Logbucheintrag 04 (english)

When the company decided to rent a VW camper van for the team I was stoked. Since I moved to Germany, I wanted to go on a road trip so bad. So, the FRIDAY bulli came along just at the right time. The route becomes the destination. This feeling of freedom to check out all the different locations on the way and to stop wherever you feel like was very tempting. Especially when you compare it with traveling by plane where you enter an iron box in city A and leave the box in city B. You're missing all the fun!

Filled with euphoria, I checked my driving license and of course it had expired in May... So, my plan to go on a road trip with my wife was put on ice. Luckily my parents decided to visit Berlin during that time so my dad could take over and drive the van. We decided to escape the crowded places for a moment or two. Instead of taking public transport which is a sweaty nightmare in the summer, we had the chance to rent a real vintage bulli.

Fun times set in while still driving within city limits. The van with its FRIDAY design hardly be overlooked. Everyone was curiously staring at it; kids were excited to notice the funny smiling faces covering the bulli - the attention was all ours. We immediately figured out the unique charm of our vintage ride that included weird noises, shaking when it got windy or the slow driving. All of these factors contributed to our road trip feeling.

We drove up to Liepnitzsee. The road to the lake was really beautiful. We passed by fields and small towns, where we stopped to get drinks and snacks. It's about an hour drive from Berlin and it really seems like time stands still there. The road took us into a forest, where we found a nice area to park near turquoise waters and tiny beaches awaiting us.

With plenty of hiking options around the lake, we didn't hesitate to pack our stuff and go for a walk. Soon enough we also found a terrific spot for our small picnic and we didn't see or hear another living soul for hours. I would say it's an ideal place to relax and recover from long Berlin nights. ;)

Since my parents had a flight to catch the next day, we couldn't enjoy camping for long at the lake. So after our brief adventure, we hit the road back to Berlin again. This was the first time my parents were in Germany or in Europe. Well, actually it was their first time abroad ever!

As a kid in Brazil, I remember our family going on road trips like this every summer, usually to the coast. So I guess the bulli was a very nice way to bring back those memories again.
We are living so far apart from each other now but we're still acting in old manners when driving happily to the beach (or the lake in this case).