Issue 02 · 2024
Leaving Berlin and the first real test of the truck
Maiden voyage
It was finally time to hit the road. Everything had taken longer than I wanted anyway – and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s the cold, wet, grey German winter in Berlin.
I’ve been living in the truck since January 2024, and it took me another month to get going. Lots of small jobs ...
But then we were finally off! The first long drive after two years of building. The journey begins!
The trip in numbers
Year — 2024
Countries — Germany, France, Spain
Distance — approx. 3,800 km
Diesel — approx. 760 l · €1,070
Getting ready to leave Berlin in fog and rain
The first stop was Bamberg, to store everything I hadn’t sold or rented out, change my registered address and finish a few jobs on the truck.
Next stop: Strasbourg ... my only goal was to finally get out of cold Germany and into the Spanish sun. But if you have to stop somewhere anyway, why not Strasbourg? A beautiful city – it was worth the stop.
On through France. As always when there are toll roads, I set the sat nav to “avoid tolls”. Partly because tolls for trucks in France are pretty expensive, and partly because I can’t drive very fast anyway, I’m in no hurry, and the back roads are usually much more scenic.
So the route took me across France’s Massif Central with lots of lovely little villages. A stop in Besançon, capital of the Franche-Comté region, which gives the delicious Comté cheese its name.
I drove through the south of France quickly, as I’ve had bad experiences in that region.
The first signs of spring ... blossoms, sunshine and temperatures around 15°C
Then, finally, the coast and the smell of the sea just before crossing the border into Spain.
First up was a visit to Barcelona. I had been there several times for photo shoots, but never privately, so I was looking forward to getting to know the city without thinking about the next project in the back of my mind.
The beauty of this city almost becomes boring after a while. Buildings that would be tourist magnets in any other city are normal here. You just walk past them, and only the buildings that are exceptional even by Barcelona’s standards still catch your eye.
I stayed at a campsite about 30 km north of Barcelona. I prefer that in big cities: firstly, you rarely find decent wild spots without disturbing others, and secondly, Barcelona has plenty of thieves and I don’t need uninvited visitors in the truck.
Beautiful architecture in Barcelona in all kinds of shapes
On my way through the hinterland of Valencia I passed this fire engine. A tragedy happened here: nine firefighters died on duty when a sudden change in wind direction drove the fire towards them.
I stayed at a beautiful beach for one night, met some people, and we had a nice dinner together and played games.
Beeindruckende Architektur in Valencia von Santiago Calatrava
After Valencia I headed up into the hinterland.
The hinterland between Valencia and Alicante is very beautiful – far nicer than the ugly string of hotel blocks along the coast.
There seem to have been some pretty severe forest fires in the past. I drove past a lot of burnt trees.
My drive into the Gorafe Desert got its own post – click the picture to get there.
In Granada I wanted to see the Alhambra ... but it was booked out for the next month. So I only saw the part of the Alhambra that everyone can see. Even that is amazing ... so if you go, book your ticket in time!
Ich habe auch die Sierra Nevada besucht und oben auf dem Berg übernachtet.
Along the way some minor maintenance was needed ... I had noticed a loss of power and checked the filters. In the end, though, it was a problem with the accelerator pedal, which couldn’t be pressed down far enough ...
After Sos, my next stop before crossing the Pyrenees was supposed to be a reservoir. But on the way I passed an impressive castle ruin where a pilgrims’ site had been set up.
The Camino de Santiago runs right past this castle, which was abandoned together with its village in the 1960s. Back then, Spain built a large reservoir that made a lot of sense for the whole region – but it meant the end for the village, as the local farmers lost their livelihood.
I stopped briefly to look at the ruin, met a few very friendly young people and decided to stay the night. That led to a fascinating conversation with a woman who had studied physics and then started travelling in a small VW Caddy. No bank account, €10 in her wallet, living on all sorts of jobs and selling art. A way of life very far from mine, even though we both travel full time ... I found it really interesting to hear about.
