Lost in the BIG Forest

Here we are, in Lapland for the midnight sun.
So yes we over packed! Torch, why on earth did we pack this when in the midnight sun? Answers on a post card please as WiFi is not very avaliable here.

When did we become so reliant on technology? Imagine a world without being able to Google everything from where you are going, to what you are going to do when you get there. Where’s the local shop, the petrol station?

Sweden has the answer! Talk to the people and get the best places to go or help when you’re lost!

After an overnight stop in Lulea, night at a festival and our 1st experience of it being so light at 23:30, we head off in our hire car. (Which, we must say was a totally different experience to Greece) We went for the cheap one and ended up with a brand new Volvo V40, so off we go… Deb singing random ABBA tunes along the way and Steve doing impressions of the Swedish chef off the muppets.  OK, we know what you are thinking and we agree, what a pair of muppets they are!!!

We drive around and get closer to our floating shed, Huuva Hideaway watching for moose and reindeer but instead seeing hundreds of dark tree stumps with roots sticking out.. Then we see them, mummy and baby reindeer but we were so unprepared as we had pretty much given up! Snapping away, we manage a white fluffy reindeer bum as they move so fast..

So off the beaten track we go, up and up a gravel track until we have no idea where we are going, then it’s time to give in and ring our host and ask for help, we were so close but they came to meet us in their car and take us the last couple of kilometres. So we arrive at a cool little shed bobbing on a lake, so cozy and full of everything we need. In true Swedish style we have a log burning sauna/shower and a compost toilet.

Steve gets to do man things, fishing, building fires and Debs spends too much time photographing the same thing over and over again.

Out hosts have a restaurant up on a hill over looking the river and valley and Finland called Utblick. We decide to book a table and pop up the road to dinner, slight problem.. We get lost.. VERY LOST.. 1 hour later we find a man and ask the way to be told we are about 10 km out! What a sense of humor, he says , “You are in the big forest now, only restaurant around here is the one where you are the meal for the mosquitos” Kindly the guy says “follow me I’m going part of the way” and off we go.

The meal was amazing and setting was just perfect. Henry is an amazing self taught chef who produces food up to the standard of some of the top chefs back in the UK. Sorry vegetarians, but out here Reindeer is on all the menus and is very yummy and we also had another local speciality, Kalix roe, which we shared as we weren’t so sure on what we were getting but turned out to be rather good too.

The people out in the North Sweden wilderness really understand how to live off the land and what is around them, we hear all about moose flower lemonade and sit sipping Lapland liqueur.
We spend some time with Pia and Henry and had a look around their lovely homestead, learning about life in North Sweden and Steve has a chat about food, hunting, fishing and chainsaws.

Then off we head to Sorbyn to stay in a wooden hut near a lake. You can’t believe just how quiet it is. There is no white noise, no planes flying over your head, total peace! You can hear your own heart beat. Think this has been the best nights sleep ever had! Then you get to go exploring for animals, moose, reindeer, bears, beavers plus you can do so much fishing, hiking and canoing there too. The midnight sun will give you so many different displays and each day gives you a different show of hues, accents and cloud formations making you see nature in a new way. It’s a great place in the summer although so many people seem to only go for the winter for the aurora borealis and snow activities.

Off now to hop across to Finland and then go find the Arctic circle to jump over 😉

You will hear from us again next week, space ships and all!

Live Happy

Debs and Steve

One to Many Man Hugs!

So we have finally detached from work, like a tooth that the dentist can’t seem to pull out but got there in the end.

Steve has been finding it so hard to leave and Deb will finally stop popping up all around work. If you worked with Deb you will know exactly what this means. 🙄

How did people act?

• So many cuddles and man hugs, many more than we ever expected!
• Most are really pleased for us and came up with 101 ways to climb in the rucksack and suitcase or become our sherpas along the journey.
• Then there were a few stragglers who just cut you off…

McLaren Automotive has been an amazing journey for the both of us and may not be the end as you never know where life may take you. In the words of Bruce McLaren, “Life is Measured in Achievement Not in Years Alone”

By the end of the last day we were settling just nicely to the new life, sat in a old english country manor house over looking beautiful landscaped gardens, sipping champagne and munching our way through an afternoon tea. Could get used to this!

