I’m imagining I had a camper van. We could drive around cozily, bringing our own everything with us, self-sufficient. My little family.
Pack our bikes on the roof: two big bikes and two small ones. Explore lands foreign and familiar.
Rain or shine, we’d stay comfy and warm, fed and rested. Noses pressed against the cool windows, watching meadows pass, cows, counting red cars, playing I spy with my little eye…Maybe a game of cards on the table – do I even own a pack anymore? Editing photos on our phones, planning a swim. The boys absorbed in reading comics and adventure novels, certainly not arguing over petty things like who wears which shirt. Sunsets admired together, happy chatting, excitement for what’s ahead.
Our camper would have solar panels on the roof powering an espresso machine and a fridge, and everyone would get a say on where we stop. Never too many stops. No hurry. All the time in the world. Time and ice creams. Maybe one day.
The photos are from a day trip to Tampere last summer (the 3rd largest town in Finland.) Tampere was a only few hours by car and back the same night. We visited two different playgrounds and not much else. It was a playground trip!
66 replies on “Are Daydreams Still Alive?”
Sometimes it’s nice to daydream and escape reality. 🙂
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Yes, totally! Especially with this virus everywhere.
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Ohh, I support your van. With friends we often said we would get ourselves a VW van and do a tour of Europe. Never even got near getting the van. You paint a beautiful, serene, picture-perfect scene. I’d love to grow up in such a van. When the boys are a little older, you’ll be able to balance every playground with something you’d really like to see. Never give up on your future-to-be.
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I don’t mind playgrounds, actually 🙂 They provide something to do outside, which I would normally avoid over here in always-bad-weather-land. Although some playgrounds are built so that kids require constant supervision – it’s a treat to find one that’s so safe and interesting that you as a parent can actually sit down for a minute! 😉
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“Sit down”? You mean you don’t play on the playgrounds too? 😛
Last week I hit my head on a bit of playground equipment, reminding me that they’re often not built for full-size humans. Perhaps a playground for grown-ups can be my daydream 🙂
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A playground with a grown-up gym would be perfect!!!! 👍👍👍👍 Most my time is spent walking behind the boys while they climb way too high to places they can fall from badly. Not relaxing at all!! 😂
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Haha fair enough!
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I have a similar dream, which is even stronger as the country is now in this rather surreal situation – lockdown. Your pictures look marvellous, the scenes bright and idyllic, like a summer dream. Take care and enjoy some quiet time. 💜
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Thanks dear! I’ll be working from home the whole time, whilst watching two wild kids, so no quiet time for me. As an introvert, I don’t mind lockdown (though Finland isn’t quite there yet) but I’m a bit worried about how we can avoid going out to the local playgrounds since we live in a flat and don’t have a backyard of our own. They boys can’t stay locked indoors all the time. Hmm. 🤔 Surreal is the right word! Maybe one day our road trips will cross, Isabelle, wouldn’t that be nice! 😊❤️ Take care xoxo
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It’s lovely to hear from you, snow 😊 I understand it so well – working while looking after the kids. All my three are having online lessons at home. Parents are supposed to help children get through their lessons, homework etc. I’m an introvert too so frequent socialising isn’t my priority. But I do enjoy going to cinemas, museums, libraries on my own. Now they are all closed. Yeah maybe one day we’ll encounter one another on the road. How lovely that will be! Stay safe and take care. 😊❤️
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😘
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Sounds so idyllic. What a life that would be. 😃
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Yeah! Who knows.
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That’s a good dream!
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Thanks – and yes! 🙂
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It may have been just a playground trip, but it inspired you and made you wanna spread them wings 🙂 good you have taken a break, even for a day… and who knows, the best endeavors all start from a small dream 🙂
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Hey, when did you reappear on the blogging scene?!? Cool to see you here! 🤗 And you’re right: small dreams are the start of big dreams.
