Cold. Colder. Coldest. Snow. Rain. Winter arrived. Spring came. And left. Winter is back. 

Time for sauna & spa! Or how about a delicious home cooked onion soup?

The new year just started and it feels already old. Well, it’s 4 weeks old and most people are already tired of politics, news, desperate work situations, weather… 

We cannot change the world, but lead our own thoughts! We kicked off van life! And we are happily planning our year 2026 with trips, (unpaid) holidays, etc. Hubby extended his dry January into February (well, fair enough, he started delayed 😉). 

To all our friends:

Survived January. It’s a tough month. Has always been.

Hello February! 🌺

We did it. We packed up and got moving with our van. Happy voyage feelings with every meter rolling. 

New car, new discoveries. Figuring out things along the way: finding the headlight. Wow, finally we can see through the thick fog towards Bavaria. Also figured out, which buttons to push for getting warm air and defog the windows. Nice!

We took our van to a winter wonderland, and kind of chose hard core for our maiden voyage: snow, temperatures below zero (up to -9C degrees at night), and working from the van… (spoiler: it all worked out great, except the dog having panic attacks and me a bit too close to the ice on the road…). 

We passed Castle Neuschwanstein on the way to our first stop: a campground in Füssen, covered in ice and snow. -6C degrees in the night. We were plugged in and had it cosy inside our van (the practice a week ago was very helpful). 

We chose this place for its beauty (next to a beautiful frozen lake), its internet (for mobile working), electricity (being warm) and it’s close distance to the Austrian border.

Working from the van worked surprisingly nice, hubby could just lower his voice a little in his meetings. lol. The reason why we chose the van including a bathroom paid already off —> can be used as wall separation inside the van, comes in very handy 🙂

Time to move on.

Hello Tirol! Hello weekend! Hello winter wonderland no.2!

To prevent freezing in tanks or pipes, we decided to not use the waste water tank, especially since infrastructure was around. The down side… you have to get fully dressed (boots, coat, etc.) for walking to the bathroom, dog walk, or anything else.

And if you go too fast around icy corners… like me… I slipped, fell on my knee which was bleeding and is now bruised, pants broken (luckily I didn’t wear my dry robe. Lol). Ouch, that hurts! I’m overall ok. And the first aid kit had it’s first use. Lol. 

We followed a friend’s recommendation, and chose a campsite including electricity and Wi-Fi.

Well, it also came with access to skiing slopes, cross country skiing (not for me after falling ☹️), a spa, a sauna and a swimming pool. Yes, ok, it was a bit like glamping (glamorous camping 😍). We thought fair enough for the very first time…  it was fantastic! 

Good morning, Zugspitze!

When it’s freezing cold and snowy outside, there’s hardly anything more enjoyable than pampering yourself in the sauna and with a massage. It was gorgeous. 

Twilight at 5pm.

Winter camping is different. More chilled. Cosy. Silent. We loved it. 

Dinner time means trying out new recipes in van kitchen equipment: nachos with ham, cheese and pesto.

All packed up, checked out and and ready for a gondola trip on top of the Zugspitze.

On top of the Zugspitze where Austria meets Germany. 

The way back down was a bit scary…

That’s a much better view.

We had to leave our little winter wonderland. It looks like we took the snow with us.

We had a great first weekend get away with the van 🩵 cannot wait for the next one to come up.

Oops, we did it again…

May I introduce our latest family vehicle member: this is our new camper van!

Slightly bigger than the previous one (VW T5 which broke down two years ago). It comes with a bed, a kitchenette, a bathroom, etc. It’s spacious and wow. We are in love with it. 

Purchased just before Christmas and then it took a little longer to get it registered and on the road (Hello German bureaucracy 🙃). But now, here we are. 

We started moving in (or in other words, finding the previous camping equipment, and giving it a good rinse). While we did that, we spontaneously decided to spend our first night in the van – hubby’s idea. It’s about time to get to know each other. We have been excited since Christmas and couldn’t wait any longer. Last Night was the night 💫

We didn’t drive anywhere. We parked in front of our house. Plugged in for electricity (heat in our case) as we have (only) -2C degrrrrreeeessss. 

