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| L'impasse du Mage upon arrival |
So where am I? What have I been doing? A conclusion is that sometimes other projects come before the blog. Normally this would really bug me out like managing a thesis with a job or other projects, but I decided to simply enjoy my time and put energy in the things that I intuitively wanted to put energy in. Having mostly time to write in the evening when I was tired simply made the blog lag a bit behind. I originally wanted to cover only the part going to Paris, but it feels more logical to write about my whole experience in France so far. It will mean though that I want to write about what happened during one month, not an easy task. Another reason write about the whole journey so far is the fact that my travel has passed a significant turning point: Nicolaas has returned home. I will continue solo. More about why Nicolaas left and what that means for me later on. So, where have I been? I've been residing in l'Impasse du Mage, in a subregion of Normandy that is called the Norman Switzerland. Contrary to the rest of the area with quite flat plateaus, here the Orne river and smaller streams have carved a very steep landscape that is characterised by a lush bocage, something that we already saw in Voeren and the border with France. Some valleys show big, beautiful cliffs (e.g. Roche d'Oëtre) and nature is quite well conserved. We are staying with Alice and Guillaume, their two children, Victor and Margaux and their cat Mazet. They live in an old countryhouse, that they bought as a quasi-ruin. They are spending their time between raising the children, renovating the house and terrain, one hectare!, and their very ambitious jobs.
Guillaume is interested in decentralising the internet and is organising the construction of (ecosystems of) internet tools, in the form of data-spaces, for local communities to help them organise themselves, hasten the ecological transition and facilitate communication between their own different digital environments. Alice is a programmer and works freelance with a small activist collective. Staying almost three weeks in L'impasse du Mage was necessary in the way that it enabled to really exchange with them. In local circles they are regarded as interested and motivated people, with many contacts, new ideas and lots of energy to try lots of things. Alice among other things created an eco-sciencefiction festival around the future of the Bocage landscape (so cool), but at the same time she participates (or will be) in local politics, handles a local newsletter, puts effort in a local mental health initiative, and helps organising a militant activist festival, called Les Résistantes and that will happen next summer in the neighborhood. I sensed through them that even one of the quietest regions of France can be active and full of people ready to build a future together and try new ways of living even without living in a closed community. They offered me many opportunities to meet these people, like a baker who grows his own bio-wheat, the local left-wing opposition party, participants of Alice's science fiction festival, a student who is doing her civil service on strengthening relations between (ecological) farmers and communities, a regenerative farmer, a biologist who monitors the mammals in the area, owners of a hostel with a ecological focus, activists organising the festival, an entrepreneur who own a company that extracts biomass from the bocage hedges, a entrepeneur building a ecosystem of information tools for farmers to handle their business, the mayor who hid a wanted leftwing terrorist in the past, the local bicycle manufacturer and even a couple who on principle has decided to not work and live on social security, but nonetheless do a lot of voluntary work and try to live in autarky. I met as many interesting people in two weeks as I did in months when living in Belgium, the same counts for discussions an new ideas. I also got plenty ideas for the next few stops, mostly in Bretagne and the Southwest of France.
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| Every season has passed it seems... |
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No electrictiy so the mass stove and
candles provided warmth and light. |
Staying here, I experienced the last warm days of 2024 and the first snow. We got a big snow storm, that left us without internet and electricity for a day (other villages even for days!). Luckily the gas stove for cooking and the super interesting "mass wood stove" still function. The latter is a huge two ton system that enables to warm a well isolated house for two days, after burning about 15kg of wood. It is capable of extracting almost all the calories burned in the fire, so the smokes comes quite cool out of the chimney and the burn is super efficient (hot!) and releases only CO2 and almost no other nasty particles (like sooth, or carbon monoxide). Because the wood is abundant and circularly extracted from the hedges, it counts as a quite carbon neutral energy system, although it is mostly applicable on the countryside and not in cities. It has also a high cosiness factor, which should not be neglected.
