The nerves are rushing through our bodies. In just a few days, we’re leaving for Samos. Our entire household is coming with us. The moving company has collected our belongings and is packing everything somewhere in Aalsmeer, so it can all be shipped safely. After a wonderful farewell party, we truly felt ready.

The house is empty. It reminds me of when I had just moved in and there was no furniture yet. We’ll be sleeping on an air mattress for the next few nights. And that will probably be the case temporarily on Samos as well. Most likely, we’ll arrive before our belongings do.

We’re going to Samos!

We’re leaving on February 26, 2025. With a fully packed car, we’ll travel through Germany and Italy, cross the sea, and head toward our final destination: Samos. We’re taking a week to get there.

During our journey, the car won’t just be filled with the belongings we’ll need to get through the first few weeks. We’re also bringing Ushi, our 11-year-old rabbit. My friend for life. Yes, she’s coming along on the journey of her lifetime. We have no idea how it will go, but leaving her behind is simply not an option.

And we’ve had to arrange quite a lot at all the border crossings to be allowed to take her with us — what a task! Taking a dog or a cat would have been easier; the rules for them are clearly available online through various government authorities.

On the morning of departure, we first had to hand over the house to the new owners. Yes, talk about tight planning. Unfortunately, I was really, seriously ill. I couldn’t stand on my feet, couldn’t sit properly, couldn’t talk — I could barely do anything. It was quite a challenge, especially trying to stay upright at the notary’s office. Even signing my name was a struggle.

Before we actually left the Netherlands, we stopped by my father’s house. As a surprise, Robert’s parents were there too. I was able to lie down for a while and managed to eat some delicious homemade soup my father had made. Saying goodbye was hard. Actually driving away and leaving those dear faces behind — wow, I still get tears in my eyes when I think about it. The emotions rush through your body.

The car starts, and suddenly you think: “Why on earth are we doing this again? What are we getting ourselves into? What will this bring us?”

Holding our breath, we drove out of the street. The journey of our lives had begun.

Germany, Austria, Italy and across the sea

Germany was boring — and I was so incredibly sick. During the night, I was almost sweating out of bed, and I had brought only one pair of pajamas for this trip. Not very practical, but I hadn’t seen this coming. The next morning, we drove on to Austria. At times I started to feel a little better, and when we crossed the border into Austria — with Tyrolean music playing on the radio — I could finally enjoy the beauty around us.

The hotel we stayed in was absolutely adorable, with a fantastic view of the tall, snow-covered mountains. One more night of sweating, and the next day I felt a bit fresher.

In the shared kitchen, we were served breakfast by the owner, who was dressed in traditional attire. It felt like stepping into a fairytale. We stayed there for two nights — and honestly, we couldn’t have planned it better. We took the ski lift up the mountain and enjoyed the stunning scenery, the warmth of the sun, and a bowl of goulash soup. Robert even ran into an old ski instructor, and of course we had to take a photo together. And Ushi? She was recovering nicely too.

After two days in Austria, we headed to Italy. We stayed one night in Verona, right in the middle of the city. The car was parked somewhere in an underground garage, and Ushi’s crate barely fit in the elevator and through the hallways. Just not through the hotel room door — so Robert had to do a bit of adjusting around the doorway.

The next day, we were set to catch the ferry in Ancona. The journey would take twenty-six hours before we reached the Greek mainland.

The boat trip was an adventure. First, we had to stop by the ticket desk. We were really hoping everything had been arranged properly so that Ushi would be allowed on board. The employee behind the counter barely even looked at the paperwork.

Of course, there was a storm at sea. In the cabin, you were almost bouncing out of bed at times because of the high waves. Ushi, by the way, handled it amazingly well once again. The next day, from the deck, we could see Albania in the distance, the island of Corfu, and finally the Greek mainland. After about fifteen minutes of driving, we arrived at our hotel in Patras. Solid ground at last!

We made it!

After a good night’s sleep, we continued our journey to Piraeus to catch the ferry to Samos. You would think this port would be more organized than the one in Ancona. Well… it was complete chaos. Everyone seemed to board the ship all at once. The journey was supposed to take nine hours. But once again, there was a storm at sea. Near the island of Mykonos, we had to wait for about two hours until it was safe to continue sailing.

After a fourteen-hour crossing — even rougher than the previous one — we finally arrived on Samos on March 5, 2025, around four in the morning. We drove along the familiar roads to the village of Chora, where we had rented an apartment for the time being. Once we arrived, we quickly inflated the air mattress, settled Ushi in, and went straight to sleep.

What a journey! Our adventure on Samos has begun!