Five years — Traveling in times of fear
Today five years ago I was sitting in a restaurant in Timbuktu waiting for lunch while across the city in our hotel Martin was shot dead and Steve, Johan, and Sjaak were kidnapped by a gang associated with the aQIM
Navigating Cinque Terre by boat, train, bus and on foot
The UNESCO World heritage site most people know simply as Cinque Terre is much more than just five villages on the Ligurian coast. There is also Portovenere, where I stayed for four nights, and Isola Palmaria, both at the mouth
Three years
It is not the first thing you will learn about me when we meet. It is not the first thing you will learn when I talk about travelling Africa. It is not even the first thing I will mention when
Walking Home, week 16: Full circle
Day 106 - to Villaines-en-Duesmois At breakfast we talk about my route from Vougrey. I mention that on the way to Lyon I will pass very close to the Abbaye Fontanay, but do not yet know whether I want to afford
Walking Home, week 15: Groundhog day
I had expected that by now the harsh July heat would make walking difficult. Instead, I go through rain shower after rain shower, rainy day after rainy day. At least I am lucky and several times wonderful families welcome me
Walking Home, week 14: Where are you going?
Day 92 - to Besançon I'm at breakfast at half past seven, because I'm afraid that one eats early in the monastery and that there will be no more food for me if I come too late. But my fear is
Why WALK home?
I must admit that I am having a bit of a hard time explaining how I came up with the Walking Home Project. But let me try anyway (part 1): I initially wanted to go to France because I have been
Travelling Sudan, pt. 3: Into the desert
Part 1 and part 2 of my journey through Sudan happened mainly in the country's capital. Today it's time to move on. Another task to accomplish in Khartoum is to secure tickets for the ferry from Wadi Halfa to Aswan. After
Travelling Sudan, pt. 2: Defying expectations
Part 1 of my journey through Sudan left off with me getting all the paperwork done to be legally allowed to transit through the country. Meanwhile my travel companion has fallen ill - a combination of the heat, lack of sleep
Travelling Sudan, pt. 1: Into the devil’s den
We enter Sudan from Ethiopia. During our last days there the weather had grown increasingly cold and rainy. Now the further North we go the more the sun and the heat come out. At the border we have to go