Where we live

It's all about the journey

Zara could tell you that we can cross Europe with all our belongings without knowing where we will land.

In Istambul a few years ago we went to the harbour to eat a fried mackerel sandwich, a local tradition. We saw people scurrying through the crowd to jump on ferry boats. It was late in the afternoon. We just followed everybody else and jumped on one the ferries as it was leaving. It pulled away full with passengers. People made space for us to sit on a bench. The boat took us straight into the sea. Our excitement turned to silent concern as we lost sight of the Sulemaniye. Ahead of us we could only distiguish a few lights in the very far distance.

We left London in the same way without knowing where we would live. We knew that we wanted to live in the mountains in Bulgaria. We had an idea of the region where we wanted to be but nowhere to land. Mariya had spoken to people we had never met, contacts of contacts, who said that they might have a place for us to stay. But it wasn't ready for the rough balkan winter.

After 2 weeks living in the camper van we were happy to find this unfinished house to have a break. We soon realised that Camila was cleaner and more comfortable. Yet we were grateful for what we had. We could finally unload the trailor box and the camper. We made the best of what we had and started right away cleaning, re-organising and searching for something better. We were happy to be here. The rest we could sort out.

In Istambul our impulse led us to discover a small island in the middle of the Marmara Sea. It was so calm and peaceful. There were no cars. Houses were clean and stylish. The pace of life was relaxed like a weekend resort. There was a power cut. The restaurants on the shore lit up candles for each table. The silent island was surrounded by a black oily sea with in the far distance the city lights like a ring of fire.

We managed to get back to the European side of Istambul with the last ferry. Mariya and Zara fell asleep on the boat.

And our journey continues...