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Diary This is Jan's diary. If you want to receive this diary by mail, write your mail on the contact form.
‹ Previous (12/10/2006) MONTH Next (2006-12-11)› ‹ Previous (2006-10-23 - Belgium) COUNTRY Next (2006-11-15 - Germany)› Luxemburg Luxemburg (see on map) 11/11/2006:
Dinant is a small town with a big cathedral exactly under an impressive cliff, crowned by a castle that I have not visited because the entry was too expensive for the economics of a traveller. Every day I could visit museums and lovely places by paying, but I luckily also have the possibility to visit every day new towns and lovely places without paying. At first Dinant did not seem too interesting, but when i was about to go with the Hymer I discovered some attractive corners. The road towards Luxembourg was going through green and wavy fields, forming the first evidence of mountains. I entered into the city mid-afternoon. I parked out of the centre, in a neighbourhood where Tristan lived, a friend of Remco (Antwerpen) who had recommended to visit him. It had to meet with Tristan on Thursday in the afternoon, but when i ringed the bell of his home , a man (that I imagined is his father) briefed me that Tristan did not arrive. After two hours the same man and offered me the posibilitty to enter and to wait for Tristan inside. But I preferred to come back to the Hymer and I continued working and had dinner. Finally, at 8.30 Tristan arrived. Tristan is a boy of French origins that has been living in Luxembourg for years. he lives in a big home in which he always hosts someone. So little time ago he bought a guest book and half is already full. at that moment he was hosting the man who opened the door and Nathank , a boy from New Zealand. I became interested about Luxembourg and in Tristan offered me several interesting and curious information. Luxembourg, instead of being a realm, is a dukedom, with a duke practising as king. The political system is very stable, with the right and left parties always collaborating (incredible!). for another hand, in Luxembourg they have their own language, spoken by half of the population. Anyway, the language started to exist from the eighties, only was considered a dialect of the German with French words and Dutch accent before. He commented me that Luxembourg was a multicultural country with a great economy. "on what is based the economy?" I asked him. "on banks" he replied to me. Afterwards he explained me that in Luxembourg, together with Switzerland and other fiscal paradises, the bank secret is legal. It does not seem too much logical that there is legal bank secret in the middle of European Union, but if they did not allow it a lot of money would go towards other countries. Finally he showed me a graph on Internet about the Domestic Product per capita. Luxembourg is the country of the world with more wealth per capita, a 20% more that the second, Norway. for another hand, aside of the bank secret the companies pay few taxes and many settle in this country even if they produce in other. Anyway, this wealth does not seem to spread among the population, which in spite of being rich they do not show with Ferraris, like in Switzerland. On Friday I went out to visit the city of Luxembourg with Nathan, the boy from New Zealand. Luxembourg seems a village, there are not big buildings,only one floored houses. Besides, less than 100.000 persons inhabit it. But aside of the extension, the thing that surprised me more in Luxembourg was its charm. A natural defence against the ancient invaders, is a city inserted into a promontory surrounded by a deep valley. In several points the impressive walls covering the valley can be observed. Some beautiful churches and cathedrals cut the sky. The city is quite green (or brown in the autumn), with quite a lot of parks and gardens. The city also has many tunnels and mediaeval galleries excavated in the rock, in one of which there is a interesting exhibition of photography that we visited. Today Saturday I have put myself on the road towards Germany, Frankfurt, where I have to meet with Alexandra on Wednesday. But before I have stopped in small town before crossing the border. Vianden is a small town in the background of a valley dominated by an impressive castle that is being reconstructed. I had a walk between the walls and the beautiful streets and I have next crossed the border. Before however, I have loaded the Hymer of gas oil because in Luxembourg it is much more economic: 0,861€/l (the price is fixed by the government). I went towards the Rin valley , crossing mountains and valleys. But I stopped before arriving , because it was getting dark and i preferred to travel by day, enjoying the landscape. Germany Frankfurt (see on map) 15/11/2006:
