Wow, it’s again more than a month ago that I wrote something. I’ll start at the beginning, or at least at the end of my previous writing.

Wodan had a small cold and infection on his airways, the veterinarian subscribed him antibiotics for 5 days. First it seemed we could stay in a meadow we were at that time, till he would get better. But after 2 days the farmer decided he wanted the meadow back anyway for his cows. Sarah and Liam (a boy of 8 months) came by and we harnessed the horses to stop again at the first meadow. Wodan was looking forward to it, but was quickly out of breath. We got a meadow presented by a riding school after 2 km, a nice meadow near a small stream. A good place to give Wodan his peace. We stayed a few days till Wodan was in good shape again!

I also finally took the time to make my hat of dreads, a plan that was in my head for a long time, and with the autumn in sight an ideal time.

It was for the first time to live so closely to a small human of 8 months. Liam is really a happy boy that goes into the world with a smile and lots of curiosity. And Sarah is a great mother! It was nice to have company again after my lonely period!

Wodan, God of the thunder, strong a she is, healed quickly!! So we could harness again and follow the road to new meetings and views. We followed the Sée, a river in direction of Avranches and the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. The second night we were invited by Kristof who offered the meadow of his father. We ate with his parents and he welded my small “water cart”, which rides better now. It was a nice meeting, and he advised me not to follow the bay to Mont-Saint-Michel and Bretagne, but to follow first the coast at the north side. Because there are beautiful sights and tons of lovely people. I hesitated because I had Bretagne in my head for such a long time. The next day on the road again, and arrival in Avranches! The direction I’ve been following for 2 months, I don’t really know why. It felt a bit like a triumph to arrive at last. Of course this was only a destination to have a direction. In Avranches, just before making the decision to drive to Bretagne or the north side of the bay, Kristof stops with his car. The road chooses itself because he advised us a beautiful plac for the night. We drive in the direction of “Pointe du Grouin du Sud”. A place with a beautiful view on Mont-Saint-Michel.

That night we meet a couple and their son of 1,5 years. He travelled with a horse through Spain and Portugal and they’ve been traveling already for a long time through Europe. People with the same life view and ideals, who are settling now. They invite us on their terrain, where they live in a chariot and a camion. The next day we drive 5 km to arrive with them, on our way we see another camion with sun panels on the roof and a big bus beside it (where I go later to drink a beer and eat pancakes). After so few “alternative places”, I’m really surprised and full expectation.

I feel immediately at home, a super nice meeting. The place/chariot immediately reminded me of my own place in Alken (Belgium). The vegetable garden was still full with food and there were animals everywhere. Pigs, ducks, chickens, sheep, dogs,… I stayed there in the end for more than 2 weeks. I learned fishing in the bay, helped digging a well and got to know a lot of sympathic/bizarre people in the village. Lots of warm meetings, cozy evenings, interesting chats. I didn’t knew why I’ve been following this direction so long with my cart? But after so long on the road with a vague feeling, I had the feeling to have arrived for a while.

One day a man came by who’s been travelling for 19 years with horse and cart through Europe! His horse and cart where at the other side of the bay, but he heard where I was and came by. A short, interesting chat, and he left again with his small cart.

Sarah and Liam left again to the south. And from the south, new visit arrived. Cecile, who also helped my previous winter with the horses and the production of the mini-chariots. She came by and the first she said was I will squad your cart for a while and I while look for a horse and a cart of my own to travel. It felt good travelling with 2, this winter looking for a spot together to build a second cart en probably soon to get to know another horse. So if everything goes well we leave in the spring with 2 chariots, 3 horses and 4 dogs. Cecile also has 2 dogs so right now we have 4 barking hairy friends, sometimes a little too much in a small chariot.

After 2 weeks of pause it started to itch again, and to go on the road again. This had to wait for a while since one of Wodan’s hoofs had loosened. So I waited for a blacksmith. And the next visit didn’t kept me waiting. Lise came by to travel along for a week. So when the hoof was made again by a friendly blacksmith, we went on the road with 3 people, 4 dogs and 2 horses. We went back in the direction of Avranches, to go in the direction of Bretagne. The first night we stopped again at le Grouin du Sud.

The next day we passed Avranches, took the bridge over the Sée and turned in the direction of le Mont-Saint-Michel. We stopped at a side of the road where there was just enough grass to fill the horses for one night.