Time to reflect on our journey through life so far and realise that we are two very lucky people to be able to have this adventure. We may have been through some very tough times in the past, but as the saying goes “What Doesn’t Kill you Makes you Stronger”

Day one of our new adventure, we are sat in the airport waiting to fly to Sweden, then an interconnecting flight up to the Arctic circle for the midnight sun. Only a 4 hour wait plus 2 hrs delay between flights. So glad I packed some snacks, even though we knew it was going to be expensive, we didn’t expect it to be that expensive…. Nearly £10 for one sandwich and £5.00 for one coffee. So the action plan, fill empty water bottles from the taps and after much wandering around we found the cheapest items, 2 burgers and a slice of cheese, £4.00, strangely the queue here was rather long?

Swedish people are so calm, the 1st one I spoke to, just in a shop said, “Welcome to Sweden Have a Great Time” Think we are going to like it here 😊

Mean while, back in the UK our nephew Jake was busy winning medals and cups for cricket. 1st Junior Hampshire County Champions then going on to become Southern Counties Winners. Well done Jake!!

One of our daughters is also now on countdown to the final days as a teacher in the UK as she soon jets off to teach in Myanmar for the next 2 years and settle into a new way of life.

Time for us to sit back and watch the never ending sunset of the midnight sun completely lost as to what time it is, very strange feeling.

Live Happy
Debs and Steve

 

Nearly There……

So, Steve is just hitting his last week at work and it’s going to be a lonely one as his team all head off to their next event in Belgium.

Meanwhile Deb has been doing a bit here and there to earn a few extra pennies to help towards Sweden as we are starting expensive 1st… We have been looking at couch surfing although hit the problem that everyone is on holiday so spaces are limited especially when you go to places like the Arctic Circle, so it’s off to a hotel in Lulea we go!

Steve’s last day is the same day we head off to the airport so perhaps we shall have a treat on route rather than come home? Maybe an English afternoon cream tea is calling!

Straight after this is time for the family hobbit festival down in Cornwall. Let us explain. Our daughters are both traveller types too.. One is just back from 18 months travelling Bali, Australia, New Zealand, back to Bali and then back home to sunny Newquay UK, working freelance as a surf instructor. The other is just about to fly out to Myanmar in Asia for 2 years to teach so very rare we meet up all together, so July is the time!  We have found us a glamping camp, with fire pit, barbecue and bar and as we are all short, it is being named hobbit festival for a few days! Really looking forward to it 🙂

Surf photo courtesy of Surf Sistas

Planning has started for our French and Austrian trip in Sept.. So let’s make it all about wine.
Currently looking to head through the wine regions on the way to working in a vineyard in the south of France.
The list is growing,
Champagne
Chablis
Burgundy
Beaujolais
Rhone Valley
and then down to the final destination in Saint Tropez..

Thoughts are already moving towards what we do in Nov? We have had a few offers that sound interesting so who knows? No more English breakfast or roast dinners!

It’s amazing how many things change when you do something like this? We have started to re-engage with our neighbours, meeting people who we have only ever seen drive in and out of drivewways and Deb has been given the opportunity to help at the local regatta down on the Hamble river. Theme for this year is Rio Carnival, so sure at some time Deb will have a feathery head piece on 😉

The scariness of no income is starting to also kick in now. Spreadsheets are in progress and super analysing all we spend underway. Steve is already getting bored with Deb saying, do we need it or just want it! Negotiations have already started with Steve on the cancellation of the full sky TV package. It’s also amazing what you can make out of a 5kg bag of onions that only cost £2. It’s so difficult not to worry about getting a job when we complete our travels. You can’t help but peek at job adverts and talk to people about future roles.

