July, 3 2019. I had bought a Kangoo, built a bed in it , celebrated my 33d birthday, said goodbye to my flat, city and friends, sorted out, sold and given all the stuff I had that wouldn’t fit in such a small living place. Ready to leave.
Everything started back in october 2018. I was roaming around in Montreal where I spent a month with my best friend and stumbled upon a ceramic-café… A café, where you could have your coffee while making ceramic. I immediately fell in love with the idea, especially replacing the “ceramic” part by a “crochet” part. I could already see that small and cosy place, with yarn everywhere and where people could crochet and order a vegan chaï latte and gluten-free pastries. The major problem about creating a place like that is that you should be able to settle down somewhere… And, as you’ve probably already noticed , I’m very bad at it (I moved place 8 times the past 10 years…).
So, I kept on thinking about the idea, slowly replacing the “crochet café” I had in mind by a “crochet bus” in which people could crochet and order vegan chaï latte and gluten-free pastries. Then, it became a crochet-campervan, then a crochet-caravan-behind-a-minivan… And here it was, the first step to that fun project : a crochet-minivan !
So, I decided to sell my very first car to buy this wonderful second-hand Kangoo with a beautiful sunroof and brought my inner handywoman to life to convert it into a tiny cosy house thanks to a great amount of inspiration from Pamthevan videos if you’d like to check !
First, I cleared the back…
… Then, built a flatter floor…
… put a wooden floating floor and started to build the bed…
In the meantime, my friend built some roof shelves where he also set rods for the curtains his girlfriend was making, thanks to the savant measurements we did earlier (we failed at that point and she had to go back and buy more fabric :p).
And here is the result, 6 days later ! I already felt like home and was so grateful to my friends without whom it would probably have taken 2 extra month for the same result ^^
A few days later, and 8 month after stumbling upon the ceramic-café in Montreal, I received my tailored matresses. My summer festivals calendar and a map with me, I was ready to go.
And that’s how started the adventure that made me abandon you for 5 months. I traveled from France to Belgium, back to France to Spain to Portugal in my tiny tiny house that was allowing me to see the big big world…
As you can guess, these 5 months were extraordinary and without a doubt the best experience in my whole life.
Sometimes, I would stay 2 or 3 days at the same place, doing absolutly nothing . Nothing. Not even reading a book. I sit there, looking at the beautiful landscapes before me, admiring birds, leaves dancing in the wind, the sun going up and down, the stars and the moon appearing slowly… It was the best feeling I ever had.
During all your life, you’ve been taught to jump from one thing to another, to make things, to talk with people, to move, to do sports… But when did anyone told you to “stop, make a step back and do nothing”?
The one thing this trip taught me is that sometimes, doing nothing is the best thing to do !
So, I didn’t crochet either. Or just a tiny bit : to fix a sweater, make something to hold my curtains closed and an other thing to hold my small water tank. I don’t even have a picture for that because I wanted to step out that habit to always show what I make (and sometimes, don’t even make it just because I didn’t feel like taking the numerous pictures needed to have a beautiful Instagram picture at the end).
And that too, was a great experience.
I came back “recharged” from my trip in November, settling in a house that I share with 4 other people in the south of France. Ow, I will leave again, for sure, but for now, I will try and live with the beautiful lessons learned during this trip. Allow myself to take breaks, doing nothing, allow myself to make things just for the pleasure of making them, and not only to share them afterwards, keep on living with few things and enjoying it !
This article was really different than the others and didn’t talk that much about crochet, but I really wanted to share this experience with you, and who knows, maybe will it inspire you ! :)
See you very soon, with some crochet this time, I promise ^^
Good for you. Glad that you are happy and look forward to some love new crochet designs soon. xxx
Thank you Tammy ! And yes, I’ll be back soon with some crochet stuff ! :) xox
Your post was indeed inspirational! I love that you intentionally “did nothing.” We need more of this in our lives. I hope you get to use your camper again very soon.