Sunday and Monday I invested them visiting a charming segment of the valley of the Rin. I entered through the Boppard village, where I made a small walk, towards the south-east, St. Goar. Although the time was not perfect, I kept on stopping admiring several castles, on the hills, which transported me in mediaeval times. arriving at St. Goar I was amazed by the magnificent castle of Rheinfels, inserted into a mountain dominating all the town. The Rheinfels castle was constructed in 1245 to protect the toll of boats that circulated. This was not liked by the league of Rin cities and exactly ten years after the construction they put it on siege for 15 months. But they did not win and so they ended up naming the castle of Rheinfels as the "unconquerable fortress". A century later, the same family built another castle on the other side of the river and they established the double toll, of rise as well as of slope. Naturally they were made of gold since the traffic of merchandise through the river had to be very important, the same as it is nowadays, with tens of big boats circulating up and down on the river. I parked at the base of the mountain and I started to climb towards the Rheinfels castle , bordering the unconquerable walls during a lot of while. Finally I arrived to the main entrance, where I paid 3€ entry fee and I started to stroll among the majestic debris. I climbed to a turret with an excellent sight on the Rin. Then it started to rain. I protected in some galleries and I managed to find out where i am on the map that they had given me at the entry. I noticed that following the galleries i could arrive at the itinerary "2". So I followed new walls, more galleries with small cracks for the archers, ahead, among chapels... But at half of the itinerary the cracks for the archers disappeared and in the galleries i found myself in complete Darkenes.Trusting the map I continued advancing , I went continue stumbling on rocks, I went continue putting the feet in puddles of mud and I went cursing. Three or four galleries more happened in the same way and finally arrived time in a terrain known and of here at the main entrance. I asked the girl of the entry if it was normal that the galleries did not have light. She started to laugh and half excusing herself showed me a small poster where it was recommended to bring lights or candles to visit the fork galleries. After having lunch I continued along the Rin slowly, I stopped from time to time, until I found some charming mediaeval town called Bacharach. I have parked the Hymer and I was strolling between the ancient homes and mediaeval towers until it became dark. I decided to camp in a big car park at the entry of the town to be able to visit it again the following day. But on Monday in the morning all was covered with dark clouds. Midd morning Monday I stopped in Bingenan important town in the valley. I visited it, but by no means had the charm of the other town. At noon the time seemed to be better and I then crossed the river with a barge (4,5€) and visited the beautiful town of Rudesheim and the vineyards. Before going out of Luxembourg I attempted to contact somebody in Frankfurt, in a basic way to be able to use Internet, since Germany has less internet connections free of password. The same Monday a girl that lived close to frankfurt (in a village in the mountains called Taunus)replied me. She sent me a few indications by S MS but lost some time before I arrived Silke lives with her parents. her parents travel frequently to South Africa and its a good ocasion to aask about the situation of the country. They commented that in spite of the disappearance of the Aparheit, the whites are still very racist. Afterwards,i explained my journey with Alexandra, Silke commented that she also had the dream of crossing the American continent, in particular with a van Wolsvaguen. In the evening she invited me to visit a friend. The friend opened a bottle of a typical product of the region: apple wine. It was similar to the cider but less sweet and without gas. During the conversation they explained to me that in east Germany they are disgruntled with the reunification, some believe that they were better before. But they do not understand, because they considered that they are free from the communism and west germany was paying for economic recovery. Maybe for this motive, in Germany they will rise the VAT (WATT) from 16th to 19% next year. Finally the subject of the German nationalism came out. Silke explained that of small they have been educated to not be proud of their country, due to the nonsense that they had made in the past. Finally they started to explain jokes about Germans of the east and of the north. The following day I was working on the computer all day long. Also today, even though mid-morning I have gone towards Frankfut. I have parked very close to the station and have gone out to visit the city, very modern and with a few small skyscrapers that rise above the houses and of the beautiful and ancient square Romerberg, restored after the bombardments of the second world-wide war. Afterwards I have went back to the Hymer to clean it thoroughly and to continue working and waiting for Alexandra to arrive. 