I am back in the attic in Gorinchem and have just looked at all the photos from the past seven weeks again. You can experience a lot in seven weeks. The photos from August seem from a long time ago now.
The seven weeks were exactly the mix I expected; pilgrims who come and go; friends who stay for a few days; work that never ends but above all a lot of fun.
The pilgrims are a colorful mix of Japanese, South African to Polish and from the well-known European countries. And the professions are so diverse, from violinist to teacher, from judge to pilot, from pastor to prison guards and everything in between. On foot, by bike and sometimes by car. Brother and sister, husband and wife, mother and daughter and then also many occasional groups. All on their way and all walking their own path.
A total of 90 pilgrims in 47 days so logical that you no longer remember everything. If the company is small or pilgrims stay for more than 1 day, the contact deepens, but that is not necessary, sometimes 10 minutes is enough.
We, that are all volunteers and myself, have worked hard to make it an unforgettable experience for the guests. All cooking skills were brought to the table. Singing by the campfire, champagne before dinner and three birthdays with cake and candles.
The volunteers also put a lot of effort into the improvement work. As a result, the entire front has now been repainted and two rooms have been merged in the house. In addition, the garden is now also much better.
Now time to relax and then start planning for the new year. I would like to thank all pilgrims for coming and all volunteers for their efforts. Arno, Jeroen, Mark, Michiel, Lieke, George, Theofill, Joost, Mark, Monique Tessa and Matthijs, great that you helped make this a success. Special thanks to Arno and Huberta from L’Esprit du Chemin for promoting the gite and to Arno Voss for keeping the gite open until Sept 29. Hope to see you all again next year, Ultreïa