Met De Wind Mee

Wouter says goodbye to his family and leaves by train for Hungary. He finds the end point of his previous journey and there the wind sends him to Mohács where he ends up at a bizarre festival. Through Slavonia, he drives to Vinkovci in Croatia where he ends up in an English pub via a red phone box. There, Wouter experiences a legendary evening with war hero Steve, his wife Dragica and sergeant Mille. The next destination is Srbac in Bosnia, but in Slavonski Brod Wouter bumps into his ultimate football hero, Josip Weber.

Wouter crosses the border into Bosnia where his first encounter immediately results in a bizarre visit to a ‘moving house’. The next day, the wind sends him east towards Gradačac and he meets Jasna who has a special link to ... Balegem, East Flanders. The Dinaric Alps show their teeth for the first time when Wouter cycles to Zavidovici, but it is mainly the teeth of two brown bears that give him the fright of his life. Having breakfast in front of his little tent in Han Pijesak, Wouter decides to ignore the wind and ride to Srebrenica to hear from a privileged witness exactly what happened there. The day ends in the B&B of Rob, a Dutchman who experienced the same horror as a blue helmet and who shares his difficult story.

The wind blows Wouter to Sarajevo today. But before he gets there, he meets Paul Lowe, who was a war photographer during the siege of Sarajevo. Via the legendary bobsled run, Wouter dives into the city, which he explores with city guide Samra. En route to Mostar, Wouter bumps into Jelle in Konjic, a Belgian who happily throws a spanner in the works by suggesting Bosnia's highest village as the day's alternative finish. Through immense mountain landscapes, the two cycle to Lukomir to spend the night with the Maslesa family. The next day, the wind is an exceptionally good ally as it blows furiously downhill to Foça, on the border with Montenegro. But then it sends Wouter over the Durmitor where he experiences his toughest day ever on a bike.

Recovered from his snow adventure, Wouter meets the world champion lounger - literally - in Mojkovac. Via a diversion, he ends up in Kosovo where he is taken in tow by a friend from Tielt. Wouter is a supporter at a vital basketball match in Mitrovicë and also sees there how the war of independence still divides the city in two. Then the wind blows him to the sixth country on his journey. In Skopje, northern Macedonia, he meets Metodi who takes him to Europe's largest Roma quarter, a special place ...

The wind blows Wouter to the southwest. It becomes a day of confusing contradictions as he talks successively to the mafia, a painter of mosques and Orthodox monks. Wouter gets to spend the night at the Bigorski monastery after which he crosses the border into Albania. There he witnesses the meteoric development of the ‘Thailand of Europe’. On the pyramid of Tirana, Wouter is serenaded by a real opera singer and a hospitable family invites him for Easter dinner in Elbasan. He finishes in Berat, the city of a thousand windows.

Along mighty rivers and mountains, the wind blows to Korcë, where Wouter bumps into Flemish Mother Theresa. He sleeps in a pantry but, above all, gets to know an exceptional lady with an even more exceptional story. He then cycles to Lake Ohrid where he accidentally tastes a forbidden fish and crosses the border back into northern Macedonia. In Ohrid itself, a mix between Elvis and Popeye takes him for a boat ride after which, under a leaden sun, he rides on towards Prilep. There, apart from the storks, tobacco cultivation catches the eye. Wouter gets the story from farmer Mende and the following day encounters Biljana, who has been sent out by the United Nations to re-educate the farmers. It remains bloody hot, the day ends in Valandovo at 35 degrees.

Early rise and breakfast at/under a waterfall. Wouter has learned his lesson and is trying to get ahead of the heat. But when the wind blows him across the Bulgarian border, reality has caught up with him. A real forest fire is proof of how hot it is. In Rupite, Wouter is sent to the temple of a psychic and in Melnik he ends up at a wedding party that lasts until the early hours. With a heavy head, he has to go to Bansko the next day and that means through the Kresna gorge, which is life-threatening for cyclists. In the ski village of Bansko, Wouter meets Stefan, who is there for the Digital Nomad festival. The next day, the wind blows from the west-southwest: past the Belitsa bear reserve where Wouter meets Bulgaria's former ‘dancing’ bears. The episode ends at the idyllic Lake Batak.

The end of the trip approaches but the day starts with bad news: stomach cramps.... The wind sends Wouter downhill so he decides to cycle anyway and shortly before midday, in Novo Selo, that makes for a visit to perhaps the most charming - or doltiest - theme park ever. Fortunately, the mayor's warmth makes up for a lot. Wouter's stomach, meanwhile, is still not doing well, so he decides to shorten the stage and spend the night in Plovdiv. He takes a rest day there during which he explores the city and gets talking to two Mormon missionaries. The next day his physical condition is better and Wouter drives across the Thracian plain to Shipka where it turns out a huge storm recently passed. He helps Tatjana clean up her garden and she advises him to drive past the Buzludzha monument. The last stage of the trip goes from Kesarevo to Shumen, where Wouter looks back on a fantastic bike ride.