16/11/2006: I have awakened early, at 5:15 of the morning. Yawning and with half closed eyes I have gone to the bus stop. The bus has arrived prompt, but in another place. When I have noticed the bus Alexandra was already out half lost.We have hugged happy, but also tired. We have gone towards the Hymer and we have decided to goout of the city to continue sleeping in a calmer place. In awakening ourselves Alexandra has proposed me to visit Wiesbaden and Mainz, two cities where a friend lived . Both cities, on the Rin, are few quilometres away from Frankfurt. On the way we have proposed which other cities to visit in the next days and on speaking i I have discovered that Alexandra had desires to visit soon Catalonia and Barcelona, my home . Then for the first time in all the journey it has flooded me a feeling of desire to arrive at home after nine months of journey. After all, good part of the work that we are making (to write articles, to write to sponsors, to prepare the continuation in Africa...) we can make it calmly from home. And for another hand, France is the last country that we have left to visit in Europe. In the morning we visited a beautiful castle in Wiesbaden and its gardens and in the afternoon all the ancient helmet of Mainz, interesting but not at all comparable with the other towns that i visited in the rin valley. In the evening we have come back to the road and we have gone towards Strasbourg, a French city nearby the German border. France Strasbourg (see on map) 17/11/2006:
Strasbourg is a charming city. The ancient helmet is in an island surrounded by the river Ill and some canals. Many of the mediaeval homes, with cumbersome structures of wood painted in dark colours, contrasting with the clear walls. During the walk we have surprised ourselves of the amount of homeless that were on the streets. I remember at the beginning of the journey in France i was surprised by the same thing. In the afternoon we have connected to Internet a while, we have written to diverse people from Paris and we have later started to go towards it. We have taken the motorway and for the first time in a lot of time we have paid a toll (I believe that Greece was the last country where I paid ). It was very expensive. Anyway, the French motorways are very good and with many areas of rest, in one of which we have stopped to sleep. Paris (see on map) 18/11/2006:
Saturday we arrived to Paris and it was already dark. The traffic was terrible. We arrived to the centre where we had intention to park, but there was no free parking place. We decided to go towards the outskirts, but the situation was equal. Finally, even though we were far from the center of Paris, we decided to park towards the Forest of Boulogne. At first all the roads of the forest were full of cars and impossible to park, probably because there was some sport event near. But afterwards the roads emptied out and instead of parked cars the prostitution turned up. Despite everything, we decided to park in a quite calm place at the exit of the forest. It was not completely badl, because one evening we entertained observing how the protitutes quarreled among them, how the customers strolled disguisedly until they decided on one, how they penetrated to the darkness of the forest or how they closed up in any car to carry out the service... Sunday we took the bicycles and we went to the Arch of Triumf that was quite close. The arch of Triumf is a big door in a wide way known, built to comemorate the victories of Napoleon. the works stopped when Napeleó started to lose battles and was finished only after thirty years. On its walls there are inscriptions of many conquered cities, among them many Catalan and Spanish names. Also the distant points like Moscow and The Piramides. After visiting the arc of Triumf we continued for the rich and elegant Champs Elysees and finally for the Champ of Seas admiring le tour Eiffel. On Monday my mother called me anouncing that my grandfather died. My grandfather has been feeling bad for months. Before falling ill always he had been a man with a lot of energy and knowledge. had traveled a lot and the stories that he always explained also encouraged probably me to travel. I discussed with my mother the need to come back, but finally we decided it was not necessary, after all i would be again at home quite soon . In any case, the following days I put a candle in remembrance of my grandfather in the cathedral of Notre Dame and in the church of Sacré Coeur. On Monday it was raining all day long. In the evening we went shopping in the futurist area called La Defense, with tens of skyscrapers in different ways, all of glass, illuminated... We got lost a little but finally we found car park and we found a supermarket. On the way Back we found a point with Internet connection without protection and we checked our e-mail. In France it is more complicated than in Holland and Belgium to find zones with free internet On Tuesday and Wednesday we continued walking in Paris. Compared with other cities north or east Europeans, Paris reminds me a lot of Barcelona: the traffic, the commercial streets, the buildings... Even though naturally there are differences, for example the chimneys of the typically French homes: all simple and in line on top of the buildings. On Tuesday we took the underground (it was really a train with 2 levels. Compared with the public transport of the north of Europe, here it is impossible to enter into the underground without paying. We went towards the delicate Cathedral of Notre Dame. From there we came back walking in front of the Hotel of the Ville (town council), the modern centre Pompidou (build in 1977 it does not seem so modern at present), the Louvre and its gardens and again Champs Elises and the