Around the Adriatic Sea 2026: Trieste – Dubrovnik
All photos: Balkan photos, city photos. The photos of the cycle route are listed in reverse chronological order. Those of the cities are listed chronologically.
On entering Heeze On Monday, I saw two large tents in a meadow opposite the campsite. They looked like event tents (what a word!), but were a bit too messy for that.
In the evening as it got dark, I saw that in addition to an industrial estate a little way behind the campsite, there was also two more such tents stood where lights burned and activity prevailed until late. Strange, the rest of the industrial estate was dead.
Hanging marquees theatre parade
On Tuesday evening during my evening walk, I met the campsite managers, who told me that in the tents floats being built up for the theatre parade during the Brabantsedag, which every year the last Sunday of August takes place in Heeze (25/8 this year).
It is an event where 40,000 spectators on it, and another 400,000 are following it live on regional TV.
On the way back from my walk, I decided get a closer look. Outside the tent, a man was welding something. He beckoned me closer and we started talking about our shared 'Brabant' roots and background.
The annual theatre parade has a typical Brabant look and is always about a theme. This year that is 'beauty'.
Stefan's group from Bouwerijskon took inspiration from a poem by Paul Vlemminckx, the first sentence of which reads: ''Beauty is not naked, but let her nakedness be guessed' (1931).
They are going to have a giant gender-neutral sculpture with two wings mount on their car.
Although I was not wearing the obligatory safety clothing, I was allowed to come along to take a look inside the hangar. The steel skeleton of the sculpture was already on the truck, the wings were still on the side. Stefan told me that there were typical Brabant historical terms and dialect words will be painted on the wagon. He also showed me a moodboard of the actors' attire and the lining of the carriage. The actors wear nude tights with drapes over them. A total of 2000 actors on, according to a real choreography. So it is no ordinary float parade.
Stefan shows mood board
Everything is provided by unpaid volunteers prepared and made. After the work is done, the volunteers, young and old mixed together and from different villages, are still socialising. A tight group who are well attuned to each other. Stefan's group even owns a specially-dressed, still-running line bus which they use as a community space/bar.
Volunteers at the rebuilt line bus
After the parade at the end of August, the volunteers held a month 'holiday'. Then the new theme is announced and they start brainstorming again about how to elaborate on their car. From November, they will start again build. So the parade requires just 10 months of intensive preparation. Chapeau.
And those who don't know where to go on August 25..
All photos: Balkan photos, city photos. The photos of the cycle route are listed in reverse chronological order. Those of the cities are listed chronologically.
In Venice, I visited the Biennale at the Arsenale, the Giardini and various venues around the city. I also took the opportunity to see the Pinault collection at Punta della Dogana and a compelling exhibition by Michael Armitage at Palazzo Grassi.
