darkpathsadventures-blog
Dark Paths
A blog about the adventures of two goths in a cheap van painted dark colours with black metal playing in the background.
20 posts
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
Last Seen Blogs
mangatoon
mangatoon
meicals
Meical
kiralou02
Child of the Sunš¼š¾
1wngdngl
Drifting on the Winds
bitcrushgames
Bitcrush Games
Photo
G and Ts with new friends can never serve you wrong! Especially in Unicorn cups! #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlife #unicorn https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwt8lKiHGhz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2tjtt0rqk1dn
0 notes
Text
Warning Alarms, Thunderstorms, and Montserrat
Over the course of the last week or so, weāve found ourselves in the inevitable position of being a little skint. As it was always a certainty, itās impossible to be annoyed about, however it has obviously come with problems. As weāve largely just been enjoying ourselves over our time in the Barcelona area, itās been sat in the back of our minds but hadnāt actually happened until this point.
As weāre both experience marketers/social media managers/copywriters etc. weāve found doing remote work to be the best way to top up our funds and as such have been able to raise the numbers in the bank account a little - Iām going to take the opportunity to plug our various skills here, and encourage anyone interested in contacting us to do so at [email protected].
Ā Weāve now been in and around Barcelona for coming up to three weeks, and are looking to continue the journey by moving over to Portugal.
That said, weāve thoroughly enjoyed even the days when weāve been largely confined to the van. Yesterday, we watched a huge thunderstorm approach from miles away, coming over the mountains and eventually passing right over us. The joy of living in a van is obviously its ability to move, and so I turned the van round so we could sit in the front and watch the storm play itself out. To add to the drama, in the morning a chemical warning alarm was tested right next to our pitch, which was terrifyingly dystopian and certainly an experience I hope was one off.Ā
We also took the opportunity to drive to Montserrat, excited for some more mountain views, but as BEV was a) low on fuel and b) certainly not designed for being repeatedly driven up mountains, we decided to park up near the base and took a short walk around the scenic village. There was a road to the top, but given the circumstances (and impending rain we could see in the distance), we thought it best to return another time.Ā
#barcelona#montserrat#thunderstorm#stormchasing#portugal#surf camp portugal#travel europe#europe travel#travel blog europe#travel blog#travel bloggers#vanlife#vanlife diaries#vanlife europe#marketing#social media manager#copywriting#remote work#remote jobs
0 notes
Video
Watched this come over the mountains from miles away and slowly approach, we ran into the van just as the first drops of rain started to fall and turned BEV around for a proper view of the storm. Watched lightning crack above our heads and thunder literally shake the van all with the a thunderstorm soundtrack by the one and only @theoathbreakerreigns āš« #
#thunderstorm#lightning#rainstorm#stormchasing#vanlifeeurope#vanlife#barcelona#vanlifediaries#lifeontheroad#homeiswhereyouparkit#ambientblackmetal
1 note
Ā·
View note
Photo
Brief stop at Montserrat today, mountains all around! Unfortunately BEV is probably a little bit mountained out for the time being so this is as close as we could get. Does the trick mind! Donāt forget you can keep up with all our adventures on our website, link in bio! š¦ #montserrat #barcelona #budgetvanlife #lifeontheroad #traveleurope #vanlife #vanlifeeurope #vanlifediaries #mountains #clouds (at Montserrat, Catalunya, EspaƱa) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwCWniFnT7Q/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1stlyeo2jxdkk
#montserrat#barcelona#budgetvanlife#lifeontheroad#traveleurope#vanlife#vanlifeeurope#vanlifediaries#mountains#clouds
0 notes
Text
Open Mics and Long Walks
Itās been a busy few days settling into Barcelona. Following our victorious arrival, we had an early first night in an attempt to recover from the previous few days. On the 19/03, the following day, we met up with a friend of Mattās from our time in Brighton. Heād moved to Barcelona 3 years ago, and as well as giving us some helpful local info we spent the afternoon and evening drinking and chatting, touring a few spots before making it to an open mic night. Never one to turn down the opportunity, Matt got up and played a couple of songs (Ready or Not and a classic Would I Lie to You/Sweater Weather/Thong Song mashup) and nailed it, getting in an apology on Englandās behalf and the crowd singing along.
