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Diapers & Detours
  • Marnie Elisabeth
  • Nickels
  • 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! Czytaj więcej
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  • Diapers & Detours
    2

    Ocean City - Sagres

    27–30 maj, Portugalia 🌬 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 🤤     Czytaj więcej

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    Figuera Beach - or lucky us

    29 maja, Portugalia ☀️ 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.     Czytaj więcej

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    Monchique

    30 maja, Portugalia ☀️ 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).     Czytaj więcej

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    Amoreia beach
    Amoreia beachSurf session with SiljaProud surfer smileSunset at Monte Clérigo beachDinner with a view in Monte ClérigoOvernight spot outside of AljezurArrifana beach

    Aljezur + Marmelete

    30 maj – 1 cze, Portugalia ☀️ 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! 🫶     Czytaj więcej

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    Odeceixe beach
    Odeceixe beachCork oak1View from shavasana in São Teotónio

    Odeceixe

    1–2 cze, Portugalia ☀️ 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.     Czytaj więcej

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    Corkproof

    Most peaceful place

    3 czerwca, Portugalia ☀️ 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).     Czytaj więcej

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    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

    4–5 cze, Portugalia 🌬 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.     Czytaj więcej

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    Dolphins! 🐬

    6–7 cze, Portugalia ☀️ 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.     Czytaj więcej

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    Childhood memories

    7 czerwca, Portugalia ☀️ 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!     Czytaj więcej

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    Lisbon

    7–9 cze, Portugalia ☀️ 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. 🚐     Czytaj więcej

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    Work in progress on the surfboard rack

    Ericeira and Foz do Sizandro

    9 czerwca, Portugalia 🌬 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 💕     Czytaj więcej

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    Área branca
    Área brancaPenichePeniche sunset

    Area Branca + Lourinhã + Peniche

    10 czerwca, Portugalia 🌬 18 °C

    Now this is the area where Nick used to be with his grandparents, sister and cousin in his teenage-times.
    A lot has changed from back then but a couple of things are still the same (like the house). We went to do some groceries in Lourinhã, then a (selfmade) coffee at Area Branca, stopping at his uncles house and last but not least driving once around the peninsula that Peniche is located on before having Indian for dinner in this small town.
    I was surprised by the landscape: the whole island has lots of cliffs going into the ocean - like (I imagine) the famous pancake rocks in New Zealand.     Czytaj więcej

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    To surf or not to surf

    10–11 cze, Portugalia 🌬 17 °C

    After a day of driving we stopped in Baleal, one of the beginner surf spots around Peniche. After having a look around we decided to call it a day and try surfing the next morning.
    The neighbouring town (Ferrel) had a good spot for the night (and surprisingly good looking cafes); we stayed and drove over to the beach the next early morning.
    Unfortunately the waves weren’t any good so we just had breakfast at the beach watching the surf schools going in anyway (it got really full in the water!).     Czytaj więcej

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    Óbidos

    11 czerwca, Portugalia ☀️ 28 °C

    Walking around Óbidos reminded me of Carcassonne. It is smaller, but it certainly has a medieval-town-vibe with its narrow streets, small craft-shops and the city’s wall. We found a really beautiful bookshop (that also sells vegetables and food in one part of the room) and wandered around the streets.
    It seemed as if this is a popular place to go for a school trip - and Jaro was fascinated by all the kids passing by (as were the kids).     Czytaj więcej

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    Our camp
    Our campAlma barFoggy mornings

    Best camp

    11–14 cze, Portugalia ☀️ 22 °C

    In Óbidos we had a phone call with friends traveling within their parental leave. We knew we (finally!) were close enough to meet up and decided today is the day!
    So the three of us as well we Melina, Luc, Lu and their dog Nyx all ended up at the Cervejaria Alma. A cafe and bar just behind the dunes that is so far only open on weekends and has a beautiful lush green garden where you’re invited to camp. A little paradise.
    The following days were timeless. We went to the beach for some surfing, had lovely meals together and the babys had time to “play” (or interact?) with one another. We’d do it all over again.     Czytaj więcej