The next morning the usual routine, cleaning up the cart, breaking up the meadow, harnessing the horses and once in a while some coffee. And we could leave again. The day didn’t went so well, Ilja coughed and lost an iron, and Wodan is unstoppable, he’s going every direction and wants to trot constantly, soon I’m totally exhausted! Luckily, because of the pause we were standing still, I have collected some names and addresses, and I call a person who lives in the village. He comes with his bike and we follow him to his home where we get a nice meadow. We start calling around for a blacksmith and a veterinarian. The veterinarian came the same day. I also wanted one to come because the teeth of Ilja had to be scraped, since he dropped again grass out of his mouth. Ilja seemed to have the same as Wodan previously, and he got the same antibiotics subscribed as Wodan before. The teeth were scraped, but I had the feeling he didn’t had much experience! The previous times it went smooth, but this time it took a long time and Ilja of course didn’t like the machinery which was keeping his mouth so long open. It’s a big difference when it takes 10 minutes or more than half an hour. He got some anesthesia to keep calm, and instead of “hand tools”, the teeth were scraped with a file on a drill. On the road, you can’t really choose between veterinarians, and you never really know which one is the right one. It hurts to see the veterinarian struggle (of course he did his best and with the best intentions). It was harder than the previous times, but in the end his teeth were well shaped.

So we decided to stay some more to give Ilja his peace and to keep on calling around for a blacksmith. This didn’t seem very simple, it’s a region with a lot of horses and everyone is very busy.

Ilja seems to be curing soon, but we will let him rest anyway for a bit longer. We take the time for a small walk with the horses, and share our knowledge for making bracelets and juwels. Lise learns us to make rondellen from wood. Beautiful small round forms which make later with macramé a nice necklace. We make them like mad people. And further, we call around for a blacksmith. Jacky, our host, takes us to show his horses, sheep and goats. He also has a chariot which he uses sometimes to travel a week with the horses. It’s a nice contact.

The day we reached a blacksmith who would come probably that evening, there was also a blacksmith working in a riding school 100 meters from us. We decide to ask him also. He wants to repair quickly the iron, so we take Ilja there. I ask him if he wants to teach me to lace the iron, and we do it together. For me the first time I nail a nail in the hoof of a horse. An exciting experience! But actually not that difficult. You just have to make sure the nail goes in the right direction. Again an iron that was free repaired!! And a big milestone for me to travel more autonomous. That night the other blacksmith comes by, he seems to be a friend of Jacky, instead we drink a nice aperitif. ;)

Ilja seemed to be better and the irons were good again, so we wanted on the road again. We started our journey, everything seemed ready, but Cecile hurted herself at her hand with a picket from the meadow. We decided to go to the hospital, to see if her hand wasn’t hurt too bad. Lise stayed with the horses and the dogs and Cecile and me “enjoyed” ourselves with a day on the emergency. It seemed to be a serious deep wound, but luckily nothing in the hand was dangerously hit, and it will cure good. The next day we could take off. Lise travelled with us for one more day. That day we got food for the horses again, toilet paper and vegetables offered. Wodan still acts a little annoying in front of the cart, but we adjusted his belts and it went much better. 2 times people said us to drive in the direction of Renée, an old guy who works with work horses his whole life (sort: cob normand). We arrive and he welcomes us with a big smile and he takes us immediately to his meadow. Lise leaves hitchhiking with a lot of travelling plans, and Renée takes us to his horses. It was a great time having Ilse on the cart! A smile and a positive energy which filled the wagon and helped us in difficult times! Renée’s horses are unbelievable beautiful, especially Royal, a young castrated male horse. Besides this, his horses are for sell, and we are dreaming for a long time to travel with 3 horses. Royal is by far the most beautiful horse I met on my journey, and he has irons, is traffic tame, can be rided and harnessed for a cart in single and double harness. Our dream breaks quickly as we know the price: 4000 euro, far above the budget. But if anyone has ridiculously much money and wants to make Cecile incredibly happy and help her with her dream… Royal would be a nice birthday gift ;)

After some hours with 2 in the wagon, hup the next visitor. The son of Cecile, Mael, arrives to spend his vacation in the wagon. We drive the next morning through the pouring rain and stop at 1 km from the Mont-Saint-Michel, which we have seen from every side by now. Ilja coughs again a little, se we decide to give him another day of rest. I bike at night to the Mont, the moon lights up the bay, and I walk around in the middle ages, small roads and stairs, everywhere cats stare at me. Sometimes a lost Japanese. A magical bizarre atmosphere.