Our volunteer starter kit team merrily packed our 5.000th starter kit. Pilgrims come from all over the Netherlands and increasingly Flanders. We did not yet succeed in attracting pilgrims further away, apart from our native Englishman and signposter Stuart, who translated the routeguide, and our two American pilgrims who tested the translation (and approved it).
Who wants to help reaching out further away?
Paul Spierings set out for a Walk of Wisdom with his partner Alberthe. He sent us some wonderful pictures of the first half.
Since recently pilgrims from Belgium can register for the Dutch Walk of Wisdom at the information point of the Compostela society in Mechelen without postage. When they register via the Dutch website, they only have to pay the Dutch postage rate and no longer the more expensive international rate. The Belgian pilgrim colleagues will then send the starter pack!
We are happy with this expansion: we think it is important that the journey is also accessible to people with modest financial means. Thanks to the Flemish Compostela Society, the financial threshold to walk the Walk of Wisdom Netherlands is now a lot lower.
The number of pilgrims from Belgium has been increasing steadily lately. They are exclusively from Flanders, which is probably due to the languages of our starter package: Dutch or English. We hope that a few of the Flemish pilgrims will become enthusiastic about the idea behind the trip. Who knows, someday a Walk of Wisdom Belgium will come from it.
It is our ambition to start a route in three other countries in Europe in the coming years, such as our own Walk of Wisdom around Nijmegen. We cannot do that ourselves: as a volunteer organization we want to stay small and simply lack the local knowledge to do something like that well anywhere else. But we can dream: a round of 125 to 150 kilometers through a beautiful area that has not yet been milked by tourism. In Belgium, preferably a round that crosses the language border as a gesture of fraternization!
Adress info point Mechelen: Frederik de Merodestraat 18, Mechelen. Open on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More.
Photo border landmark “Let friendship heal what borders divide”. (Laat vriendschap helen wat grenzen delen.) by Gerda (Pilgrim 2460). Foto grenspaal “Laat vriendschap helen wat grenzen delen”, door Gerda (pelgrim 2460). Meer.
Our Walk of Wisdom won the people’s award in the election of the Gelderland province for quality of landscape. The jury selected us to the top five, but awarded it’s jury prize to a smart city project in Arnhem resurfacing an old river in the inner city. The public voted Walk of Wisdom as no. 1 with 336 votes, a clear sign of approval from followers.
Pioneer Damiaan Messing: “We see this as a big thumbs up from pilgrims who walked our trail and took the rather tedious and elaborate effort to vote for us. We promise to invest the €10.000,- in the further development of a meaningful, ecological sensitive rite to inspire those who walk the talk of self realization and sustainability.”
Walk of Wisdom: ” a pearl “
From the press release of the province of Gelderland: “Out of 1712 votes for 15 projects the Walk of Wisdom came out strongest. The stunning diversity of landscapes around Nijmegen as mirror to the soul. With on the road a symbol as compass telling us man is not separate from nature, but part of it. ‘A pilgrimage to reconnect with life, nature and our surroundings: a pearl’ – one of the voters motivated.”
We can but blush… Thank you to all our supporters!
The prize was awarded by one the board members of the province Josan Meijers and former vice prime minister of the Netherlands Jan Terlouw.
Landscape – differently
The Gelderland Peize die quality of landscape his awarded every two year. This year’s theme – landscape, differently – fitted well with pilgrimage.
Sint Jansbeek: audacious city transformation
The winner of the juryprijs was het stedelijke beeklandschap de Sint Jansbeek, refiguring one of the old streams of Arnhem in the city and thus tranforming the public face.
The complete juryrapport.
With joy we donated €150,- for the Dutch conservation trust to maintain the Palland Valley. The valley is kept to demonstrate the original Dutch landschape with braided and wooded hedges. The trust campaigns for funds to restore this landscape. Our pilgrimage passes through the valley and we are glad to help our.
We donate €1,- for each pilgrim to the landschape on our pilgrimage.
Many thanks to our volunteers Stuart Harris and Daniëlle Slootjes who translated our routeguide. After months of work we were able to send the english edtion to the printer. We expect the guides mid June and hope to finish our website english ediiton by then to welcome from abroad!
This morning, as the 2654th and 2655th pilgrim, Sam Sokolsky-Tifft from Massachusetts and Spencer Wilson from Georgia left tot a Walk of Wisdom. The two Americans were very interested in the journey – “good for our soul” – and will test a translation of the route guide by two of our volunteers. Thanks to Stuart Harris and Daniëlle Slootjes!