Let’s introduce our van:

That’s our bed with many layers: sheets, lamb fur, sleeping bags, duvet on top… hardly space left for us, but we enjoyed a very cosy night. We even had to turn the temperature down as we were a little roasting 😆

Dear camping friends, thanks for sharing so many very helpful tips & tricks, like carpets. Our feet were happy, thankful & warm 😌

And in case you are wondering how the night was… Good morning! We slept heavenly! We also didn’t have a gas explosion when preparing our first breakfast 💪🏻 and good that our village is still asleep on a Sunday morning 9:30am when I walked Charlie in Pyjamas and Flipflops 🤭

Another reason for the first night out… First weekend away in the van coming up. 4 days to go 🤩 it will be a lot colder in the night. Snow. At least now we know how to plug in and that the heater is working 🙂 Already excited for the maiden voyage.

Bon voyage 👋

The Rhön range. Home. Wasserkuppe. 950 metres. Snow. Kites. A walk in the white. -13C degrees. Blue sky. Sunshine. Fresh air. We had the most beautiful winter day 🩵 

Going straight!

Up and up and up, until we arrived on top of the mountain, 950 metres, the Wasserkuppe. Just before police closed the parking lot – everybody wanted to go skiing, hiking or sledding. We made it 🩵

Thank you!

That was amazing! Thanks for cleaning the roads and having them snow and ice-free!

Ending 2025 & beginning the new year in France!

After passing the Massif Central covered in thick fog, a little snow, and -3C degrees… we arrived at the Basque Country at the Atlantic coast 🌊 

+14C degrees, blue sky and sunshine 🌞 we found a little paradise in winter.

Love those days after Christmas, the last ones in the old year… it doesn’t matter which day or time of the day it is. Finally, time to relax.

We had stunning weather. We enjoyed a glass (or two, or three) of wine, walks at the beach and admired the brave people surfing and swimming in the Atlantic 🥶

Not easy to find open restaurants for dinner, but we managed. It was delicious.

Enjoying shopping and eating the basque delicatessen.

Meeting home in the south of France: Ever had a “Black Forest” crepe? Oh, it was delicious!

The cars are loaded with delicious goodies, time to drive towards the Ariege for New Year’s Eve 🙂

Starting the new year like we ended the old one: slow, sleeping in, delicious food & drinks in great company, crisp air, reading a book, enjoying the fire in the oven…

Have a joyful start to the new year! 🎆🍾🥂

We had a great start and are now on our way home! We decided to go home without stopover. 1200km 💪🏻

Bonne Annee! 😗

This year’s last blog is going to be a different one (compared to the last years). I don’t really want to repeat the cool people who passed away or how the German (automotive) industry is crashing. And everyone can read about Trump on a daily basis – no need to give him another stage. Not to mention the useless and unnecessary wars. 

This last blog is about the country I was born in, the country I’m currently living in – Germany. 

2026 is about hope. Hoping to bring this country in the right direction again. 2026 might become a year of decisions. Who knows! We will see. 

Germany may not be a big country, but a great one. Germany is famous for world-class engineering, rich cultural heritage. Germany remains the largest economy in the European Union and is a global leader in sustainability, boasting the world’s highest recycling rate. 

Germany is the birthplace of the modern automobile and home to prestigious brands known for precision and quality. Brands like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche are made in Germany. Speaking of which, the German Autobahn is famous for stretches with no general speed limit, attracting driving enthusiasts worldwide.

Inventions: Many everyday technologies originated here, including the printing press, the MP3 format, X-rays, and the Christmas tree 🎄 

Germany is famous for its beer, home to over 1,500 breweries (plus the Turley Brew) and 5,000 brands. The 500-year-old Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) ensures quality by restricting ingredients to water, hops, barley, and yeast.

Bread & Sausages: Germany produces more than 3,000 types of bread and over 1,200 types of sausage (Wurst), including the popular Currywurst.

The Oktoberfest is held in Munich. It is the world’s largest beer festival, drawing nearly 7 million visitors annually 🍻

The country features diverse scenery ranging from the northern coasts to the southern Alps. There are over 20,000 castles, Neuschwanstein Castle 🏰 being the most famous, allegedly serving as the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The Berlin Wall & Brandenburg Gate are symbols of the Cold War and German reunification located in the capital. The Black Forest (Schwarzwald), renowned for its dense evergreens, cuckoo clocks, and Black Forest gateau 🎂

And how about the Christmas Markets which are famous worldwide for their festive atmosphere, traditional crafts, and mulled wine (Glühwein). 