Arc of Triumf. We arrived at the Hymer exhausted. While we rested somebody knocked at the door. I opened the window and outside was a man with bicycle. He asked me about the journey that we were carrying out. I went outside and talked a while, finally he invited us in the evening to have dinner at his house close to the arc of Triumf. Frederic lives in a humble flat in the centre of a rich neighbourhood in Paris. It was not too comfortable and he told us that he wanted to move to Bretagne. he explained us that the people of Paris are too ostentatious and that they care only for having a good job and to always dress elegant. he explained us that this fixation on the work provokes that a 30% of the people in Paris live alone, the same as him. Afterwards he told us about the situation of the Ghetos of Paris and about the incidents that happened one year ago as a sample of protest. He complained that instead of helping and investing in the ghetos the French government only brings repression, with 6000 new police officer jobs. Finally I interviewed Frederic. He thought that the main problem of the world is the destruction of the environment and of pollution, there are too many cars , many countries do not have access to clean water... Part of the solution would be helping the poor countries and also reconsidering all what we need. For example he does not have car and however uses the bicycle or he walks. He also collaborates selecting the rubbish... The gethos that have been created around Paris where the people live with very bad conditions and without future are the main problem in France. The solution should come from the government with investments and facility improvements in the houses of these areas and education. He can help them attempting to show a future for them, talking to them. Frederic can not be happy knowing that there are people who have a very bad situation. Anyway,he will be happier after moving to the country side. The secret of happiness is to share the life with someone. I asked at the end of the interview how it was that he did not have a couple taking into account his opinion about the secret of happiness. He commented me that the cause was the French society, that is too individualist . Today we have taken the bicycles again and we have gone to stroll for the calm neighbourhood of Montmartre and the church of Sacre Coeur. During the walk we have decided to leave Paris the following day even though we had not visited the Latin Quarter . It seems that we both realise that the journey finishes and that we would like to spend the winter calm at the house of my parents, preparing the journey to Africa. Anyway, the fact that this stage of the journey is finished i feel a bit worried and disoriented. Economic and logistical worries turn up, feeling imprisoned at home worries me, and finishing a part of the dream saddens me. Versailles (see on map) 23/11/2006:
On Thursday in the morning it rained and was windy , despite everything we have gone out to admire the palace and the gardens of Versailles. There were many parts in works, logically beacuse there were less tourists in winter. Despite everything, the Japanese were present. Afterwards we have gone towards Rouen, which we have visited in the afternoon. It is a lovely city, with paved streets, homes with structures of wood in sight, galleries, antiques shops, beautiful churches, a magnificent cathedral that reminded me of Barcelona and a lot of history. Rouen is the city where the heroin of 19 years called Joana of Arch died burned in 1431, accused of heresy during the war of the a hundred years. St. Malo (see on map) 25/11/2006:
Yesterday we arrived to the north coast of Normandia, on the beaches where the allied troops disembarked on the 6 of June / 1944, the famous day D. we visited In Particular the small village Arromanches, where during the allied disembarkment they constructed an immense floating artificial port. During three months , 2,5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tons of equipment disembarked in this artificial port. At present can be seen immense blocks of cement and floating metal in the distance and some other remains on the beach. Around the village there are cliffs defended by ancient bunquers that reminded how complicated was the disembarkment and the great number of death that suffered the allies. In the afternoon we visited the beautiful town called Bayeux, the first town freed by the allied troops. We have spent the night in an area of rest of the motorway. The area was in an elevation where the wind blew very strong, so that in some moments we thought that it would take away the Hymer with us inside. awakening we have followed the road towards Mountain St. Michel. We have stopped before Mountain St. Michel in some small village to make some photos from far away. While i focused the camera I have heard the mews of a desperate little cat. I have searched among the herbs and have found a little cat, that ran scared when seeing me. I found it in a pipe where it has continued miaowing. But finally, incited by Alexandra, I have reached it. The cat was wet and trembled with cold. Was also very hungry and so we gave some milk with bread. We would had taken it away , but it had to be quite complicated