The following day we took it easier, nursing some light hangovers. The plan was just to have a wander about the city, see the tourist attractions, but as weāre used to smaller cities it didnāt really work out that easy a day. In total we walked about 25km and covered a lot of the centre - La Rambla, Mercado de La Boqueria, and the city beach. Returned to the van for dinner and used the gas stove for the first time (verdict: significantly better than the hotplate hob we had in the flat) to make chorizo and garlic pasta. Yesterday, we made our first proper beach trip of the adventure so far to a long stretch of coast behind the airport. A popular spot for kite and wind surfing, there was a lot of chop and a strong current so only dipper briefly as was desperate to get in the water to wash off a week of driving.Ā
#vanlife#vanlife diaries#vanlifediaries#barcelona#travelling#travel blog#travel europe#europevanlife#travelling europe#europe#sea swimming#musician#la rambla#mercado de la boqueria
0 notes
Photo
Walking round an abandoned castle this afternoon on the outskirts of Barcelona. Beautiful place to sit and play some guitar! We find places like this awesome because theyāve been left naturally in the landscape to desecrate, yeah thereās some graffiti sure but itās so much cooler than paying to walk round a looked after castle! Truly a dark path. #traveleurope #vanlife #barcelona #guitar #urbanexploration #vanlifeeurope #abandoned #vanlifediaries #homeiswhereyouparkit #lifeontheroad #vanlifeexplorers https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv6vEQjndUy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=eamjetg6zz4b
#traveleurope#vanlife#barcelona#guitar#urbanexploration#vanlifeeurope#abandoned#vanlifediaries#homeiswhereyouparkit#lifeontheroad#vanlifeexplorers
0 notes
Text
Oceans, Mountains, and Everything Inbetween
Left Gaillac at 07:00 after a 06:45 wakeup. Paused briefly to buy a pain au chocolate et cafe and then powered on down to Barcelona. Weather significantly less rainy. After a journey that was at time gruelling (in the immortal words of Matthew Rigby, āif thereās one thing I can do, itās gruelā) and at other joyous (the two most notable moments for my driving fried brain being a) rounding a corner to see the Balearic Ocean on the left, flat and shimmering in the sun, almost silver in the light and snow capped Pyrenees on the right, Ceret panning out in earthy greens and greys below. b) was much less majestic - we got stuck in traffic about 10 minutes from our final destination and after nearly 7 hours of driving and Gloria Gaynorās āI Will Surviveā came on the radio, leading to an all out, windows down, full volume rendition by myself, as we were stuck on a viaduct towering above a canyon below) we finally got ourselves parked up. Matt had planned ahead while I had been driving and got us a membership for a swanky smokers private members club, which was obviously our first stop and treated us to live jazz as we were sat decompressing from the previous few days - a perfect start to our time here.
#barcelona#BCN#vanlife#van life diaries#van life spain#van life europe#balearic#pyrenees#gloria gaynor#i will survive#420
0 notes
Photo
This hella cool poster in Barcelonaās free museum gives me a chance to talk about football - For those who donāt know Sagrada Familia is a beautiful Gaudi designed basilica, but itās arguably only the second grandest temple in town; Camp Nou has housed real gods, some even as prodigal as Messi. Johan Cruyff has always been a footballing god to me and I was trying to explain his majesty to Josie and how his legacy lives on through Barcelona and Ajax (both stadiums weāve been lucky enough to visit.) This poster commentates Barcelonaās 75th anniversary and now in their 120th year the same sense of community and style remains but now with Cruyffās prevailing way of playing the beautiful game. #mesqueunclub #barcelona #fcbarcelona #messi #cruyff #football #vanlife #lifeontheroad #vanlifeeurope #traveleurope #fineart #modernart #graphicdesign #posterart (at Sagrada Familia (metropolitana di Barcellona)) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv1twOjpNXL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k8uzu8arm7li
#mesqueunclub#barcelona#fcbarcelona#messi#cruyff#football#vanlife#lifeontheroad#vanlifeeurope#traveleurope#fineart#modernart#graphicdesign#posterart
0 notes
Text
The Soft Voice of the Google Maps Lady
Awoke to the sound of rain on the roof again so up early and heading South. Made good time and took a brief break a couple of hours in until the rain caught up with us again and we carried on. We were expecting to be in Sigean by 20:00, however Google Maps had been directing us towards a toll road which we didnāt realise until we were pretty much pulled up to it. Took the only evasive action available a swerved down a slip road which also spat us out at toll booths. Thankfully, it only charged us ā¬2,20 to turn around, but more annoyingly added four hours onto our estimated arrival time. Ended up taking a very rural route along roads which didnāt seem to exist on the map and up hills that, given the option, I likely never would have attempted to drive up. At one point, Matt informed me later, he was being made so anxious by the hill lines on the map he just turned them off and let the soft voice of the Google Maps lady guide us.
Despite the intrepid driving and the stressful nature of French country roads, we saw some beautiful places we never otherwise would have seen and as the sun was going down a hawk emerged from the trees above us, following the van for a good few kilometres. Ended up in Gaillac for the night, with 6 hours to Barcelona and only a mountain range inbetween.