Germany is known as the “Land of Poets and Thinkers”(Das Land der Dichter und Denker) and Classical Music: birthplace of legendary composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Wagner. We also know Philosophy & Science: home to influential figures like Albert Einstein, Immanuel Kant, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

Germany is not so bad in soccer either: A powerhouse in sports, with a national team that has won four World Cups and three European Championships. 

But what is happening? Did we loose our pioneering mood? Our appetite thriving for the best? Thriving for anything? Our willingness to make decisions? Most of our politicians are old and their ideas, if there are any, are old and dusty, too! Managers don’t decide anymore or too late…

Germany, it’s time to wake up! I still believe we have everything it needs to bring the country up to speed again: great people, great minds, great ideas, great spirit, we got heroes, and we got the European Union. 

What we don’t need is FIFA handing over peace prices (WTF). We don’t need this kind of living in crazy times in which everything is linked and connected: despite the wars in Ukraine and Gaza being local, the whole world is affected. The Russians falling over Ukraine, increasing the price for bread in Africa and at the same time the price for petrol in India is at its lowest?! Because Israel is attacking Gaza, anti-semitic attacks in Germany are increasing and the New York Columbia university has to pray for continues financing. The Chinese are stopping chip deliveries because of trouble in The Netherlands and that’s why the German OEMs like BMW, VW and Mercedes production lines are stopped. I mean, can the world 🌎 become more complex? More nuts? More fuxxed up? 

Yes it can! Hello AI! Artificial intelligence started putting our world picture upside down. And it’s getting more powerful. 

And guess what: all those problems are man made. Man made! The good news: if it was created by us humans we should be able to stop it! It needs some good decisions! It’s worth it. It’s about all or nothing. 

Being hopeful and wishing for world peace, less power hungry politicians, wishing for people focusing reaching a clear goal to make the world a better place! 💫

We need courage, bravery, guts, and a lot of energy for 2026! 

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve – wishing you and me and us a lot of optimism for the new year! 

2026, here we come! 🎆 

Dad’s 75th birthday party was fun & my Black Forest gateau a success (special thanks to hubby for his engineering cake transport solution & smooth drive). 

Last work day in 2025 is completed (thanks for the home office allowance).

The days have busy schedules but are fun, christmassy & beautiful: spending time with the nieces, baking cookies, hot chocolates, building chocolate houses, meeting aunt & uncle for a glass of wine, enjoying mums home cooked dinners, enjoying an evening in the theater, mulled wine & favorite Christmas movies wrapped in a blanket on the sofa and last groceries before the stores shutting down for a couple of days. 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere you go 💫

Are you excited for Christmas? Yes! Wine, food, good discussions… & repeat 🙂

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone! 

December is beautiful, especially with all the (German) Christmas traditions. 

Writing and sending Christmas cards to the world (yes, by post the good old fashioned way). 

Adventskalender. Another beautiful German tradition. I got a beautiful one from hubby this year. 24 doors with little surprises until Christmas. I’m already excited for tomorrow’s door. 

Christmas markets. Oh, they are so magical. The lights. The smells. The food. The drinks. And a flying Santa Clause. Excellent for meeting friends and be able to invite them for a drink: finally electronic payment is possible —> Germany goes cashless, wohoooo.

Celebrated St. Nicolaus Day on December 6.

December means also the end of a very challenging work year! Time to focus and celebrate achievements. And let me tell you, there’s plenty! Home baked cake included. The team deserved it 🫶

Feuerzangenbowle 🔥 is a traditional alcoholic drink for which a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and drips into mulled wine. It’s sooooo good 🥰 A tradition we do with the neighbors in the garden on one of the December weekends.

I love living in December in Germany.

2 weeks to go until Christmas! Time to ask the question: which Christmas type are you or run in your family? 

The tipsy grandma?

