On October 8th, Elli and I filled the tank, hugged our loved ones, and took off. It has been 4 whole weeks on the road. Honestly, wow! I'm 3400km in, sitting in a parking lot in a beautiful Italian mountain town close to the border of France. I'm about to jot down the most memorable from each country and spot we've adventured through so far. It's a month's worth of experiences, so buckle up!
Okay, so the van got ready just in time to leave before the cold front hit at the beginning of October. Best timing! Fall thus far had been unusually warm and with a ton of help from some close friends we got the van ready and passed the inspection. So, in the midst of a big storm I sorted out and packed my van one last time and the new chapter of our adventure was about to begin.
We headed off to Latvia and parked up in Rezekne. Honestly, the loveliest town in Latvia I had ever been to. We had a long walk through the city centre and for the first time ever I locked the doors as soon as I got back in the van. A new realm of safety concerns and other vanlife realities had just hit with full force. I wasn't scared but I was suddenly so aware of all things safety. I finally set up my cassette toilet - what an amazing thing to have in a van! And cooked a proper meal in the van, too. It's like something clicked. As soon as I had left Estonia, I started to think and act like a proper vanlifer, I guess. I had been living in my van full time 3 months before but crossing the border hit different. I was on my own and everything was new. Literally.
The next morning I left for Lithuania. For my first night I found a paved parking lot next to a small lake in the town of Utena. Lovely hike around the lake + awesomest of sunsets made for a pretty good second night on the road. The next morning I had a first of many very focused and efficient work session. Before that I worried about the work side of things but turns out I'm more motivated and have more energy to do all the work stuff. I had another walk with Elli and continued toward south where I found an amazing nature reserve in Kaunas. Had the most awesome hike with Elli - did a few hundred meters in elevation gain, as well - and just took some time to enjoy the warm weather. Yes, the weather was sunny and warm (+16) just a little bit south from Estonia! Also the next morning I prepped my mind to tackle the 'worst' task of vanlifers - emptying and cleaning the cassette toilet. Honestly, I don't know what the fuss is about. It was quick and easy cleanup. Yeah, it's a bit 'icky', but it's nothing to fear, tho. Took me about 7 minutes with dumping, cleaning and refilling. And I was moving slow, coz you know, it was my first time. So that was it. Made me even more happy to have my own little toilet! Yeah, toilets in vans are under-appreciated for sure! Tho, stay tuned for a mishap with the toilet emptying just a few weeks later!
Poland surprised me with the best highways I had ever seen! I mean wow! All the signs for the exits and everything in between was just so surprising! Yeah, I also encountered a lot of village roads that were much worse than imagined, too! But still, the quality of those brand new highways was impeccable! Okay, my first night in Poland was a bit on the weird side, tho. I had a cool walk around with Elli before but as the sun set quite early I now had to go let her out in the middle of the forest in pitch black. And since I saw some movement a hundred meters away I suddenly had my blood pumping and adrenaline rushing through my body. A weird sense of fear had set in. And I didn't like it one bit. I checked my gut and didn't feel I had to move the van and find another spot, but the feeling of unease stayed. So. I took out my mental 'tools', took a breath (quite a few, actually) and calmed my mind. I then took precaution, made Elli bark on command, and we went out. All went well and my nervous system calmed down. We ended up having a restful sleep. In the morning I found an amazing spot a few hundred kilometres south that was like something out of a movie. It was 10 acres of gated manor park complete with fountains, all kinds of little bridges, trees and plants. An amazing experience! Here I was, in a completely different situation compared to the night before. I think my mind needed it, so it was a very welcomed change of pace. As I continued down south, I made my way to both the famous salt mines and Auschwitz in the same day. So very different experiences. Mesmerised at the magnitude of the salt mines and how everything was built and maintained underground, I made my way toward a completely different experience. I had been to Yad v'Shem in Jerusalem, so I knew what to expect, but wow. It was a lot, still. Yet, I'm so grateful I took the time to go. Both experiences are something everyone going near Krakow should put on their agenda. That evening I met with the sweetest gal from Germany who also travels solo in her van with a dog and was just returning to home after two years on the road. So grateful for the encouragements and tips and just instant connection! Also Elli had a blast with the other pup!