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| Nicolaas and I clearing the field |
I was invited to peoples houses, got the local aperitif, pommeau (calvados mixed with fresh apple juice and rested for two years in oak barrels, suuuuuper nice) after helping out the baker clearing a field of branches and a neighbour took me for a morning run in the deep snow. It is difficult to explain the warmth emanating from this world, but I find myself to be extremely lucky being here and I feel grateful for that, even though so far I did not cycle as much as I had planned originally.
working...
During my stay I helped Alice and Guillaume with a lot of things, like renovating the house, working in the garden and generally in managing the household, taking care of the children. Nicolaas stayed one week and together we did quite a lot. We covered a big part of their attic ceiling, transplanted a few plants in their garden and started to work on a chicken coop. We also rested quite a bit, took a bit care of the children and explored the region. Especially the Rocher d'Oëtre, the local natural monument is really beautiful. Nicolaas, who is allergic to cats, particularly suffered from our stay here and it was one of the reasons he accelerated his departure, leaving after one week and half. In the last days, we talked much less and almost exclusively in french, Nicolaas wanting to improve his speech. We were so occupied by the children, Alice and Guillaume, or working that we fell back on the comfort of each others presence.
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| ... and enjoying the area |
Once Nicolaas left, besides becoming stuck in the snowstorm, I finished the chicken coop (in the night before leaving as it was more work than expected and the soil here is full of big rocks), helping out the mayor's brother sawing some wood for a construction project, and participating in the meeting about the activist festival. I also had been working on a personal project of creating my own sandals, having lost my flip flops on the first day cycling to Aalst. I became stuck on the idea of making sandals out of trash and more particularly used car tires. The big workshop offered all the tools I needed to construct them, using my time off. I am quite satisfied with the result, having made sturdy shoes out of a salvaged car tire and plastic bags. They look cool, being quite eccentric (a character trait of mine I have embraced). It will be useful in case my shoes are very wet or to walk around indoors.
I discovered that the local community is really divided about the advent of this very left-wing event, as the area is politically dominated by right-wing authority, some fearing the disruption with moderate leftwing alliances or the deputies cutting grants to certain associations linked to the festival. I witnessed some debates and also at home it was a big discussion. The meeting was interesting, because I heard the voice of some of the organizers. Les Résistantes is definitely something I'll keep an eye on.
During the stay I think I also managed to really find a place at this home. I grew attached to the children, who are still small and who often need a lot of attention and I almost played an au-pair role. I helped tidying up and cooking, which made it easier to accept the fact that I was staying for free, relying on their exceptional hospitality. I think an intuitive "click" made me stay so long at L'impasse du Mage. I will definitely try to come back here or invite them to stay in Belgium!
So how did find this place? Once again we followed up on a thing Nicolaas knew of, called "
Les Chemins de la Transition". We had already explored the website before departure in October and it was one of the reasons I became convinced that going on this kind of trip with Nicolaas was a better plan than racing solo to Morocco. When in Paris discussing where to go next, we looked at the map and decided to go to the project of L'Impasse du Mage he had already envisaged in September. Guillaume gave us almost immediately the green light and the decision was made. When arriving we discovered that he was the creator of Les Chemins de la Transition, which we thought was an incredible coincidence, considering the many available projects (especially in Normandy). Being also an ongoing project of his, it tries to create certain thematised parcours in France (chemins) that lead its explorers across many different projects, like ecological farming, circular economy, certain arts and crafts. It is meant as some kind of alternative to the Compostella route (Chemins de Compostelle in french), with an accent on the experience and knowledge that those place can offer. It comes along with a blog system (I wish I knew it earlier) and a forum to see the other participants experiences. If you ever fall short of travel ideas, here is a perfect one I can recommend.
Looking back at my stay and travel, two things are clear in this light: there are so many projects of well-meaning people scattered across France and Belgium, available through platforms like wwoof, workaway or les chemins de la transition. And secondly I feel much more hopeful about the will of many people to enact change today, a hope that I wish to also convey upon the readers of this blog.
Let me now tell about how we arrived at L'Impasse du Mage.
