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Gypsies on the move
  • Michael Spies
  • Michael Spies

Gypsies on the move

To do a long off-road trip has been our dream for years. To have our house with us in the most beautiful places, To discover other cultures, people and nature. Weiterlesen
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  • Beginn der Reise
    12. Juli 2022
    Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Ouch! A drill comming through the side, the van is ruined!

    The Journey starts with the first hole!

    10. Oktober 2021 in Deutschland ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    What an exciting feeling drilling the first hole through the side of your Brand New sprinter!
    But we did it!
    And then we sawed and hammered, shaping our new baby,.
    He's very high, He's very strong, and he simply loves travelling and he's soooo cosy!
    Our home on wheels,
    our "GYPSY"    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Our neighbour Angie's Angel to accompany usA love card from one of Margot' patients

    And finally we have left, !

    6. Oktober 2022 in Deutschland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We have finally left!
    I don't believe it!
    The stress of these last weeks that seemed to be getting worse and worse is past!
    Getting a house ready for 7 months of absence over winter actually felt like moving house to a new address. You know that feeling where the moving van is booked for a certain day and the appartment has to be handed over to the owners, and you still haven't started packing the first box. That's what it felt like!
    But now we are gone!    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Ilica 10a, My small refuge over the rooves of Zagreb 20 years ago
    endless evacuation tunnel under the capitolold gas lanterns making this town so romantic at night1delicious cocktails with Ajax cleaning as decorationMost elegant Restaurant with pissoir view in backgroundWeekly Market with freshest vegetables. Margot in her element shopping for dinnerZagreb marketdelicious Porcini mushrooms, fresh from the forestporcini mushrooms for tomorrow's dinner

    In search of old footprints-Zagreb

    7. Oktober 2022 in Kroatien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Zagreb where I lived for 2 years in 2003. Walking in the streets we slowly put together our memories to find where my appartment was and where I used to jog in the mornings. Ilica 10a near the market😃
    Visited our favourite Sushi "Takenoko" which still existed after 20 years but in a new location with the cook being the only connection to the past.
    But the same tables and the same delicious food🤩    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    The night covers the brokenness. Near the NDK Palace of culture where we spent the night on a parkin
    Old Panelak buildings from communist timesSofia cityVacil Nevsky cathedralThis cathedral was built end 18th century to celebrate the victory against the Ottoman turks who occpresidents Palace, grandeur in a crumbling nation!1

    Old Footsteps revisited-Sofia

    10. Oktober 2022 in Bulgarien ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Visited Boyana this morning in search of the house that was my home from 1996-2000. Rather difficult without an address! But I remembered how I used to drive home in the evenings and was able to reconstruct.
    Very sad to see that nothing has changed since then, the same destroyed streets and broken houses. Angry faces betrayed by a corrupt government and a life that has only given you hardship. I would so have wished that the EU entry would have fetched them out of their poverty.
    We spent the.Night on a parking lot in the city center.😃    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    on the way into the Rila mountains
    untouched nature,Entrance Rila Monastery at 1.300 metersRila monasterySpending the night in front of the monastery"Snow White" the Princess, taking a shower in our amazing indoor masterpiece showerthe shower hangs from the ceiling into the shower pan

    Rila-Monastery

    11. Oktober 2022 in Bulgarien ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Drove high up into the Rila mountains today to the Rila Monastery (1.300m). Everywhere gushing streams with beautiful autumn forests in reds, yellows and browns.
    Spent the night in front of the monastery and tested our magic shower for the first time. What a pleasure to take a hot shower inside the van while it's freezing cold outside.🤗Weiterlesen

  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies

    A change of plans

    12. Oktober 2022 in Bulgarien ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Last night the message came-in from MANTOCO (organizer of the trip) saying he has to cancel the trip due to the German foreign office having issued a travel warning for IRAN. After an evening of e-mails racing to-and-fro it was decided that we will move forward the entry date into IRAN to the 26th Oct, enter the country for a short route to get around Syria and then exit into Irak and on to Jordan and then continue the trip the other way round into Saudia Arabia and ending in IRAN at the end of our journey in the hope that things will quieten down till next March.
    So, now everyone is racing to Kapiköy on the Turkish border with 1 1/2 weeks cut off our arrival time which also means the end of our plans to slowly discover Bulgaria together.
    How sad😪    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    A little bit VERY drunk with the wine makerBeautiful vines as far as the eye can seethe most modern equipment and analytic toolsNot yet so drunk, but astounded at how Margot was getting going🤣Margot trying to focus on the glass in front of herbetter empty the glass before it evapouratesOak vats from Bulgaria, USA , and France accompanied by a fascinating lecture on OakSand stone tunnels under ground with vine in bottle stored everywhereMavrut, the original Melnik grapeone of the breeds stemming from Mavrutthe wine that came out in the year where hail destroyed the majority of the harvest

    I think I am a little bit very drunk!

