In the footsteps of Martien, pas Marsjèn

Cycle route as a tribute to the life of Martien, the grandfather of writer Stefan Hertmans, which is masterfully told in the book War and Turpentine (Martien is also a symbol here for the many heroes of World War I). This route partly follows the route that the troops to which Martien belonged followed during World War I after the battle of Schiplaken (where the route starts). These troops then walked from Schiplaken to Zaventem (August 1914). There, in all the horror of World War I, Martien was able to take a look at van Dyck's masterpiece in the church of Zaventem. The route returns from there to Schiplaken via another route so that the route forms a closed loop.

The route largely follows the cycle junction network, except for the part to reach the center of Zaventem.

To grasp the full title, I recommend reading Stefan Hertman's beautiful book "War and Turpentine", because there is also a historical-political dimension to it.