As I gathered myself I continued to Czechia the next day. I'm not even kidding, when I got to the mountains I had tears in my eyes from the immense gratitude for the fact I'm able to do this whole van thing. I'm still so grateful and I'm still in awe every single day. I parked up in the middle of mountains in a lovely village of Moravka. What an amazing spot! The next day I did a bunch of work and then we took a little drive and hiked our firs mountain with Elli! It was an exhausting and rewarding experience all at once and such a good training day for Elli, too. There's so much you have to be able to control when hiking a mountain with a dog. So much training to trust as well. She did great, I had to stand my ground but the training held up and we both had a great time. Coming down hurt my knees quite a bit but I guess that's gonna get better as I keep on moving. Later I met a sweet couple from Ukraine who had fled from the war and had spent the last ten months in Moravka. The tears in their eyes said more than our fragile English-Russian conversation. As I was still in awe of the magnificent nature around us they were quite honest about not yet being able to enjoy the views. So very understandable. We hugged and they felt seen. Empathy had won the evening. Those 15 minutes were so important for all three of us.
Continuing my way to Slovakia the next day I learned to drive in the mountains. Having my friends voice 'don't overheat your brakes' as a constant in my head louder than the music I was playing. All those views. Just wow. I guess every single mountain is a wow-factor-filler for somebody from Estonia where the biggest hill is 318 meters. Yeah. Okay, but about Slovakia - I found a sure bucket-list spot to spend the night! I stayed on the literal (working!) airfield next to 10+ different old planes! Like right next to the planes! Surrounded by mountains! Having some local food this evening made it a perfect stay.
Since I couldn't find a good spot in Bratislava, I crossed the border to Austria. First time I got pulled over at the border and asked to open the back. As soon as they understood it's a caravan, I was politely sent on my way. So, about 50km inward I found a cool spot next to a small village and a river to spend the night. However the next morning around 6'ish, I got my first police-knock on the door. I went out and they explained that they had received a call about a suspicious white van. Here's the thing, the spot was totally legal and a lot of campers come and go during high season, yet my van looks like a regular white van to anybody who's not in tune with the add-ons for campers. So, someone reported it. All good, tho - if anything, it made me feel safer! Police were really friendly and polite and upon realising it's a camper, they spent the next 10 minutes chatting and playing with Elli. A few hours later, just as I was about to drive off (engine was already running) a military vehicle pulled up next to me and I had to open the doors for the third time in 12 hours. Again, as soon as they got the camper memo they wished me well and we both went on our way. Next I spent some time up on some hills in a small village close to Slovenia - absolutely lovely people everywhere!
Soon I continued my way into Slovenia - what a beautiful country! Parked up on top of a big hill right above a cool lake. Went on a hike around the lake with Elli, saw autumn in full colour and enjoyed it to the fullest, too. The night tho had a surprise for us. A bit of scary one at that. We were in the middle of the biggest of thunderstorms I have witnessed since living in Israel back in 2015. With every thunder-clap the van shook. A lot. The rain was as if someone literally opened the gates and poured it out by buckets. I hugged Elli a little tighter and the storm eventually passed. The next morning was as beautiful as ever yet again and we continued our journey.
And here came Italy. We had made it to the country of pizza, pasta and wine. We spent our first night in a small town by the church. Oh, those bells. Bit loud, but very cool! And off to the Dolomites we went! Took a few detours, found a hidden waterfall next to abandoned village walked next to the bluest rivers I had ever seen all the while being in awe and saying 'wow' a hundred times an hour. Elli had a whole different world to sniff and figure out and was completely in her element. I then found a parking spot so beautiful it's hard to put in words. I facetimed a few of my friends and still went 'wow' every few minutes. I mean light blue rivers, greenest of trees, tall mountains on every side. As the storm was rolling in we left the next morning and drove our first 40km of serpentine up and down the mountainside to reach a hidden gem of an emerald green lake on top of the mountains. The fuel consumption and time it took to reach the spot was so worth it. Not gonna lie, the drive was difficult with a big van and took a long time, but oh wow! And then, just as I felt the graving for connection we arranged a meet-up with fellow van-friends from Estonia. They travel in an old VW T3 with a baby and a cat! Oh, and of course, plus two grown-ups. And what a cool van they have! If you haven't already, go check them out on Instagram @littlewagen - you won't be disappointed! Anyhow, we stayed put for a few days, flew the drones and went for a swim, in the green-river that the locals pulled crabs out right next to us. An experience on its own, let me tell ya! We then slowly ventured to another town edging our way toward west and I tried surfskating! Yeah, that's a thing. I managed to fall hard once, but I after I took an L, I also managed to stay on it and ride for 20 meters! Worth the experience + I'm a tad afraid that a couple hundred