Our departure was chaotic.
But then again, how could it have been any different?
How do you pack up the contents of an entire house after living there for eighteen years?
As it turned out, about a third of the things we had accumulated weren’t really needed at all. We happily sold, donated, and gave away countless possessions. Our house is now rented out for the time being, and everything we own fits into a storage space of about 15 square meters—plus a few cherished pieces of furniture, like our beloved tatami mats.
In just a few days, another reality will become very clear: everything we need for the foreseeable future will fit into our bicycle panniers.
The part of Nirmala that enjoys a little luxury has had to make some compromises. The beloved body oils didn’t make the cut. Still, a few comfortable and beautiful clothes found their way into the bags. Living exclusively in trekking gear and synthetic outdoor clothing simply isn’t an option.
Even the day before our big departure, chaos still ruled.
There were still people sitting in our garden celebrating the founding of a new partnership company. Only then was the handover of our tree care business finally complete.
What a birth process it had been.
For months, minds had been spinning, decisions had been made, paperwork completed, and emotions moved through all of us.
And just as a side note: if this handover hadn’t worked out, we would have set off on our journey while still carrying the financial responsibility of paying for a wood chipper and a company vehicle every month. That would have made this adventure almost impossible.
My husband was far more relaxed about the whole thing than I was.
“It’ll all work out,” he kept saying.
Meanwhile, even one day before departure, I was still thinking:
“Well… this should be interesting.”
And believe me—I was very interested.
Finally, everything fell into place.
The contracts were signed.
We toasted with alcohol-free sparkling wine.
And just like that, there was a new chapter for us—and a new chapter for the company as well.
The wonderful people taking over the business are continuing the work under the name Weser-Aue Tree Care.
Watching something that has been such an important part of our lives move into new hands is both emotional and beautiful. We are deeply grateful that the company can continue to grow and serve people, even while we follow a very different dream.
And now, with the final signatures in place and one last big exhale, the road ahead is finally calling.
Has anyone ever gone out for ice cream with 65 people—plus a handful of children riding along in bicycle trailers?
Well, now we have.
To be honest, the farewell gathering on the village square felt like a dream. Between the circle dance, the shared breakfast, and the endless hugs, the three of us moved through it all in a kind of trance.
On that first day of May, each of us hugged more than eighty people.
And most of them joined us for the ride to the ice cream shop in Stolzenau.
Looking back, it’s actually quite remarkable that we managed to leave on our planned departure date at all.
Especially during the final week, we were surrounded by angels in human form. Friends helped us empty and clean the house, cooked for us, ran errands, and took countless tasks off our shoulders.
Things still got a little hectic, though.
One clue: Petur somehow packed the T-shirt he was already wearing, plus one spare shirt—but also six pairs of trousers.
Three of them are winter trousers.
Need we say more?
By the evening, the day first became heavy—and then light again.
Saying goodbye to friends with whom we had shared nearly eighteen years of life was not easy. These were people with whom we lived with open doors, shared births and farewells, explored the complexities of family life, community living, parenting, friendship, and all the beautiful messiness in between.
As the sun began to set, around fifteen of us arrived together at Lake Steinhude.
The campground was already full, so we pitched our tents at the edge of the forest instead.
And sitting there together, something struck us.
Why do we so often make time for each other only when something significant is happening? A farewell. A wedding. A crisis.
In eighteen years, we had never gone camping together or shared a picnic by the lake.
It became painfully clear just how precious every encounter is.
Every conversation.
Every friendship.
How extraordinary it is that we get to travel through this life alongside these particular people.
Just as everyone was wishing us a good journey, we found ourselves wishing the same for them.
Because, in truth, we are all travelling together.
Whether we are cycling around the world or simply moving through the inner landscapes of our own lives, we are all passengers on this Earth hurtling around the sun at roughly 107,000 kilometres per hour.
Some travel outward.
Some travel inward.
Both journeys matter.
And beneath it all, we remain deeply connected.
For two more days, our friends Konstantin and Jakob continued travelling with us.
Konstantin, in particular, has been an incredible support over the past weeks, helping us prepare our bicycles.
Because if we’re being completely honest: we have very little idea what we’re doing.
We don’t fully know what equipment we’ll need, how often maintenance should happen, or how to use half the tools packed into the pannier that is entirely dedicated to bicycle repairs.
Apparently, bicycle touring comes with its own culture, vocabulary, and rituals.
We’ll tell you more about that another time.
Then came the next farewell—the last one.
And that one was especially hard.
We truly hope that friends will come and visit us somewhere along the way and perhaps cycle a section of the journey with us.
Jakob? Konstantin? Deev? Kathi? Lara? (We can always slow down… or even push the bikes if necessary.)
And Petur’s friends?
Since Nirmala will occasionally return to Germany to teach silent retreats—though we have absolutely no idea yet how we will manage the logistics—it seems entirely reasonable that someone could join us for a few days each time.
At least, that’s how we’re imagining it.
As we write this, we have already cycled around 450 kilometres as a team of three.
Nirmala’s bottom hurts. A lot.
Petur would happily increase our daily distance to at least 100 kilometres.
And Lukas concluded after our first maintenance day that he never actually wanted to become a bicycle mechanic after all.
It will probably take some time for us to find our rhythm.
To discover a pace that works for all three of us.
A way of travelling that allows each of us to flourish.
We’re learning as we go.
More stories soon—either here on the blog or over on Instagram.
Sending you lots of love from the road,
Nirmala, Lukas & Petur ❤️
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