Writer: Helena Bergström
Wow, we've been on so many trips this autumn! It's been great fun, but also exhausting... Right now, we feel like we need to stay at home for a while to recharge our batteries. Soon enough, we'll be itching to travel again, we know how it is...
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Home from the last trip of the year
The last trip of the year was to the island Usedom on the Baltic Sea coast, where we visited the German imperial seaside resorts of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin. This was a very, very enjoyable trip and we can warmly recommend everything about this destination... except for forget your mobile phone in the taxi and miss the ferry home!
That part was actually quite difficult, and we are grateful for all the kind comments we received. People could have criticised us for ”should” have been more on top of things, but instead we received kind and encouraging comments about how we managed to resolve the situation. That really warmed our hearts!
We have already told you about the delightful island safari in a Land Rover and about two lovely spa hotel on Usedom. Our guide to the island will be available soon, with lots of tips!
New projects
Now we are back home in our houseboat in Stockholm, and it feels really good. If we had had our way, we would probably have started with a few days on the sofa watching television, without going outside, but that's not how it turned out. We have several new projects in the pipeline, ranging from telephone meetings to physical meetings at the Uzbekistan embassy. We'll tell you more when the various projects are a little further along!
Hire a car to take us to the motorhome...
Another thing we had to deal with was the motorhome. When we put it into winter storage, after the whole mess when everything in the motorhome froze solid, we thought everything would be ready, but that wasn't the case. not. We have rented space in the same garage for several winters and have always had electricity connected to maintain the batteries. So this time too, we thought.
However, after a few days, we received a text message saying, ”We have disconnected the cable because electricity is not included this year due to new insurance regulations.” We cannot find any evidence that we received this information in advance and feel a little cheated, but we do not have the energy or strength to do anything about it.
Men This meant that the batteries had to be disconnected – otherwise we would not be able to start the motorhome in the spring. The garage is far away and we do not have a car, so we had to hire a car for four hours and spend half a day on this ”adventure” ...
The motorhome was in its place in the garage, where we left it a few weeks ago.
Peter disconnected both the car battery and the cabin batteries, and then we drove back to Stockholm ...
This week: Grateful for…
This week, we are deeply grateful that Peter's lost mobile phone was found. We are grateful for all the help we received from the staff at the ferry terminal, the hotel staff and private individuals who helped us make phone calls. Wow, there are so many wonderful and friendly people out there! We are also grateful that we managed to get back to Sweden with new bookings, without incurring too many extra costs.
Your turn ... what are you grateful for this week?
The week ahead
Time is flying by, and Christmas is approaching! We will be at home in our houseboat, alternating between work and various mulled wine and Lucia celebrations. Here at FREEDOMtravel, you can look forward to a guide to Usedom and some content focusing on Lucia and winter. We wish you a wonderful Friday and weekend!
Did you miss the last Friday Blog? Read it The last trip abroad this year
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Friday blog: Lectures and party at Elmia Husvagn Husbil
Wintery everyday life in the houseboat marina
Friday Blog: Farewell party for Felicia – Vienna next!
Friday Blog: Norway Weather, Nortrip and Travel Chat
Friday Blog: Happy and intense days at the Elmia fair
English (UK) 
Svenska
Anna i Portugal says:
How wonderful that you've sorted out the motorhome, so you can put it behind you and let Freedom rest until spring. I really hope you get to enjoy some lovely lazy days on the sofa now.
12 December 2025 - 8:36
Helena says:
Yes, now we should be able to forget about the motorhome for a while! 🙂
15 December 2025 - 19:28
JoY says:
You've done a great job fixing the motorhome batteries. As you mentioned, it's quite a distance to travel back and forth, and you were lucky with the road conditions. I hope you get to relax a bit with some sofa time and films.
We have had a lovely week with our grandchildren and friends. Now it's time for a weekend of skiing, both on the slopes and downhill, on TV that is.
Have a pleasant third Sunday of Advent. Best regards.
12 December 2025 - 11:01
Helena says:
It's great to have grandchildren, friends and sports on TV! 🙂 Yes, it was a hassle with the motorhome, but now it's sorted...
15 December 2025 - 19:29
bmlarsreseblogg says:
Now we also think you deserve a few days on the sofa, watching a series or film. It's great that you've sorted the batteries on Freedom, but it's still awful that they didn't say anything about it before you put it in. There's certainly a lot to be thankful for, as your mishaps on the way home turned out well in the end. We are grateful for another wonderful week in Silves with two really nice excursions that will soon be featured on the blog. Today was a real stay-at-home day with rain all day, so we are enjoying winter sports on TV and blogs + YouTube films on our computers. Tomorrow we are taking the bus to Lisbon, where we have booked a couple of hotel nights to experience the city at Christmas time. The weather forecast is fairly good, so it will probably be a couple of intense days. Have a great time!
12 December 2025 - 16:47
Helena says:
It was strange that we weren't told anything about charging and batteries, but now it's sorted anyway... Have a really nice trip to Lisbon!!
15 December 2025 - 19:30
BP says:
I think you deserve a few days on the boat with nothing but good food and drink. I can attest that lazing around is also quite nice, especially when, like you, you've had a relatively stressful autumn.
ENJOY yourself at home. The weather is perfect right now for doing nothing sensible. It's dark anyway ;-)
12 December 2025 - 18:59
Helena says:
But, you know, the darkness invites us to do nothing, and that suits us just fine. Wishing you all the best!
15 December 2025 - 19:30
Marianne says:
It's strange not to provide information about the electricity supply where the motorhome is parked, and it's a hassle to have to hire a car and drive so far to fix the batteries, but now you've covered yourselves until it's time to drive out again.
There's usually a bit of stress around this time of year, but hopefully you'll have time to relax on the sofa and watch some television as well.
What am I grateful for this week? Hmm... well, I guess it would have to be that I've stayed healthy and that my training with my dog Harry is progressing.
16 December 2025 - 9:08