Scary Moments and Citrusfruit
The whole story.
So I thought this time I would describe a simple day in the life of a vanlifer. Little did I know that the day I had in mind had a completely different end than I could imagine. I just thought I describe a day mentioning the chores you have to do when you live in a camper and what a travel day looks like. This is the story.
The first rule of a vanlifer.
First up this number 1 rule that I learned from another van Lifer, Diana from Nomad on Wheels:
"If you don't have a reason to move then you MUST stay".
And what is that reason then? The toilet has to be emptied, water has to be filled, the batteries of the van have to be charged, the village where you are standing starts to feel as if the hospitality is drying up. Those kind of things. The batteries and the hospitality felt as legitimate reasons to leave the lovely village of Preveza, where I have been allowed to stay for almost 2 weeks with great pleasure and gratitude.
I had been having problems with my batteries for 2 weeks and so I had to "borrow" power from one of the power poles that were fortunately freely available in the port of Preveza. Unfortunately my batteries turned out to be really broken and the day before departure, despite the fact that almost all shops are closed due to corona, I found 2 lovely people from the local navy shop willing to help me install 2 new batteries in Betsy. Finally enough power again. These still had to be properly charged so I thought I would drive to the power pole for the last time. But unfortunately, after I and the nice girls from Limburg, Holland, in the camper next to me spend some time together at the power pole the night before, the harbor master had a different opinion about “borrowing” his electricity. The next day the power posts were closed. So no more power. Just for the record about that “borrowing, by the way, I tried with a lot of effort to pay for the electricity, but with the best effort and intentions I could not make that work, so that is why I used the free electricity pole that is actually for the boats in the harbor.
The people are very friendly and nice here. They will not off right send you away, but just discreetly shut down the facilities. I have also noticed this before in another place. A less invasive way to communicate a boundary without confrontation. So no electricity or water means no more campers in your port. Simple solution of course. The change in weather also felt like a sign to move on.
Autumn weather, Travel weather.
So I was on the way again to the next destination. A bigger town called Patras where hopefully they have a good launderette, with a 1 night sleep stop in the middle of the trip. The autumn weather made it a good day to travel. The change in weather, because summer seems to be almost over now, feels sad and nice at the same time. I am grateful for the sun and the warmth of the past time and I hope that there will be many beautiful days in the coming months, but I think my Dutch inner system is a bit set for autumn and crawling under a blanket with a cup of tea and a good book while it is windy and raining outside feels very nice too. On the way, the only radio station that seemed to work without white noise brought me even more in the still autumn mood with gentle classical music. And the gray-blue colors of the sky and the mountains with here and there a real autumnal golden-yellow tree between all the green olive trees made that feeling complete. beautiful how nice all that stillness can feel sometimes and can feel so nourishing to the soul.
The unexpected adventure.
As a vanlifer, there are a number of apps that will become your best friend when it comes to finding a good and safe place to sleep. For example, this time I had picked one halfway through the journey to Patras in a small harbor town on the coast. But unfortunately the places in the apps are not always up to date or reliable and it remains a surprise where you end up every time. For instance, when I arrived there I really seemed to have ended up in a no man's land. Dark weather and a lot of wind, long deserted narrow roads in a vast rural landscape without any crop in the fields, ending in a deadly quiet little fishing village with a large gray mountain in the background and breaking waves from the sea. For those who know the movie Lemony Snicket and Lake Lachrymose, where Aunt Josephine has her wobbly little house on stilts right above the lake, you can understand what this place felt like.
Okay… .. this does not look very promising…. But I continued to the camper place from the app. To get to the camper place I had to drive into a narrow farm road where I heartily hoped not to have to turn. At the end, the camper place is closed and the road comes to a dead end… .. Unfortunately, that means turning around anyway. And with 1 small error of judgment I slid with Betsy's right rear wheel into the ditch behind me and I am almost launched out of my seat at the front, we go that fast and Betsy suddenly hangs at an angle, so steep! I'm almost afraid that when I get out, Betsy will fall over and land on her side. When I get out carefully and inspect everything, I see that it is impossible for me to get her out by myself, without any help. It takes at least a tractor to get Betsy right back on the road, but where the hell am I going to find one here?!