1 note
Ā·
View note
Photo
Our timelines all over the place but hereās a lil shot from Barcelona š“šµ check out our website! Link in bio! š¦ #barcelona #sunset #vanlife #vanlifeeurope #vanlifediaries https://www.instagram.com/p/BvuYn2gpQ9A/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1m6a61n1x2w0v
0 notes
Text
Turns Out Thereās a Reason Itās The Road Less Travelled
Left Marche-du-Famenne early and after a couple of hours made it to Reims. There is a lot of France we canāt drive in due to the low emission zones that surround a few major cities, and our cheapskate nature means we have no interest in paying to drive on toll roads. As a result, the next few days are going to be a real zig-zag across the country. Reims made for a good stop off, where we got an excellent pain au chocolate Ā and coffee and stretched our legs a little. Rain continued until later in the day despite having made significant progress South again. We spent the night in Bourges, in a ācampercar parkā - designated parking areas for campervans for up to 48hrs. Not the most romantic spot as is essentially a commercial park, but felt secure and less stressful than last nightās swimming pool.
#marche du famenne#reims#france#pairs#lol jk not paris we cant drive there because we are waaaaaay to emissive#pain au chcolate#coffee#bourges#van life#van life diary#van life europe#travelling europe#travel blog#travel bloggers#van life france
0 notes
Photo
lots of winding, wooded roads - these are beautiful to drive down during the day, but take on a much more eerie and spooky feel after dark.Ā
#forest path#woods#witchcraft#spooky#creepy#scary woods#road less travelled#roadtrip#vanlife#van diary
0 notes
Text
Anxious for No Reason
Left Camping Zeeburg at 12:00. Got about an hour down the road when a) we realised Mattās wallet had been left on a table in the reception and b) a mysterious banging noise had started on the outside of the van. Given our history with solar panels, we instantly freaked out, worrying panel 2.0 was loose and taking as slow a drive as 5 lane European motorways will let you go back to the campsite. Retrieved Mattās wallet and the campsite kindly allowed us to borrow a ladder to investigate the source of the noise. A false alarm - the radio aerial had come loose from the cable tie that held it against the van and was banging against the metal in the wind - nothing a bit of duct tape cant fix.
After leaving a second time, we made relatively good progress South but the weather remained poor. Ended up parked for the evening in a swimming pool car park in the Marche-du-Famenne region of French Belgium with rain still beating down on the roof and having driven through Liege in the dark to make it there (canāt say I recommend a dark drive though Liege, as there were a lot of confusing road works going on and a right turn up a steep hill so sharp I couldnāt get the van round in one go, irritating a fair few Belgium drivers as I reversed and pulled round). Emotions running a little high today as we make the transition from holidaying to being on the road, but we expect to be in Barcelona within a few days, and are hoping the weather improves as we make our way down.
0 notes
Text
Element of Apprehensiveness
Yet another day of rain. To conserve money, we waited until around 15:00 to go into town. Largely uneventful but thoroughly enjoyable final evening in Dam as we spent about 3 hours just walking about town, interspersed by tea and later a pitcher of Jupiler to share. Can sense an element of apprehensiveness from both of us as we come towards leaving the campsite - the drive to Amsterdam is one weād done before and being based at a campsite had given us some stability. From tomorrow, weāre free camping and driving in places weāve never been previously, which as two anxious people is a terrifying prospect but arguably all the more important we do it for that reason.
#amsterdam#jupiler#vanlife#anxiety#mental health#vanlife europe#vanlife amsterdam#netherlands#belgium#france#anxious
0 notes
Photo
a very friendly, very stoned resident cat at Hill Street Blues. Honoured when he came and sat next to me - on our last trip he even fell asleep on my lap!Ā
0 notes
Text
Everyday Adventures
The weather remained poor today so instead of taking the bikes out we followed the river from the campsite to Ijburg, a series of manmade islands with some beautiful light, modern homes on the streets we walked down. Returned to the campsite for lunch and then walked (with the end goal of the nearest coffeeshop) in the opposite direction for an hour or so. After returning to the campsite and discovering the vending machine containing smoking papers didnāt work, we took the opportunity to get the bikes out and ventured back to Ijburg armed with some poor Dutch and a bit of enthusiasm. The sun had made itās boldest appearance of the trip at this point, and after a successful mission we returned for a dinner of one pot chicken and potatoes.
#ijburg#amsterdam#zeeburg#vanlife#holland#the netherlands#van life europe#420#amsterdam coffeeshop#camping#travel europe#europe travel
0 notes
Text
Albert Cuypt
A somewhat more subdued day, we had some much needed sleep until 12:00 and took a slow start, leaving for Albert Cuypt market at about 14:00 where we had an excellent chicken sandwiches for lunch with Stopperlij (almost definitely spelt wrong, but a dough-y sugar-y ball of raisin, apple, and apricot) for dessert. An afternoon spent adjusting to the realities of budget van life, but enjoyable regardless.
#vanlife#vanlifeamsterdam#amsterdam#travelling#travelling europe#europevanlife#market#van diary#van conversion#van living#van life amsterdam#goth travels#travel blog#travel blogging#goth
0 notes