Chilly-Chilly-BANG! how we freelanced through Europe's coldest winter in a VW with a kid

Caught between jobs and residences, e.g. homeless and unemployed, we got $1000 from my parents, bought an old VW bus for $600, and set off in the winter from Denmark. Off we went,two adults and a toddler in a rusty VW heated with a catalytic heater. I had never owned a car and knew nothing about fixing them as we went from breakdown to breakdown through Europe, writing three trade journal articles a week. We could not afford restaurants or hotels. Near the end of the winter tghe exchange engine went BANG two days after the warranty expired, leaving us stranded on the Autobahn. This is our adventure story.