Scary Moment!
O CRAP! Now I really done it!
It is 4:30 PM, it is getting dark within an hour, all the houses around me look empty and deserted and I am alone in a foreign country whose language I do not speak and I have no idea who to call for help. In a panic I walk into the meadow without a face mask and without a phone, half running from home to home, hoping to find someone after all, but everything is deserted. I feel the panic and tears coming up, and at the same time a strange kind of trusting feeling that things will really work out in the end. I found this sensation bizarre to experience. And while I felt that my body was in panic and shock, I could also look at it from a distance and be the spectator of it. Hhmmm, apparently I have learned something from all that inner emotional work and now it helps me not to panic completely and still be able to act. After half an hour and 5 houses further, I finally found a house where it seems that someone still lives there. And after knocking twice on the windows, an elderly woman in pajamas walks towards the window, a bit scared of me. With gestures and tears I try to make it clear that I need help and even though the lady looks shocked, I feel that I have come to the right place and that she knows what to do. A sturdy old lady who knows how to handle difficult situations. After a few moments of bewilderment, she decides to trust me, fetches me a face mask (because caution is wise, she will rightly think) and points to her car to get in together to see what's going on. Because she only speaks Greek and I cannot get further that hello and thank you in Greek, she has no idea where she got herself into. When she arrived at Besty she gives me a friendly look, says the word traktér and smiles.
YES a TRACTOR, EXACTLY! We need a TRACTOR here!
She rings a bell and less than 5 minutes later an elderly man arrives on a red tractor. He also smiles and begins to link his tractor to Betsy with a chain, while talking and laughing with the lady. I am still almost overwhelmed with dizziness and shock and feel a bit awkard about my state of clearly visible panic, seeing these 2 people so relaxed and happy. Within 2 minutes the man pulls Betsy back on the road and the danger is over. Nothing more to worry about.
These lovely people don't want money or anything else from me. Instead, I have to come to their house, they give me food and drink, and I spent the evening trying to have a conversation via google translate with the woman Petrilula, her husband Xristos and her brother-in-law Nicos (the hero with the tractor) . It was a very pleasant evening and the face masks were soon forgotten. Nicos was also kind enough to take Betsy to his land where I was allowed to stay safely for the night. The next day when I left, of course, I got biscuits and citrus fruit. The cake I baked as a thank you gift was accepted with thanks and the love was really felt. All well ends well.
Citrus fruit.
People like to share their oranges, lemons and tangerines here. As I shared earlier this week in Wonder Wednesday, I already received a large bag of fruit and walnuts from a lovely lady in Preveza. And now, having just arrived at yet another new place Diakopto, an hour east of Patras, the first lady who is walking down the road and whom I approach to ask if I can park here with Betsy, spontaneously takes 2 large oranges from her backpack and hands them over me, after she shows me a nice spot where I can park safely and comfortably. My vitamin C intake will be no problem in the near future. And I feel safe and welcome here in this new place for the next few days. By the way, I skipped Patras because it didn't feel safe there in the big city having only deserted parking lots to park at, as a woman alone. I am glad that I listened to that feeling and that I am now again in a beautiful spot in a quiet and friendly village by the sea.
Life is wonderful, unexpectedly adventurous and beautiful here. And even though I feel a little lonely and lost at times, I only have to reach out and there is help, a friendly chat and citrus fruit at hand.
Love❤️Mimi and Kirsten.
If this text has touched you or brought something of value and you want to help me to spend more time and space on channeling the flowers, I would be so grateful for a donation if you can and will spare it from the heart. Thank you❤️