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| First some bocage, soon replaced by big open fields |
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misty weather forcing out
the fluo colours |
Considering the terrible flooding back then in Spain, Nicolaas and I cycled rain-free to Paris from the 27 October to 1st November and to the Impasse du Mage in Normandy from the 5th to the 8th afterwards. We only complained about misty, humid mornings, which often forced us to wear our yellow vests, making us more visible, but at the same time being a potentially dangerous political statement in France. The dry weather did not prompt us to look for accommodation whatsoever. This made arriving in Paris at my uncle's place the first "shelter" since leaving my godmother's (although "shelter" is an almost insulting term for their comfy apartment in central Paris). It also meant that we truly spent a week and a half outdoors mostly cycling, bivouacking, eating and looking for food, either around us or in the sparse bakeries and supermarkets.
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Mud on the road getting stuck
between my mudguard and
tire, frustrating |
It was interesting to experience the weather changes in this time of year, as we had the famous warm 26th of October (see previous blogpost) and ended up constantly wearing gloves and jackets while arriving in Paris. Some people we met along the way remarked that we were cycling to the "South", but that of course was not nearly far enough to escape the inevitable cold of the impending European winter. I knew then that in my next few weeks of cycling I should be ready for colder temperatures, which has some inconveniences, but so far I didn't experience anything to really worry about. I mostly got frustrated by the mud mixed with leaves getting trapped between fender and tire, something that was difficult to remove and acted as a constant brake. For the people interested: yes, we also did not shower or wash for that period, something that I expect will make some readers wonder how I'm possibly still alive and well. (Also that shower in Paris felt amazingly good).
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one of the rare bakeries and us trying out
interesting new spreads on the baguettes |
The north of France is typical for a mostly agrarian region with a crumbled industrial past. A lot of empty, silent villages made with crude, cement and brick-houses, industrial agriculture with big dairy farms or neverending monoculture fields. The valley sides make up for the green forests, the areas no one has been able to utilise. It definitely had an impact on us, how wide and alienating, but it was always a pleasure climbing or descending through woods and greens. Our route led us through one beautiful city, Laon, a medieval town perched on a steep hill (it dominated the lower fields towards the North, where we came from). The cathedral is a masterpiece, showing statues of exotic animals like a hippopotamus. The rest of the city is in a bad shape, but we had a nice talk with people from the local anarchist group, who were keeping an anarchist book shop and a soon-to-be-opened library.
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Arriving at Laon
 | | American cemetery of Bois Belleau |
After Laon, we entered more and more the territory of the First World War, with the impressive Chemin des Dames (a road on a ridge were heavy battles were fought), and the 1918 German offensive through the Marne valley. It powdered the area with different military cemeteries, some of which were very interesting. We visited an Italian one, which taught me about Italy also fighting (in small numbers) on the Western front, and not only on the Italian Front. Another one we took time to visit, was an American one, of which there are only eight in France from the Great War. It was as if entering the USA itself, with neatly tended lawns, and a broad road to acces it. When I talk about something that feels like the United States, I imply it's the great 20th century image we Europeans have of it, not the country like it is since the recent elections won by a certain convicted felon. Entering the cemetery emanated an exaggerated ceremonial vibe, especially with a huge, tower-like chapel in white stone, but it was still quite impressive in the end. German cemeteries were typically very sober. Mostly grey stones with four names, they still held something strangely beautiful, healing, conciliatory. |
We also passed the westernmost corner of the Champagne (Charly-sur-Marne), with endless vineyards. As we had fixed a certain date to arrive, we kind of realised that, in a straight line, we were going to arrive too soon, so we rather took our time, and cycled an L-shape to arrive in Paris. In a little village I even found time to clean the bicycle chains once again (which would get inevitably spoiled the next day when cycling through muddy forest paths). That way we took our time, which also generated opportunities. Nicolaas was able to crack open an immense mass of walnuts and staying that long in a village square let us see that a seemingly dead village was quite alive. A pensioned archeologist who passed by even gave us a quick guided tour along the church, pointing out details I would have never seen (like a mysterious stairway on the outside wall).
