Back in the saddle again

5 February 2012Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Is it really necessery to continue this crazy walk? I have never been one for an uncritical approach to life. I have always questioned my motives and goals as much as I have those of others. I also believe that one shouldn’t be too proud to make a turn if past decisions should turn out to be wrong or unsatisfying. Being confronted with my life in the Netherlands, with everything that I miss out on while I am on my way, my family and friends, it is only natural that these questions come to me now with more force than ever. [ המשך לקרוא »]

4 הערות

The Dukes of Haz(z)ard; driving with the heart

7 November 2011For all the heroes of the heart I have the privilege of meeting on my journey. You keep me on my track. “Yeeeeeeeeeee-haw!” Luke and Bo Duke Every now and then I meet people who decided on some radical change, a break with the past, a new beginning, or people not so radical, but consistently pursuing a life less ordinary, away from the beaten track. The reactions they receive from friends and family around them can roughly be put into two categories: they are either crazy, or very brave. The funny thing is that these so-called ‘radicals’ and non-conformists hardly ever recognize themselves in either. Why is that? I am an airplane ‘To be crazy’ means that you are not thinking right, that you don’t value the consequences of your actions correctly. By definition a crazy person cannot recognize himself as such, because he is ignorant of any fallacy in his thinking. He is the victim of an intellect out of commission, a defunct brain; he is someone whose thinking capacities have expired. No sane person would move in the direction he has chosen. Of course, what sanity is remains open for debate and is certainly relative to the qualities of each person and his circumstances. For instance, if you believe you are an airplane, it doesn’t really matter if you are you or if you are Brad Pitt, you’ll both be crazy, but if you believe you will shag Angelina Jolie tonight, this makes a world of difference. A brave person is no crazy person. He can only be [ המשך לקרוא »]

7 הערות

No pasa nada, or taking a hike with Calamity Heleen

20 October 2011Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend Albert Camus In the south of Spain you sometimes get the impression that you are walking in North America’s wild west in the 19th century. Especially in autumn when the burning summer sun has turned the landscape into dry yellow plains with grass and bushes sticking out grimly like ghosts of a once green vegetation. You find yourself whistling Ennio Morricone tunes from old Spaghetti westerns when you walk into seemingly abandoned Andalucian towns around siesta time. Which in a way is accurate, because a lot of those films were shot in the south of Spain in the 60's. In rural Spain, not much has changed since then. If you would put me on a horse I could be Lucky Luke in these hills, casting long shadows on the dusty roads in front of me and singing "I'm a poor, lonesome cowboy...". Except that the past month I have not been twalking alone. Heleen, a good friend from the Netherlands - or Elena, if you want the Spanish to get the name right the first time - joined me in Merida and walked with me to Granada. We did a lot of wild camping along the way, eating cold Andalucian bean stew with fat bacon and chorizo from tin cans and drinking cheap red wine from the bottle underneath the starlit sky in front of our tents. Two people, two tents, which, given the amount of beans we ate, was a very good idea indeed. Of course we also stayed with people I got i [ המשך לקרוא »]

4 הערות

One year on the road

11 September 2011Today it is exactly one year ago that I walked out off my hometown and set out for unknown roads to Santiago de Compostela, Rome and Jerusalem. Santiago de Compostela is behind me and I am on my way to Rome. But as you will know I added Cairo to my list of destinations. I am proud and excited to be twalking for MasterPeace, creating peace, together. It is still a long way to go, but I am confident that I can make it, with your help. I cannot thank enough the people that have supported me and the ones that continue to do so. The people that have invited me into their homes, the people that support me financially, my friends and of course my family. It is impossible to describe how many persons one man can miss. In the past year I've said goodbye to more people than I would have liked to, but luckily, some of them have crossed my path more than once. You are always welcome to join me anywhere on my journey. Happy birthday to Twalk With Me, I drink to that! [ המשך לקרוא »]

7 הערות

Into the Heart of the City

1 September 2011I am not your ordinary tourist. Sure, I’ve paid to come to Lisbon, but with time and effort. I did not buy an airplane ticket and I did not plan anything, reading about this city’s history and listing the sights that deserve a visit. I have no interest in the sights, the monuments and the museums. I don’t take pictures and until this week I did not experience the normal anxiety that comes from the inevitable approaching departure. I simply landed here and found what I needed but did not expect to find: the non-demanding comfort that is best described as ‘feeling at home’. [ המשך לקרוא »]

6 הערות

Twalk With Me for MasterPeace

13 July 2011It was a passing remark from my stepfather while I was on Skype with my mom: “Don't forget what you set out to achieve!” More a warning than a demand, because except for the disappointment friends, family and followers might feel if I do not finish my journey, the only one that would really pay the price for ignoring my dreams is me. Punishment can come in many forms: bitterness, shame, self-loathing, self-doubt, but most importantly, it would mean that I have given up the belief that has slowly been growing in my heart over the past few months, that purpose and meaning are not empty concepts, and that to find them and make them your own you have to dare to listen to your heart and act. [ המשך לקרוא »]

6 הערות

When God has left the building...