Euros will be spent on something like this in the coming months. Thanks for introducing me to a possible new hobby! As the weekend was approaching we decided to head up to the hills once again and found the most beautiful winery complete with wine-tasting + self made truffle pasta and a hike up the nearby mountain. For the first time my hiking app misfired and instead of the easy 3,6km hike we ended up hiking 8km and gained about 400m in elevation! I guess the LittleWagen crew will think twice before coming on a light hike with me next time! All in all an absolute 10/10 experience! Oh, and on the hike, there were cows. Like big cows. Elli was amused! It was there that I finally took the time and set the settings right on my drone so that the RTH (return to home) function would fly higher and not hit any trees on the way. Coz I've landed on a pine tree before. So, finally all that got taken care of. What a load off my shoulders, honestly! After a few days we found our way to lake Garda and the lovely Sirmione town. I spent the day next to a dog park, so Elli had a blast! But as the evening rolled in, we were able to find two spots on the very edge of lake Garda within a 4 minute walk to the infamous castle. It was raining like crazy but we got out anyway. Due to safety issues we decided to take turns going to the center, keeping an eye on each other's vans. What a walk! Yes, I was soaking wet, struggling to see through my glasses but what an experience! We shared some ice cream with Elli (yes, in the pouring rain) and enjoyed all the city buzz. Next morning the view over the lake was just wow! I once again found myself in awe and grateful. Then we headed off to a cool farm close by. I mean they had every animal possible! This time both Elli and I were amused! Heard an air-raid alarm - felt really weird not to run into safety at that sound, tho. It was probably for the severe weather? But for me it honestly brought back all the memories from Israel in 2014 when during the 50-day-war I really had to run to safety each and every time. All in all it passed fairly quickly and we went on with our lives. The next day we finally parted ways with the LittleWagen crew. They left and we stayed for another night to do some work and to take a shower in my van. Yes, I have hot water in my van and I can actually take a shower in my van! How awesome is that! As the next morning rolled around we continued toward west with Elli. Found a couple of okay spots to spend the night but stayed alert coz there was some movement in the parking lot - which is normal, but I guess I just had gotten used to the extra safety when traveling together with another van. It's amazing how big of a difference it makes if you're parked next to some other vanlifers! I'm getting quite close to France now and trying to figure out all things needed to comply with the law there. And when I tell you I found the safest and friendliest small town to spend the night I truly mean it! I decided to stay an extra night and will tell you all about it soon - still keeping my safety rule of never posting in real time.
If you made it here - let me know, coz you deserve a medal! I'll try and keep this blog up to date now as I've gotten used to the life on the road. I'll make a whole new post for vanlifers, coz there's a lot to know when driving through some of those countries, but for now I'll leave you with a few photos from the trip so far. A lot of visual content is posted on my instagram, so check that out if you haven't already. And also - thank you all for the support! It means a lot and I don't take it for granted!
Talk to you soon!
Kadri & Elli
We headed off to Latvia and parked up in Rezekne. Honestly, the loveliest town in Latvia I had ever been to. We had a long walk through the city centre and for the first time ever I locked the doors as soon as I got back in the van. A new realm of safety concerns and other vanlife realities had just hit with full force. I wasn't scared but I was suddenly so aware of all things safety. I finally set up my cassette toilet - what an amazing thing to have in a van! And cooked a proper meal in the van, too. It's like something clicked. As soon as I had left Estonia, I started to think and act like a proper vanlifer, I guess. I had been living in my van full time 3 months before but crossing the border hit different. I was on my own and everything was new. Literally.
The next morning I left for Lithuania. For my first night I found a paved parking lot next to a small lake in the town of Utena. Lovely hike around the lake + awesomest of sunsets made for a pretty good second night on the road. The next morning I had a first of many very focused and efficient work session. Before that I worried about the work side of things but turns out I'm more motivated and have more energy to do all the work stuff. I had another walk with Elli and continued toward south where I found an amazing nature reserve in Kaunas. Had the most awesome hike with Elli - did a few hundred meters in elevation gain, as well - and just took some time to enjoy the warm weather. Yes, the weather was sunny and warm (+16) just a little bit south from Estonia! Also the next morning I prepped my mind to tackle the 'worst' task of vanlifers - emptying and cleaning the cassette toilet. Honestly, I don't know what the fuss is about. It was quick and easy cleanup. Yeah, it's a bit 'icky', but it's nothing to fear, tho. Took me about 7 minutes with dumping, cleaning and refilling. And I was moving slow, coz you know, it was my first time. So that was it. Made me even more happy to have my own little toilet! Yeah, toilets in vans are under-appreciated for sure! Tho, stay tuned for a mishap with the toilet emptying just a few weeks later!
