It is Saturday evening when Hector is finally over-equipped and ready to go North. The batteries are fully charged, the water tank is filled with 40 l of best Munich water and the refrigerator with prepared food, summer beer and whatever it takes to survive in the wilderness.

Around nightfall we reach the Parkschloss in the South of Leipzig: although filled with campers and regular cars, the friendly groundkeeper offers me a nice spot at the edge. With no service (no toilets, no showers, no electricity nor water) Hector is the star of the day, offering all luxury I could ask for.

Parkschloss Leipzig, Agra Park Dölitz

Mornings start best with fresh coffee, but my gas cooker in the kitchen remains silent. No typical sound from running gas, no flame, no spark, just: silence. When I turn round, I see the fridge’s light blink. On, off, on, off, on, off… Obviously, my refrigerator’s gas consumption does not meet my expectations – the 1^st gas bottle is empty after 2x heating (Dolomites) + 3x cooling. With three weeks yet to come Hector and I agree on gas-cooling only in case of emergency, for instance when the volume of white whine exceeds the maximum of daily consumption.

Being the most flexible camper girl, I prepare coffee on the outdoor cooker before jogging through the agra Park of Dölitz. Good that I have had my portion of daily movement, keeping me at ease through the upcoming traffic jams. Note to myself: Remember to travel German highways between 18:00 and 7:00 only.

The afternoon welcomes me with blue sky at Warnemünde and Hector finds a nice pitch in front of a super mega incredible cruise ship.

Hector looks tiny and slim, depending on the surrounding

Facilities are repeating yesterday’s theme: nothing. It only takes 20 seconds to relocate the folded bicycle beside the couch and free my way into my private bath room. As long as you call 45 square centimetres a room…

Evening at Warnemünde

I stroll around the harbour, the restaurants and thousands of tourists before I finally reach the beach. The plan is to toe-test the water temperature and then go for some coffee and prepare the following travel day. The facts are different and they are called Christian and Nico.

Hi guys

Shyly I ask them to take a picture and five minutes later I have a beer in my hand and we share decent conversations about the measurement of the world. Later, the sea is irresistible – who needs a shower when you can jump into the ocean? The water is wonderful and with the beach being half empty, no one cares about missing bathing suits or social conventions.

Around the third beer, the idea of spontaneous travelling brings up the suggestion of extended travel groups (Hector, me + 1 further), just for the fun of it. Although I am not aware of it by now, I will smile the next day when I find out that the ticket-traveller-controls at the ferry are hilarious: nobody would have noticed additional persons hidden in the bathroom. Let’s think it through: a tall man hiding inside Hectors tiny bathroom, sharing the few cubic centimetres with the bicycle… in fact, the risk of hidden passengers is limited to Houdini.

Back home, Hector and I watch the cruisers coast into the ocean, wondering why anyone might need a 4-spiral-toboggan on top of a ship. After a short night, our day starts at 5:15 with bright sun, calm sea and the ferry to Sweden (without toboggan).

The next morning…

As soon as Hector has Swedish ground under his tires, we learn more about our equipment: my tomtom Navi does not contain Swedish maps. If not for beer and swimming and dinner invitation, I would have checked out some destinations just the other day, but as things have developed in their own (best) way, I am fine with improvisation. The offline-on-paper-maps I had bought in March offer reliable information and I find today’s campsite without difficulties.

Leaving Rostock/Warnemünde. Hector pushed all others out of the way for free view

For today, I am done with travelling – tired, happy and perfect dinner to local mosquitoes.