Thank you Yuna ! And yes, I already did ! But just for a few days during the week end (and much thicker blankets ahah). And I agree, we totally need to “do nothing” more often. We live our lives too quickly and don’t take the time to contemplate anymore !
Maravilloso, me encanta, también he tenido esa idea. Estupendo, estupendo, estupendo
Gracias Carmen !
Congratulations, highly, must have been an adventure for life.
Kisses
Tina
Thank you Tina! It totally was, I’m sure I’ll tell that story to my grand child if I have any :D xxx
Well done, sometimes we just need to do something different! Glad you enjoyed it😊
Totally ! Especially when you feel stuck in your comfort and habits ! ^^ See you soon ! :)
Hello!
Greetings from Portugal.
What an amazing thing to do! Love road trips but never been on such a lenghty one. Maybe someday.
Best wishes xx
Hey Carolina ! I had the opportunity to visit a bit of Portuugal during my trip, and it was amazing ! Sometimes you don’t need to go very far to travel a lot ;) Best wishes too ! xx
Wow, thanks for sharing. That is such a wonderful experience and opportunity you had. I must admit, it sounds awesome, but I am not that brave to do it on my own. I’m sure you have done your research on where to stay and which roads to travel for your own safety.
My pleasure Louise, I’m so pleased I could share this trip here ! And yes of course, I mainly stayed out of cities which are the place I wasn’t feeling safe, and had some basic safety habits too (like parking the car in a way I could leave quickly if I had too) ! See you soon :)
On my bucket list. Happy and jealous for you all at the same time!!
Ahah, I’m sure you’ll come to it too if it’s on your bucket list :) Good luck ! :)
Cool!! It looks like you had a great time! I understand the “wandering” itch. You did a beautiful job with your vehicle. I am pea green with envy! Hah! Did you go to all the festivals you wanted to go to? I like the “cafe crochet” idea (especially the travelling part)! You go, woman!!! And please keep us updated! Hugs!
Thank you very much Karen ! I indeed had an amazing time between nature and festivals (oh yes, I did a lot of that too, it was so cool to see that many people after seeing nobody for a couple of days ^^). And I still have in mind my café-crochet-bus (how cool would that be to come and see you all all over the world with the “Ahooka bus” ahah) See you soon ! :) xox
It’s great that you did this, I wish I was that brave! And I hope you come to The Netherlands with your crochet-minivan! :-)
Ow I almost did ! My plan was to come to the Netherlands at the end of August, but my car broke and had to stay a couple of weeks in a garage to be fixed, so it changed my plans a little ! I’ll probably come next summer ^^
WoW, what a wonderful adventure you have had, I am sure your have many stories to tell and loads of memories for you to keep.
Indeed ! And I’m pretty sure I’ll tell that story to my grandchidren one day if I have any :D
How exciting to be able to have such an adventure! You look so happy in all your photos.
Thank you Susan ! And yes, it’s because I was ! (and still am to have had the chance to live such an amazing experience !)
I would love to do something like this and have often dreamed living in my minivan.
Go Lisa Go ! :D Not alway easy but I’m sure that if you really want it you can have it ! :) Good luck !
Wow, wonderful idee, great adventure, beautiful lessons and tons of nice memories!
Thanks you for sharing this with is.
Ow Thank you Ellen ! It’s such a pleasure for me to be able to share this here ! And to have so many nice responses too ! Thank you again :)
I am so jelaous right now, I whish I could do the same thing but I have to work :P I don’t know how I would live if I do what you’re doing but I’m so happy you can.
Thank you Hermy ! I understand the feeling of obligations, but I think that at the end of the day, if it’s something you really want, you always have a choice (even if it’s just going for a few weeks or even a few days first !). Good luck to you! :)
Thank you for sharing your story. What a nice way to spend your life for a couple of months.
