How Sir Lancelot Brought Smiles To Strangers During Our Pandemic Roadtrip

We are globetrotters. Always were. Even the corona pandemic didn't stop us from travelling. When I say us, I mean me and my best friend Sir Lancelot Von Phillipsdorf.

Yes, I am actually using his surname as my Vocal Media nickname.

I adopted Sir Lancet in September 2021 because of selfish reasons. My other dog, Ceasar was getting very old and I knew that soon he will pass away. So I had to act quickly to ease the excruciating pain when Ceasar passes away and adopt a dog of the same unique breed and from the same ancestry so they are blood-related.

It was time to travel back to Europe to see Ceasar and be with him when he passes away as I had to leave him behind with my father for two years. Something that I still can't get over with. But I just had to go back so I am with him when his time comes.

Sir Lancelot, then just 7 months joined me in the car and we set off from Manchester to Hull, where we were about to catch an overnight ferry to the Netherlands.

There were certain things I disliked about my “pre-pandemic” travel that has made me more stressed: long queues, delayed flights, lost baggage, accidents on the road, tedious border controls, crying babies, and fear of being mugged, just to name a few.

But our pandemic travel was different — it was somehow better.

The only reason we were both comfortable travelling during the pandemic is that we are able to follow all precautions and that we are good at planning in advance for worst-case scenarios.

But also we are both resilient.

You see, my dog is a special kind of breed. Not many people know. Sir Lancelot is a Hovawart. This is an ancient breed of German origins.

They are mountain dogs that come with a particular set of skills; skills that they have acquired over a very long period of time. Skills that make them a nightmare for criminals and loving lifetime companions for their owners.

Skills that distinguish them from other dogs. Hovawarts are warriors. That's my Sir Lancelot, a knight in shining armour.

Before we embarked on a 1,200 miles journey across Europe, Sir Lancelot received a special grooming treatment.

After that, we were on our way and we found kindness in unexpected places.

I was surprised to find the attitudes of people we have encountered on our journey to be relaxed and welcoming.

Before embarking on our journey, I felt somewhat stressed, especially with the majority of government guidelines and the somewhat negative portrayals of travel by the media. Also, I expected people to shame me because we chose to travel.

I expected the worst, but instead, the best happened.

Not so long ago, I hated passing border controls. I was often faced with grumpy, exhausted-looking personnel who in certain countries seemed to enjoy picking on people to try to find issues where none existed.

On one of my travels to Israel, I felt as if I was being interrogated by the border control, as it seemed “suspicious” why a young woman would be travelling alone to Tel Aviv, even though I was just a young entrepreneur asked to be a speaker at the conference.

During my journey with my Knight, our stop at the border control was surreal. The officers were too kind and welcoming as if they too, missed human interactions. One of them complained about how deserted the border has become and how they missed the long queues of cars. Now, they are “happy” when five cars show up, as they are able to work. Many of their coworkers were put on furlough or just lost jobs.

They expressed how eagerly they wait for travel to return back to "normal". Out of habit I always handle Sir Lancelot's passport only when asked to do so. Upon checking my passports, the young male officer asked, flirting:

“And who is that blonde lady hiding in the backseat?”

The officer was referring to my oversized puppy, who was seated behind me, and as he was unable to see him well, he assumed that it was a person, perhaps my friend. I lowered the back windows and the face of my dog appeared. The officer gave a big laugh, he seemed somewhat embarrassed and added: “Well, that explains it then. You are free to go!”

I’ve never had such pleasant small talk with a border control officer before. Nor did I feel as if could connect to them. I used to be asked too many questions especially because I am a holder of two passports and have multiple residents permits. It was always baffling to them. Adding a dog to the mix and explaining that he is a "European" citizen was somewhat tedious for me.

Pandemic travel led me to think differently about those who guard our borders and make sure we are safe. They are humans like we are, and often, even if they are not allowed to show it, they miss the small talk and jokes, too.

Before boarding the ferry I had to show my negative Covid tests, and Sir Lancelot's chip had to be checked. There was no one queuing. Lancelot was overexcited so he just had to mark his territory. I apologized to the lady who was at the desk for my puppy and explained that he too was in quarantine for some time, and forgot how to socialize. I didn't tell her that it was actually my fault that he became a jumpy dog, we used to dance together to the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack. So jumping and hugging people stuck with him. Just to confirm my statement Lancelot jumped on the reception desk as if saying:

"Here I am! Scan me, so we can go! I want to go!"

Just then I was informed that he is an oversized puppy and that he will need to be put in the kennel. Even though I booked specifically a dog-friendly cabin I was devasted. How could this happen? I am not sure if it was because of my saddened face or because of charming Lancelot's but a miracle happened. The lady told me to go and find a man by the name "Miguel" and he will help us out.

As soon as I parked the car on the ferry that was taking us back to Europe, the staff approached me. They were ready to take my luggage to my room, assist me with Lancelot, and also informed me about the new delicious menu onboard at the “sundeck” restaurant. I was swamped with information and appreciation for being the 6th passenger on this ghostly ship.

As the unknown men started leading me towards the room, I've asked him if I could speak to Miguel first. The man smiled and said: "You are speaking to him. I was informed already about you and your puppy...I will be taking you two to a new cabin..."

As he opened the door to the cabin, I realized how small it was, Sir Lancelot barely squeezed in but I didn’t complain as I was grateful that he wasn't put in the kennel. The first thing that Lancelot did was jump on the bed and look outside of the window. Soon he realized that it was a fake window.

Miguel read the sadness in Lancelot's eyes and told me to wait in my room while he goes to check if another room was available for us.