    13. Oktober 2022 in Bulgarien ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    So!
    As we drove along the road, we pass this wine farm and Margot mentions that we can under no circumstance leave this wine region without a wine tasting.
    So!
    A quick "U-Turn" and back, to discover the most unbelievable winery.
    The Bulgarian Wine-maker, a true "wine cook", personally gave us the tour. When he noticed my burning interest and my hundred questions bombarded him, he rose-up to to "top-form", explaining how the original ancient "broad leafed Melnik vine" that ripens very late in November, was crossed with other vines to ripen earlier while keeping its dark red colour and body.
    We then walked from vat to vat trying literally every wine he was busy "constructing" with a multitude of grape names all grown on the farm.
    As we stood swaying to-and-fro in front of the huge wall of gold medals from every major wine competition in the world, the owner joined us. He had sold the brewery he owned to Carlsberg an bought this wine farm to spend the rest of his life doing what he loves.
    It was then, that the actual wine tasting began!
    But I don't remember anything anymore, only, that at the end we drove 100 meters to the field next door and fell straight into bed.🙄    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Irony! "Easy credit" on the sign in front of the dilapidated Park with one of the national heroes whBroken down and left there!A few meters further, this sign pointing to where you can buy Japanese machinesEnjoying my last Bulgarian Bahnitza. Previously at every corner, today difficult to find

    Leaving Bulgaria!

    14. Oktober 2022 in Griechenland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    As we exited Bulgaria amidst depressing rain and mist, it seemed this beautiful country wanted once again to show us its broken buildings and roads.
    So sad, so deject and yet I feel deeply connected with this country.
    Just before the border, I insisted on eating a final Bahnitza (leaf pastery with sheep's cheese) eaten together with a Bulgarian yoghurt, shaken and punctured on both ends of the lid to drink. This is an ancient tradition here and was found in kiosks throughout the country 20 years ago. Today when I ask young people look at me questioning, the old ones smile. We drove from shop to shop l searching and finally found one in a petrol station. This meal is full of memories from the past.    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Dream location for worst night yet!
    polishing the smallest corner of our beautiful composting toiletnow, where is that screw that fell into the sand?all tools in their first emergency use

    The night catastrophy hit us.

    16. Oktober 2022 in Griechenland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Quite a beautiful location, wouldn't you agree?
    well it was the night of the catastrophy!
    And I shan't give you the details to save your stomachs!
    Well at 3am I went to the toilet to do what one does at night! and wondered why the normal splashing sound in the container was missing!
    Half asleep I opened the toilet to check the container for liquids. It was full to the brim. The rest of the pee had gone into the toilet, through the bottom onto the floor and under the cupboard.
    We had forgotten to empty the toilet the day before!!!!!
    The rest of the night, with head lamps on our foreheads we dismantled the toilet, dismantled the cupboard, mopped floors poured vinegar every where and used the rest of our water on-board to shower the toilet clean. The result was a short circuit that followed us for days.
    this was a night that will remain in our minds for the rest of our lives    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Turkish coast before the Isthmus leading to Asian continent
    The best Fresh vegetables on the streetThe "we sell everything" shop

    ...and on to Turkey

    17. Oktober 2022 in Türkei ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today we entered Turkey, a country full of beautiful memories from our 4-month road trip in 2014.
    The Difference was the boarder crossing which took hours with km long waiting trucks, armed Greek boarder posts angry at us for traveling to Turkey! And then when we passed the last Turkish boarder guard he smiled with a huge smile at the car "you Deutschland? very good!"
    We immediately felt back in the Turkish "Gastfreundschaft" of our last visit.    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    a gigantesque brand new 6 lane highway with ultra modern bridge crossing the Isthmus into Asia
    Istanbul in the distanceour first Moshee with singing Muezzin. We must be in the OrientThe modern way of parking long vans at a shopping center in Ankara

    ...on to the asian side

    18. Oktober 2022 in Türkei ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Since we were last here, Turkey has changed dramatically, new modern highways, huge modern cities in the middle of nowhere. Everything new and gigantesque!
    The State has been spending incredible money on developing infrastructure. This can be felt everywhere! But when countries spend money they don't really have it always ends in inflation, and Turkey has "buckets" of that, with last September hitting over 80%, which is frightening!

