Locked the office door. Now starts vacation

Feels almost like somebody EMPd the house as all computers malfunctioned this morning

Flying to Berlin. First stop will be Riga

Decisions, decisions. Our night train will take us to Basel, Milan or Rome depending where we jump out

Venice. Breakfast and prosecco on the balcony of our rooftop suite

Strolling on the sunburnt streets of Rome

Slow morning, soon we should pack and find out where Trenitalia wants to go today

Probably south, but this is the nice thing about traveling without plans: we just take the train that seems best at the moment

In a local bus headed for Pompeii. Hoping for no volcanic activity today

An excellent day among the ruins was concluded by some sashimi and soju

A day in diverse trains and ferries brought us from Vesuvius to Etna

Ferries to Tunis and Alexandria being full of Ramadan-goers we shall backtrack a bit and head for Bologna

Alas, the train broke down and horrid Sicily maintains us in its hold. But maybe we can get to Rome, sans lits

The journey progresses. Now in a train headed for the French border

24h of diverse trains and delays brought us from Sicily to France

Booked a night train to Spain. This leaves the whole day for exploring Nice

In San Sebastian. Another night train will take us to Lisbon tomorrow

Refreshing beer in the shade of an aqueduct in Lisbon

Found hotel room door wide open when returning. Seems nothing is missing. Thanks anyway, incompetent staff of Amazonia Lisboa Hotel

Still the day to spend exploring Lisbon. Then a night train will take us to Madrid

Enjoying a pint of bitter in a Gibraltar pub. Africa is nearly in our grasp

In Tangier with a pith helmet in my bag. This is where one would start the quest for the Star of Africa

The train ploughs through dry red hills. We wait for arrival and the moment of iftar, hungry and thirsty

Hot day in the bazaars of Marrakech

Headed for a camel ride. Tonight we’ll sleep under the stars in Sahara

Zagora. Sign says it is 52 days to Timbuktu on camels. Tempting

I have watched the moon paint shadows of our caravan to the sands of Sahara

We took a walk in the desert to watch the sun rise. Then we jumped on our camels. The trip home has begun

A gun was fired to mark iftar, so it is time for cheesecake and mint tea

Camel, bus, night train and ferry later we’re back in Europe

From 45 degrees to 11 degrees back home. Seems the summer really is over

Photos on Flickr