Portalegre > Assumar
After breakfast VA and Pacôme go to the post office for another physical mailing of collected data (newspapers, water, cork products, postcards). After a coffee in the Hopper like bar, we go ahead to the 300m pure fold way on an industrial site. Of far from the city. Western movie style we bike ‘our road’, filmed by the camera of Nicolas and observed by some local workers who are amused with our little performance. After some group pictures we set to Monforte, an medieval town on a hill (of course, luckily they get lower to the south).
Assumar > Monforte
We stop in Assumar for lunch. The centre of town is full of high fences and it seems something is about to happen in town. Give minutes later we learn there is a bull run tomorrow. We hesitate if we should come back for it tomorrow, but the owner of the cafe is not sure if there will be much running tomorrow since the parties are rather for super bock then the toros. After lunch we bike to Monforte. The fold is exactly in between rain and sun. The road we follow separates fields that are getting wet, and sun on the other side. We get to Monforte just before the rain, but once there the sky turns dark. We wait for two hours and see if the one hotel in town still has some rooms. Unfortunately they are full. Almost all rooms are rented to workers that come for summer work.
This means we’ll have to bike another 27km for the nearest city, since camping in this weather is not really an option.
Monforte > Estremoz
It’s already 19:00 when we start biking to Estremoz. On the big road we have sun, wind, rain and spot some wild boars. We arrive in the city at 21:00, dead tired and hungry. The local dishes save us for the night and we’re happy to have made it after our trip in the dark..
During WAB Bruno wanders around the airport Paris – Charles de Gaulle 22 until 24 August.
It’s a two day hike of ca 50km for 8 participants.
To enroll for Paris, please leave your e-mail address before 14/08 on the following Doodle:
http://doodle.com/vib2pk6aftyx9ruf
(the trainticket of 100€ is to be payed by the participants!)
(NL) Circling Around zijn performatieve walks rond de vlieghavens Charles de Gaulle in Parijs en Brussels South in Charleroi. Bruno De Wachter nodigt mensen uit om rond grote internationale luchthavens met hem mee te wandelen langs de wegen en paden die dicht bij de luchthaven liggen.
Luchthavens zijn zeer vergelijkbaar over de hele wereld. Regionale verschillen worden gereduceerd tot de souvenirs die je kunt kopen in de cadeauwinkel. In termen van het geografische landschap, zijn het niet-plaatsen. De directe omgeving van luchthavens, verschillen echter sterk. De luchthaven snijdt een gat in het landschap. Dat is waarom het wordt voorgesteld als een schaduwrijke oppervlakte op de kaart.
Om een gat te beschrijven, moet je het omschrijven. Om een leegte te schetsen, moet de niet-leegte eromheen opgetekend worden. Om een luchthaven te beschrijven, moet je er een cirkel omheen tekenen. Om een luchthaven te ontdekken, moet je er rond lopen.
De reis wordt gedocumenteerd met foto’s en korte stukjes tekst.
BRUNO DE WACHTER is een schrijver/wandelaar. Zijn literaire werk vertrekt vanuit wandeltrajecten die hij zichzelf heeft opgelegd. Hij geeft regelmatig lezingen waar hij zijn publiek laat zien waarheen zijn laatste voettochten hem leidden. Bruno De Wachter woont en werkt in Brussel als halftijds technisch copywriter. Hij publiceerde literaire essays en vertalingen in het tijdschrift Yang en zijn opvolger nY.
(EN) Circling Around are performative walks around the airports Charles de Gaulle in Paris and Brussels South Charleroi. Bruno De Wachter invites people to walk along the roads and trails that are close to the airport.
Airports are very similar to all over the world. Regional differences are reduced to the souvenirs that you can buy in the gift shop. In terms of the geographic landscape, they are non-places. However, the immediate vicinity of airports, differs greatly. The airport cuts a hole in the landscape. That is why it is represented as a shaded area on the map.
To describe a hole you have to circumscribe it. To outline a void the non-emptiness surrounding it needs to be recorded. To describe an airport you have to draw a circle around it. To discover an airport you have to walk around it.
The journey is documented with photos and short pieces of text.
BRUNO DE WACHTER is a writer/walker. His literary work departs from hiking trails he imposes on himself. He regularly gives lectures that show the audience where his last walks has brought him. Bruno De Wachter lives and works in Brussels as a part-time technical copywriter. He published literary essays and translations in the journal Yang and his successor nY.
CIRCLING AROUND PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLES
Friday 22/08
For the people coming from Brussels
– 8:15 TGV from Bruxelles Midi train station
– 9:53 Arrival at Paris Charles de Gaulle
– 10:14 RER to Parc des Exposition
For participants from Paris, the meeting point is at the RER station Parc des Exposition at 10h30. Walk clockwise around the airport to Le Mesnil Amelot, 23 kilometer.
Night in Hotel Campanile in Le Mesnil Amelot.
Saturday 23/08
We walk back to Parc des Expositions to close the circle around the airport, 26 kilometer.
Night at Hotel Ibis Styles, Parc des Exposition de Villepinte.
Sunday 24/08
TGV back to Brussels.
Meeting at the WAB centre at Nadine to create a report of the walk. Participants who are not from Brussels can contribute per internet, but all airport-hikers are asked to participate in documenting the walk. We will conclude the reporting around 18h.
Costs
– TGV: € 100 pp > to be payed by the participants (10 reseservations made)
– Hotel Campanile Le Mesnil Amelot (22/08): payed by WAB/nadine
– Hotel Ibis Style, Parc des Exposition de Villepinte (23/08): payed by WAB/nadine
To confirm your enrollment, please pay the amount of €100 on the following account before 14 August:
Nadine, Herderstraat 30, 1050 Elsene – IBAN BE85523080241206 – BIC: TRIOBEBB
Circling Around is part of the European project ALOTOF and is supported by the European Culture Program 2007-2013.
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