“I am an artist from the Netherlands on a pelgrimage from Almere by train and Brompton to a mountainous residency in a tiny, tiny village in Bulgaria. My road signs are places of art, old trees and the people I meet. Could I meet you too?”

Plan your own residency: https://www.transartists.org/en/air/pop-art-house-osenovlag

Having entered Bulgaria I got out at Zverino, along Iskar river. I stopped at the first bar that was open and asked for a tosti, a tea and a place to swim. The bar owner liked Hot Chocolate – Put your love in me. For the swim he directed  me to Oselna. In Oselna I was lost, rang a doorbell and asked what appeated to be Dyado Milcho (which means something like Grandpa Michael) for help. There was a bridge, pedestrians only, after all. Milcho wasn’t shy for a chat and we exchanged friendly words in my best Bulgarian. Then came the bridge and a swim.

After the swim came an easy stretch of 7 kilometers along Iskar river. Then a sharp turn left – over the rail road – and a 20 kilometer and 600 meter climb along Gabrovnitsa river awaited. It was over 30 degrees celsius. Every two or three kilometers I had to get into the Gabrovnitsa to cool down. After 12 kilometers I rested at Seven Chapels Monastery, with the wooden man (photos) I met the monument along the road for Dimiter Kristanov (photos). He was the priest who lived in Pop Art House! After 17 kilometers I was saved by Valery and Mitko, Mitko being my neighbour. They took me to my house. Where I cooled down one last time, unpacked and slept.

Hot as it was I rode off with a filled water bottle and a broad rimmed hat and met a couple of Hoopoes, beautiful birds flying with me for a while. I then met this huge karavan of trucks (photo), waiting for the border. It was a queue of at least 10 kilometers of trucks in 38 degrees of blasting heat. After a few kilometers I stopped at a tomato and melon stand. I wanted two tomatoes, but he gave me five and a water melon. We shook hands and exchanged names. His’ was Auriel (photo). After a few more kilometers I took a  turn into a beach on the river banks of the Danube. Just some five hundred meters and a steep sloap away from truck hell, there was this green, lush swimmer paradise (photo)) Then the bridge (photo) and a great view over the Danube (photo) and arrived just in time for my connecting train in Vidin (BG).

“I am an artist from the Netherlands on a pelgrimage from Almere by train and Brompton to a mountainous residency in a tiny, tiny village in Bulgaria. My road signs are places of art, old trees and the people I meet. Could I meet you too?”

Plan your own residency: https://www.transartists.org/en/air/pop-art-house-osenovlag

And met another tree next to it, a willow (photo below). Both trees stand guard at Craiova station. The best shade is of old trees. Wished them an undisturbed future. My train to Bulgaria left in time, my train neighbours had a good chat (photo).

My bike brings me easily af few kilometers into town. All coffee places were still closed in the station, arriving at 05.30 hours. I had two hours to kill, a bike ride is a nice break anyway. A half hour into town led me to a little coffee place, a kind barrista and with fresh bread being delivered. This was my panaroma.

No food or drinks in the train, nothing to buy in these beautiful little romanian villages. A clear water source was replenishing.

From USA, Switzerland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands. Sharing food, fun, stories, beer. Sharing English, French, Dutch, German, Schwitzeduutz.

Recipe below

Michael had made the broth, I had peeled the beets, cut some extra herbs and let it cook for 10 minutes. After some hours in the fridge it tasted wonderfull. Recipe below.

“I am an artist from the Netherlands on a pelgrimage from Almere by train and Brompton to a mountainous residency in a tiny, tiny village in Bulgaria. My road signs are places of art, old trees and the people I meet. Could I meet you too?”

Plan your own residency: https://www.transartists.org/en/air/pop-art-house-

Exposition that took me by the throat. People protesting open pit-mining in Lützerat or cutting century-old trees in Hainsbach. Also Maidan, Ukrain, 2014. And Indian Farmers Protests in Delhi in 2020/2021. And many more. 

My host Michael helped organise protests against hydroelectric power plants  – Hainburg 1984 and Nagymaros on the borders of Danube river in the 1980ies. More about those protests: https://boku.ac.at/event/details/76836

Architecture starts where someones body occupies a space. So someone glued to the road is part of protest architecture.