My van - my home, my way of travelling and living

Beautiful spot in Barragem Idanha-A-Nova, Portugal

I present my van, my home, pictures from inside/outside, some technical information and what I think about "all you need in your camper/motorhome" no matter about the model or size. I do basicly ONLY free camping, it can be in the city or village, beach or mountains, lakes or by the rivers, you name it, "all" is possible. Campsites I use to do my laundry and sometimes just for a comfort of having long hot showers (yeah, I know, not so ecological of waisting so much water!). Fees of the sites are very different depending what you are looking for and some countries prices are way too high if thinking what you get back for your money. In Portugal you can find sites as low as 6-7 e / night including one person, camper and even electricity and in Croatia you may pay just for a car and tent 28 e / night (and I do not talk about five star campsites!)...

Amazing Aradena

*Notice bullet holes in the sign, so much seen in here!

Aradena (Aradaina) is as beautiful place as its history is definetely not the usual one! It was a settlement in the Roman and Venetian period, but it got totally destroyed by the Ottoman Turks. Later on it was getting reinhabited, but in the 40s it got abandoned due the vendetta. The two large families who lived there, exterminated eachother member by member, until it got a village with destroyed ruins. Aradena is in a region that they say that people still live by unwritten moral and ethical laws. Most of the impressive houses are now destroyed and evidence of the battle between the two families are the two seperate cemeteries, one cemetery to each family...

Epiphany, the celebration of 6 January

I was spending this day in Matala and could participate of this Greek celebration,Festival of Epiphany, or 'The Blessing of the Waters', is held every year on January 6 throughout all of Greece. It is the day of Jesus got babtized and this is the special occasion when many daring young Greek men brave the chilly waters to dive for a cross after it has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water. They say the first man who recovers the cross is going to have good luck throughout the coming year. Priest throws the cross three times, but the first one who gets it gets the glory. The day long festival also features the blessing of small boats and ships, and later on affords entertainment, music, dancing and food to all those who are present. I was tasting first time Metaxa in my life (!!).

Was nice to see this village full of life, when the streets are usually empty this time of year. I was also told that last five previous years it has always been rainy, but this year we had luck, bathing in full sun, great!

Ceremony is held on these rocks, getting ready to start soon

Christmas and New Year in Crete, Matala

New Year at Matala Beach

Christmas we were having such a great time at the restaurant Petra & Votsalo, Matala. Eating, drinking and dancing, music was though played so loud that you could not have conversations, so you needed just to dance instead talking ;). Earlier at the day while I was speaking with my friend on the phone, I suddenly heard someone saying merry xmas in Finnish for me next to my van, I stopped my call and was running after this couple, I got to see this miracle, other FINNS were in Matala too! Kaarina and Pekka left three weeks earlier from Finland and they were travelling around with their car and had rented an appartment from Matala for few days. I told them that there was a party 24.12 at Petra and Votsalo restaurant and they came along too to spent xmas, was nice!

Peace & Love 2 Matala - hippies who came in Matala instead of Goa

I did write already earlier about Matala after the first visit and now im having some more pictures and stories to share since I was getting back in Matala...