While the rest of the family is still tasting the sauce, she is already on her third glass of eggnog. “A sip for the heart,” she says with shining eyes – and suddenly belts out all three verses of “Es ist ein Ross entsprungen”. Loud and passionate. Nobody minds because Grandma creates the warmth that really makes Christmas. With her it just becomes more comfortable, somehow magical. And when Grandma sinks exhausted into her armchair at the end, everyone knows: Christmas without her? Not possible!

The stressed one-woman show?

She’s been working through shopping lists for days, running from the market to the shops and back. On Christmas Eve, she juggles roasts, side dishes, and her family’s lofty expectations (or is it just her own?). While the children ask when there will finally be food, she fights against the goose – and her nerves. In the end it tastes heavenly. As always. But next year, she vows weakly, there will be only potato salad and sausages. Who believes that…

The relaxed yoga mouse?

“I breathe in love, breathe out stress,” she murmurs as chaos rages around her. Instead of hectic there is meditation, instead of drama there is only deep breaths. The scent of Ayurvedic cardamom cookies wafts through the house as she shifts from tree to warrior pose. Christmas can come – calm, peaceful and completely relaxed. When the others struggle to build the electric railway, she smiles mildly. Because if you’re in Zen inside, you don’t need a switch – the energy flows anyway.

The gift nerd?

He sorted the wish lists back in October – according to priority, budget and color scheme. No tape is crooked, every package is a small work of art. He watches closely as he unpacks and flinches when someone crumples the paper. The mother-in-law asks for the receipt to exchange something? How can she! The mood is over, the glitter in the gift nerd’s eyes goes out, he sits in the corner all evening with a grave expression.

Last minute Santa Claus?

On the 24th at 2 p.m. we quickly go to the drugstore – deodorant, shower gel, scented candle, another photo gift (if the line isn’t too long). Everyone is happy about that, right? At home, everything is quickly wrapped in newspaper (“Sustainable!”) and secured with packing tape. He is proud to have accomplished everything and sits back on the sofa contentedly. He only overlooks one small detail: the price tags are still attached. It doesn’t matter – the gesture counts.

Couch potato?

Christmas market? Way too cold. Ice skating? Far too dangerous. The Christmas shopping has long been done – all online, with express shipping and discount code. Time for your favorite activity: sofa, snacks, streaming. “Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella” is running for the twelfth time, followed by the complete “Harry Potter” series. After all, tradition is tradition. Chips ready, blanket on, cell phone on flight mode – the sacred peace and quiet must not be disturbed under any circumstances.

The unwavering connoisseur?

From mid-November she wears a Christmas sweater and glitter nail polish. Cookie tins are stacked up in the kitchen and the postman has to try them every day – whether he wants to or not. What began with a simple Secret Santa door has already reached Olympic proportions: this year with real snow in front of the door and a hand-tied mini Advent wreath. “Last Christmas” in an endless loop, flickering fairy lights and the smell of cinnamon that almost bites your nose. Last year was more tinsel? Certainly not with her.

The workaholic on forced vacation?

Finally free – theoretically. He practically checks in the morning his mailbox between pine needles and fairy lights. “Just giving you a quick overview,” he mumbles, a little embarrassed. The laptop is ready to hand next to the raclette in case “something urgent comes in”. While others are drinking punch, he is already planning the next quarter and calls it relaxation. Walks in the snow? Meet family? Nice, but inefficient. For him, the only thing that counts is what is clearly scheduled, controlled and budgeted.

So, which type are you?

I think I have a combination of all types in the family… oh dear! The more, the merrier. Lol. Enjoy the peace & quiet. 2 weeks to go 😅

And just like that, this year’s Christmas season has been kicked off. 

Our weekend was very Irish ☘️

We enjoyed listening to “The Dublin Legends” followed by our tradition with friends: Irish breakfast & finding the most beautiful Christmas tree. 

Sunday morning, preparing Irish Breakfast.

Hubby making soda bread from scratch.

Celebrating the 1st of Advent.

Time to find the most beautiful Christmas tree.

They all look beautiful… difficult choice to make…

No snow but a lot of rain…

Time to warm up with a cup of Glühwein.

And the Irish days continue… Monday nights are great for a little Christmas market stroll (ladies only) and a Guiness in the Irish Pub with Shanghai friends – another beautiful tradition ☘️

Those “Irish days” weren’t planned as such, but needly fitted.