Next week around this time I will be setting up my tent somewhere, it’s a crazy realization. I’ve been sleeping on the mattress I’ll be taking with me since I sold my bed, so it probably won’t be much different from tonight I guess. I have started laying out the stuff I want to take already, and am still wondering how it all will fit in my pack.
Last week my parents bought me my tent, or better said, my home for the coming six months. It is a 4 season Hilleberg Akto 1-person tent. It should be able to shelter me during my entire trip. Its spacious enough to fit me and my pack, still leaving a bit of room to sit and cook. If no other options, it can hold two persons, but the one joining me must really, really like me. I have invested in a new pants and jacked, both decent enough to last the whole trip (I hope).
I have also decided to deviate a bit form my original planned route to stay true to my intention of visiting religious places. I will spend a night at the Pilgrim house in Kevelaer. A well-known Catholic pilgrimage site near the German-Dutch border dedicated to the Virgin Mary. So the first part of the route I will walk along the Jakobsweg, also known as the Camino.
My story was shared by a couple of different media this week. As I wrote last week, an interview with me was about to be published in the local newspaper. They had some stories with higher priority then, so they published it this week, you’ll find it below (I’m sorry it’s in Dutch. If I have time and feel like it, I’ll publish a translation).
The website www.nieuwwij.nl also shared my story as did www.bezinningsbureau.nl. I was interviewed by the local broadcast station, this afternoon, check it here.
An interview with Thomas Hontelez in De Brug