Das große Bulli-Abenteuer Europa: Von Lissabon nach Lappland
The renowned photographer Peter Gebhard (GEO, stern, National Geographic) was once again on a spectacular journey through Europe with his iconic vintage Bulli "Erwin": An almost unbelievable 25,000 kilometers were traveled by him and his assistant Tobi between Lisbon and Lapland!
On the rugged Atlantic coast in Spanish Galicia, they were out with shellfish gatherers, encountered a heat shimmering desert in northern Spain, discovered a vintage Bulli on a lonely peak of the Pyrenees, and met a young woman from Allgäu in Liguria who was elected by the villagers of the mountain village to be their princess.
They spent a few days with a young farming family on a high alpine pasture in the Swiss Alps. In the scorching heat of August, they crossed Germany from Lake Constance to the Oder estuary and puttered further east into the Baltic States. Every day brought special encounters: with ferry operators on the Main and Elbe rivers, an old shipyard worker in Gdańsk, VW Beetle fans in Riga, a German Mennonite who emigrated from Bielefeld to rural Estonia...
Of course, there were also mishaps, accidents, and breakdowns on the adventure trip: In the midst of a tiny Pyrenean village, the clutch cable snapped, on a godforsaken gravel road high in the sea Alps the starter refused to work, during the annual alpine drive in the Swiss mountains the gear shift jammed...
100 kilometers before St. Petersburg, it was initially over – the Russian border guards only allowed their citizens to enter by land. So, they drove through the endless forests of Finland and encountered the Sami reindeer herders at the Arctic Ocean, whom Peter Gebhard had accompanied as a young photography student 25 years earlier on their trek. The little boy who had helped his father at work in the corral had grown into a strong man, whose son stood by his side just as he had. A fireworks display of northern lights crowned the highly emotional conclusion of the journey at the northernmost point of mainland Europe!
With great passion, Peter Gebhard discovered the fascinatingly diverse beauty of Europe on his new Bulli adventure and, thanks to the many touching encounters and stories with his charming vintage Bulli, also sensed the soul of our continent.
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
