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 ?n Turkey, ? can feel what is the turkish hospitality! Because for them, it's just lik this, ?f you meet someone on the road, you have to offer h?m a tea or all what he needs! Maybe it's just the perfect country where cycl?ng ?f you're not afra?d to spend hours on a terrace, dr?nk?ng tea, try?ng to understand your host, speak?ng w?th h?m w?th your 5 words ?n turk?sh or ?f you're lucky w?th your 50 words ?n bulgarian.... (lot of musl?m bulgarian or Pomak left the country ?n the 80's and 90's).

But it's not just the tea that ?s prov?ded, but also vegetables on the market, some bread on the way, water where there ?s some and so on! And it's d?ff?cult to refuse, because they really want you to take ?t!And they are ready to do everyth?ng to help you!

 Just a story : I was ready to spent the n?ght on the plage near Çanakkale, enjoying the sunset when a group of student came to me! W?th the?r poor engl?sh, my ?inex?stant turkish and a lot of gestures, we manged to understand ourself and they invited me at home! ?t was already late, but never m?nd, they prepared the dinner, bought a bottle of Rak? (the local alcohol w?th an?s) and we spend a long and n?ce even?ng try?ng to speak and us?ng a lot of computer translat?ons! It was really great! And in the morn?ng, they d?dn't let me go l?ke th?s! They invited me to have a breakfast w?th turk?sh coffee, just not to let me go like this! ANd ? was not allowed to thanks them, just tell?ng them good-bye and prom?sed them to come back at their home when ? w?ll be back in Çanakkale!

 Crazy and beaut?ful turkish hospitality! ?t help the world to continue to turn! How the l?fe is eas?er if you know that you will meet someone fr?endly on the way, ?f don't need to worr?ed for the future, because someone wi be here for you! And ? owe a debt now to all the travellers that w?ll knock at my door! ? owe a debt to all this people that ? w?ll meet and that w?ll need a roof for a n?ght or more! They w?ll 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, ?'m happy to tell you that we (my bike and me) we start a new trip to visit other countr?es and to be sure that the grass is also green on other h?lls!

We are now ?n Turkey, already ?n Asia, try?ng to visit and understand th?s beaut?ful country! And continuing what was a great travel last year, visit?ng eco v?llages, communities or private ecological iniatives! And th?s started very well w?th a "natural build?ng workshop" ?n the Çanakkale region, ?n a anc?ent farm ?n a small v?llages where some anti-glodm?ne activists have their campbase!  It was a really good week ?n a beaut?ful reg?on (but not so n?ce as Vlahi...) I spent the?r a week, work?ng on a mud and strawbale buildings, learning new technics and meet?ng new ?nteresting people... My p?ctures are not ava?lable, but you can see some here ! And here is the webs?te 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 w?th someone else you know! And know, ? have new adresses where to go to continue th?s visite of the iniatives ?n Turkey. 

R?ght now, ? w?ll work for some new friends ?n Kaz mounta?ns to help thme to bu?ld some houses to be able to host some more volunteers on the?r "just started" ecov?llage.  They bought an ancient v?llage and now they want to rebu?lt it, to be able to give a new start to th?s area! Permaculture garden?ng, beehousesand others selfsuff?c?ent techn?cs are present! That's the reason why I w?ll stay some days here helping them before cont?nuing 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