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| Leaving a bivouac spot in the morning |
It illustrates the nicer moments we had, as we did have our fiercest arguments on that leg of the trip, which often had a rather negative impact on the mood. It could be for example a purely philosophical discussion on politics or rather an argument on which camping spot to select. Looking back on it after a few weeks, I see our respective desires to be right mostly as the reason of many clashes. I'm not saying we're two pedantic figures, but this good qualities of wanting to "Nuance" or being "Truthful" can really work backwards on two people with this kind of persona. It didn't help as well that we had very different energy levels, me often wanting to continue and Nicolaas already being weary. I often felt frustrated because of this kinds of differences, but managed to let that frustration evaporate gradually. I was quite self-aware and tried to analyse where the anger or irritation came from and every time discovered it came from childish or stubborn parts of myself, which helped to make all of those feelings dissolve. I also think that this is the normal effect of travelling in duo and being constantly in each others presence. I experienced easier travelling companions, but overall I am very happy of having travelled with Nicolaas. It was also going to Paris that Nicolaas announced that he would return home before december. We agreed on visiting the capital and one more project together but that he would leave afterwards. I felt both excited that I would be able to explore France on my own and at my own pace, but at the same time it kind of removed a structure that helped me support the travel. Luckily I had time to come up with new plans and ideas for the last part of the journey before Christmas. (I now have a little less than a month of cycling in front of me. I want to be in Grenoble by then to celebrate with my family and I have plenty of plans!)
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| the famous muddy roads near Paris |
On our last day we even chilled in a cafe for an afternoon, writing and reading. The unfortunate muddy roads we took afterwards slowed us down and eventually made us cycle on Halloween through some dark forests (that were enclosed with fences so that we couldn't bivouac there), this way we actually participated in this strange Western tradition of celebrating fear together once a year. We ended up sleeping in a mountainbike training zone, but we had an excellent rest. The next day led us into the heart of Paris, very slowly through the huge suburbs and cités. I chose on purpose a route that wasn't easy like a greenway next to the Seine. I wanted to cycle through the city and see the buildings and people that you normally never see when arriving in Paris. It was intense with some very unpractical cycling lanes, (I probably should be grateful that they even exist), but we actually progressed swiftly!
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| Entering Paris felt like a dystopia of industrial worlds and tall apartment buildings |
As kind of foreshadowed; we already knew leaving the Elzéard Foundation that the next big stop would be Paris. In our view (not very deeply discusses to be honest), we imagined that visiting a green cooperative and a rewilding project (not to mention the green lifestyle of my godmother!) already kind of covered the more "nature" aspect exploration.
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| Arrived in the heart of Montparnasse! |
Another kind of project that really fascinated us was squatting, or the occupation of abandoned or unoccupied area's. Nicolaas had already visited some squats in Dijon and in the Pyrenees. The idea of a community that establishes itself and tries to exist in a restricted and temporary context impressed me a lot. We hoped to encounter people there with interesting ideas. We even thought about offering some help if possible. We used a
platform to find public squats (i.e. squats that announce themself publicly, that are known by authorities) that even had a nice little calendar for events. Paris itself doesn't have that many true squats. There is for example the 59 Rivoli, a legalised one in the heart of the city center, but it is more a gallery and resident for artists. The periphery of the city has a lot of them, like in Montreuil. As we only had four nights in the city, we decided to concentrate only one day of the three we had on the squats. We wanted to also see a museum and Nicolaas had a friend to pay a visit to.
So on Sunday we went to La Kunda, a squat in Vitry-sur-Seine, a bit out of the city. Residing in an old child care center, it houses about 70 people! It is also very much focused on working with the neighbourhood, like distributing the leftovers from local supermarkets and hosting a fitness and boxing club. They received their eviction order, that could be enacted from next April onwards, what prompted them to open up a bit more to foster more support from residents all around. They had some kind of lunch buffet at a free price, distributed vegetable leftovers and organised a boxing initiation in the afternoon. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the older members of the squad and they explained some of the inner workings of this place. The squat struck me as a place that is in a way sealed off of the regulated, strict outside world, but still manages to maintain order and cohesion, albeit from a much more horizontal way of organisation. It is a place for those that think outside of the box or want to live (or experiment) according to their own rules. We decided to partake in the boxing lesson, a sport I had never tried before and I actually liked the atmosphere of respect and self-control. It definitely helped to connect a bit more with the squat residents. We did not feel comfortable taking pictures of places and people who are so at the margins of what is legal, so we have only this cut-out of me at the boxing initiation.
