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Diapers & Detours
  • Marnie Elisabeth
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  • Marnie Elisabeth
  • Nickels

Diapers & Detours

Our first trip as parents.
The apartment is rented out for the next three to four months and we’re back in our home on wheels. Let’s see where those wheels will take us! Read more
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    🇵🇹 Ílhavo, Portugal
    Diapers & Detours
    Work in progress on the surfboard rack

    Ericeira and Foz do Sizandro

    June 9 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    I really wanted to go to Ericeira, because I’ve been here eleven years ago, my first attempt to surf took place here* and I remember the place as a really cute small town.
    Unfortunately all around here seems quite camper-unfriendly and most of the beach parking lots have height restrictions and there aren’t many other options to park (let alone public transport). The streets are super narrow and after trying some car parks and none were available we went further a bit past Ericeira to a Quicksilver Shop with cafe and skateboard area. We spent some time there enjoying the AC and shopping a bit.
    Funnily enough the surf school I was at parked right in front of us - with my old surf teacher! (I didn’t go to tell him that, he must have taught so many more people within this time.)
    So after our Quicksilver experience we just made our way to our overnight stop - which was better than expected! Behind some dunes just at the river and ocean. Nick had time to continue our surfboard set-up and Jaro and I played inside and outside (it was really windy again).
    The next morning we went for a skinny dip into the ocean (we were the only ones there). This wasn’t too easy, the waves were quite big and I (Marnie) managed them all well, except one, that threw me back on the beach. Since it didn’t hurt it was super funny 😀

    *two weeks with Nadine either surfing or working out - and I met Margherita and her sister Chiara here. Who would have known we’re still friends 💕    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Lisbon

    Jun 7–9 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Lisbon. The biggest city on our trip so far. I have been here before - but a very long time ago. Since we stayed the night in Seixal we took the ferry to get over to Lisbon.
    I had a meeting in the morning so Nick and Jaro started exploring the city by themselves. They went up to the castle and even found a playground with some shade - it was already super hot.
    Then we met for lunch again at a vegan restaurant. And even though we tried to explore this metropolis following a day-trip-guide with “how to explore Lisbon WITHOUT turning it into a workout” we walked, no, hiked up and down the streets (either carrying Jaro or pushing him in the pram); through different districts, to some parks and viewpoints.
    Lisbon has its beautiful sides, but it also is hard to catch in one day. Nevertheless all three of us seemed to have enjoyed the day.
    We ended with take-away-pizza on the riverfront and a boat ride back to Seixal, where our home parked for the day. 🚐    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Childhood memories

    June 7 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    So we arrived in (on?) Tróia.
    We already read it might have changed quite a bit since Nickels was here last and that many beaches are being privatised, but we still wanted to give it a try.
    There aren’t many parking lots left and yes, so much construction work going on on the outer beach side. One public car park is marked in google maps. The streets leading to the car park belong to a hotel there which has a security guard and a gate. The guard didn’t want to let us pass, cause he decided our car is a caravan - which it technically isn’t. And there are no other parking lots around. It felt like an arbitrary choice and I felt so many things at once (disbelief - can he really do this?; helpless - can’t I really do anything?; angry - who do they think they are?; the list goes on). I’m sure if there had been a height limitation for car parks like 2.2 m (which is quite normal around here) I would have been like “well, too bad” and we’d have continued our day. Or if there had been another car park for campers which we could have used - fine! But discussing with a super unfriendly person who didn’t even try to be nice really made not only me, but also Nick, quite angry and disappointed. Jaro was crying just before arriving there and we really needed a break. So we took our time staying in front of the gate (re-)planning our (no, not revenge) route.
    Result: we went off, without doing anything (which was also disappointing - but at the same time: do we want to spend our valuable time with these people? Or being angry? No.) and took the ferry to Setubal.
    There we had a lovely evening and a nice drive to Seixal. Lisbon is calling!    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Dolphins! 🐬

    Jun 6–7 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The small village we stayed the night had a really cute coffee place. The owners were just setting up for the season but made us a really great coffee. Thanks!
    Then we went to the beach and even though we didn’t stay long we saw dolphins surfing the waves there. How cool was that!? Definitely not expected. What we also didn’t expect was Lagoa and also Carvahal being a bit of a fancy place. Somehow we didn’t feel like this is our vibe around here.
    So with a quick stop at a bakery we made our way further up north towards Tróia. This is a a whole peninsula south of Lisbon; a place that was always a special destination when Nickels was here as a kid with his grandparents.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    Happy-happy-happy-pick-me-up-faceA beach just north of Vila Nova (Praia Malhao)It was super windy, our tent blew away a couple of times

    Best Turkish eggs

    Jun 4–5 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Vila Nova de Milfontes was a surprise. We somehow decided to go there to do some washing and for me to have some stable internet connection for work.
    Turns out - we like this small coastal city! One of my colleagues recommended going to the Café Laréu and having the Turkish eggs; and Nick had already saved this as one of the spots we wanted to go. Who are we then not to go and try that dish? To be honest - they were really really good. All of the food and coffee there was. And Jaro was in a high chair for the first time with his food while we were eating. It was so cool! We’re so happy how traveling works with him; how - even though life has changed - we’re still us and we can now show our baby boy how we like to enjoy our life.