Isn’t it? I think we should all give ourselves the opportunity to disconnect from the madness of this world sometimes ^^ It was a pleausre to share a bit of my trip with you :)
Wow! Just wow. You envisioned it, you created it, you lived it. You can do anything. You are amazing.
Ow my, I’m blushing! Thank you so much Donna !
WOW what a SUPER vehicle !!!!! Very CLEVER all of it !
Thank you so much Els !
How absolutely marvellous, what a wonderful adventure. You make me jealous. Wishing you all the very best of everything. God bless you
Thank you very much Jan ! I wish you all the best too :)
What an awesome experience. I know u will treasure all of the pics and people you met along the way.
Oh yes ! Even the pictures I didn’t take but that are still ingraved in my mind ! I can picture myself telling that story to my grandchildren if I have any :D
What an inspiration…xxx
Thank you ! I’m super glad I could share this with you! xxx
Good for you! Sounds like a wonderful trip.
Thank you Brigitte, oh yes it was ! See you soon :)
So Awesome!
It was ! xxx
Really enjoyed your article on your trip. Hope you get to where you want to be. Life is too short to be somewhere that is not inspiring for someone with your talents.
Ow, thank you so much Donna ! I don’t know if I really know “where I want to be”, and in this case it was much more a matter of “where I don’t want to be” :D but hey, we have to start somewhere; don’t we? ^^
Just this morning I signed up for a talk on More Being and Less Doing! And then checking my emails, I find the link to your blog! The universe trying to tell me something?
Thank you so much for this inspirational message 😊❤️
Oh yes, don’t take the universe signs lightly, it will always bring you what you really want ;) My pleasure if I could be the “voice of the universe” for you today ahah :D
Meravigliosa!!! Ci vogliono esperienze come queste per apprezzarne altre; momenti per ritrovarsi e ricaricarsi per poi stare meglio con se stessi e con gli altri.
Nina
Assolutamente ! Grazie per questi preziosi commenti e scusate per la traduzione google di questo messaggio ma non parlo affatto italiano
and you never stopped at my place to say HI ……sob sob ….Next time ?
( right in the very centre of Begium…)
Ahah, fun fact? I’m Belgian :p So, I’m very likely to come and visit my family at least once a year ^^ See you next summer? ^^
What a wonderful experience!
A courageous proposal from someone who wants to resign his experience here.
Congratulations!
Thank you so much Denise !
que buena idea y hermosa experiencia! la convivencia con el entorno, sin hacer nada, solo integrarse! pero sin olvidarse del todo del crochet! Si vas a seguir haciéndolo, te recomiendo la Patagonia Argentina!
Gracias Ana ! Me encanttaria ir en Sudamerica el ano que viene ! Asi que porque no Patagonia !
Hi there !
OMG !! You come trice to France and I didn’t see you !!
I know a beautiful and breath taking spots by the sea in the west coast of France, even if they don’t have vegan gluten free cookies… 😓
And I have a wonderful friend nearby that’s awesome with crochet, she owned a little store where you just have to buy a little yarn kit or yarn because too many people came in for the free lessons and she lost of money…
Anyway, I’m in France, live there, moved a lot over the country so if you want to meet up with a French fan, it would be a pleasure 💕
Xoxoxo
And have a wonderful time in my beautiful country 😘
Hey Lily… Je pense que je peux donc te répondre en français, hihi ! En fait, j’habite en France depuis 11 ans maintenant, de quel côté es-tu?
Well done!! This is how you live life……
Oh wow, good on ya. You sound like you went to what I believe heaven would be like. Way to go. Very proud of you. When are you opening your shop and where. I could plan my next holiday around that…..
Fantastic. I have done so much of the same throughout my life. I started when I was 17. Being a Mum meant I had to step in to to the minion world again, but the children are independent now, so I can keep a foot in both Worlds, which I love.
Well done you. Never forget this wonderful life experience
Wow how awesome!! How freeing and inspiring to just be!