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I’m so happy to be back after a very long break and I’m following your lovely and inspiring journeys as ever ♥ xx
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❤️🌺❤️🌺
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That’s one of my dreams.. camper van and go..;-)
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Yeah! Now I’m thinking, maybe an electrical one, so it’d be more eco-friendly! 😀 By the time I have money for one, there’ll probably be all sorts of electrical ones on the market 😀
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Hi Snow, long time no see. Your photos make me long for summer 🙂 The camper van and the road trip sounds so relaxing. It’s one of my dreams to go on a long road trip, possibly with a camper van 🙂
Have your boys already started fighting over who wears what shirt? 😀
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Hey Pooja, I was just thinking of you! 🙂 The good thing with a camper van is that it can take you a n y w h e r e! 🙂 And yes, the boys fight over shirts already!
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Sometimes I have the same daydream… When we are hiking and we have to come back home, I wish we had a campervan, so we could stay for sunset and later watching the stars in an awesome Swiss landscape… And then, wake up and see the sun rising behind some impressive Swiss mountains…
But then, I remember that I would miss a morning shower too much, hehehe. I love the mountain but I’m not yet a “camping” person, hehehe
So my dream campervan will stay being that, a dream 😛
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Ah, but my camper would definitely have a shower! And toilet! Nothing less luxurious for me! 😀 I’m not a camping person either, but idle road trips are another story. Hope you’re well, Mercedes!
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I like your dreams. Same as mine. Maybe we will meet halfway when we will go around the world🙂
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Yeah! Meet halfway, I’m down with that! 😀
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It’s nice to dream!
On the west coast of Canada, I was very surprised to see how many people actually live in vans. Mostly it’s the young folks who live for surfing or younger tourists going x-country.
While I’ve seen a few vintage VW camper vans, mostly these are stripped down mini-vans which have been built up with a raised deck for a mattress and cubby holes to hold gear.
Mostly these are DIY conversions, sometimes with sketchy additions. Like a wood burning stove! Until I moved to the coast, I’d never seen these. Probably because in the city they’d be quickly impounded for safety reasons 😉
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I guess I’m thinking more of a caravan-type of thing. A luxurious one. But I wouldn’t mind of it looked cute and retro 🙂 We don’t see many of them over here. But wow, a burning stove – sketchy indeed!!
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I think that dream of living – and traveling – in a self-contained little world is very appealing to many people. I used to envisage a similar ideal, but in a small sailboat – floating around the world, dropping anchor at places that struck my fancy, moving on whenever I liked. It’s a pleasant escape from the daily grain and, perhaps, one day, it will come true. We can only hope.
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Ah yes, a sailboat – that’s another dream. Though I’m a bit scared of storms. But a houseboat, now that would surely be something! Mostly anchored safe and sound, but free to leave at anytime. 😊 The sailboat dream reminds me of a non-fiction book read called Love With a Chance of Drowning https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16242289-love-with-a-chance-of-drowning
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That looks like a book I would enjoy. I’ll have to see if I can find it.
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I like your daydream, it makes me daydream! 😀 Camper van, long roads, mountains, sunset, sunrise, hot drinks at night outside the campervan gazing up at the stars above; wondering if the stars know what they shine upon. Hihi
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Yessss, star gazing, would love that! Sounds so cozy! Add maybe a sunset swim in a pristine lake and it’s perfection! 😊
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Gasp! That addition is really perfection! 🙂
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😁
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Great post 😁
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Why thank you!
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I’ve often thought RVing would be a fun way to travel, but my husband swears he could never drive “one of those things”, and I certainly couldn’t either. I guess we could hire a chauffer.
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Well I don’t drive at all! 😆🤣 But it’s just a dream! (And hubby is my chauffeur) 😁
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Keep your daydreams, Snow! Coincidentally, I daydream of some places just like some of your pictures. I used to do this kind of thing up and down the east coast of Australia. B.C. – before children, of course. It was carefree and such fun. We didn’t have a lot of money so would take our food for three or four days and cook in the free barbeques in the parks. We were like the grey nomads, but 50 years younger! I can relate to your yearning for time – you will have that, but the boys might be much older. Still, this is a daydream to make a reality one day. You won’t regret it.
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😊 So many dreams, let’s see which ones are fulfilled. How are you – tough year eh?
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So far, this year is especially difficult, so it can only get better! I can’t really complain, though. But as a vulnerable person, the health issue is a concern.
