This trip was a first for us: our first European trip we actually checked a bag. Normally, we each just travel with small backpack and keep things light. But this time, we decided to spend four nights camping scattered throughout the week so packed all of our camping gear into one big suitcase.
The first night of camping went really well. The weather was mild, with just a bit of rain that made for a pretty sweet vibe. We scored a spot right by the ocean and went to sleep that night to the gentle sound of waves. The next day, a storm rolled in with strong winds and rain that didn’t seem to ever stop. Much of the day was spent tucked inside the tent, taking turns venturing out whenever the weather calmed down a bit or not just to get out.
The wind got worse and worse to the point where our big 4-man tent was just getting battered and beaten down by the wind and it became pretty clear that spending the night would make for a very long night with likely not much sleep. We were scheduled to check into our airbnb the next night, so we made a desperate attempt to see if we could check in a night early, which we were!! It'll be hard to forget the mad scramble we made in breaking camp in the pouring rain and monsoon winds in temperatures that 'felt like 38 degrees' (in August mind you). By the time we were all piled into the car we were soaked to the bone, freezing and had all our camping stuff jammed packed any where we could fit it in the car. We've never been so grateful for a warm bed that night, a hot shower and shelter out of the wind and rain than we were that night.
The kids still talk about that stormy day/night in the tent at 'poopland' (campsite nickname given by the kids due to the amount of sheep poop everywhere) — watching movies, listening to the wind, and laughing together while the rain poured outside. Even though we were able to camp just one night on the trip, it still turned out to be a highlight. 
No comments:
Post a Comment