Music and stories at our departure ceremony Saturday

This Saturday, August 21, is our second departure ceremony of this month, in the ancient Valkhof Chapel in Nijmegen (1,100 years..!).

Just like every third Saturday, we start in silence from the statue of the woman who, according to Mayor Bruls, is the “most famous Nijmegen resident who never existed”: Mariken van Nimwegen. This sculpture on the Markt is located near our starting and ending point, the Stevens Church. From there it is a 700-metre walk along the route to the Valkhof Chapel.

Due to Corona, there is limited space in the intimate chapel (10 pilgrims). To meet the high demand, we keep two in a row. Please note that these are fully booked.

The ceremony is free to attend thanks to the hospitality of the municipality of Nijmegen and the efforts of volunteers. In addition to the masters of ceremonies Birgit van Onna and Damiaan Messing, this time they are:

• Pilgrim Hilde van Engelen. Hilde once received a starter kit from our deceased musician Dineke van de Velde Harsenhorst and talks about her experiences on her journey. Her preparation was a pilgrimage in itself, she writes: link
• Troubadour Jan Willem van Opstal. In 2015, as a pilgrim, Jan Willem received his pin personally from the mayor, because he was the third pilgrim to register for the Walk of Wisdom (we are now almost at the 10,000th!). Jan Willem plays at our departure ceremonies on occasion. Professionally, he combines making music with cooking via Sound and Food: link .

More about the ceremonies: link.