Seats you

The first shots of the camper with the panels back in. We're still missing the panels near the skylight as we're waiting for a clear day with no chance of rain before we attempt to fix the problem. But already it is looking beautiful. Different types of wood have been used throughout so the panels aren't uniform in shape, but it does seem to add to the vintage look. I love how warm and homely it makes it feel and I can't wait to wake up to that beautiful curved ceiling. Once again, it is very reminiscent of living on the boat.

Today we started to build the bench seats. We've ordered four seat belts for the back of the car. With three in the front and four in the back we should be able to fit seven people in the Fiat once it's up and running. Perfect timing for our trip to Denmark and for exploring Austria this year with all the guests we have lined up.

It starts here

It started with a fire truck.

Woz was spending an evening looking up weird and wacky vehicles on ebay late one night when he found a vintage German firetruck for sale. It had been converted somewhat into a sleeper/camper and his eyes lit up as he scrolled through the photos.

He was met with an outright no.

It was a bit of a random thing to look at for us. We're not camper people. I think probably we think we are a bit young for it. But who are we kidding? I'm 38 and Woz is 43. We're collectively nudging our way into 'middle-aged' and camper vans are looking seriously seductive. Especially when we have Europe on our doorstep. Landlocked Austria (where we're based,) shares the borders with seven countries. Perfect for road trips.

A few days later, Woz showed me some photos of a Fiat 238 camper with only a few days to go on Ebay. Having warmed to the idea of something camperish related (keeping in mind the last thing I looked at was a firetruck) the Fiat looked exactly like us.

'Buy it!' I exclaimed and a very surprised Woz jumped straight on it. As the clock counted down we put in our top bid and waited the last few seconds. Winning the auction was the best feeling in the world. A whole new world of travel had just opened up to us and a new way of life. It opened up Fiat Freitags. Friday afternoons where we take off in the Fiat and explore some of Austria's gorgeous scenery, with a free roof over our head and no need to pack. Just like our barge years but with a little more freedom and a little (just a little) more speed.

 It is the beginning of a new era of learning and exploration for our son Nate and a remedy to quench the relentless thirst for travel in us. Languages, smells, food, people and spectacular scenery await!