We also met an interesting girl who was visiting as well and worked for an association encouraging community-supported agriculture and also knew someone who was bikepacking as well. Weird how in a random squat in Paris, we could meet such pleasant, similarly minded people. Another event on the radar squat website pulled us to a small gathering of poster activists, who made their own posters and went around town to hang them up guerilla-style. There we maybe encountered a more dark side of activism, the one that encourages paranoia and the tendency to reside in small bubbles. We did talk a lot about digital hygiene, like not giving away your information and made a poster that was meant to inspire people to act together (up to the reader to decode the text in the picture). Looking back I mostly remember the distinct, almost polar opposition between the vibes of La Kunda and this collective.
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Casually drinking wine in front of the Picasso fresco at the UNESCO headquarters
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On Monday we visited the city a bit more, but thanks to Nicolaas' friend who did her internship at the UNESCO headquarters, got a exclusive, amazing tour there. We were entered when an Arab World convention was taking place, so we briefly saw many different representatives, from generals to ambassadors. What a crazy luck we had. The rest of that day we strode across the heart of Paris (Eiffel Tower, Seine, Louvre; you know) and paid a visit to the Centre Pompidou, something I strangely had never visited. In the crowded exposition room I was particularly struck by three Francis Bacon paintings (an artist I take particular interest in) and the beautiful sunset over the Parisian skyline.
That same night I also went to a cafe I wanted to go to for a long time. Having seen a Le Parisien documentary about it (here is a free to read article in french about it), I was determined to go. Nicolaas being tired of the day and having to cross the whole of inner Paris, I stayed until two, talking with the owner, Raymond and with another customer, Thierry, who told me about his crazy life and undertakings.
We left Paris the next day, me quite tired with my 5 hours of sleep and still getting the alcohol out of my system. I managed to forget my new Patagonia jacket I bought in a little Parisian store (my other jacket was becoming obsolete in terms of impermeability; and I donated it to the La Kunda owners, who where very happy about it) and map, so we had to wait for the reserve key storage to open. Time which I used to... yes, you guessed it right, clean the bicycle chains! We also spoke briefly with an interested passer-by who said a prayer for us, which I thought was very sweet.  |
| Versailles |
From then on, we were off, and cycled in the same confusing, "secret underbelly"-way out of Paris. This time we passed close to the Versailles castle, which was very impressive, even seen from outside. We slept on a golf course in the ultimate outskirts of Paris, which was a very pleasant thing to do; such nice, well-watered and nurtured grass! The next morning we quickly broke camp at the sight of the first golfers, who approached our hole at 7:45. What a determination! The last few days before L'impasse du Mage we cycled through a rather monotonous landscape of very broad fields, but I managed to guide us through a few forests, where we found an awful lot chestnuts, which we cooked up in various ways over the successive dinners. The atmosphere between us was rather good, even though Nicolaas was often tired, as we cycled much bigger distances than before. |
Collecting chestnuts, the first hedges (and more hedges)
and the first tire puncture... |
We had less arguments, maybe the idea that we had less to prove and that arriving in L'impasse du Mage was going to be our last time together made us more in balance. A very nice thing that on the penultimate day, we really experienced entering Normandy, as after crossing a forest the open fields were replaced by hedged and pastures. We truly were back in the Bocage, something that really made our day. We also slept between hedges that night, a great pleasure (compared to the little patch of trees we slept in the previous day). After the World War 1 area of the previous week, we this time arrived in the area of the Battle of Normandy, of the Second World War, with its own set of monuments and "lieux de memoires". Before arriving, we even picnicked at a prehistorical site, one of the best preserved fortresses of the late Bronze Age, with very impressive crumbled walls. We did a little hike around the site and wondered at the nature. Knowing this was the last part of a "cycle time", I was particularly relaxed and enjoyed very much the sight and plants. Now, almost leaving again, I can't wait to be back on my bike.
