Hi there!
I´d like to officially introduce my journey through Europe by bike, as planned from spring 2013 on.
Although it is on bike I will do still do it as a cab-driving writer and want to particularly reach other drivers, all around Europe, with it and portray their concerns and issues.
I will post this too on the forums in Germany, Austria and France where I´m a member already, others supposedly will follow. (France is log-in-only) Maybe there´ll be encouragement and support trans-nationally, I´d wish for that and would translate all posts.
Links to Germany:
http://www.taxiforum.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8431Austria:
http://www.taxi-forum.at/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1723About the journey: I´m giving it the a bit poetic-resonant name “a long line of hearts” (to which I have already began to text and compose a little song, too).
It will be under the motto peace, reconciliation, togetherness, justice, protection and preservation of nature and environment in Europe and elsewhere, against a Europe, a world, of corporations, for a Europe, a world, of the people and most of all – of hearts.
About that, the slogan, using the multiple meaning of the word “line”, is indicating in one sense one, long, line, that the route draws on the map, as well as a row, so figuratively one can imagine this endlessly long line as an endlessly long row, too, a row of people who I want to meet and who´s hearts I´d like to touch.
After some back and forth the start as well as the finish shall be Freiburg i.Br., in Germany, the route roughly estimated 20.000 km, touching almost all countries, about 40, of Europe and their capitals, time of journey roughly estimated 3 years. The idea is that the whole thing will self-carry financially, through sponsoring, donations and also the helpfulness of the people en route. Yet, in the bike-trailer that I will also carry along, there will be my, as the trained masseur I am, collapsible massage bench, to all those who are willing to take me up and support me I am offering a one-hour massage in return! Also, my skills in guitar and vocals are almost back in shape again, so I should be able to give enough back to motivate someone to put me up for a night, I only need a place to crash and could do with last day´s spare bread from the bakery, which they´d normally chuck, for a while, yet I will also take along a small tent to be independent.
For it is a very important principle for me, that I don´t want to bum myself through Europe, instead it should be that whoever has done me a favour can expect that I am gladly willing to return it! That I will give back every cent I might have spare at the end of this journey, through the expectable public interest and its marketability, to the people that had supported me.
Another important principle of this journey is that Germany´s position and significance within Europe shall thereby be pointed out, the route leads in and out again, to remind this country at its responsibility for Europe! Germany is the heart of Europe and this heart shall beat for Europe!
I´d like to portray all the places, people and human encounters on the way, especially I want to dedicate myself to the concerns and troubles of small people, how they look at Europe and how they would want Europe to be, I am not going to depict a Europe of elites, from politics, economy and science, but a Europe of the people!
Another focus will be of course the area taxi, I want to address specifically colleagues and portray their stories and concerns and would hope to get special support there, as well. Whenever I will be around in the German-speaking area, I will offer readings of my books too, of course.
Considerable motivation for me concerning peace and reconciliation of course is – and by all means, I surely won´t leave this out - that I have made very bitter experiences with a woman that has showed herself unforgiving towards me for over five years and most of all the most bitter experiences, yet, with the folks around her and the reactions of all the people that knew of it, yet remained silent. Here too it is visible that our society is still far from peace and reconciliation, here too the discrepancy shows that our world spends many, many billions for arms, war and destruction, but only a few hundred of thousands for research about peace and those mechanisms ultimately leading to hate and violence and thus the lack of peace.
Other than originally planned I will put those experiences with that woman, about which I have after all written a large book in after all soon six editions, completely in the background, yet, I have left my small personal hurt far behind and see myself now as a part of a big picture, for so many people suffer from injustice day by day and often they are not even capable of fighting against it.
Therefor this journey now has taken on a more political aspect, though I still intend, despite my rather free believe, which is not bound to any confession, to pray in churches of all confessions for peace, simply, because it is a strong and obvious signal for peace and reconciliation, that yet also appeals to people who´d rather not be involved in politics. Thereby I´d like to aim right at Europe´s two main religions, Christianity and Islam in my effort for reconciliation, for this is exactly and simply of the most immense importance for our century, so that no one, who seriously wants to advocate for peace can go round it. Like ”Mahatma”Mohandas K. Gandhi said, “I am a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Jew”, I want to say a prayer for peace in churches of all religions and there, where it is not possible, I will have at least tried.
A particular emphasis will be, yet, to hand over, at each seat of government, yes, in each town hall on the way, a petition for peace, unity and social justice, yes, like in medieval times I want to call on barons and bishops, yet talk in favour of the people and, close to the end, hand over one to the pope himself. Should the journey have gone along as planned why would he not accept it.
As a matter of course I will keep on blogging and post daily, but this in English, of course, though I know some French and bits of Spanish and Italian. But the journey will lead through many areas of different languages and therefor this is my pleading for English as the world language, still better than Mandarin in my eyes.
I know this is a bold and daring undertaking, people may find it hard to believe in me being able to do this, I myself still have difficulties about it, yet I can look back now on after all 20 years, where I again and again had a go at things I first though impossible and that I have after all achieved some modest success therein.
Still, as much as I may advertise for it is likely I won´t get much support at first and I will have to brace myself for a rough start, where I will have to improvise a good deal – I am braced for it. But once the first step has been made there will be support and encouragement, I am sure about that. The best publicity for this trip is the trip itself, not do to a lot of premature fussing about, but to get on the bike and do the job.
A good start for the whole venture at least is now that I, according to my special bond to the French town Colmar, opposite Freiburg on the other side of the Rhine, have chosen it to be my first initial milestone and that I agreed with the coordinators of the association
http://www.transrhinrail.eu (Fr.) or
http://www.freiburg-colmar-bahn.eu (G.), which deal with the initiation of a new rail bridge over the Rhine at Breisach to connect the German town Freiburg with the French Colmar, that I can express my utmost solidarity with the project the best way, if we´d meet at that point at the Rhine where the future bridge likely will be, for a photo-shooting, with me and my bike with trailer and the two boards on either side it, displaying the logo of this journey. A minimum of media interest is already guarantied for that, I hope in the end it will be a lot.
For this journey I don´t hold a copyright, yes, many have done things alike, may many more follow this example, it would a pleasure and delight for me. I will hit the road on my own, yet whoever who´d wish to accompany me, at least for a bit, is warmly invited.