Sunday was the day—we officially hit the road!

After saying goodbye to family, we finally drove out of Eindhoven toward the German border. We’d planned to take it slow, avoiding highways and instead meandering through backroads and cute little towns. Our first destination: Dortmund. After dinner, we decided to go for a bike ride and explored the city, passing through the center and cycling past the football stadium. It was a relaxed way to get a first glimpse of the road life.

Our first morning

The next morning, Lennard worked remotely from the camper for the first time. Luckily, the internet worked right away, and he could get started without issues.

While Lennard was working, Anne got busy in the camper. Even though we’d been prepping for a long time, the van wasn’t fully finished yet. We’d started laying a new floor before leaving, but it wasn’t quite done. Some stick-on tiles were still missing here and there. We’ve made good progress this week, but honestly—there’s always something to fix or finish in a camper.

A magnificent week followed

On day two, we drove via Winterberg to Wetter. We took a short hike in Winterberg, which was fun because Lennard had snowboarded there once—seeing it without snow was a different vibe. That evening, we parked up in Wetter, where the surroundings were beautiful. We ended the day with a lovely evening walk.

The next stop was Marburg, the city of the Brothers Grimm. We found a camper spot near the center by the river. The moment you walk into the old town, you really feel the fairy tale atmosphere they captured in their stories.

From Marburg, we continued to the Edersee. Along the way, we passed a western-themed village and decided to check it out later that evening. To our surprise, there was a full-blown western party going on—live music, people line dancing, and everyone dressed cowboy-style. Such a fun surprise! We stayed longer than planned.

The next day, we were hoping to go fishing, but the weather had other plans. It poured all day. So we made a travel day out of it and drove quite a bit toward the Czech Republic. We ended up in Nuremberg. It was still raining, but true to our Dutch roots, we hopped on our bikes and explored the center anyway. We walked around, had a few beers, enjoyed some great food, and biked back to the camper—wet, tired, but satisfied.

Our first week on the road

Sunday brought us into the Czech Republic, with our first planned stop: Pilsen. Anne had never been to the Czech Republic before, and she didn’t quite know what to expect. But it became clear quickly: the roads worsened, signs became unreadable, and diesel prices dropped significantly. Pilsen didn’t really charm us. Sure, we had a local beer, but the city felt grey, rainy, and a bit bleak. To top it off, our water ran out, and we couldn’t refill it without Czech coins. So yeah, not the most glamorous evening.

All in all, it was a fantastic first week. We saw beautiful places, ate well, got surprised, and learned a thing or two. Casa Mariposa is officially rolling!

Casa Mariposa Meter – Week 1

🌟 Highlight
Western party at the Edersee – boots, line dancing, and live music!

😬 Low point
Pilsen: grey, wet, no water, and no coins to get any.

🏕️ Best overnight spot
Riverside camper spot in Marburg – pure fairy tale.

🔥 Chaosmeter
7/10 - Very messy camper while we find a spot to put everything away

📊 Overall score
7/10 – Rainy, a bit chaotic, but hey—it's all part of the journey!