30 May 2011"Hola! Puedes ayudar?" I am back in Spain, that much is certain. I passed the blue 'España' sign with the EU stars on it a few days ago, but here on the deserted country roads of Extremadura I hear someone call out from the fields and I suddenly realize I understand him. Something that didn't happen all too often when I was walking in Portugal. But what can I do to help? Deciphering what the man on the other side of the fence wanted proved harder. He had the strong southern 'swallow all consonants' accent I had been warned about when I was still in the north. But pointing fiercely with his cane further up the road I discovered the sheep that had apparentely somewhow escaped the barbed wiring. It appeared I was about to become a shepherd, the one to return the lost ones to the flock. [ המשך לקרוא »]

13 הערות

Home is where the heart is

30 April 2011I have been carrying my heart all over Europe for the past eight months and it is amazing how quickly you can feel at home with an open mind and grateful attitude. Of course, a piece of me will always be home where my family and friends are, but the world is a big place. Some people shrink by the thought of leaving everything behind to set out for a long period of time. They take comfort in being grounded, literally, in a place where they have been living for so long that it holds no surprises anymore. The truth is, feeling safe and secure has nothing to do with anything outside yourself. In fact, once you decide to trust in what comes and who you meet, you find that things have an eerie tendency to work out. And when they do, that only strengthens the initial trust. [ המשך לקרוא »]

6 הערות

The north of Portugal in 5 pictures

15 April 2011Portugal is dangerously hospitable. There are rarely any nights that I sleep before three o'clock in the morning. Eating till late, making music, going out on the town or to a friend's house, there always seems to be a reason to add another hour, to start another conversation and have another drink. I've already met some amazing people, but it is hard to find the time to tell you about it. To not completely keep you in the dark I have decided to share some pictures of my twalk through this beautiful country. [ המשך לקרוא »]

2 הערות

Shhh, night swimming and the pilgrim whisperer

22 March 2011The water is still and shallow, and warm compared to the surrounding air. No one to share this tranquil, silent meditation under the black Galician sky with. Just me, a full moon and a couple of birds talking to each other from one tree to another, two blackbirds in private conversation. I’ve heard the song of the male blackbird that wants to impress the opposite sex before, but this is quite different. No lyrical outbursts or extravagant melodic variations, if there is passion between these two I am sure it has already been acknowledged from both sides. More Satie than Mozart, they deliver the perfect soundtrack to this night. I am in the outside pool of the Palacio del Agua in Mondariz. [ המשך לקרוא »]

4 הערות

The end of the beginning: Santiago de Compostela

8 March 2011This Sunday I walked into Santiago de Compostela. Almost half a year after my departure from Leiden in the Netherlands on September 11. The first goal of my journey is complete. For now, no blog with experiences, reflections or thoughts. I just want to thank everyone who has helped me get this far. Firstly, I want to thank all the people who have been so kind and trusting to open up their house to me and offer me a place to sleep and a seat at their diner table. Secondly, all the people that have supported me by donating money to my cause. Although I spend most of my nights as a guest in somebody's house I do have expenses, and without your generous donations I would not have been able to continue as I have. The continued support of my sponsors is invaluable. Thirdly, all the people that have supported me with heartwarming messages, retweets and likes on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Couchsurfing, LinkedIn and by email. Some of you have been friends for a long time, others I have yet to meet, but the support is in all cases very welcome. They lighten the weight of my backpack and bring light in the more clouded moments of my journey. Of course also the social media themselves, because without the tools, the job cannot be done. Further, the people from the press that help me by informing the world of my project. A special thanks goes out to [ המשך לקרוא »]

9 הערות

Between past and future... where are you?

