A dream comes true
Germany/Nuremberg – 04.06.2007
“Is it really starting again?” I ask myself, looking out of my office window onto the village street. The neighbor’s children play blind man’s buff, laughing and cheering. I watch them thoughtfully. Only a few more hours and then we will actually continue our life project “The Great Journey”. Somehow I still can’t quite believe it, I can hardly comprehend my luck. “Catch me! Catch me!” the bright voices of children echo up to me. “Happiness and misfortune are so incredibly close together,” it goes through my head. A small step in the wrong direction, a little inattention, a careless movement and life can take a completely unexpected turn. Anything is possible in this life. Highs and lows, lows and highs, laughter and tears, it changes like a pulse. I don’t want to complain about it, because that’s what makes our lives special, gives them spice, excitement, satisfaction and feelings of happiness. At the moment I feel like I’m surfing the crest of a wave, because my dream life, our dream of traveling and exploring the world for ourselves, can continue.
Almost a year ago, we were ready to start the second leg of our Trans-East expedition. As fate had apparently planned, we didn’t get very far. To be precise, I stumbled down the sidewalk with my heavily laden bike only about 250 meters behind our hotel in Bucharest. To avoid falling, I caught myself on the asphalt with my right foot. The consequences were fatal and after days of suffering I ended up in a hospital in Bucharest. “You need to have an operation as soon as possible,” the doctor shocked me. As I was paralyzed and unable to be transported, my wife Tanja and I were forced to agree to a back operation.
After the successful operation, I beamed at Tanja. “Do you know what happened to me?” I asked her. “How am I supposed to understand the question?” Tanja wanted to know. “Well, I had a daydream this morning. It was something similar to a vision. It was as if the cruel pain had burned through my entire body like a fire. A fire that completely destroyed everything I once was. Completely burnt. Do you understand? This fire left nothing behind, only ashes. But it’s not dead ash, it’s ash full of energy. Ashes that are very nourishing. Ultimately, this ash is nothing more than a fertilizer, a fertilizer that makes the soil even more fertile. I feel as if everything inside me is clear, everything is pure. I feel as if I now have the unique opportunity in my life to plant new, young seeds in my freshly fertilized soil. Seeds for change. Seeds for new ideas. Seeds of happiness and harmony. Although I believe I have always been on the right path, I have been working too much for my own good. Now I have a new chance to change things that have become ingrained in me over the years, because the old Denis has been completely burnt out in the last few days. It’s a fantastic feeling, a fantastic opportunity that I want to seize. I want to change something. I want even more bliss, even more inner freedom to recognize the details in life, to realize what a treasure this life is,” I chatted.
Now, a year later, the situation still seems like yesterday. In fact, I have learned a lot so far and am more relaxed about the tasks and challenges we face. It has proved its worth, because I haven’t felt this fit for years. Since then, I have trained three to four times a week. My back feels healthy and strong. Now it depends on whether it delivers what it promises, whether it gives me the support of Greek, Roman or Egyptian temple pillars.
On our planned Trans-East expedition, we want to travel 25,000 kilometers from Germany to Burma (Myanmar) by bike, horse and elephant. We took five years to do this. Five years to get to know and understand the countries, peoples and cultures in the East, to document them in writing, pictures and film.
In the coming months, we want to cycle around 6,000 to 7,000 kilometers from Romania, Moldova and Ukraine to the Urals in Russia. If all goes well, this time the Russian winter will interrupt the journey and not some accident. We are in good spirits, full of zest for action and are particularly looking forward to combining our life project with a tree planting campaign this time. Together with our readers, we plan to bring 25,000 trees to life. One tree per kilometer. If it works, it will end up looking like a green vein that winds its way from Germany to Burma. Our partner, the mountain forest project www.bergwaldprojekt.de, will plant the tree seedlings where they are needed. What an encouraging thought to be able to help Mother Earth directly and unbureaucratically with our trip. We already have 250 trees together. “How many of our readers will donate a tree for our shared life platform?” I ask myself as I hear Tanja calling out. “Denis, where are you? We have to go!” “Yes, yes, I’m coming,” I reply and take another look around the office.
Donations are very welcome at:
Bergwaldprojekt e.V.
Keyword: Green vein
GLS Community Bank
SORT CODE 43060967
Account number 8022916200
Farewell to our family and friendsThe Franken TV team is already waiting on the platform. Before interested parties and friends arrive, we give an interview to our local radio station. It doesn’t take long before the first friends hug us joyfully and wish us luck for the journey. We chat, joke and laugh. A press photographer cheerfully snaps away to capture the cheerful moment. “The train’s coming!” someone shouts. The excitement becomes even greater. The embankment is crowded with passengers who all want to get on the ICE. Our people form a chain and pass the luggage through to us in this way. The conductor complains, but we still laugh and joke. Another quick hug. “Take care of yourself,” my mother says quietly. “Definitely. Everything will go well this time,” I promise. “Have a good time! Good luck!” Tanja and I hear in the hustle and bustle as the door of the express train closes mercilessly with a smacking sound. Breathing a sigh of relief, we sink into the comfortable seats. “We’re actually on the road again,” I whisper, puffing out my breath. “Yes,” my Tanja smiles at me confidently.
Hours later, we change trains in Vienna and stow our luggage in the sleeping compartment of the train to Bucharest. As we had to leave our bikes in Romania, everything went smoothly and without any stress. As the rusty, very old iron snake jerks off towards the east, we enjoy the snacks my mother has packed for us. We enjoy meatballs, delicious potato salad and beer from the can. We watch the landscape flying past us with satisfaction. Lost in thought, my gaze follows the ups and downs of the hills, glides over fields, steals a moment through dirty windows, admires large wind turbines working their way through the twilight with their huge blades. “Close your compartment,” the conductor warns us of possible thieves. This is the second time we’ve rattled along on this run-down train from Austria, Hungary to Romania, so we know what to do and attach a strap to the door handle to connect it to the luggage rack. This makes it impossible for thieves to open the compartment door from the outside.