Poland surprised me with the best highways I had ever seen! I mean wow! All the signs for the exits and everything in between was just so surprising! Yeah, I also encountered a lot of village roads that were much worse than imagined, too! But still, the quality of those brand new highways was impeccable! Okay, my first night in Poland was a bit on the weird side, tho. I had a cool walk around with Elli before but as the sun set quite early I now had to go let her out in the middle of the forest in pitch black. And since I saw some movement a hundred meters away I suddenly had my blood pumping and adrenaline rushing through my body. A weird sense of fear had set in. And I didn't like it one bit. I checked my gut and didn't feel I had to move the van and find another spot, but the feeling of unease stayed. So. I took out my mental 'tools', took a breath (quite a few, actually) and calmed my mind. I then took precaution, made Elli bark on command, and we went out. All went well and my nervous system calmed down. We ended up having a restful sleep. In the morning I found an amazing spot a few hundred kilometres south that was like something out of a movie. It was 10 acres of gated manor park complete with fountains, all kinds of little bridges, trees and plants. An amazing experience! Here I was, in a completely different situation compared to the night before. I think my mind needed it, so it was a very welcomed change of pace. As I continued down south, I made my way to both the famous salt mines and Auschwitz in the same day. So very different experiences. Mesmerised at the magnitude of the salt mines and how everything was built and maintained underground, I made my way toward a completely different experience. I had been to Yad v'Shem in Jerusalem, so I knew what to expect, but wow. It was a lot, still. Yet, I'm so grateful I took the time to go. Both experiences are something everyone going near Krakow should put on their agenda. That evening I met with the sweetest gal from Germany who also travels solo in her van with a dog and was just returning to home after two years on the road. So grateful for the encouragements and tips and just instant connection! Also Elli had a blast with the other pup!
As I gathered myself I continued to Czechia the next day. I'm not even kidding, when I got to the mountains I had tears in my eyes from the immense gratitude for the fact I'm able to do this whole van thing. I'm still so grateful and I'm still in awe every single day. I parked up in the middle of mountains in a lovely village of Moravka. What an amazing spot! The next day I did a bunch of work and then we took a little drive and hiked our firs mountain with Elli! It was an exhausting and rewarding experience all at once and such a good training day for Elli, too. There's so much you have to be able to control when hiking a mountain with a dog. So much training to trust as well. She did great, I had to stand my ground but the training held up and we both had a great time. Coming down hurt my knees quite a bit but I guess that's gonna get better as I keep on moving. Later I met a sweet couple from Ukraine who had fled from the war and had spent the last ten months in Moravka. The tears in their eyes said more than our fragile English-Russian conversation. As I was still in awe of the magnificent nature around us they were quite honest about not yet being able to enjoy the views. So very understandable. We hugged and they felt seen. Empathy had won the evening. Those 15 minutes were so important for all three of us.
Continuing my way to Slovakia the next day I learned to drive in the mountains. Having my friends voice 'don't overheat your brakes' as a constant in my head louder than the music I was playing. All those views. Just wow. I guess every single mountain is a wow-factor-filler for somebody from Estonia where the biggest hill is 318 meters. Yeah. Okay, but about Slovakia - I found a sure bucket-list spot to spend the night! I stayed on the literal (working!) airfield next to 10+ different old planes! Like right next to the planes! Surrounded by mountains! Having some local food this evening made it a perfect stay.
Since I couldn't find a good spot in Bratislava, I crossed the border to Austria. First time I got pulled over at the border and asked to open the back. As soon as they understood it's a caravan, I was politely sent on my way. So, about 50km inward I found a cool spot next to a small village and a river to spend the night. However the next morning around 6'ish, I got my first police-knock on the door. I went out and they explained that they had received a call about a suspicious white van. Here's the thing, the spot was totally legal and a lot of campers come and go during high season, yet my van looks like a regular white van to anybody who's not in tune with the add-ons for campers. So, someone reported it. All good, tho - if anything, it made me feel safer! Police were really friendly and polite and upon realising it's a camper, they spent the next 10 minutes chatting and playing with Elli. A few hours later, just as I was about to drive off (engine was already running) a military vehicle pulled up next to me and I had to open the doors for the third time in 12 hours. Again, as soon as they got the camper memo they wished me well and we both went on our way. Next I spent some time up on some hills in a small village close to Slovenia - absolutely lovely people everywhere!
Soon I continued my way into Slovenia - what a beautiful country! Parked up on top of a big hill right above a cool lake. Went on a hike around the lake with Elli, saw autumn in full colour and enjoyed it to the fullest, too. The night tho had a surprise for us. A bit of scary one at that. We were in the middle of the biggest of thunderstorms I have witnessed since living in Israel back in 2015. With every thunder-clap the van shook. A lot. The rain was as if someone literally opened the gates and poured it out by buckets. I hugged Elli a little tighter and the storm eventually passed. The next morning was as beautiful as ever yet again and we continued our journey.