I was aware that there were only around five or six cars on the ferry, so I was pretty sure that the room will be available — but what will be the price for the upgrade? It must cost a fortune!

In 15 minutes I was informed by Miguel that we could swap the room for a bigger one free of charge, and my Sir Lancelot is very welcome to stay there.

Lancelot, a jumpy dog as he is, jumped as if to hug or dance with Miguel who hugged him back. I've learnt that Miguel has been working on the ferry for 16 years and that next month he will be losing his job. So many of his colleagues have lost their jobs, their passion, motivation, spirit, mental health and loved ones due to the corona pandemic. While Miguel lead us to our new room we exchanged contacts as I wished to stay in touch with him.

Perhaps one day, I would be able to "repay" his kindness. Just as I was writting down his email and telling Miguel I might be able to introduce him to some friends in the tourism industry he burst out laughing. He could not stop. He was holding his stomach and trying to catch his breath. I turned around just to see another "embarrassment" happen on board.

"No need! I haven't had such a good laugh in a long time, my dear. Thank you Sir Lancelot for that!"

I had to laugh too. So after scooping his poop I was led to a new room. The room was incredible! I am sure that in “normal” circumstances my puppy would be put in the kennel. However, I was travelling during the pandemic, therefore, my dog, my best friend, my co-traveller and I received a spacious club cabin to enjoy to ourselves.

Sir Lancelot could finally look out of the window and guard us and decide whether he would be sleeping with me in bed or on his own bed or on the floor. What luxury!

As soon as I unpacked, we went to explore the ship. There was so much entertainment on board: arcade machines, cinema, onboard casino, shops, and restaurants. We headed for the sundeck restaurant to find it completely empty.

It was past 9 p.m. and the kitchen was closed. But as soon as they've seen Lancelot's "puppy" eyes, the staff decided to open the kitchen just for us two and they seated us by the corner window. He had a little bit of my pork ribs, after all, he did deserve it!

While the world was burning, my partner and I were sailing in the middle of the North sea, just us two, having a meal and listening to Phill Collins in the candle-lit atmosphere. I would never believe that this, too, could be another face of the travel — romantic, calm and soothing. But perhaps it isn't. Perhaps it was like this because I had the right companion with me.

I wished we could sail like this forever.

Later that evening I walked Sir Lancelot to a special dedicated area on the ship for the dogs to empty themselves. Instead of doing that he decided to destroy a fake tree which was supposed to encourage him to pee. Well, we tried...

That evening Lancelot slept in his own bed and had no more "accidents" on board.

Early morning, we arrived in the Netherlands and we embarked on an 800-mile journey by car. As my partner and I were already in our romantic-adventurous mode, we decided to pick “castle-route” for our drive.

The name of this route speaks for itself. Castle after castle and picturesque towns full of half-timbered buildings awaited us At points, it felt as we were transported back to the Middle Ages embarking on the trail of emperors, kings, princesses and knights...

We were in Germany, in his homeland. My dog is a noble dog. You won’t see him eating leftovers or chewing chicken bones. He is only satisfied with the best. Hovawarts used to live in castles as guard dogs. The name Hovawart, literary means “guardian” in German. Hovawarts were also considered one of the 5 most noble dog breeds in medieval times.

They were trained to hunt for robbers and miscreants. Tracing the origins of dog breeds is very difficult. But there is clear evidence that Hovawarts existed in medieval times. There are countless textual mentions and inclusions in paintings of this breed.

Back then Hovawarts were companions of the higher class community. One of the earliest mentions of the Hovawart dates to 1210. German castle was caught in a fire and the son of Duke was saved by a Hovawart, who managed to drag the child outside and save his life.

The child grew to become a prominent figure and wrote the code of law called the Sachsenspiegel. The law lists Hovawart as one of the breeds that must be replaced and paid restitution for should someone either kill or steal the dog.

Sir Lancelot could not stop looking outside of the window. I am sure he felt he was "home".

The route that we took prides itself with over 90 magnificent castles. Fairytale palaces that never fail to impress visitors with their fascinating insights into the past. We have managed to see only around 10 castles from the comfort of our car. When the restrictions lower we will make sure to fully experience all that this route has to offer. Back then we are satisfied by the small preview that we were generously given.

We have made only two stops on our journey as the driving was so joyful. For the majority of the time, we had the road to ourselves and it seemed unimaginable that not too long ago the roads were bursting with traffic. It won’t be like this forever. Things are coming back to the "new normal".

The countryside that we passed was just as varied and awe-inspiring as the local history.

We arrived late in the evening at our final destination. Travels usually exhaust me, but not this one. I haven’t felt so refreshed and full of energy in a long time. Somehow the journey has opened my eyes to a completely new world of travelling — or perhaps I just had fewer distractions on the road, which used to take my attention away from matters the most — myself, the journey and my Knight in shining fur.

I’ve visited over 30 countries on my own without my dogs and often I have to think hard to remember my journeys, somehow I remember them easier by all the annoying, bad and ugly things that have happened.

“That time I visited North Carolina?”

“Oh yeah, I remember how I got stuck in the airport for 12 hours, how the Uber driver overcharged me and that annoying lady that spilled coffee at me in Starbucks...”

But there was so much more to that journey but I have to remember, to separate the experiences from the distractions.

During my journey with Lancelot, I had zero distractions. In fact, I felt as if we had the whole world to ourselves. I've realized that there is a huge world out there, and it is waiting for me and him to explore it together.

I am done travelling alone. Since that day I and my Knight travelled to France for a ski trip, to the Czech Republic for spa treatments and to Montenegro just because we can and we should.

I've realized that special moments can be created anytime and anywhere. It just matters who is beside you. I know now who stands by me the same way I stand by him.

Always and forever.