    Plus we had first here: I really had to work and we found a good coworking space for 6.50 EUR / day. Since Portugal has a difference of one hour to the German time zone, I really had to get up early to start work at 7am. I rode my bike through this town which was still well asleep and enjoyed this efficient work-vibe in my “private office” (I was alone there until about 10 am).
    Nick and Jaro on the other hand had a great morning as well. They both slept in, Jaro even a little longer than Nickels. They had breakfast, playtime, did all the packing up at the campground and Nickels even enjoyed a shower with Jaro in the pram (on his first day-sleep). I was so impressed and proud - as they were too - and super happy-happy-happy to see them when they picked me up.

    The stroll through town was nice as well, small but cute shops, a relaxed vibe. If you’re ever in this area, this is a place to go.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    Corkproof

    Most peaceful place

    June 3 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    A 10 minute drive from Odemira is Pegodas Pias, a river going through a canyon with rock pool to swim (thank you Silja for telling us about this place!). It was the most peaceful place to be at. From the parking lot it was a good 20 to 30 min walk to the first rock pool. Arriving there were just a couple of people: two elderly women, two younger ones; three men with a four year old child (and one of them left shortly after we arrived saying “I’ll go for a walk and some meditation to the other rock pool”). One other woman put up her tent near by.
    We enjoyed the scenery, went for a swim, a stroll along the canyon and then at some point back to the car. This is very special place.

    Fun fact: Nick read something about this place being called “turtle pond” or so. On our way we joked if there were some turtles, only Nick would see them (it’s a running joke, cause it seems to happen again and again, latest example: on a walk in Aljezur when I was working). And - no kidding - Nick went for a walk along the canyon while I was breastfeeding Jaro - and SAW A TURTLE!! (proof attached)
    Don’t know what this means but at this point I feel either offended or happy (for Nick).    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Odemira

    Jun 2–4 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Odemira has a brand new caravan parking lot at the park and river. It was a prefect stop and we spend two good nights here, having breakfasts, play times and dinners in the park.
    We enjoyed our stay here very much!Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Cabo Sardão

    June 2 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Cabo Sardao was day stop we made with beautiful a cliff walk with storks nesting on the cliffs.
    Photos from the storks will be added later. ;)

  • Diapers & Detours
    Odeceixe beach
    Cork oak1View from shavasana in São Teotónio

    Odeceixe

    Jun 1–2 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    From Aljezur we drove to Odeceixe and enjoyed some early evening views at the beach.
    To avoid driving when Jaro is asleep we made our way to our night spot before dinner, again in a gumtree forrest area in Sao Teotónio. And there weren’t only gumtrees, but also cork-oaks. Somehow this was the first time we took a closer look. They look so incredible!
    And although we didn’t spend that much time here, we had the chance to refill our water tanks with fresh spring water Nick had to get by walking to a hut. Super cute and delicious.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    Amoreia beach
    Surf session with SiljaProud surfer smileSunset at Monte Clérigo beachDinner with a view in Monte ClérigoOvernight spot outside of AljezurArrifana beach

    Aljezur + Marmelete

    May 30–Jun 1 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Waking up with our gumtree view we checked out surroundings and found out there would be a free hot shower in a village called Marmelete. It was just a couple of kilometres down the road. And really good! Unfortunately it was a Sunday and everything else was closed. This place looked like a (mini small) town we would have loved to spent some time. ◡̈
    But we had other plans and went to the beach to meet our friend and go surfing! First time on our very own board. It felt soooo good and we spent the rest of the day around Mount Clérigo Beach and the river there. To spend the night we went back to the mountains.
    The next morning was our last around Aljezur; we went to Arrifana beach, Nickels went surfing and afterwards we had a lovely lunch with Silja. Thank you for making time for us! 🫶    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Monchique

    May 30 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Monchique is a small town within the mountains of the Algarve hinterland. It is a common recommendation for an Algarve visit - so we went. We knew a town fair would take place that weekend which made the city probably a bit fuller than usual but also it seemed as the people there tried their best to show what Monchique has to offer.
    Unfortunately it was super hot that day and being in a mountain city ment going up and down those hills all day long. We enjoyed our day there but being honest we wouldn’t put it on a “must-see-list”. It’s nice, but I think there are other cute towns in the Algarve as well.

