139399 KILOMETERS IN 1419 DAYS! THE ROADTRIP IS OVER!

Eight weeks ago, our trip of four years came to an end. To an end on very short notice.
After traveling the world for four years, Africa in particular for more than one year, and countless border crossings, police check points and chats with officials, we experienced the first real problems when the Senegalese border police refused us entry.
For 13 days, every day they came up with a new reason, usually Corona related, why we can not enter, while, at least at the beginning, there were no official rules in place that allowed them to do so. But, again, TIA, This Is Africa.
It is a long story but to keep it short: after almost two weeks living on the road next to the border post, we were allowed to enter when the German embassy in Dakar had sent a document, stating that we were expected to get on a repatriation flight to Germany. And that flight was leaving the very next day!
So, after finally getting that stamp into our passports we drove to the next town to get a special permit that allowed us to travel interstate. The Senegalese president had announced the state of emergency in the meantime while we were waiting at the border, and an interstate travel ban was part of it... We got that permit, drove 500 km, arrived in Dakar at 11 pm, made coffee, packed our stuff, made Willie ready for storage, took a quick shower, took a taxi to the airport at 6 am and four hours later we were on a plane to Germany - and our trip was over!
During the past two months, we have moved into a new apartment, bought furniture, started to prepare a garden bed to grow our own vegetables, met family and some of our friends, started to get back into business life. It feels good to be back.
We're still pretty busy every day. There is a lot to organize and do. But, probably more important, keeping us busy helps us settling into this new old life. The world is facing crazy times, so this crazy ending of our trip just fits in. There was no time for melancholy, no last night in Willie, no last camp fire, no last African street food, no last picture of our "other" life. It was just over in a heart beat.
We have to admit, we do miss this other life in the moments we allow us to think about. The freedom, the solitude, the nature, the wilderness, the simple life. But yeah, now it's time for a new chapter. We settle down. Adapting to a new environment, feeling home in random places is a skill that we learned over the last four years. It helps a lot now.
And still, after almost two months, we deeply appreciate having our families and friends close by, more than two pots to cook, an oven, a roof when it's raining, limitless WiFi, and warm water just pouring out of the tap whenever we want to.
And one day, we have to go back to pick up Willie and show him the rest of Africa on the way back to Germany...

Thanks everybody for following our trip over the past four years! Summing up our adventures while writing these newsletters was always good fun.
But now, there are no words to describe these years and sum up everything that has happened. We are just deeply grateful for this unforgettable time we had, the people we met, the experiences we made. 
Please feel free to stay in contact via email or on Insta and Facebook.
Maybe see you on the road one day!
And if that road leads you to Southern Germany, you are always welcome at our place!
All the best, and
TAKE CARE - OF YOURSELF, THE BEAUTIFUL EARTH AND EVERYONE YOU SHARE IT WITH!