to travel with an animal. for another hand, my parents have many cats in the farmhouse where they live. We have left it eating the bread with milk with the hope that it will find the mother later. From far away, the Mountain St. Michel offers a magical vision. On an immense plain that periodically comes off partially flooded for the tide some beautiful village and an abbey walled are lifted. The only way to arrive to Mountain St. Michel is by crossing a high road on the plain, at the end of which there is an immense car park with payment. We have strolled over the walls inserted into the rock that stands out of the sand, and for the streets of the village full of very expensive shops and restaurants, and full of tourists in spite of being winter. In the afternoon we have gone towards St. Maló across a small road that crossed several villages made of stone houses. We have arrived when was already dark, advancing for a very long street without any attractive things. But finally we have arrived to St.malo wich is the main touristic destinations in Bretagne. on a beautiful beach it rests a small fortification, a town surrounded by strong walls and a big port . The tide was low and we have been able to walk towards the fortification. Afterwards we have walked through the beautiful town build in British style. Spain San Sebastian (see on map) 28/11/2006:
Sunday we made few quilometres and we did not visit any village or city. We were all the morning talking about some changes that we had to face before pioneering the journey to Africa. In the afternoon we were driving in the direction of La Rochelle, but we did not arrive because Alexandra started to have a strong headache and preferred that we stopped in a small town. Monday we visited La Rochelle, an ancient port which long ago was defended by a big chain that prevented the entry of enemy boats. At present the two towers at the entry of the port among which the chain was clamped have been restaurated. The rest of the town is interesting, with many stone arcades, homes also made of stone and painted in white... The architecture every time is more similar to the one of my land. In the afternoon we followed the road to south. We had planned of stopping in Bordeaux to visit the city, but finally we decided to continue the journey. There were days now since we visited villages and cities without having any contact and started to be a little boring. The new visited places did not bring us anything new. for another hand, after visiting the beautiful place of Mountain Saint Michel and St. Maló the rest of the places seemed to lose all the charm. Today we also had thought of stopping in Bayonne but in the end we did not,and we continued with the intention of entering soon in Spain to see my parents and friends. We wanted also to visit San Sebastian more calm (or Donostia in Basque). i had been in San Sebastian. The last time was a sunny day that it coincided with a demonstration in support to the terrorist group ETA. Today, San Sebastian was covered. Only the sea seemed to break the calmness with waves of one or two metres that some surfers considered profitable. Anyway, the sea on the famous beach Concha was calm, since it is closed in a big bay. Aside of strolling for the maritime promenade also we strolled for the beautiful ancient helmet at the foot of the mountain Urgull. While i was making some photos of the Constitution Square a homeless man came to me and started to talk to me. he explained to me that had traveled all Europe and that now he was on home land again. I asked him if life was complicated in the street and he commented me that it depended on the time. Finally he asked me to make him a photo and in arriving at home to send it to his daughter who was called Ainhoa and who lived in some city... I saw him off giving him some coins and coming back to Alexandra that I had been calling me for minutes. Vic (see on map) 29/11/2006:
Today we have visited Zalba Caldú company in Zaragoza that has been sponsorizing us all this time and they have offered themselves to follow in the same way during the African adventure. It has been a very cordial meeting. They have shown us all insurances and assistance (among her health worker) that they could offer us. After having lunch with them we have followed the road towards home, Vic. It is well to travel through your own country with somebody foreign because this person can observe important aspects that until then i did not observe, like the many paintings on the road: "living ETA ETA asesinos", "living communist cuba", you "do not vote VCT" (I do not know who they are), and Nazi and anarchist symbols. Finally, when we crossed the Monegros, a desert region, Alexandra pointed to the great number of trucks that circulated. In few minutes we have counted out a hundred and only ten cars. We have been some hours more through better known roads, until finally we have arrived at the house of my parents. With a strong embrace we have finished this first part on the journey. Now I will leave the diary in white until the following stage: Africa! ‹ Previous (12/10/2006) MONTH Next (2006-12-11)› ‹ Previous (2006-10-23 - Belgium) COUNTRY Next (2006-11-15 - Germany)› |
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