YES!  
It takes courage and self belief to do this and not something everyone can do but looking forward to all the learning, challenges and problem solving ahead! Our current favourite quote from a friend is “you will be fine, cream always settles at the top”

So what have we have learnt so far.
WORK
It’s hard to give up a job and go to nothing and hard to talk to each other about it as you don’t want to cause your other half to go into a wobble as you both feel you have to support each other.
FLIGHTS
Think about the cheap early morning flights. They may not be as cheap as you think. As we live 1-2 hours away from the London airports the trains don’t run that early, you miss the bargain off peak train tickets, you can’t put people out by asking for a lift, so your choices become, go up on the train the night before and sleep at an airport hotel or on the floor, if you pick a hotel suddenly it’s the same cost as hotel and parking. Taxi’s are just too expensive. Must get better at this as airport parking kills the budget!
IMAGINATION
Imagine yourself during and after your travels, what does it look like. Set yourself goals to ensure you are always going in the right direction and never be afraid to re-evaluate them from time to time as your life evolves.

BE REAL
It’s not always going to be a dream life and things will not go to plan and the plan will always be changing. Challenge yourself to be more resilient.

Time to go pack again. What do you take to the Arctic Circle for the midnight sun?

Live Happy

Debs and Steve

Wines of Rhodes

Information about wine region of Rhodes

Source: Wines of Rhodes

Roaming Around Rhodes.

So week 2 in Greece and the weather is still super hot and the sea, so blue and clear. Can’t imagine what it’s like in August?

In fact it’s been so hot that Rhodes has had a forest fire. We heard about it from the locals but it wasn’t until we were driving around exploring and trying to avoid crazy kids on scooters and quad bikes that we really saw first hand the damage it had caused. It had torn through kilometers of forest, a village and the surrounding land and affected people’s lively hoods. The fire engine service were still patrolling.

So who have we met along the way?

Old Greek People.
They’re amazing, they have so much stamina and perseverance. In Symi old town and Chorio (pronounced Horio) where the real locals live, there are so many steps everywhere, no cars just oodles of steps and some very old buildings waiting to be rebuilt.
All day you see little old people wandering around the streets having visited the local shop, laden-ed with carrier bags of shopping struggling their way up the steps in 40◦+ heat. You stop to help them and they really appreciate the fact you offered to help but are so stubborn they won’t let you, they hold your hand and say óchi óchi (no,no) Crazy People! But this lovely little guy did let us help, not surprising really as we were struggling ourselves too.

Lovely Little Ladies.

In the wine village of Emponas, next to the hotel were a couple of lovely old women who watched us walk back and forward to the village whilst sat outside their homes on little stools, they taught us our second set of Greek words, we have to say the 1^st word we learnt was Yamas, Cheer!!

• Good Morning – Kalimera
• Good Afternoon – Kalispera
• Good Night – Kalinihxta

Every day we waved and smiled at them saying the right phrase and they would chunter away speaking back to us in Greek and we would be left with no clue as to what they said but they liked the reply and we left them happy.

A Guy Who’s Name We Don’t Remember.

This guy made the best homemade lemonade and work at a beautiful cafe hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Lindos call Rainbird. He also had the best sense of humour and was a great wasp batter! Orange or Lemon homemade cake anyone?

Stergos Manolakas.

We have spoken about this guy before, we have met his parents, family friends from Austria and his little girl and even popped back to see him on our way back to the airport. We learnt a lot about the solar system and also spent some time asking him about the Greek economy. One of the kindest people we met on the island.

The One Eyed Brothers.

Never judge a sign by its look! So we are in the middle of nowhere going somewhere and we come across a cafe sign, do we, don’t we.. Boys being boys they need feeding.. Lets go in we said. Cutest rustic cafe run by two brothers in their 70s . One only had one eye and was wearing a handkerchief on his head and the other was being followed by a group of over hungry cats. Man, this place had a lovely view over bright blue sea, was cheap, full of friendly locals and had hand cooked chips, the biggest plate full. Everyone was full of smiles and pleased to see us, more embarrassing these guys also spoke English to a degree.

People You Don’t Want to Meet Again.

Rhodes Rogue Restaurant Men.

Then you get the opposite end of the scale, the horrific greedy guys trying to rip the tourists off and giving a bad name to others. Please people, watch yourselves in Rhodes Old Town main square, restaurants pitch their lovely roof top terraces and when you get up there you realise that the people you saw there have vanished and the drinks are still on the tables and then you ask to look at the menu before you order anything to find that they want to charge €5 for a coke!! Be brave and just tell them it’s too expensive, walk away and don’t feel guilty as hard as they try to push you back in! Go to the restaurants sitting just inside the city wall.

