On my way back from the Git Merge conference in Brussels, I picked up the camper van near Düsseldorf.
My first ride started with 188,987 km on the odometer.
Google told me that I should make the 566 km to Berlin within five hours.
However with 88 horsepowers, 2.6 tons and a straight windshield, you can’t take advantage of the German highways without speed limits. I was mostly cruising behind trucks with an average speed of 85 to 90 km/h. 
Driving the van felt really awesome: a lot of space, a comfortable seat high up, the sound of the diesel engine, the huge steering wheel and the simple instruments. It’s everything you need for a relaxed ride. This is totally the right vehicle for me! 
Apparently Google was wrong. With 85 km/h you can’t make 566 km in five hours. After about 300 km it was already dark, so I decided to spend my first night in the van.
During February it’s still cold in Germany: -2°C (~ 28°F). Time to test the heating, my sleeping bag and the mobile SIM-card to watch movie on Netflix.
What a great feeling, I can sleep wherever I stop. My bed is always with me!
Another 250 km the next day and the van was finally in Berlin! 
On average I burn about 13 liters of diesel for 100 km (~ 18 mpg). Compared to what I read online, this seems to be an acceptable consumption. I also noticed that the timing of the automatic transmission is not perfect. The first hidden issue to investigate! 
I can’t wait to start working on the van once I’m back from my trip to Mexico!