The moment is now
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CONNECT
Cycling around the whole world, pretty intense. It actually took me a while before it became clear to me what it meant. Finally, don’t think too much, just go for it. Most important was that the feeling was real, from there it’s just a matter of cycling to far away cultures. What is so ‘real’ about it? That I want to discover and connect. I know it’s possible from a bicycle.
In this connection it is also possible for people, companies and social organisations to cycle along with me. That’s connection too and I think that’s a good way of showing others the beauty of cycling, nature and meeting so many different people. Aside from that I want to connect the world by giving small black and white bracelets to the people I meet. They are the ‘ambassadors’. That way I symbolically connect this world.
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SART
Starting point was Turin in Italy afer a really cool road trip with my parents. Saying goodbye hurt and I will miss them the most. It always comes with a price if you live like this and it can be a high one. Missing my family and friends is definitely the hardest part.
After Turin I started cycling to Rome and from there on to Bari where there would be a small group cycling along with me. The highlights in between were the Italian life, old villages, good food but also a small fox that woke me up in a small city park in Florence, we were in eye contact for at least 5 seconds under a clear moonlight. Special.
TURIN – MILAN – ROME – BRINDISI
Italy is beautiful and the road I took wasn’t planned. Had to pass through Milan for visa (Iran) and for the rest is was just a matter of letting things happen and ask around. That way, which was the best part for me, I accidentally cycled a part of the pilgrims route (Fransiscus) to Rome. I met Jon in Florence – who was cycling the route – twice in two days. Random. Then I decided to cycle along with him for a while and ended up at the Fransiscus pilgrims route. I have stayed with nuns in a monastary, met many pilgrims and it gave me clear insight in the work they do at monasteries for the homeless and the underfed. Thank you.
ROUTE MESSAGE
The pilgrim route is mainly done by people from Europe who walk. Some people have actually been walking for months. They do about 25 km a day and they all have their own stories to tell. Along the route you’ll find a sign that shows the roads and the following text. I might take this one into consideration on my journey..
“The route, like life, is not a competition. Never get seized by the wish to do too much: Your body will soon demand an explanation. Look around, observe, stop and taste. That’s what the route will teach you.”
GREECE
Now I’m on a boat to Greece on my way to another group, a truly interesting one that I’ll tell you about later. The group of cyclistst I have had with me last weekend was great. In the end it was a teambuilding trip in which we did a 125 km challenge. There is a Dutch article I wrote about it, you might want to check the pics, pretty cool.
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To be continued, next update from Turkey.
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