Dodgy Donkey Men of Lindos.

Title says it all! Poor little donkeys, not something we would do but we did see way too many tourists hand over €5 to be sat on a donkey and rushed and we REALLY DO MEAN rushed up a hill to the Lindos Acropolis by a load of very abusive men hitting the donkeys to go faster and even if the tourists were scared they wouldn’t slow down, then shouting something in Greek to any pedestrians in the way, don’t even want to think what this was!

 

Off to make homemade pita breads 🙂

Live Happy

Debs and Steve

 

Sunshine and Stars.

So what have we been up to and where have we been?

Well, it’s all been hot hot hot over in Greece,  46° to be exact! Not quite what we were expecting. Seriously over packed for this temperature but the Greeks weren’t expecting it to be this hot either, just yet!

Talking of being unprepared, just before we left we had a last minute change due to an unresponsive hotel on an island called Tilos, so cancelled our stay and went to an island called Symi instead. We had agreed to pay on arrival but they didn’t ask us when we arrived so we headed off to find the office and it was closed on several occasions. As we had to catch the ferry we had to leave and now they are flapping about the payment and we have to try and find an international Greek bank that are willing to take cash and deposit it in our hosts account as the banks we have visited won’t do this type of transaction due to the high costs involved.

Symi Island was such a pretty place, check us out on instagram to see some photos and follow us on the below instagram link or come find us on Facebook

So quick run through of what we have learnt  about travelling and Greece so far.

Shrimps.
When the world’s your oyster but you are not ready to go, start with prawns. In fact Symi shrimps, a speciality of the island. Small juicy shrimps that you eat whole and just leave the tails, if you like prawns these are amazing!

Hire Cars.
Never get a hire car from Eurocar Rhodes. Seriously, we had the oldest, tatty, resprayed high mileage Polo that lasted a day before going back to be swapped due to the engine warning light staying on. Swap was for a 85,000 mile Nissan Micra auto with a wheel bearing gone, the steering wheel off centre, the fan belts loose and the traction control light keeps coming on but she is still getting us around as we are not prepared to go back again to swop it and waste more of our own time.

Greece Smells Nice.
As it’s so warm you can smell the rosemary and thyme in the air.

Rucksacks.
Good idea when accommodation is 374 steps from the ferry harbour. Not that I have counted them 😉

Olives.
Still taste horrible, not that we don’t keep trying them. People, how can you eat them and say they are yummy?

Stergos Manolakas – Astronomy Cafe and Accommodation.
Is an amazing guy who has created fabulous accommodation at a great price and has an astronomy cafe on a cliff top over looking Faliraki. Man, I love looking at the stars and moon through the telescope.

Refugees.
Despite the media drawing to much attention to the immigration issues in Greece we can honestly say we have not seen anything apart from one navy vessel. We haven’t even seen one refugee, what we have seen is the poor people of Greece trying to make a living with the small amount of tourists arriving due to the media hype putting people off. Prices are higher that expected as these guys have to compensate for the lost revenue.

Greek People.
These guys are super friendly and really pleased to meet you. Sadly their English is so good and our Greek so poor.

Mosquitoes.
Don’t be mistaken by thinking that as you are on a dry island near the sea they are not there waiting to nibble you… Ask Steve.

Off wine tasting now and to figure out how to add pages to our blog.

Live happy
Debs and Steve

The Adventure Begins!

So what are we doing?

Giving up our corporate jobs and going travelling!

Budget – As small as we can.

Places – Where ever life takes us.

How – Creatively as possible.

We are happy to consider any interesting opportunities that come our way, paid or not that help us continue the journey. These can range from bespoke house/pet sits, working/volunteering for board and lodging etc. Whilst travelling we also plan to study wines and spirits too, so Deb can complete her final wine exams.

Feel free to contact us if you have any ideas/opportunities or cool places you think we really should look to visit 🙂

Thank you for visiting our blog, should you wish to follow us it would be great and we promise not to post more than once or twice a week.

Live Happy

Debs and Steve