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.
In the theatre performance Bonne Route! Tjerk and his band take the audience on a journey through stories, songs and filmfootage. The audience helps to determine the themes that makes each performance unique. How do you find your own path, how do you deal with setbacks and keep your spirits up? What does solidarity, togetherness and sharing mean today? The performance is an encouragement to keep faith in humanity, to open up and make room for unexpected encounters.
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!
