On Sunday, Piwnica Paryska hosted Hans Groth. The German, who has lived in Bolesławiec for two years, spoke about his cycling journey to Spain. Paweł Borowski and Katarzyna Borowski served as interpreters. Hans Groth set off on his journey at the end of March 2007. He took only a tent and the essentials with him. "I had luggage and a bicycle that weighed 60 kg," Groth recalled about the beginning of the journey.
The journey lasted seven months. "I travelled through Prague, Regensburg, Augsburg, Constance, Basel, Bern, Geneva, Avignon, Provence, Camargue, Carcassonne, Lourdes, Pamplona, Burgos, León and Santiago de Compostela, finally reaching Cape Finisterre in northern Spain," Groth recounts. The expedition was no easy challenge. After each day of travel, he had to find somewhere to stop and spend the night.
He spent the nights in various places. Sometimes it was a monastery or a church. This was possible because he belongs to a pilgrims’ association. He also stayed in hotels or guesthouses. Once, night caught him while he was on the road. He could not find his flashlight, so he did not pitch his tent. He put on warm clothes and spent the night under the open sky, although it was already chilly.
Hans Groth recalls meeting many kind people along the way. They gave him the energy to continue riding. He travelled along the Way of St. James. Sometimes the cycling route would suddenly "turn into" a motorway. He then had to turn back and start the same stage from the beginning.
Groth spoke about what he experienced during the expedition. He also talked about legends associated with St. James and the main goal of his journey—the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He achieved his goal after seven months of travel.
(MZ report)