    On the more beautiful side of things, are the huge moshees with their minarets marking every corner of the landscape, and at prayer time the muezzin singing his call to prayer which echos across the town. This sound warms our hearts and is full of memories. It is the symbol of the orient!    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    "The romantic Sunset dinner"
    "The Sunset Horse ride""The Sunset Quad ride""The sunrise Ballon trip"The other side: incredible rock formations with homes and churches dug out of the rocksOne of the cute tea barsHotels built into the rocksAnother cute bar, a pile of oranges and a juice press for anyone wanting to make a juice11

    Cappadoccia, magic rocks!

    19. Oktober 2022 in Türkei ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Our route passes through cappadoccia and so we decided to revisit Kaya Camping, where in 2014 we met several "overlanders" on the way to china or india.
    But alas, even though the Sandstone rock formations with their numerous carved-out homes and churches are still as just as beautiful as they were then, tourism is squeezing the last drop out of the region presenting the "sunset romantic dinner", "the sunset quad tour", "the sunset horse riding tour," "the sunset landrover tour",, "the sunrise balloon tour" at €300/ person etc, etc. It is simply overload and no more real nature experience.
    The most common tourist faces are chinese or Japanese with a few americans between!
    It was not the cappadocia we experienced in 2014.
    None the less we did wonderful walks stopping in the cutest of places for a tea or sitting in the most primitive of juice bars where a huge pile of oranges and pommegranites invited you to press your own juice.    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Installing a hydraulic tube late at night in pouring rain.
    Another beautiful "everything" shop1The bigest mountain of garlic I have ever seenDelicious Köfte on the roadDarum on the roadside

    Helping each other

    20. Oktober 2022 in Türkei ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Leaving Cappadoccia, we were called by Andi Hoyler, one of the other teams heading towards Iran, whether we could help him. His clutch was not functioning. At their location we ended up spending the day looking for the reason, a hole in a hydraulic tube!
    Having found a replacement, which in itself was an adventure, we installed it in pouring rain and total darkness with headlamps, together with two young mechanics who drove nearly an hour from a workshop on the other side of kayseri to get soaking wet in ice cold rain at night!
    Wow! what an act of helping!    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Entering the craterIncredible Autumn colouring1The smaller of two crater lakesHundreds of sheep when we left the craterWhat a sheep dog?Climbing up the crater edge to 3000metersAnd while we were having a rest my spiritual bird arrived and circled above usWhat a dream to suddenly see this bird appear and circle above usMy spiritual animal circling above usCrater lakes seen from the edgeAt the top, 3.000 meters!On top of the world

    Nemrut Dagi, crater edge at 3000m

    23. Oktober 2022 in Türkei ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    Wow what a day!
    First this amazing morning waking up over Lake Van, that is 6 times the size of lake Constance, then visiting, the two lakes inside the crater, bathed in the colours of Autumn,
    and then a climb up to 3.000 meters on the edge of the crater. Incredible impressions!
    And then to crown it all, my spiritual anima,l the eagle, comes to visit us while we are resting, circling above us for many minutes.
    What a gift!    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Morning discussion with Andi and ElkeRubbish everywhereNeatly packed in a bag and left lyingGlass shards everywhere.The glistening is glass!Tins neatly packed in a bag and leftLast breakfast, unfortunately amidst broken glass and plastic around

    Last day in turkey, a philosophical day

    25. Oktober 2022 in Türkei ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    This afternoon we will head closer the Iranian border, to camp one more time on this side and then cross the border tomorrow morning. Apparently crossing the border takes many hours!!!
    While the German foreign ministery has issued a warning that sounds frightening, we have decided to drive none-the-less, maybe staying a little closer to each other to support.

    This all makes me sad. We live in a world where countries and people who have got on well together for years as is the case between Germany and Iran, suddenly are not supposed to get on because a new government has come to power and sees things differently. (The relationship between USA and Iran is the classical example).
    We live in such a beautiful world and share common humanity and love and our governments just cause chaos!

    Another topic that is going through my head is the physical rubbish that we are confronted with in Turkey. This is such an incredibly beautiful country with such friendly warm hearted people, and yet no matter where you go, no matter how high, how remote or how beautiful the area, the ground is covered with broken glass, plastic bottles, chips bags and "you name what".
    There seems to be absolutely no regard for the environment, what-so-ever. Moreover it seems the Turks feel absolutely at ease sitting down for a picknik amidst mountains of rubbish that get more and more over the years. On the contrary, they add their own rubbish to it, neatly packed in a plastic bag and left lying or thrown out of the window! Bottles are smashed to pieces on purpose resulting in a landscape covered in glass pieces of variing colours.

