When you've been on the road with the motorhome for as long as we have, four months, it feels very unusual to come home. At first it was almost reluctantly that we turned from the west coast. Then we must say that it is nice at home in the marina too!
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How is our houseboat?
How did we dare to leave our houseboat for so long? Well, we have several neighbours who live extremely close by and look after it every day, so it feels quite safe. We don't leave any valuables in it either ...
We also had craftsmen in the boat on two occasions. One time it was to install a new fire alarm and the other time it was to change one of our windows to a fire protection window, which we suddenly learnt was required to meet fire safety regulations.
This meant that the boat almost felt fresher when we got home than when we left. Nice! Then there are some other things we need to fix and replace over time, but that's always the case when you live in a house ...
Does it look like we got a little rubber boat? That would be funny, but it's not that funny. There is simply someone else who has their boat there at our gangway ...
What about the marina?
How is this in Pampas marina then? Yes, it's much the same as before we left. Between neighbours there is of course always a bit of gossip about who has moved in or out, or together or apart, or who is involved in some conflict or has been on some exciting trip ... but of course, as usual, we leave that out of the blog out of respect for our neighbours ...
However, we can tell you that many neighbours welcomed us home and stayed for a long time on the bridge to talk, which was nice. We have many nice neighbours here!
The tavern in the marina, K4 Pampas, has expanded with a new outdoor seating area, and it has really been so good. There are often lots of people, so it seems popular. And the weather has been fantastic too!
What do we do in the houseboat all day?
What do we do now that we are home? Well, first of all, we drive so many washing machines. Although we did laundry at some point during the trip, we came home with a huge amount of laundry.
And so we work! It's everything from bookkeeping to samabets, remodelling the blog, board meetings in the journalists' association and external assignments. Yes, and of course we repair bicycles!
What about the bikes?
Peter and I (Helena) now each have a new electric bike, and it feels like great. These two will accompany us on trips, while Peter's trike will serve as a shopping bike here at home. If you are wondering what the black and yellow thing behind the saddle is, I can tell you that it is a small bag where we store the locks.
We have already had time to test the bikes in the neighbourhood. Really fun!
Yesterday afternoon I waved goodbye to Peter as he cycled to a board meeting. So perfect to be able to cycle when going into town!
What are our plans for the near future?
We will continue to hang out in the marina for a while. In a few weeks we will be on the road again, and that feels good because we are a bit restless. Soon we have to prepare for Elmia Husvagn Husbil in Jönköping 7-11 September. Are you going there? Maybe we'll see you there?
We are enjoying the summer heat for as long as it lasts. Because it's so hot right now!
You might also like:
Houseboat in Stockholm - some photos from our accommodation
Houseboat life in winter - how we live in wintertime
Living on the water in winter - a picture bomb
Life on a houseboat - a home report
Lifting a houseboat - this is what happened when our houseboat was lifted
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Husis blog says:
It has been nice to follow you on the trip and some places both I and the owners recognised.
I recognise that feeling of coming home. To be on a roll and then I just stand in my car park and the owners are busy with other things. Even the owners washed a few times on their trip, but full of laundry it was with home anyway so even that is recognised.
I know that my male owner and I are going to Elmia, so I know that he is looking in and intends to listen to your lectures.
All things divine
23 August 2022 - 8:09
Helena says:
Funny that you wanted to follow! 🙂 And what fun if we see you at Elmia!!!
23 August 2022 - 17:12
OLPEtravel says:
We are thinking a little after our current half-baked trip, to leave HB on sale and likewise our two three-speed bikes. The two have been on all trips and lived in the car all year round. We have electric bikes at home, but think they weigh too much to travel with. We'll have to think about it some more, we like your fastbinds, but think they can take up too much space. But they are cheeky.
30 August 2022 - 8:48
bmlarstravellingblog says:
Understand that you have a lot to take care of after four months on the road. It feels like washing and picking is almost never ending.
We would have loved to go to Elmia this year but we are in Abisko, which of course feels fantastic!
Great to have new bikes and understand that you have invested in host locks!
23 August 2022 - 10:05
Helena says:
Abisko sounds wonderful and exciting! We look forward to reading about it!
23 August 2022 - 17:12
BP says:
The new bikes are cool with their wide tyres and orange wheels. I just hope you get to keep them and that you get money back for your stolen bike.
23 August 2022 - 18:08
Helena says:
Yes, we hope to keep the bikes. We've got the best locks we could find and we'll be careful where we park them. Then we just have to keep our fingers crossed. As for the old bike, we will soon start looking for the receipt and we will see ...
24 August 2022 - 6:17
Monica says:
So fun with good neighbours! And nice perhaps that things were fixed when you were on a long excursion😀 I think it comes more and more from the EU, laws on windows and houses and gardens, decided in the EU, they say, but can not help but wonder how it goes in small poor villages in other EU countries, do people there throw themselves away and make new purchases that are required in the countryside?
And some local authority man/woman inspects.
Have a question about your nice bikes, are there special tyres with winter tyres? I don't mean studded tyres. They look very sturdy anyway.
Have a good time now in the boat house and enjoy.
23 August 2022 - 22:31
Helena says:
Yes, at first we were stressed about not being at home when we needed craftsmen, but in a way it was nice to get it fixed while we were away 😉 Yes, it's a good question about all the rules, and how it works in poor countries. Usually it is in new construction that new rules apply. When we rebuilt our houseboat, with planning permission, nothing was said that we needed a fire protection window, however. Now all of a sudden it turned out to be required, so we had no choice.
The bikes have so-called "fat tyres", i.e. wide tyres. They are stable and good when driving in terrain, mud and snow for example, but then we also think they look a bit cool 😉 When you have a regular bike (ie not an electric bike) you may not want to have such wide tyres because it becomes heavier to pedal, but since they are electric bikes, it does not matter.
24 August 2022 - 6:23
Olpetravel says:
We are thinking a little after our current half-baked trip, to leave HB on sale and likewise our two three-speed bikes. The two have been on all trips and lived in the car all year round. We have electric bikes at home, but think they weigh too much to travel with. We'll have to think about it some more, we like your fastbinds, but think they can take up too much space. But they are cheeky.
30 August 2022 - 15:56
Helena says:
So sorry to read about what happened on your trip! (I read on Facebook but could not comment there, it says that the comments have been restricted). Hope for soon improvement!!! But do you mean that you are thinking of giving up motorhome life completely? Hope you can plan for something that suits you, whether it will continue to be a motorhome or not. Warm hugs from us
30 August 2022 - 16:08
Olpetravel says:
Hi Helena, changed options for comments. We think that's enough there. Now we are rolling upwards, taking new steps and are grateful for the support.
No, but we have talked about changing the campervan. Now there is a vaccine because Yvonne will have limited opportunities for movement for a while. We are now in Grainau and enjoying the view of the Zugspitze. Yvonne gets some opportunity to manage crutches and adaptation to mobile motorhome life. Tomorrow up and we have a week to get to the ferry. If you have tips on pitches and campsites that have good crutch service, we are happy to take it. Preferably on mess / email. Thanks for the support. 🙏🏻❤️💪🏼
30 August 2022 - 18:51