Two years ago, 2 million Dutch people watched the Flemish Arnout Hauben walk through the Netherlands every week. And with that, the VPRO program unexpectedly became a huge hit. In the second season, Hauben does it all over again. He travels in eight parts from Lauwersoog in Groningen diagonally to De Panne in Flanders.
Of course he does this again together with cameraman Philippe Niclaes and soundman Ruben Callens. Along the way, the three will hopefully encounter many colorful types with ditto stories. The program looks like this:
Episode 1: Through Frisian polders (April 21)
The first stages take them through Friesland, where they meet the quirky but friendly inhabitants. In Dokkum, Arnout goes looking for a piece of the skull of Saint Boniface, a missionary who was not really warmly received by the Frisians in the 8th century.
Episode 2: About Lions and Vagrants (April 28)
When Arnout leaves Friesland behind him and enters Drenthe, he hears a lion roaring in the forest. After some searching, Arnout and his friends end up in an animal shelter where traumatized animals from all over the world find a new home. In Wilhelminaoord, in the last century, no animals, but poor families and vagabonds were sheltered in the Colony of Benevolence. The people here could literally work their way out of poverty by working the land. Arnout speaks with the very last wanderer of Wilhelminaoord who proves difficult to tame.
Episode 3: On the Trail of the Pioneers (May 5)
Arnout arrives in the youngest province of the Netherlands: Flevoland. When Arnout and his friends cross the polders, a heat wave breaks out. There is hardly any shade to seek shelter. Arnout goes in search of the pioneers who populated this new country and the impressive sea eagle that has built a nest in the Ketelmeer. It is a risky undertaking because this bird of prey is not seen every day. But Arnout is lucky: as he approaches the nest, the white-tailed eagle is attacked by a harrier. A breathtaking spectacle.
Episode 4: The Heart of Holland (May 12)
On his journey through the Low Countries, Arnout crosses the heart of the old, rich Holland. In Muiden he passes the beautiful castle of the famous Count Floris V, who controlled shipping traffic on the Vecht from here. When Arnout sees Sinterklaas’ boat in the lock, he has no hesitation and jumps aboard this sailing piece of youth sentiment. In Woerden, Arnout delves into the city’s cheese traditions, but that is not to the liking of sound engineer Ruben, who suffers from a cheese allergy.
Episode 5: Wonderful Brabant (May 19)
Arnout crosses De Biesbosch National Park and looks for beavers. But they are not so easy to film. Sound man Ruben leaves a camera in the park and hopes to have better luck during the night. In Willemstad, Arnout speaks with the very last witnesses of the Rhenus 127 disaster. That was a ship full of Belgian prisoners of war that struck a mine near the city during the Second World War.
Episode 6: Along the Scheldt (May 26)
Arnout leaves the Netherlands behind and crosses the border with Belgium at the Kalmthoutse Heide. At the military airport of Brasschaat he looks for the owner of an old army plane that turns out to have a special history. In the St. Paul’s Church, in the middle of the red light district of Antwerp, Arnout stares at the beautiful medieval paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens. These masterpieces were saved by the neighborhood’s prostitutes and students in 1969 when the church was in danger of burning down.
Episode 7: Through the Flemish Ardennes (June 2)
Arnout crosses the Demer Valley and arrives in the Flemish Ardennes: the setting of the Flemish cycling classics. In Geraardsbergen, Arnout and his friends exchange their walking shoes for a racing bike to climb the legendary Muur, just like countless cyclists have done before them. They continue along the language border to Amougies. This small, rural village is known as the Woodstock of the Low Countries after it was overrun by 70,000 hippies in 1969.
Episode 8: Through the Westhoek, back to sea (June 9)
In the last episode, Arnout crosses the Westhoek where there was hard fighting during the First World War. Not only are the cemeteries a reminder of that dark period, but the traces of the front line are still clearly visible on the De Palingbeek golf course. In the last café on the route, Arnout and his friends drink a Picon and celebrate their friendship. After 1,000 long kilometers, the end point of their journey through the Low Countries is finally in sight: the North Sea coast of De Panne.
Straight through the Low Countries, from Sunday April 21, 8:15 PM on NPO 2
