EVERY END HAS A NEW BEGINNING

As their Big European Odyssey draws to a close, Marcus, Kim and the children explore Bavaria’s magical architecture and visit historic Berlin

We were standing beneath the crisp blue sky, looking up at the vast grey slabs of concrete that were once part of the infamous Berlin Wall, when a single word entered my mind. Freedom.

The Wall itself is a symbol of freedom, or at least it has been ever since it began to come down in 1989; so perhaps that is why today, of all days, I was preoccupied with the idea of being free, of having the precious ability to enjoy living the life we do.

It’s 687 days since we set off on a trip that was, originally at least, only going to be for 12 months, a trip that has literally changed our lives, the way we view the world and how we want to live in future. A trip that has become our way of life.

Total freedom to travel

We slowly meandered our way along the section of the Wall that is known as the East Side Gallery, where various artists have been commissioned to use the hulking stretches that are still standing as their canvases for all manner of different art works.

At this point, I realised that throughout our travels in the past months, we have had near total freedom to go where we please and do what we want – within reason, of course.

It felt odd, then, to know that in less than two weeks, we’d be returning to the UK. The very thought of being back where we started had a hugely symbolic ‘this is the end’ feeling to it. Even though we knew that it wasn’t.

Kaleidoscope of memories

We stopped in front of one particular painting, a sparse, evocative landscape that drew you in, and in the midst of bustling Berlin, I was suddenly far away from the street, my mind beginning to whir through a kaleidoscope of memories from countless days spent exploring in mountains.