Whenever I see an interesting van, I want to meet the owner. A couple of weeks ago, I saw an old Mitsubishi camper van in a parking lot in Madrid. The camper looked cosy and had a Portuguese license plate. When I knocked on the camper, Mauro opened the door.
Mauro is from Argentina, about my age, a pianist and travels through Europe, too. Before he bought his Mitsubishi in Portugal, he spent about a year traveling through Argentina and Chile in a van. Instead of working remotely for a software company, he plays the piano to make a living. He has a huge repertoire of songs that he usually plays in hotels, restaurants or on the street.
His English is slightly better than my (bad) Spanish. It took us quite some time to exchange our travel stories. But it worked! Here is a photo that we took, before he was leaving on his way to Valencia:
Within a couple of hours of his departure, he arrived back in a tow truck with his camper on the back. On the highway around the corner, he had called the recovery service because his engine was broken. 
As he was short on money, he decided to stay at the parking lot and play some music in Madrid, until he’ll have enough cash to get the engine fixed. Since then, we’ve been neighbors and became friends. The other week, I joined him to watch him playing at a restaurant around the corner.
He’s great! I really liked it!
You can find out more about his project on his Facebook page or Youtube channel. In case you’re looking for a pianist or know someone who’s looking for a pianist, get in touch with him! 