A 56-year-old Canadian man who left home after his business went bankrupt completed an 11-year walk around the world on Sunday. |
A 56-year-old Canadian man who left home after his business went bankrupt completed an 11-year walk around the world on Sunday, and told a crowd of well-wishers his new goal was to promote peace. Jean Beliveau -- who arrived to a hero's welcome in Montreal from loved ones, lawmakers and supporters -- said his "real mission" was to lobby Canada and other governments to create "ministries of peace." "We are all different, and that is what is beautiful about life on Earth -- our different colors, different beliefs, different political systems," he said. "Those are all musical notes... we must create harmony from them, create a common tune," an emotional Beliveau told the crowd assembled at city hall in the old part of the city. Beliveau left Montreal on the day of his 45th birthday -- August 18, 2000 -- after his small sign business went bankrupt. He decided to run around the world to try to escape the pain. The Canadian ran all the way to Atlanta, Georgia before slowing his stride for what would become the longest uninterrupted walk around the world: 75,000 kilometers (46,600 miles) across 64 countries. Over 11 years, he traveled across deserts and mountains. He fell in love for nine days in Mexico, wore a turban and a long beard in Sudan, ate snake in China, and was escorted by armed soldiers in the Philippines. Upon his return on Sunday, Beliveau reunited with his mother, whom she had not seen throughout his 11 years on the road. She welcomed him in a tight embrace. Longtime girlfriend Luce Archambault, who offered Beliveau emotional and financial support throughout his journey, and his two children from a previous marriage were also on hand for the celebration. More than 100 supporters walked the final kilometers with Beliveau through the streets of Montreal. Archambault, who flew to join Beliveau wherever he was once a year so they could spend Christmas together, said last month: "I'm his Penelope and he is my Ulysses." (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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56歲的加拿大人貝利沃上周日完成了11年的環(huán)球徒步旅行。他告訴周圍的祝福者,自己新的目標是促進和平。當初,貝利沃是由于生意破產(chǎn)而去環(huán)球旅行。 讓?貝利沃回到蒙特利爾時,受到了親友、立法者、和支持者的歡迎,就如同英雄凱旋。他表示,自己“真正的使命”是游說加拿大和其他政府來創(chuàng)建“和平部”。 他說:“我們互不相同,這就是地球生命的美麗之處——我們的膚色、信仰、政治體系都不盡相同。” 貝利沃充滿感情地對聚集在古老市區(qū)市政廳的歡迎人群說:“這都是悅耳的音符,我們必須實現(xiàn)和諧,演奏出一致的旋律?!?/p> 2000年8月18日,貝利沃在45歲生日這天離開蒙特利爾,當時他的小本標牌生意已經(jīng)破產(chǎn)。他決心環(huán)游世界,擺脫傷痛。 貝利沃最初一路奔跑至喬治亞州的亞特蘭大,之后開始減慢步伐,完成了全球最長的一次不間斷環(huán)球徒步旅行,行程共計7.5萬千米(4.66萬英里),途經(jīng)64個國家。 在這11年間,他穿過沙漠,翻越高山。在墨西哥墜入情網(wǎng),相戀九天;在蘇丹戴頭巾,蓄長胡須;在中國吃蛇;在菲律賓受到武裝士兵的護送。 上周日返家后,貝利沃和母親重聚,兩人已有11年沒有相見。母親緊緊地擁抱了他。 相戀多年的女友盧絲?阿爾尚博在其行程中一直在感情和經(jīng)濟上支持他,他與前妻生養(yǎng)的兩個孩子也參加了慶祝。 一百多名支持者和貝利沃一起走完了最后幾千米,穿過了蒙特利爾的街道。 不管貝利沃走到哪里,阿爾尚博每年都會在圣誕節(jié)趕去和他團聚。她上月說:“我是他的佩涅羅珀,他是我的尤利西斯。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯:馮明惠) |
Vocabulary: turban: 穆斯林的頭巾 Penelope: 佩涅羅珀,希臘神話中的一位忠實妻子,丈夫遠征20年,期間她拒絕了無數(shù)求婚者 |