And here came Italy. We had made it to the country of pizza, pasta and wine. We spent our first night in a small town by the church. Oh, those bells. Bit loud, but very cool! And off to the Dolomites we went! Took a few detours, found a hidden waterfall next to abandoned village walked next to the bluest rivers I had ever seen all the while being in awe and saying 'wow' a hundred times an hour. Elli had a whole different world to sniff and figure out and was completely in her element. I then found a parking spot so beautiful it's hard to put in words. I facetimed a few of my friends and still went 'wow' every few minutes. I mean light blue rivers, greenest of trees, tall mountains on every side. As the storm was rolling in we left the next morning and drove our first 40km of serpentine up and down the mountainside to reach a hidden gem of an emerald green lake on top of the mountains. The fuel consumption and time it took to reach the spot was so worth it. Not gonna lie, the drive was difficult with a big van and took a long time, but oh wow! And then, just as I felt the graving for connection we arranged a meet-up with fellow van-friends from Estonia. They travel in an old VW T3 with a baby and a cat! Oh, and of course, plus two grown-ups. And what a cool van they have! If you haven't already, go check them out on Instagram @littlewagen - you won't be disappointed! Anyhow, we stayed put for a few days, flew the drones and went for a swim, in the green-river that the locals pulled crabs out right next to us. An experience on its own, let me tell ya! We then slowly ventured to another town edging our way toward west and I tried surfskating! Yeah, that's a thing. I managed to fall hard once, but I after I took an L, I also managed to stay on it and ride for 20 meters! Worth the experience + I'm a tad afraid that a couple hundred Euros will be spent on something like this in the coming months. Thanks for introducing me to a possible new hobby! As the weekend was approaching we decided to head up to the hills once again and found the most beautiful winery complete with wine-tasting + self made truffle pasta and a hike up the nearby mountain. For the first time my hiking app misfired and instead of the easy 3,6km hike we ended up hiking 8km and gained about 400m in elevation! I guess the LittleWagen crew will think twice before coming on a light hike with me next time! All in all an absolute 10/10 experience! Oh, and on the hike, there were cows. Like big cows. Elli was amused! It was there that I finally took the time and set the settings right on my drone so that the RTH (return to home) function would fly higher and not hit any trees on the way. Coz I've landed on a pine tree before. So, finally all that got taken care of. What a load off my shoulders, honestly! After a few days we found our way to lake Garda and the lovely Sirmione town. I spent the day next to a dog park, so Elli had a blast! But as the evening rolled in, we were able to find two spots on the very edge of lake Garda within a 4 minute walk to the infamous castle. It was raining like crazy but we got out anyway. Due to safety issues we decided to take turns going to the center, keeping an eye on each other's vans. What a walk! Yes, I was soaking wet, struggling to see through my glasses but what an experience! We shared some ice cream with Elli (yes, in the pouring rain) and enjoyed all the city buzz. Next morning the view over the lake was just wow! I once again found myself in awe and grateful. Then we headed off to a cool farm close by. I mean they had every animal possible! This time both Elli and I were amused! Heard an air-raid alarm - felt really weird not to run into safety at that sound, tho. It was probably for the severe weather? But for me it honestly brought back all the memories from Israel in 2014 when during the 50-day-war I really had to run to safety each and every time. All in all it passed fairly quickly and we went on with our lives. The next day we finally parted ways with the LittleWagen crew. They left and we stayed for another night to do some work and to take a shower in my van. Yes, I have hot water in my van and I can actually take a shower in my van! How awesome is that! As the next morning rolled around we continued toward west with Elli. Found a couple of okay spots to spend the night but stayed alert coz there was some movement in the parking lot - which is normal, but I guess I just had gotten used to the extra safety when traveling together with another van. It's amazing how big of a difference it makes if you're parked next to some other vanlifers! I'm getting quite close to France now and trying to figure out all things needed to comply with the law there. And when I tell you I found the safest and friendliest small town to spend the night I truly mean it! I decided to stay an extra night and will tell you all about it soon - still keeping my safety rule of never posting in real time.
If you made it here - let me know, coz you deserve a medal! I'll try and keep this blog up to date now as I've gotten used to the life on the road. I'll make a whole new post for vanlifers, coz there's a lot to know when driving through some of those countries, but for now I'll leave you with a few photos from the trip so far. A lot of visual content is posted on my instagram, so check that out if you haven't already. And also - thank you all for the support! It means a lot and I don't take it for granted!
Talk to you soon!
Kadri & Elli
