vigo and decided to stay here the night. I applied Compeed plaster and by the evening I was debilitated by more pain than at the start of it all. It's now sealed with this incredibly sadistic glue and removing the plaster - which in my opinion made the situation worse - will be like ripping my skin off. I will most likely have to stay here for at least another day as I can barely walk, since the blister is on a weird spot right below my toes. I guess I'll see how tomorrow morning is and make a plan then. By the way, I've been collecting good resources on anything Boundaries and as a typical workaholic, I can say I'm keen to get back home & start going through the materials, books, courses etc. I do miss working and being at home with Pate, but I hope my foot will be better soon so I can finish the final ~100km to Santiago. According to my app, I've already walked 210km.

Foot rest, laundry and a real pause