    After our day in Monchique we went for dinner with a good friend Silja and her beautiful dog in Aljezur and had buckwheat pizza. Delicious! Definitely our highlight of the day.

    PS. The drive back to Aljezur was beautiful though and we found a great spot for another couple of nights in that area. It felt a little like Australia to us since it was all gumtrees (plantation, no natural forrest).    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Figuera Beach - or lucky us

    May 29 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    For a day trip we went to Figuera beach to meet with the Austrian family we met in Silves. As usual we had a slow morning and Jaro was sleeping when we arrived at the car park. So it took us some time to actually get to the beach, cause we let him sleep and then had some food before making our way down. It’s a 15 min walk through the bush, along a river and next to some cliffs. The beach is beautiful. Few people (even for a Saturday) and crystal clear water. We had a good time and the babies were happy to see each other (it seemed).

    Going back to the parking lot we all were in a super good mood. But there was a surprise waiting for us. Someone broke into our friend’s van and stole laptops and all valuables. Our van was as locked as ever. It was a shock to everyone but I’m still impressed how rational these guys reacted. I’m sure my day(s or weeks) thereafter would have been marked by stress and disbelief. We were so lucky our day started this slow and it’s quite possible they broke into the van while we were just in ours. I remember saying to Nick “Oh, are our friends here?” after hearing some noise, but we thought, if they’d be here they’d come to knock on our door, so we just decided the sounds we heard must have been something else. Not in my dreams I’d assumed it was someone breaking in. What would have happened if we’d went to knock on their door?
    Well, maybe the breaking in also happens before we were there. Anyway - we were just so incredibly lucky and I know our friends are ok and they took it with such a grown-up “well, nothing we can do about it; luckily we have an insurance for this”.
    We will try to remember the more positive things of this day.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    2

    Ocean City - Sagres

    May 27–30 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Our next stop was Sagres!
    Or to be specific: we stopped at the ceramic shop on the way. Still not sure if that place is heaven or hell on earth: so much ok-priced to cheap ceramics; but! You have to really search for what you really like. The amount of different plates / bowls / cups etc is overwhelming.
    We found some new Ramen bowls and cereal bowls - leaving room for more ceramic shopping at a different place.

    In Sagres we were lucky to find a parking lot overlooking the ocean (with lots of surfers in the water). We talked to some other campers and found out we could stay here the night! So after walking around town we enjoyed the no-need-to-drive-anymore-evening. The next day we rented a surfboard (finally!) and both of us went in the water for a bit. I was skeptic if my wetsuit still fit, but with some work, it did. And I even managed to get some (mini small) waves as did Nick. A huge pasta dish, a walk along the cliffs and a slow evening later we’re staying another night.

    P. S. We found the best coffee at Picnic in Sagres and guess what: they have delicious Franzbrötchen as well 🤤    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    Praia de Monte Clérigo

    Aljezur - Surfers paradise

    May 25–27 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We spent two nights on a spot just outside Aljezur.

    Due to strong winds surfing was not an option for us and we had to make new plans.
    One day we checked out some other beaches (Monte Clerigo and Amorea), went to one café (KOYO) in Aljezur (both recommended) and spend the evening with another lovely family who is also traveling on their parental leave. It was so wonderful to see both kids interact and play with each other. 💕
    Jaro had the chance to play with some water in a bath tub and he seemed to enjoy it so much!
    Well, and the other day we traveled to our next destination, but will be back here in a couple of days. ;)    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Burgau

    May 24–25 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Perfect little town with quite an Aussie (Australian) surfer vibe. We spend the day at the beach looking at the ocean and the people surfing, walked along cliffs and had one of the best coffees in Portugal so far at horizons4lovers. Plus they also had really delicious pizza there and an ocean view. We’ll come back!Read more

  • Diapers & Detours

    Lagos

    May 24 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    If I’d ever just come here to visit the region, Lagos is a great place to stay. It’s quite central, there are super nice cafes and restaurants, a nice old town and access to beaches and boat tours. We enjoyed spending the day here.Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    Marnie struggling with the steep streets of Silves
    Castelo de Silves

    Granada of Portugal

    May 21–24 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Silves - a really small, maybe forgotten town in the Algarves hinterland. It’s cute, has a nice castle and everything is within a walkable distance. Since there are many river beds around it is perfect breeding territory for storks. There are SO MANY STORKS! They’re breeding on every roof and fly in circles like birds of prey (aren’t they in a way?).

