The Ball journey 2018 was nearing its last hours. The finishing-line looming, the two remaining ball-bearers wanted to pay a visit to the Land of the Tatars. After an exhausting drive (2300 km including an all-night stint) we finally spotted our destination, Kazan, in the light of the dawn – the easternmost point of the […]
The Spirit team, with only 3 motivated players left, once more had to say goodbye to one of its members. Martin, our Brad-Pitt-lookalike, left us after 10 days of devotion and support, so that Benni and Benny (B&B) from now on journeyed alone through Mother Russia. The next stop was Sochi, a name which should […]
Ask any Russian about Dombai and you will hear that this village of 600 inhabitants is very popular as a ski- and hiking centre. And we found that this is with good cause! It was probably one of the most idyllic of our workshop places Our accommodation was surrounded by 4000 m high rocky giants – a […]
After the exciting days in Moscow, the Spirit team continued towards the South of this gigantic country. On arrival in Rostov-on-Don, the two Bennis naturally had to pay a visit to the game Brazil against Switzerland, accompanied by The Ball. Together with the lively, frenetically cheering Seleção fans, we enjoyed a few cold drinks. And […]
It is the long awaited start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Ball is in Moscow. The Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (FES) team and its director Mirko Hempel are our fantastic hosts. We are preparing to run our workshop at the German School Moscow. Special guests are expected. We are hoping that one of the defending World-Champion […]
It is 4:45 pm on the 13th of June and The Ball arrives in Moscow. It is time to celebrate. More than anyone else, Benni Gruenewald has something to celebrate. He has been there since the start of the journey. He is the main ball-carrier. He’s been responsible for The Ball the entire journey. He […]
The Ball’s carriers are cautious about entering Russia. There are many unanswered questions, such as: Will our van be allowed to enter? In Turkey we ran into troubles and once again we needed the help of The Ball to convince border officials to let us enter Turkey from Greece at Kipi/Ipsala and to leave Turkey […]
What a country! And what a difference to Turkey. After weeks of travelling with The Ball through conservative predominantly Muslim countries, The Ball and the SoF team crossed the border from Turkey into Georgia. It’s quite amazing to see that people living so close to one another can be socialized so differently. Instead of mosques […]
After the delegation of ball carriers sadly had to say goodbye to Istanbul, it divided into two: The Ball with half of the team continuing towards Jordan and afterwards Lebanon, with the intention of reuniting with the other Spirits in Gaziantep in southern Turkey. Meanwhile, the other 4 members of the divided travel group had […]
At the eastern-most point of the Mediterranean Sea, the Lebanese capital of Beirut, also called Paris of the Middle-East, was probably the liveliest place on our journey. A breathtaking week awaited us here. The skyline reminded us of a southern European metropole: street canyons with modern facades mirroring charming older houses characterize a cityscape with […]
