Day 26 - 35km
Kagno (PL) - Dabroszym / Küstriner Vorland (D)
From our little “caravan” house in Kagno, after breakfast in the fresh sunshine, we drive to Mieszkowice where the tree bike was left yesterday. We are just driving away when the neighbor across the road comes out interested, she saw a tree passing over the hedge of her garden. In Polish, because she does not master the German language, she asks us out for coffee. We sit in the garden and with hands and feet, and our folder in Polish, we explain what we are doing. We also give away some little trees. They are very happy. Another neighbor joins us, she does speak German and helps with the translations. After I ask if they have contacts with the mayor of Mieszkowice (about 3,300 inhabitants, if I heard correctly), she suggests we go there. She is willing to come along for a while. Daan goes with her to see the mayor, and Richard and I go on our bikes, for it is already eleven o’clock.
We cycle through a beautiful forest area. The light falling through the trees, which are not yet full of leaves, on the pale green forest floor of blueberries is magical. What pure beauty. It makes you quiet. We arrive in Kostrzyn, a bit further south than our intended location of Dabroszym, where the traffic suddenly feels very heavy. The tree claims its place in the traffic and the motorists react positively, at least most of them. We spent the night a little further from the line, just across the Oder in the floodplain, back in Germany. Here we found a nice and inexpensive place with a big garden, Richard so, absolutely top. And there we are now staying for two days and three nights, our weekend, during which we mainly have to get rid of a lot of mails and also recover. It’s quite strenuous, but also tremendously beautiful! And … we made it to the first thousand kilometers today! We cycled a thousand kilometers with a big tree on the back of the bike. We are super proud.
Wednesday, May 7 - day 27
The tree bike has a break today, very nice for the tree, and also for us. A day mostly behind the computer, answering mails. Did drive to Dabroszyn with Daan. And made a picture where the Circle4Change line cuts through the landscape. And we looked for the town hall but could not find it. Went shopping and back again. On with the emails. It’s chilly outside.
Yesterday it occurred to me that what we are doing on the circle line has many similarities to what cultural capitals, such as also Leeuwarden and Nova Gorica, the poles of Circle4Change, are striving for. Namely, to ‘boost’ a city and area from primarily a cultural and social perspective. And that is also what we are doing, taking into account not only the cultural and social values but also especially the ecological values. Thinking this through, one could imagine that the Circle4Change concept could perhaps become part of the legacy program of the Cultural Capitals. In which not a city but the rural area (along a circle line) is the starting point, and activation from the bottom up is central. Here imagination, connecting and making something happen together are important items. Similarly, several circle lines could be created, through the cooperation of two Cultural Capitals and then at least through two, but preferably through more European countries, like our Circle4Change goes through nine countries. The overarching goal is then not only to give a “boost” but also to stimulate and activate a change towards a world in balance with nature. By giving the route along the line an important connecting task, I believe it will work as a magnet for sustainable initiatives from the bottom up. And by involving residents, artists, organizations and municipalities, a “mycelium” network is built that can grow a new symbiotic world with optimism. A nice thought, right?
Thursday, May 8 - day 28
It’s fairly cloudy today, another day for administration. In particular, setting up a new press release takes time. We are a thousand kilometers on the road and tomorrow in Venice the exhibition in the ‘European Cultural Centre’ that we are part of opens. That’s a good time to send out a press release. We will also send out the newsletter this weekend. I go through the financial administration with Daan. How are we doing, is the budget in line with current expenses? Fortunately, we are in line with expectations. And so the days fly by.