Summer settled in and I let it take over. A run of festivals, most of them close to home, and the van earned its keep on the short hops just as much as the long ones — somewhere to retreat to when the noise gets too much, a bed already made, and never a drive home at the end of the night.
Five weeks on the road, most of them swallowed up by Morocco. The parts that stay with me: a night spent at the steps of the Kasbah de Boulaouane, breaking bread with its gatekeeper as the walls went gold and then dark — and, somewhere in the middle of it all, the two stray kittens who had smuggled themselves aboard the van and decided it was home (until I found them a better one.) There also was family again, faces I hadn’t seen in too long and happy to know I’ll see again. Now I’m turning north, back toward home, where summer has truly arrived ahead and festival season is warming up.
Furnishing the flat and settling back into “home life,” I caught myself reluctant to give it up again so soon — surprised by how quickly a place can take hold of you. What struck me was how little it took to loosen that grip: just a few days back on the road and the pull faded almost completely. May and June are travel days — France, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
Settling into the new flat. Days have been spent slowly picking out and buying furniture, letting the place fill in piece by piece rather than rushing it into shape. Early spring has been pulling me back into the city — stretched-out evenings, longer walks, the small rhythm of being in one place. Work has been heavy, and in the background, plans for a trip to Morocco are slowly taking shape.
A month lived almost entirely in Airbnbs. After nearly a year of moving, waking up in the same place for a stretch brought back a rhythm I hadn’t felt in a while — familiar, but quietly off, since the place was never mine. Then, at the end of the month, after close to a year as a nomad, I finally took possession of my flat.
Austria didn’t quite deliver a proper winter, but it did bring plenty of snowboarding, long walks in the cold, and a lot of childlike fun. It felt good to see my friends again and settle into a familiar rhythm. Toward the end of the month, I moved into an Airbnb, where I’ll stay until the apartment becomes available at the end of March.
I spent the month in Portugal, slowing down and resting after a turbulent year — or most of it. Storm Kristine swept through the region, leaving communities, including ours, without electricity or water for several days. Toward the end of the month, I began preparing for the next leg: heading toward Austria.
I stayed in Antwerp while closing a major transition. I cleared out my apartment, committed fully to van life, and used the city as a base for work, spring days, and preparing the studio renovation. I also started my first longer road trip toward Portugal, documenting the process along the way.
The pace slowed. I wrapped up administrative loose ends, spent time with people close to me, and took a spontaneous drive to Sweden for space and perspective. Work expanded with more responsibility, video making continued, and life balanced itself between the van, the studio, and a storage container.
Early summer brought festivals, friends, and late nights. Van life stopped feeling experimental and became routine. Work on the studio began, and I found myself halfway through the year feeling settled while still moving.
Summer unfolded on the road. I moved between festivals and long drives, from Zeeland through Belgium and Holland, then south via France into Portugal. Time in Galicia, the Bardenas desert, and a visit to the Palais Idéal shaped a stretch defined by movement, few plans, and plenty of quiet moments.
I returned to Antwerp for Boules d’Anvers, the yearly pétanque tournament I referee. I stayed with friends while finishing the last phase of the apartment and easing back into work. In the background, plans for a full van renovation started to take concrete shape.
The month was filled with train rides, seeing friends, and steady work as winter started to set in. I took a short road trip through Germany, then returned home to immediately tear the van apart and begin the next phase.
The month split in two. The first half was focused on building out the van. The second half became an escape into sun and distance: visiting family in South Africa, followed by a road trip through Namibia, marked by sand, open space, and finally seeing Death Valley.
The final weeks were spent rushing to finish the van. Once it was ready enough, I headed south and departed for Portugal.