Munich, Germany
Very motivated, I started driving towards Munich the next day. It was a spontaneous decision since I slightly diverted my original plans. So I texted my friend living there if she had time to hang out spontaneously. She did. And so we enjoyed a sunny summer weekend in Munich with some Indonesian friends. We went to the river, the famous park in the centre, played tennis, and had nice food. A usual weekend when I visit my friend in Munich. Always relaxed, but active at the same time.
I planned to stay only for a night, but this turned into three. So much I enjoyed it. My goal is to reach Finland by camper. It’s a long way up. I took a week off for the upcoming week since I knew it would take a while to arrive, and I’m also not used to driving for long. So step by step. But it took me way longer than expected. I was calculating with 3 days, but it will take the full week. But that’s fine, “The journey is the reward”, as we say in German.
I was able to leave Munich in the early afternoon. I continued to drive in the direction of Poland. A couple of kilometres before Dresden, I stopped to rest for the night. The next morning, I had an appointment with a friend for breakfast, with whom I was working on a project. We had only collaborated online and never met in person, but we finally made it to meet in person.
Warsaw, Poland
Next off was Warsaw on my camper trip towards Finland. I wanted to arrive in the city before it got dark to look around while it was still bright. I arrived at dawn. The good part was that I could search for a spot to park in the centre while it wasn’t pitch black. Finding places in a safe and good location isn’t always easy, but in Warsaw, I was lucky.
My years of travelling and making friendships all over the world paid off on that trip. Everywhere I go, I know people. So it was in the capital of Poland as well. Years ago, I stayed a week there and met a Couchsurfer with whom I went out for a drink by the river. There was also the UEFA Euro 2024 going on, meaning live viewing everywhere. Portugal was playing, so we sat down at a bar and watched the end of the game.
Riga, Latvia
One quiet night in Warsaw and off early the next morning to arrive in the next capital by the evening. I also underestimated the distance, but it’s not close again. It is almost 700 kilometres from Warsaw to Riga, which means it takes around 7.5 hours to drive. I usually need a break after 3-4 hours of driving. Good that I have my bed with me, and I can leave the road and nap. The road in Poland was very decent, just after crossing the border to Lithuania, the highway stopped, and I had to continue on normal one-lane roads. This means I usually had to follow some trucks with a maximum speed of 90 km/h. After driving on German highways without a speed limit and averaging 160 km/h, it felt especially slow now.
Finally, I arrived in Riga at around 8 p.m. It’s good that the sun isn’t setting very early as I went further north, so I was still there before sunset. Another friend was waiting for me on the city’s outskirts, prepared with a picnic for dinner. We went sunset watching at a hilltop. It was very relaxed, a nice talk, and perfect to calm down from my long ride.
The next day, I wanted to take it easier. I calculated a break in Riga to go around. I decided to drive to a nearby beach for a walk and enjoy nature. There was a lovely forest before ending up at the beach. It’s not a beach to go sunbathing. We’re in the North, and the water is cold, and the weather is windy, as well as during summertime. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the walk and the piece. Then, I headed to a spot by a lake to fly my drone and take some nice aerial photographs. Later, I met a new friend from Couchsurfing for a drink and some interesting conversation. He could even speak German and was a doctor. Always nice to meet new and interesting locals.
Tallinn, Estonia
My drive continued in the morning on still bad roads. The road network isn’t really expanded in Latvia, but it’s getting better, as I figured out in the discussion the evening before. Today’s destination is Tallinn, 300km North of a four-hour drive. That’s doable, and I’ll arrive in time to explore the city. People recommended the historical centre of the capital of Estonia. I walked there and had food—a cute and modern city centre. Estonia is famous for being very digital, and the government is pushing that forward.
The next morning, my ferry to Helsinki was leaving. Estonia is at the end. To the right, there’s Russia, and the only way to stay within the European Union was via ferry, which I took. Before departure, I went to buy some beers for friends in Finland and filled my car with gasoline. Things are about to get more expensive.