I left Seattle, United States, in early April 2003 to resettle somewhere in Europe. I had then lived in Seattle about 22 years. There were many very good friends that I left behind, and this was a difficult decision. But despite all the good years I had had there, I still felt more like a European than an American. And I also wanted to be closer to my family.

So the question was where in Europe to live. I felt I needed to revisit the countries before deciding. It soon became a natural choice to once again travel around in a VW van. I had done this first in 1969, the first trip to Asia visiting Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran. In my second VW van I traveled overland to India in both 1971 and 1974/75.

I bought a used VW van in Germany. The original plans was to buy a camper van, but they cost more than I wanted to spend. So I bought a regular van and then outfitted it myself at my parents' home in Lidingö, Sweden. The design was pretty much like the one I had used on the van in the 1974/75 trip. But this time I had more luxury items, like a fridge, running water, a toilet, neon lights, etc.

Pictures

- the van at my parents home. The white square near the bottom middle is where I can plug in 220 volt electricity
- I used the original rear seat for comfort. I had to move it sideways to make room for the sink and the fridge. The white fridge is small, but adequate for my needs
- the propane stove and sink. The white board above the fridge can be retracted
- one of the two neon lights
- the table that can be used for dining, computer work, etc.
- the sleeping arrangements for one or two people
- the sleeping arrangements for three people
- the rear storage