After exactly 22 months and 19 days on the road, we're back in Luxembourg! Yes, it was an emotional moment, after not having seen family and close friends for such a long time.
A first detachment welcomed us at the border in Schengen: my sister (with Ceylan, her golden retriever), friend Isabelle with my godson Eli (I'll remind him when he's older that we first met on the parking lot of an Esso station...), a few members of the Luxembourg Land-Rover Club - and the press!
The guys from the Luxemburger Wort (the largest daily paper in Luxembourg, in which we published a fortnightly column during the trip) wanted to catch us "fresh" from the trip. After a brief interview in their headquarters in Luxembourg-city, we finally left for Stadtbredimus, the idyllic village on the banks of the Moselle river, where part of my family comes from - and where we'll settle down for the time being (email us for contact details or check the SnailFriends section).
(Ferry Alexandrie-Venise)
It is still not easy to describe our state of mind right now. We are very grateful to have been able to complete this adventure in good health and without any accidents or without having ever feared for our safety. A bit of pride is involved too, for having found the strength to leave our comfy lifestyles and go out into the world. We have our heads crammed with impressions from visiting half the world in a - relatively - short time. There are no regrets therefore about the trip having ended now - all this needs to sink in and settle before we can think of new adventures!
(Venice: what a welcome in Europe!)
That doesn't mean there won't be any challenges: already after a few days, we realise that we're going to lose some of that near-absolute freedom we've been enjoying these two years. We need to write down appointments, think of when the garbage truck comes, be on time at meetings, I might even have to go back to wearing a watch!
(Austrian landscape at the Achernsee near Innsbruck)
At the same time, it's fantastic to be able to chat with family & friends "live" (meaning, without Skype...), to not have to think about a camping spot for tonight, not to have to fight off beggars all the time, to find a well-stocked supermarket with all our favourite foods (although veggies don't taste as good as they look), to speak your own language, to be in familiar surroundings, to be home.
The website will remain online for some time: some sections need to be completed (especially the one with tips & tricks), I'll post a post-trip assessment of our equipment - and keep you informed about upcoming projects (there is talk about a book, let's see how that goes). Also, we would value feedback on how you liked the website so far, including suggestions for improving it in the future.
Having more than 200 registered readers and several thousands of monthly "hits" has supported us in updating the site regularly, and has given us a feeling that we're not alone "out there"... So, thanks for your steadfast support in this regard!
I would also like to seize this opportunity already now to express our gratitude to those among you who supported us more particularly during this trip, either through managing our affairs here in Luxembourg, welcoming us (often as complete strangers) into their homes in many different countries, or helping us with advice and information along the route. This sort of trip is unimaginable and actually quite senseless without such encounters: please stay in touch - and visit us in Luxyland!!
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