    I just cannot get it!

    We are given this gift of a beautiful world, and here are people who just don't care!!
    They have homes and cars that are impeccably clean, with driveways that are hosed down with water every few days, they also have kids that grow up and want to visit nature, and yet they treat their nature in a way that I simply dont understand.

    This journey is to discover new cultures. I wonder what else I am going to be confronted with.?????    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    My new Iranian wife!Waiting at the border

    IRAN, here we come

    26. Oktober 2022 in Türkei ⋅ ☀️ 1 °C

    Last night we met the other teams crossing the border with us and went shopping one more time for suitable clothing for Margot followed by a wonderful dinner in a classical Lokanta full to the brim with locals all talking at the same time. What a sound level!
    Once again we were witness to the amazing friendliness and kindness of the Turkish and their interest in us. It felt as if they felt honoured to have us in their lokanta.

    Internet has been significantly limited in Iran and we are not sure when we can upload Fotos, so it could take awhile for further news!    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    Cars in all directions, jamming each other inOur beautiful Iranian ladies"The morning after". Morning calm, Yesterday seems like a bad dream.

    A day at the border

    27. Oktober 2022 in Iran ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    What a day!
    We arrived at the border at 09 and got through to the other side at 29:30 in the evening with nerves frayed.
    I have never seen such chaos!
    When we arrived there were already 50 Iranian taxis waiting, covered with ice from the night they had spent in their cars. We lined up nicely, as europeans would do with reasonable space between the vehicles only to discover that locals would come shooting past the queue to jump into the gaps. Then 100 Kurds, Iranians, and turks would race forward by foot literally trying to pull the guy out of his car, all screaming at once. He would then lock his doors and just sit there. Then someone would scream that the que was moving (1 meter) In an absolute stampede they would run to their cars and in a drag race type scenario race forward into every gap they would find, and even opening a third queue which didn't exist. Then the Army would arrive with an armoured vehicle with machine gun on the roof , to chase them back to the back of the queue. And then the whole story would repeat again. ALL DAY LONG.
    In between I got into a discussion with an Iranian student about what is going on in Iran (I shall not go into detail here) . After we had been waiting for 5 hours with only about 50 meters of progress, this same guy went to the border post with me to translate to the guards. They said that due to issues on the other side it seemed that cars were being "taken apart" today and that we would probably have to sleep here. They recommended going to another border.

    Then after 6 hours of waiting, suddenly the Turkish border boss came to us telling us to drive past the queue. He was going to help us to get through. No one knows why!
    Having passed the Turkish side (1 hour) with several computer break downs and me having to pay a fine of , hold tight, €0,25 for having not paid highway tax when entering turkey, we passed on to the Iranian side. And this is where real chaos started. 10 military border guards stormed into our car ripping open everything looking for alcohol. Worse still, three guys climbed onto the roof walking over my solar modules as if it were a terrace, ripping at our boxes.
    Then in a chaos of people running to-and-fro screaming, our carnet de passage, visas, passports, insurance, were stamped, carried from A to B, and then to C and then back to A with us not understanding one word.
    AND THEN WE WERE SUDDENLY THROUGH!
    Amiricale which I dont understand!    Weiterlesen

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  • Michael SpiesGypsies on the moveMichael Spies
    From the border to Khoy
    Our three"Iranian" beautiesGraffitiThey warned us that this is a meat countryThe souk marketThey sell everything on the soukNow isn't that a beautiful living room furnishing?The menu at lunch. Read carefullyMenu at dinner1Well, that was our dinner, I meant Margot and I! 4,6 million RialWell! Thats the income from 10 visitors, 32 million = 312 banknotes to count2 persons to count the banknotes

    Khoy town

    27. Oktober 2022 in Iran ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Yesterday morning we drove the 80 Km's into Khoy where Andy and I exchanged €100,- for 31.500.000 Rial in 100.000 notes = 315 notes to count. Absolute stress!
    Really cute was the international menu from the lunch place we went to: "so specal and delisges!

    But even better was the dinner where we paid 32 million and it took 2 persons from the restaurant to count it in a reasonable time.
    Iran has had a high inflation for years resulting in these incredible prices.    Weiterlesen

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