I hate making exact plans and there really aren’t many for this trip either. It may be that I end up regretting this choice at some point, but my traveling experience has taught me that the more specific the plan the more likely it’s going to fail. For the holiday part of the trip in the beginning of the journey I’ve had to set some dates. Next I’ll walk you through those in a little bit more detail.
Closing in on departure
The departure is tomorrow. For the most part I’m ready and well set up to leave, but my apartment still needs some cleaning and setting up. I’m keeping it for the duration of the trip, because I like it too much to lose it.
I had two choices route options and I went with via Baltica this time. Mainly because I’ve never driven it before. The other western option through Sweden and Denmark I’ve done once both ways. So tomorrow I’m heading toward Helsinki and on Thursday I’m taking the ferry from there over to Tallinn. I’m not leaving alone with Naranja. A friend is coming along until Riga. He’s on vacation too and wanted to join me for a bit and then stay and enjoy Riga for a few days. I’ll leave him there after a day in Riga myself.
Saying hello to some old friends
The next goal on the way down is Nordhorn Germany. I used to live there for nine years and haven’t had the chance to visit lately. So now I’m taking advantage of this drive-by and stopping over for a couple of days. My plan is to get there around August 9th. All the plans for that stop are still a little vague. I’ll try to meet some people and if it doesn’t work out, there’s always another chance on my way back.
Here’s a link to Google maps showing the planned route. (Note: Google seems to have switched the recommendation to the western route, but we’re taking the eastern one.) Of course I won’t be following that line slavishly, but I’m not planning on big detours either.
Next stop: Baleal, Portugal
The next fixed date is August 21st. That’s when I need to be in Baleal surf camp in Peniche Portugal. I booked a week of surfing with them in May 2020, but because of Corona, it was canceled. I’m now taking advantage of the deposit I paid back then and I’ll start my surfing during this trip in my favorite place. I’ve been there three or four times before and every time the conditions and the teaching have been amazing. I haven’t planned the exact route down to Baleal yet. I think I may not plan it much at all before hitting the road.
After the week of surfing is also where my plans end. My work starts on September 5th, but I might still be in Baleal (or around) when that happens. Especially if the surfing is good, I may end up staying for a bit before moving back up to the north of Spain. The area I’m aiming to reach at some point is between Santander in the east and Aviles in the west, but I have no real plans as of yet.