The fog in my head is slowly fading away. Feeling the pain in your stomach when you’re laughing is so intense that you almost have to go to the toilet (piss in your paints let me be Dutch), nothing more in life can make you happy. Finding the real joy in life again is a beauty, a treasure.

Sitting and talking around the fireplace with two other awesome single travelling camper women, drinking and smoking a cigarette. Yes! Was it the location, the positive energy or good company or too much wine? Anyway, I could cry! Cry of joy.

A Swedish man told me the other day on the camping site, you look happy. What a compliment. You made my day, thank you!

Journey

I have been on the road for 5 months and now I can fully enjoy it. In the beginning I felt that my camper was my office and house, now it feels really like home. My cosy home on 4 wheels where there's also space for positive emotions, joy and laughter.

Let me be clear, the pain is still here. I have found a better way to deal with my emotions. Two weeks ago there was an evening where my grief completely overwhelmed me. Crying like I couldn’t stop, and it had to go out. What triggered me to get so emotional, that I don’t know. Sometimes there’s no particular reason.

Montenegro

I haven’t been posting a lot lately, because I wanted to enjoy my life, my turning point and not having the pressure of posting. I want to focus on myself, that’s my priority and purpose of my journey, not my presence on social media.

I can talk for hours about the country. It’s a hidden gem, a pearl, especially for nature lovers. It’s a place where you can nourish your body and soul. The people, the food, the scenery, stunning!

Waking up with this beautiful view from my camper - Skadar Lake Montenegro

Turning point

I experienced my turning point here in Montenegro. I sincerely hope that others will experience the same and decided to proceed with my project. The first two participants (the awesome solo travel women) have already applied. My project is to create a safe place where grief is the central theme. Not a classic retreat but a week in which you will nourish your body and soul and hopefully find the joy back in life like I did here in Montenegro.

Based on what I experienced and needed in this ongoing process I want to share this with others.

A week where you, in case you experience loss and going through a grieving process, we take care of you. Going back to nature, exploring the beauty of yourself here in Montenegro. Hiking, yoga, delicious food, drinks and a fireplace. A place where we laugh and cry together. Good conversations, combined with silence, perhaps even dancing, expressing your loss in the way you want! And what’s good for you.

Next month I will explore the locations for the retreat, it’s so rewarding to accomplish this mission. I can’t say a dream but I know very well that Christophe is super proud of me!

And no better partner to go on a site inspection than with a professional event planner : Nyomi! Despite her young age she’s experiencing a lot of major challenges in her life, and she can relate with the target audience. And she’s fun! More details will follow soon.

Hungry cat

No day passed by without an adventure. You know me :-)

Waking up on Monday morning at 04:41 from a noise, it didn’t come from inside my camper. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it was strange, something I hadn’t heard before. I am awake immediately, sometimes wrong. My heartbeat goes up!

A burglar? An earthquake? But options are not very likely! Crazy thoughts are going through my mind.

Then I heard a noise inside my camper, Loekie was going to the toilet, normal.

Just one minute later I heard Loekie starting to cry suddenly very loud, like a siren. Her reaction: danger. But why? What’s going on? I am now fully awake and my heartbeat goes even faster.

I put on my glasses (yes I have contact lenses and otherwise I don’t see much) and get on my bathrobe. I see Loekie sitting on the highest point in the camper (including corn) and meowing like a siren towards the window in my roof. Which is usually open during the night to get some fresh air.

I look into the direction of the window and see only a pair of eyes staring at me.

Directly I understood, another cat on the roof. It must be the crazy cat of the camping. Indeed! He sees something nice in my camper…..Hungry for more!

Loekie under attack by the hungry cat from the camping.
No wonder she has stress!

My creative brain, how can I remove this crazy cat from my roof? Where’s a stick that I can use to chase him? Oh yeah, the mop at the toilets. i close the window, and the curtain so she can’t smell or see him anymore.

It’s the darkest moment of the night before sunrise. And it’s a black and white cat.

Waving with the mop over the roof of my camper and I see after 5 minutes he’s jumping off my camper. Sorry no pictures of this action!

Back in the camper I get the corn off my cat and put her in my arms. Poor cat, no wonder she has stress! Me too :-)

Good morning! I couldn’t imagine a more exciting start to a new day.

Traveling in a camper is super relaxing, right????

Up to my next destination, Albania, here I come!

Hungry for more

Surprising Albania

Montenegro