25 February 2011As quiet as the mind can be when the body is wandering during the day, it can cover miles and miles of known and unknown territory in the night when the body is at rest. I try not to think about the last person lying in this bunk. Not to think whether he showered after completing the thirty kilometer walk from Luarca to here. But most of all I try not to think on which end of the bed he put his head and where his feet. When I am a guest in someone's house I don't need to bring sheets or a sleeping bag so I don't carry them around. But I couldn't find a host in Arboces and I had to check into an 'albergue de peregrinos'. So now I lie here, with my face directly on the mattress and my body under four tough and itchy cotton blankets, and it´s still cold. I try not to think about all this, but apparently thirty kilometers of walking is no longer enough to wear me out and so I woke up in the middle of the night... twisting... turning... freezing... thinking... do I smell feet? [ המשך לקרוא »]

5 הערות

The right angle

5 February 2011Two coffee and two glasses of red wine yesterday, today two coffee and up until now three glasses of vino tinto. With every drink, I get a complimentary plate of pintxo's. Probably to make one last longer and order some more. With the prices here in Gijón I'll be sure to do so. I won't have to pay more than five or six euro for what I just consumed. I'm in a bar called La Consentida in one of the poorer parts in town, trying hard to come up with an article good enough to sell to a magazine and earn some money. Walking on worn boots for a full month my battery was completely empty around the time of my birthday. I have taken some time off and I feel my creative power, if I may call it that, coming back to me. Still, the writing doesn't come easy. [ המשך לקרוא »]

4 הערות

Jesus never made it this far

17 January 2011I'm getting bald. To my friends this is no revelation. I've seen it coming for almost ten years and consequently shortened my hair bit by bit until three or four years ago I went for the full monty. With all your hair gone there is no receding hairline. Baldness becomes a choice instead of a betrayal by your genes. But winter on the road has spurred me to grow a beard and the hair on the top of my head is looking down in envie. Confrontation is somehow what I've sought, and find it I did. [ המשך לקרוא »]

21 הערות

Salvatore, or the art of fumbling (in) many languages

25 December 2010It has become custom to have to repeat my name at least five times by means of introduction. I am blessed with a name that cannot be pronounced by anyone south of Belgium. Will this change in any of the countries that I plan to walk through? I think not. Should I choose another name while I'm on the road? Or should I change the way I spell my name, adjust it to local spelling and accept the minor differences in pronountiation? Wainant? Wynant? Winant? [ המשך לקרוא »]

11 הערות

Where the streets have no name

11 December 2010I have moved around quite a lot when I was young. And also when I wasn't quite as young anymore. And at the moment, moving around has become something like sleeping, eating and brushing my teeth. It has become daily routine to me. It is in fact, what I do. I've never been good at routines. The key element of my new found routine however, is of course change. [ המשך לקרוא »]

7 הערות

Kill bill, or, is there anyone who can help me get my message across?

7 December 2010It's frustrating really, to find that with internet, the world is indeed without frontiers, but that the providers of mobile telephone subscriptions don't operate accordingly. Within the European Union people are free to live and work wherever they want, but as soon as you cross the border from one country to another you pay ridiculously high fees. You can't get more international then the big providers. Companies like T-Mobile and Vodafone are present in almost every country in Europe, but their services are national. Travelers are the milk cows of their business, and no exceptions can be made for people who are constantly abroad. [ המשך לקרוא »]

12 הערות

He who seeks finds and who knocks will be let in

11 November 2010Today it is exactly two months ago that I started my twalk from the Netherlands. On 11 September I started in Leiden, some twenty kilometers north of The Hague, or La Haye as the French like to call it. This afternoon I arrive again in La Haye, or Descartes as the French call it today, a small town between Tours and Poitiers. It is in this town that Descartes concluded that he must be, because he can think he is. On the basis of this conclusion he tried to prove the existence of God logically. As with all arguments based on assumptions, they stand or fall as long as the assumptions hold. It is hard to say where Descartes is now, but most probably he thinks no more... [ המשך לקרוא »]

5 הערות

I heard it through the grapevine

7 November 2010“How about autumn?” Walking through the forests of the Loire region I think of a sketch by a Dutch comedian in which he questions the intelligence of wearing green in the army. It is now November and the leaves on the trees are loosing their youthful colours and exchange the green for fiery red, yellow and orange. How different it is for the aging human being, whose pale and shrivelling skin is not exactly something to marvel at. Wouldn’t it be a happy ending indeed, if the homes for the elderly were filled with youth, coming to pay homage to the beauty of old age? No leaf in the forest dies of lack of attention! [ המשך לקרוא »]

15 הערות

The sound of silence...

4 November 2010True, I have my moments of worry that my body will at some point throw the towel and say, the hell with it, I am not taking a single step more. I have learned to listen to it better though and the fear of being overtaken by winter does not prevent me from taking a day of to rest and recover. I am determined to make it. Also the people that are so kind to invite me into their home and often trust me enough to let me sleep after they have gone off to work, are never cause for any doubts about my undertaking. [ המשך לקרוא »]

12 הערות