How can something that requires regular maintenance and dozens of liters of gasoline mean freedom?

Here is how:

Hector is parked in front of my house and tells me: “Take me, I’m yours! We can go anywhere you want…” And I am pretty sure, one of his head lamps twinkles.

In August, one of my brothers and his family arrives and we all go to the Western Allgäu: mountains, lots of lakes and castles and meadows with happy cows. First stop of the day is the Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht close to Pfronten. With our age ranging from 8 to 43 years, we have a lot of fun for hours. As the high level ropes are located within a forest, you leave all of your usual every-day life behind and enter new challenges. Muscle soreness is included in the price without extra charge, thanks for that.

While the rest of my family has rented a holiday apartment for the rest of the week, I decide to go with Hector to the caravan site “Via Claudia” at the Lechstausee (Lechbruck). While the huge camp site is crowded with a mixture of resident campers and holiday families, the caravan site is more relaxed. All showers and facilities of the main camp site are offered to guests of the caravan site as well as extra toilets, all being in a good shape. Although the place is nearly full, the atmosphere is much calmer than on the regular camp site – I see more and more of a tendency to look for alternatives to super camp sites, but only time will tell.

No Chi-Chi, just a caravan site – all relaxed, all fine

Of course I could have stayed with my brother’s family or I could have gone home the very same day. However, staying the night with Hector is different and it is all positive. You wake up in the morning and are somewhere else, out of the regular routine. For instance, my apartment offers neither view on the mountains nor view on the lake, so this a win already. The rays of the early sun invite me to a spontaneous jogging tour around the lake and I congratulate myself for the always-on-board equipment with sports shoes, towel and whatever I need.

Camping Via Claudia at Lechbruck – a fragment of the huge area

The two hours of the way back are fine to exchange the compact holiday feeling with my working life. Lucky me that Hector will continue inviting me to little escapes throughout the upcoming summer weekends!