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    Aveiro + Laguna

    14–16 cze, Portugalia ☁️ 21 °C

    Leaving our little paradise led us to Aveiro, which is also called “Venice of Portugal”.
    It is a small town, lots of azulejos and cute shops. Together we walked through, did a bit of souvenirs hunting, had lunch and a nice break in a park.
    After that we decided to check out another spot to spend the night, just a little closer to the town. And again we found a beautiful place! We could park sliding-door-to-sliding-door and set up our camp. The little rain didn’t bother and we had a delicious last dinner together in Portugal (with both babies asleep - yey!)
    The next day was a bit grey and foggy at first. This always makes our day to start a bit slower. Coffee in bed, playtime, time for yoga / a workout plus a good breakfast and cleaning the vans was all we did until the afternoon.
    Then we went separate paths again; Melina, Luc, cute little Lu and Nyx went further south and the three of us stayed.
    We somehow didn’t feel like driving elsewhere and took our bikes out for a ride. We rode once around the laguna - roughly 20 km - and it made us feel good!
    The whole area is beautiful, but also a bit weird; it seems like all the villages around are still on their off-season-mode and everything is still closed. I can imagine it’s quite crowded here during high season.
    We enjoyed the sleepiness and stayed the night.     Czytaj więcej

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    Sunset crowds at Jardim de Morro

    Porto

    16–18 cze, Portugalia ☀️ 23 °C

    To visit Porto we followed our friends lead to stay at the Parque Biológico south of the river - so officially we stayed in Gaia. The parque itself is neither a botanical garden nor a zoo, but something in between. It’s also a rescue centre with regional flora and fauna; they offer some camp spots with amenities and a park entry is included. Camping there supports such a cool project and we stayed for two nights!
    The day we arrived we went down (yes, down, about 100 m of altitude down) to the river Douro. We thought we’d be clever and check out a parking lot to leave the van for the (next) day and take our bikes to get into Porto. Unfortunately not even half way of the really good path along the riverfront there was a construction site and no way around it without going up and down the hill. So no further bike tour for this day and our plan for getting to Porto the next day has to be reworked.
    Option number to was to take public transport. We checked everything and went to the bus station in time the next day. The bus didn’t come. After waiting for around twenty minutes we noticed the next one was scheduled another 20 minutes later. We decided we’d take our van and park downtown. It felt as if Porto didn’t want to make it easy for us to come.
    But: We made it to a paid & secured car park we had chosen before through narrow streets and were greeted by Manuel, the car parks manager / security guard who led us to the place to leave our van and we went off to explore the city. Finally!
    Wandering downhill again we explored a bit of Gaia downtown first and had breakfast (or lunch?).
    Then we crossed on the lower part of the bridge Ponte Luis I and took the train up the hill. We wandered around Porto - from church to coffee shop to church - seeing as many azulejos as one can see.
    At the Mercado do Bolhao Jaro had his first (sugar free) ice cream; the whole market is certainly worth as visit.
    Towards the afternoon we went further west and ended up in an area we enjoyed very much - with nice shops, cafés and restaurants. We had great pizza for dinner at generosa. The stroll back to the car led us again through the city and across the bridge; this time on the upper part of it. Our timing could not have been better and we saw the sunset over Porto and the river from there.
    We also passed by the most famous sunset spot of Porto (Jardim de Morro). It had a nice festival-like atmosphere. Feeling tempted to stay we went back to the car and made our way “home”.
    The next day we checked out the Parque Biologico itself and showed Jaro all the birds we were able to see until he fell asleep. Then we went on…     Czytaj więcej

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    Tschau Portugal - or so we thought🇵🇹

    18–19 cze, Portugalia ⛅ 19 °C

    Our way led us to Viana do Castelo; a small town which was easily checked out on foot. We arrived in the afternoon and it seemed as the siesta was still full on; the city appeared empty. We found some late lunch in a cafe and had a break in a park. At around five to six in the afternoon it cooled down a bit and people came out to prepare some medieval event which would take place this weekend. The whole city was suddenly filled with huts offering food, jewellery, crafts,… we enjoyed walking around and seeing this hustle and bustle.
    Just a short drive from here, near Affife we found a perfect little stop for the night. Behind the dunes, at the beach, some other campers. We thought „what a beautiful day to end our trip in Portugal“, watched the sunset and thought this was it.
    But the next morning we somehow felt it might be good to stay here a bit longer. Why go if we like it so much?     Czytaj więcej