    But why Granada of Portugal?
    Back around the Middle Ages Silves used to be as important as Granada; a cultural centre and capital of Al-Gharb, the moorish region (where probably the word “Algarve” comes from). Due to many wars it’s lost its cultural importance and is now a little less touristy and way smaller then Granada.

    We spend two night just outside Silves on an orange farm (no, it’s not orange season anymore), did a bit of a clean up + laundry and checked out Silves, and Marniah beach. All worth a visit! It was super hot ans we were happy the farm had a functional community space.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    2View from the cliffs

    Praia dos Tomates

    May 20–21 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Something this region is know for are the cliffs leading to the beaches. This beach does not only have a huge really nice parking lot (yes, we’re thinking in nice parking lots here), but also cliffs and access to the ocean.
    We had a beautiful afternoon at the beach and spent the night. The camp spot was so nice that we could have stayed longer (right on the beach, not too crowded, vans in different sizes and colours and families with kids running around and free of charge) but the next morning it was quite windy so we decided to leave.
    We hiked a little along the beach and the cliffs and then continued on to our next destination.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    What you can't see: we're surrounded by storch-familiesNot a bad view from the vanMarnie took the skateboard for a ride

    Jaro in Faro

    May 18–20 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Faro is the city you usually fly to when visiting the Algarve. The city itself is a nice town with - exactly - some nice cafes, restaurants and shops within the old town, but we preferred to spend the day at the beach. There were some spots where you could stay and see the beach and sea from the van which is always a plus when traveling with a baby and being in constant search of shade. But it was still street parking and cars would pass by.
    Nevertheless we enjoyed our stay here. 🏖️

    Within the town of Faro we were at a wine shop (that also had non-alcoholic wine) and is just next to one of the many stork-nesting-places. What we didn’t know is we were just entering the stork-territory and I’ve never seen this many of them at once in my life.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    Wild Flamingos

    Tavira

    May 16–18 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    My friends in-laws recommend to go to Tavira, since it is not as touristic as most of the Algarves other cities. We were curious to see.
    I walked there from the neighbouring village and luckily the camp spot (motor home park) was on this side of the town. Tavira is quite small so we could ride our bikes into town.

    Since arriving in Portugal the density of German people on vacation grew immensely. Here, in Tavira, the density of families with a young baby seemed to be similarly high.
    We found some nice cafes and it is really beautiful to wander around here. You could take the boat to the outer beaches (we didn’t, but I’d recommend it if you’re here) or bike to the next town.
    Before leaving we took a small detour driving though the salt lakes to the beach - to see if the first flamingos have arrived (we heard that). And they did! We found some! They’re still quite white but I was happy we’ve seen them. Plus it was a really nice drive that ended up at a small beach and Nick went for a swim.    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    The saltA region where flamingos live 🦩

    Óla Portugal 🇵🇹

    May 16 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Our first stop in Portugal was Cabanas de Tavira.
    We found a spot right at the promenade and of course, went for a stroll through town. Cute!
    Since our next stop was supposed to be Tavira I said something like „so cool if one of us could bike or walk there“. And Nick said „well, you could!?“
    So we checked the route options and found out the Euro Velo 1 passes by and connects not only these two villages, but you could follow it right along the coast to the North of Portugal.
    Having Jaro in the carriage I walked those three kilometres to Tavira through some salt lakes (beautiful scenery again!) and Nick got the van. 🚐    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    2Churros Sevilla Style

    Ze-Villans

    May 15–16 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Okay, dad joke incoming. But “Sevillans” (meaning people living in Seville) if pronounced in a very German way sounds like “ze vilians” aka “the villains”. I laughed a lot about it. The people here are very nice though!
    We parked quite central that day and did a bike tour just along the old cities walls and along the river. Once we had enough we parked the bikes and walked a long those narrow streets of the old town. And again - marvellous! It is so pretty.
    I have been here (as well as in Granada) before and I have seriously only very little memory of that trip. To bad! It’s all so beautiful. We enjoyed this day in Seville and did our best in trying every typical Spanish food we haven’t had yet: Empanadas & Churros were on top of that list! And we found some. Eating your way through a town is definitely a way I enjoy while exploring. ✨    Read more

  • Diapers & Detours
    2Café: Banana Coffee and brunch
    4Seven months 💕

    Relax.

    May 13–15 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    A nice free camper area to relax and re-organise. We stayed here two nights. The day in between we had breakfast in a town close by (which we liked that much that we came back the next day) and do nothing! Just spending the day “at home”, in our van. 🤗Read more