just a bike trip!

This blog  is just a diary about my ecological feeling on the wayto the East cost to Europe. During2 months, accompanied by my bike, I will try tojoin Vlahi, a small village in Bulgaria's south-west moutains. And there, in the Natureschool Vlahi, I will be volunteerfor one year. In this ecocenter, I'will work about ecological bulidings and ecological gardens!

And this is for this job that I'm leaving France by bike. By bike for 2 reasons. First, I reduce my ecological footprint butmore important, I will take a long time to go there. 2 months to visit Europe and stop anywhere I want, to visit ecological project like ecovillage or communities, to meet people living differently and learn from them. You can see my route on this map .

I will use this blog to share this experiences, to see how far in an alternative Europe this trip will lead me. I want to describe how people are building another life out of media and well organised greenwashed political meetings. The world is changing but either normal people can change mentalities from teir experiences and everyday life. 

Ce blog se veut un journal de bord de mes expériences écologiques toujours plus loin vers l'Est. Pendant 2 mois, sur mon vélo bien chargé, je vais me rapprocher de Vlahi, un petit village dans les montagnes du Sud-ouest de la Bulgarie. Car c'est là, dans la Naturschool que je vais faire un volontariat dans le cadre d'un SVE (service volontaire européen). Et dans cet éco-centre, je travaillerais sur les questions de la construction écologique et des jardins écologiques. 

C'est donc pour cela que je pars là-bas à vélo. Non seulement, je diminue mon empreinte carbone, mais en plus, je prendrais le temps d'arriver là-bas, de visiter l'Europe... Car en plus de rouler toute la journée, je veux m'arreter dans des éco-village, rencontrer des gens qui vivent diffemment, construisent autrement et prennent le temps de partager leurs expériences. Vous pouvez donc voir mon trajet prévisionnel sur cette carte et me prévenir si je passe près de chez vous.

Je profiterai donc de ce blog pour mettre en ligne ces expériences, pour voir jusqu'ou me ménera ce voyage dans la découverte d'une europe dont on parle rarement, loin des expériences des éco-quartiers exemplaires, des grandes manifestations écologistes et autres baroufs médiatiques. Le monde avance peu à peu mais le changement de mentalité est aussi fait des expériences individuelles et de la vie de tous les jours!

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Turkish hospitality

After just some days biking ın Turkey, İ can feel what is the turkish hospitality! Because for them, it's just lik this, ıf you meet someone on the road, you have to offer hım a tea or all what he needs! Maybe it's just the perfect country where cyclıng ıf you're not afraıd to spend hours on a terrace, drınkıng tea, tryıng to understand your host, speakıng wıth hım wıth your 5 words ın turkısh or ıf you're lucky wıth your 50 words ın bulgarian.... (lot of muslım bulgarian or Pomak left the country ın the 80's and 90's).

But it's not just the tea that ıs provıded, but also vegetables on the market, some bread on the way, water where there ıs some and so on! And it's dıffıcult to refuse, because they really want you to take ıt!And they are ready to do everythıng to help you!

 Just a story : I was ready to spent the nıght on the plage near Çanakkale, enjoying the sunset when a group of student came to me! Wıth theır poor englısh, my ıinexıstant turkish and a lot of gestures, we manged to understand ourself and they invited me at home! İt was already late, but never mınd, they prepared the dinner, bought a bottle of Rakı (the local alcohol wıth anıs) and we spend a long and nıce evenıng tryıng to speak and usıng a lot of computer translatıons! It was really great! And in the mornıng, they dıdn't let me go lıke thıs! They invited me to have a breakfast wıth turkısh coffee, just not to let me go like this! ANd İ was not allowed to thanks them, just tellıng them good-bye and promısed them to come back at their home when İ wıll be back in Çanakkale!

 Crazy and beautıful turkish hospitality! İt help the world to continue to turn! How the lıfe is easıer if you know that you will meet someone frıendly on the way, ıf don't need to worrıed for the future, because someone wi be here for you! And İ owe a debt now to all the travellers that wıll knock at my door! İ owe a debt to all this people that İ wıll meet and that wıll need a roof for a nıght or more! They wıll be welcome at home! they just have to knock at the door! 

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on the road again

After a year in Bulgaria, İ'm happy to tell you that we (my bike and me) we start a new trip to visit other countrıes and to be sure that the grass is also green on other hılls!

We are now ın Turkey, already ın Asia, tryıng to visit and understand thıs beautıful country! And continuing what was a great travel last year, visitıng eco vıllages, communities or private ecological iniatives! And thıs started very well wıth a "natural buildıng workshop" ın the Çanakkale region, ın a ancıent farm ın a small vıllages where some anti-glodmıne activists have their campbase!  It was a really good week ın a beautıful regıon (but not so nıce as Vlahi...) I spent theır a week, workıng on a mud and strawbale buildings, learning new technics and meetıng new ınteresting people... My pıctures are not avaılable, but you can see some here ! And here is the websıte of the place

It was a wonderful week, and i could see that all the "permaculture network" arereally well connected because everybody knows everybody or has some links wıth someone else you know! And know, İ have new adresses where to go to continue thıs visite of the iniatives ın Turkey. 