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    Alice in Wonderland

    19–20 cze, Portugalia ☁️ 21 °C

    So we stayed, went grocery shopping and found my personal „Why-Café“ with strong Alice-in-Wonderland-vibes. Just in the mountains (visible from the beach obviously) is a Convent, by a stream. And in that backyard is a café with a lush green garden. As we arrived about 30 min before closing time we asked if we’d get some coffee + cake here and the answer by the waiter was „Here everything is possible“. I believed him. And we got lemonade and delicious cake, could hangout in the garden and let Jaro play in the soft stream. It felt so good that we decided to stay another night on the beach; we also found another spot that was just a tat more cozy.
    The next morning we went for a small hike along that river from the café. There we found rock pools which Jaro was able to play in; he was so brave and happy with the water.
    Later we had lunch back at the café (which unfortunately took ages due to popular demand by many "Camino de Santiago hikers") and then we went on to cross the boarder.
    It feels good that we’ve taken our time to say good bye to Portugal.     Czytaj więcej

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    For dinner in Spain

    20 czerwca, Hiszpania ⛅ 24 °C

    We arrived here quite late, but it seemed as if everyone was on the beach. Spain has one hour time difference to Portugal (it’s the same as in Germany) and we found out the sunset here is later than in Germany (here around 10.15 pm; the sunrise is also way later than in Germany - around 7 am) so it was still a late-afternoon feeling and we called Jaros Nonna, made dinner and went for a swim (in the dark). It was beautiful! The water was way warmer than the ocean and so calm. It seemed like a lake, but is something like a fjord.
    Since it was a Saturday night there were some live music and parties going on there and we decided we’d go elsewhere for a good night sleep.     Czytaj więcej

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    The overnight

    20 czerwca, Hiszpania ⛅ 23 °C

    As it was already late we didn’t want to drive too far. The first spot we thought would be a good idea was not only super full, but also in a small town that had some fiestas going on. So we decided to go further. The second spot we tried to go to was a view point higher up and google misled us a bit just before arriving. We had to turn around in the middle of the night in a steep hill to get back and go to our final stop - just a couple of minutes further next to a church. We slept well. The next morning was quiet, we had some playtime with Jaro in bed up until all church-goers arrived for the service. This was when we finally got out of bed in search for a good spot for brunch. ◡̈ Czytaj więcej

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    Brunch break

    21 czerwca, Hiszpania ☀️ 26 °C

    This river-boat-ramp-spot is what we decided for. It was calm here. First we wanted to go to the beaches directly but on a hot Sunday in Spain it would not only be crowded, but there is also no shade to hide from the sun. Here was no shade either, but at least just a handful of people. We had our brunch and survived the heat. Czytaj więcej

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    Marnie checking the morning surf
    Marnie checking the morning surfValdoviño beachSunset at Praia de pantínAnd another sunset

    Pantín

    21–23 cze, Hiszpania ⛅ 27 °C

    As far as I’ve heard, Praia de Pantín is a world known beach for surfing. They even have competitions here. Well, not in summer I guess. We arrived after a nice drive along the coast from Valdoviño beach (where we stopped before - it was so crowded there) and checked out the parking-camping situation on both ends of the bay. The western side has a greener bit where we could stay, but the walk to the beach would be longer. There is a river meandering towards the ocean. The other side is more of a parking lot but seems to have cool vibes and views as well; and a way shorter walk to the surf spot.
    We decided to stay on the eastern end and had more or less two very chill days with a bit of surfing. The water was quite flat and you really had to wait for a wave, but it’s still good practice. Some surf schools were there - especially for kids - but there was enough room for everyone. We talked to some other campers and just had a good time here (once went to Ferrol for groceries and to escape the heat).

    Fun-not-so-fun-fact: all public toilets on beaches up there are closed. Why?     Czytaj więcej

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