Bonne Route!
On foot with tent and donkey in search of solidarity
It seems like a great adventurous idea: walking from Paris to Groningen in three months along the path of Saint Martin. A brand new route through Europe along the heritage of war and peace, and monuments named after the legendary Saint Martin. When Tjerk starts the 1,234 kilometer journey, only one pilgrim has preceded him.
He does not walk the route alone, his donkey Lodewijk is always by his side. Every day they have to find a place to sleep, food and drink for man and donkey and they are at the mercy of people along the way. Walking along untrodden paths, traveling at a venture, with minimal possessions and a mobile phone that keeps running out of power, turns out to be more exhausting than Tjerk had anticipated. What has he gotten himself into? On his way through France, Belgium and the Netherlands he encounters the elements, the pace of time, overwhelming solidarity, but above all himself. The road home is long, vulnerable and groundbreaking.
1,700 years ago, the Roman soldier Martin of Tours, or Saint Martin, shared his cloak with a poor and chilled man at the gate of the French city of Amiens. The sharing of the cloak symbolizes solidarity and has inspired many people in Europe for centuries. The new European cultural route 'the path of Saint Martin'' is a route along the historical heritage of war and peace.
Tjerk walked the more than 1,200 kilometer long route from Paris to Groningen together with his donkey Lodewijk. What does solidarity, togetherness and sharing mean today? Every day for three months looking for a place to stay, a shower, food and drink for himself and his donkey, Tjerk spontaneously met many people, and himself.
He experiences what it is like to walk, open and vulnerable and to be dependent on others. He is confronted with time, distance and boundaries, but also with his desires and the urge for control and possession.
Documentary and vlogs Bonne Route!
Documentary maker Tobias Matthijsen followed Tjerk and Lodewijk along the way and made a two-part documentary report of the journey. Follow the journey closely and watch all the travel vlogs Tjerk made along the way on the YouTube channel.
'I'm on my way home,
between the cornfields.
Along the scars of that time,
I follow my own path.'
From the song Traces in an imperfect world
Discover the whole story with the book Bonne Route!
Travel with us, come to a performance!
