Quarantine in a motorhome

No one was prepared for this  pandemic . Nobody expected all of a sudden, the world would stop, and with him all our plans. The   quarantine  grabbed  us all where we were: some at home, others far away.  Carmela and Fernando  are an Argentine couple who were found by mandatory confinement in Spain  , touring Europe inside a mobile home  .

Isolation means we have to stay in our homes. But when your home is a vehicle, what is really your place? For this couple of  musicians , their home is anywhere they are. But the  Spanish police  do not have the same perception, which has brought them some bad drinks during their   journey    amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fernando Bernstein makes his living playing the  bandoneon , guitar or handpan on the street or where the doors open. Carmela León is an actress, singer and painter. He leads a  traveling life, in which he subsists with changas and participating in plays.  On August 21, 2019 , together, they began an undated return trip. The aim was to get to know the old continent and process its European citizenships. On the way they crossed with  “La Gitana” , their mobile home, and with the  coronavirus . Neither of the two things were in their plans. Because, in short, they didn't have too many plans: just surrender to the adventure.

An unexpected end

In  Pescara , a town in central Italy, they crossed with  “La Gitana” and it was love at first sight. They immediately contacted the owners, two “nonos” who sold it at a fairly affordable price. So, they did not think about it: they added the  motorhome to  their  journey  and followed the journey, now on wheels.

To survive, they were touching on the street on tourist sites. From Italy they went to Barcelona, then to the Basque Country and from there to Galicia. They left for Seville through Portugal. Then, Cadiz and finally  Malaga . In that city they decided to settle for a while and found an excellent source of income in the  tourism  of the place, which is permanent.

On  March 14 , however, everything changed. The Spanish Government imposed the state of alarm and  compulsory confinement,  and they had to lock themselves in their mobile home. From the city, they moved towards the  mountain , because police checks were sometimes excessive. One afternoon, a local neighbor approached them while they were parked at the side of the route and asked if they needed anything. They told him they could use electricity to charge their devices and be able to connect with their families. The man proposed to them to stay for a while in a farm, where they could be more comfortable.

A  quarantine on wheels , a trip without plans and an unexpected outcome.

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