On the way to Igoumenitsa we quickly take Heiner's keys to the post office, eat a last pita in one of the numerous beach cafés, drink a last Hellinokos Metréo and ask ourselves why we are leaving here again.
Yes, it's not easy, I admit. Just this much: we don't really feel like staying in Switzerland and Germany for a long time. The last few stays were marked by Covid mood and deadline stress. Besides, we don't know yet where our travels will take us in summer and autumn. There are enough ideas, wishes anyway. But we need a plan: West? East? North is out because of the cold (we can, but do we want to do it again?). Or south again? "Spoilt for choice, spoiled for choice", as the saying goes. And yes, it's true.
In Igoumenitsa we check in for the ferry, find a nice place to sleep high above the harbour and go to bed early: the day is supposed to start at half past five, the ferry leaves at eight.
OK, the day starts early, the ferry doesn't leave the harbour with us until around noon. That's good too. We move into two sofas in the lounge with our sleeping bags, get our noses tanned on deck until it gets too hot and spend the day waiting. Waiting for the coffee break, waiting for dinner, waiting for the night's rest. Waiting for the sunrise. Breakfast and waiting for Venice.
Unfortunately, Venice appears in elegant mouse grey, hazy and "just before the rain". So we take the motorway, enter Bern into the sat nav for the first time and roll off. At Lake Garda we stop for a late lunch. Italian cuisine, Italian coffee: always and again a dream!
Shortly after the Italian-Swiss border we find a nice place to sleep: we are back in Switzerland, in Ticino. Here we end the chapter "Africa" for the time being, which somehow also started here.
We still remember Gerd's cousin's sentence: "Gerd and Heike are going far away in their motorhome, all the way to Africa! First they have to go to the end of Europe, then onto the ferry and then they are in Africa! (See here: https://www.leben-pur.ch/leben-pur-unterwegs-ganz-weit-bis-nach-afrika/)
The last few kilometres through the Gotthard tunnel, along Viewaldstedt Lake and directly to Bern, Felix somehow rides in self-drive mode: rides home are somehow always faster.
For the afternoon, we first invite ourselves to our friend's house, spend some nice hours with her and thus ease the start of our travel break. Thank you, dear friend: for your time, the wonderful food as always and your simply being there for us.
News #1 On 24 June we will give a talk about our trip in the van in Konolfingen, Bern, Switzerland. All info and the possibility to Registration here. We look forward to seeing you!
News #2 I am currently writing a book about the encounters on our journey. If you would like to test-read a chapter or two this summer, please contact me by email.
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Hach... welcome back to Switzerland! Coming home is kind of silly and nice at the same time, isn't it?