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Hi Snow! How are you doing? You have been on my mind for some days now,especially with all that is happening around us. How is it there?
Lovely post, as always. I have always wondered how it would be to travel around in a camper van! I can’t imagine it to be anything but a lot of fun!! Hopefully someday somewhere I can find that out…who knows! Going back to a ‘normal lifestyle’ seems like a daydream under the current circumstances. Hugs to you and the little ones:)
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Hey Moon, thanks for the lovely message! How are you and the kids coping? Here, schools are closed but daycare open. I opted to watch the kids at home rather than take them to daycare, though it’s very hard since I’m working from home too. It means most of my work will be done late in the evenings. Long days. Otherwise I don’t mind working from home, I like to do so regularly anyway. I walked past the boys’ daycare today and felt a pang of nostalgia – odd, since it hasn’t been that long, but things certainly feel like ”normal” was forever ago. So much keeps happening in a day with the virus and government. Hope you’re well!!
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So true…normal seems like forever ago. Glad to know that you are doing okay. It is tough on the kids, especially my son as outdoor activities are restricted too…parks are open for biking and walking but you can’t be on the swings or slides! We are trying to come up with newer ways of keeping them busy…let’s see how that goes! Stay well:)
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And why shouldn’t you dream, day or night? 🙂
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Exactly 😊 Thanks for stopping by!
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A playground trip.
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Yeah! 😊 How are you?
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Haha. I feel like I’m in a boat, in the middle of the ocean, sunny day. Flat quiet sea, but I know a hurricane is coming. Just don’t know when… 🙂
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Hi Snow, how about this summer? As we can’t go anywhere else, why not? 🙂 Although the rentals may be sold out by now, as are most of the summer cottages…
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Hmm, not a bad idea, I actually paused to think it over. But I’m not sure I’m up for traveling during covid, I just can’t handle the risk of last minute changes to plans, with my already quite stressful life 😆 It just doesn’t seem relaxing. Then I’d also worry about the rental’s cleanliness (and corona). What about you, less busy now – why did your job end? Stay well! xx
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Yes I do understand that travel at this time is not ideal. Maybe a cottage would be a better option or summer in Helsinki ❤️ You might think I’m less busy now but I have somehow managed to fill my days with cooking (so sick of it), yoga, walks and books. I’m doing a project, so I knew all along it would end June 2020. Not the best time to look for new opportunities though! Take care xx
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As rootless wanderers, we are probably the only ones in Finland who don’t have a cottage. We always spend all our summers in Helsinki 😊 Which isn’t exactly a great summer town, btw! Last summer went mostly at the playground. Let’s see how this one will go. Good luck job hunting, dear Suvi! ❤️
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Suvi, I must report that we actually looked into caravans now 🙂 But they’re long gone, all rented.
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Great post. You have brought wonderful dreams to my mind while I wait for these endless “Groundhog Days” to pass. Thanks
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Thanks, Geri, for daydreaming with me 😊Happy you found your way here
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AIt is a comfortable place to visit
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I think daydreaming is healthy. It´s a time where we let ourselves off our guard and just let our subconscious desires to take over.
i do it once in a while.While watching the snow, rain and even staring at my plants I daydream, even for a distant future.
With kids, my daydream is always stopped with screaming and calling my name—Yes, I need to get back to reality!
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I feel like this world has turned into one where daydreams seem so impossible now. Even before Covid. Climate change, people attacking others, organised crime migrating from country to country, hate speech, online bullying… oh gosh. I worry constantly! 😳
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Hahah, we evolved into worriers…but also covid warriors!
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And our kids? Covid warrior generation? 🤓
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Now we have covid vocabulary!
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Hey Snow! Am finding my way to this post through Random Raiders …
I sure hope daydreaming still happens … don’t know what we would do without them!!!
My family (I was 15 at the time) took a camper van holiday on the West Coast one summer. We drove all the way from LA up to Oregon someplace and then back again. It was quite an adventure; we still take about it 40 years later.
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Some adventures end up becoming a part of our life stories! How fun your camper van trip sounds 🙂 Thanks also for random raiding me! It’s such a fun idea, will have to do another raid round soon myself!
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