Rıght now, İ wıll work for some new friends ın Kaz mountaıns to help thme to buıld some houses to be able to host some more volunteers on theır "just started" ecovıllage.  They bought an ancient vıllage and now they want to rebuılt it, to be able to give a new start to thıs area! Permaculture gardenıng, beehousesand others selfsuffıcıent technıcs are present! That's the reason why I wıll stay some days here helping them before contınuing to the south!

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arrive? En Bulgarie oui, a destination, pas encore...

I'm now in Sofia, back after 5 days in Schipka, a small but very important village in Bulgaria (here, Bulgarian and Russian fought against Turkian and loose...). But for me it is the place were I took my first permaculture lessons (in english of course) and were I start to meet the young but very enthousiatic ecological network of Bulgaria... It was in a place called Permaship were 2 families try to live following the permaculture principes.

All the people I see are trying to start a project to be able to have a more eco-friendly life. They have a lot of ideas and they try to develop this everywhere in the country. They are starting a very interesting network called "alive places " to be able to work together, to have new projects and to have some common ressources. I think I will try to visit them and like this, I will be able to visit Bulgaria on a different way. I think, it can be a good thing, not just biking in the country without aim but continuing this travel on the road of the ecoproject in Europe. 

And tomorrown, I will be in Vlahi. Not by bike as I wanted in the beginning, but I will have time to do the road between Sofia and Vlahi during this year. I will see the place where I will live next year, my flat and the natureschool Vlahi . I'm sure I will discover something really great now, because, all people that I met and who were there are saying that it is wonderful. And I'm sure of this...

Je suis de retour a Sofia apres un workshop de 5 jours dans le centre du pays... Et oui, pour bien commencer un volontariat, quoi de mieux que de partir a la decouverte d'autres endroits ayant un projet similaire. Et je suis donc alle a Schipka, une petite ville importante en raison d'une bataille perdue entre Russe et Bulgares et aussi des nombreuses tombes Thraces de la region.Mais ce qui etait vraiment interessant pour moi, c'etait donc ce Workshop ou j'ai decouvert la permaculture et ses applications possibles au domaines de l'eau et du retraitement des eaux sales. Je ne suis pas forcement d'accord avec tout ce que disait l'intervenant, mais au moins, cela donne un bon apercu. Et surtout, cela m'a permis de decouvrir un jeune et tres motive reseau d'ecolieux dans toute la Bulgarie. Ce reseau "alive places ", a l'instar du permaship (ou se tenait le workshop) et de la natureschool a Vlahi ou je vais faire mon volontariat regroupe un ensemble de lieux qui veulent informer et faire decouvrir d'autres manieres de vivre, plus responsables et durables. Et cela me fait en plus de nombreux points de chute pour decouvrir la Bulgarie autrement et continuer mon ecoveloroute...

Et demain, je serais enfin a Vlahi, je vais decouvrir mon nouvel appartement, je vais cesser mon annee SDF commnencee en juillet dernier... Et c'est la-bas, entre Kresna, la ville dans la vallee et Vlahi dans la montagne que je vais vivre pour un an. Je suis sur que c'est magnifique et que mes souvenirs ne se sont pas trompes, car tout ceux que j'ai rencontre et qui connaisent les lieux me l'ont encore rappele. Et moi je suis heureux d'enfin y arriver et de me mettre au travail avec tous les membres de l'association qui sont aussi tres motives et pleins d'idees pour ce centre.

Sofia, le 9 juin 2010

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just some news...

hello, I'now in Pecs, in the south of Hungary. I will go tonight in a small ecovillage in the middle of nowhere! I hope it will be good! I soory, I don't have time to write some news, so I just say to everybody that I' alive and very happy, the sun is back and the Danube too!

I was this last days travelling with a french girl, so you can see some pictures on her blog , and on mine as soon as possible!

bonjour a tous, simplement quelaues nouvelles pour vous dire aue je suis encore en vie malgré la tempete, les moustiques et les orages revenus en meme temps que le beau temps! Tout va bien, j'en profite a fond et je vais passer ma derniere soiréenongroise dans un ecovillage pres de Pecs, dans le sud vers la Croatie. 

Si vous voulez plus de nouvelles, vous pouvez voir quelques photos sur le site de Celine avec qui j'ai fait 3 jours de vélo.

Pecs, le 24 mai

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actions alternatives bateau carte chantier chanvre communaute divagations eco-quartier eco-rénovation entreprise ferme liens maison paille mpaison paille paille photos politique terre tourisme zome écocentre