Ok pop pickers (hee hee), the blog is re-born. Actually, it never died, but it has been in a coma for the last 6 months.
Barcelona it is. Only for 4 days, and my intrepid co traveller is stuck at home (you know who you are!) but the quest for discovery (internal and external) goes on. Why Barcelona? Well, it's warm for a start. Thought about where I could visit for a quick 4 day 'get away' and came up with this incredible city. There were other reasons for the choice but they shall remain between and my nearest and dearest (ooooo, the mystery!).
As I said it's a four day trip. Sounds short, and indeed it is, but then the longest myself and Neil stayed in one place on our amazing European adventure last fall was 4 days. So it's all good ya ya! I'm expecting to have similar wonderful experiences to last time. There is everything to be had in this wonderful city apparently; culture, art, history, architecture etc etc. Of course I may sample the local beverages if persuaded to do so. Be rude not to after all!!
Its two weeks to go (Sat. 4th April), so the usual few posts before I set off. God, I wish I were going for two weeks plus like last time. I think once you have that wanderlust it never leaves you does it? It's been a whacky 6 months in my world. Nothing helps you assess where you are and what you want more than some cool foreign travel.
So what will this trip bring? As long as no one gets arrested ( :-) ), there are no dodgy Aussies ( :-) ) and I meet loads of cool people and do loads of cool things I'll be a happy bunny. "Vamos, vamos"!!! (Sorry, the sum total of my Spanish has been gleaned through a brief meeting with 5 Argie girls and Dora the explorer! 'D, d, d, d, de Dora.......'
More to follow :)
Monday, 23 March 2009
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
The lightening strike
(III) Daybreak
Slowly the day breaks apart in our hands
And soft hallelujahs flow in from the church
The one on the corner you said frightened you
It was too dark and too large to find your soul in
Something was bound to go right sometime today
All these broken pieces fit together to make a perfect picture of us
It got cold and then dark so suddenly and rained
It rained so hard the two of us were the only thing
That we could see for miles and miles
And in the middle of the flood I felt my worth
When you held onto me like I was your little life raft
Please know that you were mine as well
Drops of water hit the ground like God's own tears
And spread out into shapes like
Salad bowls and basins and buckets for bailing out the flood
As motionless cars rust on driveways and curbs
You take off your raincoat and stretch out your arms
We both laugh out loud and surrender to it
The sheer force of sky and the cold magnet Earth
Something was bound to go right sometime today
All these broken pieces fit together to make a perfect picture of us
It got cold and then dark so suddenly and rained
It rained so hard the two of us were the only thing
That we could see for miles and miles
And in the middle of the flood I felt my worth
When you held onto me like I was your little life raft
Please know that you were mine as well
Drops of water hit the ground like God's own tears
And spread out into shapes like
Salad bowls and basins and buckets for bailing out the flood
Slowly the day breaks apart in our hands
And soft hallelujahs flow in from the church
The one on the corner you said frightened you
It was too dark and too large to find your soul in
Something was bound to go right sometime today
All these broken pieces fit together to make a perfect picture of us
It got cold and then dark so suddenly and rained
It rained so hard the two of us were the only thing
That we could see for miles and miles
And in the middle of the flood I felt my worth
When you held onto me like I was your little life raft
Please know that you were mine as well
Drops of water hit the ground like God's own tears
And spread out into shapes like
Salad bowls and basins and buckets for bailing out the flood
As motionless cars rust on driveways and curbs
You take off your raincoat and stretch out your arms
We both laugh out loud and surrender to it
The sheer force of sky and the cold magnet Earth
Something was bound to go right sometime today
All these broken pieces fit together to make a perfect picture of us
It got cold and then dark so suddenly and rained
It rained so hard the two of us were the only thing
That we could see for miles and miles
And in the middle of the flood I felt my worth
When you held onto me like I was your little life raft
Please know that you were mine as well
Drops of water hit the ground like God's own tears
And spread out into shapes like
Salad bowls and basins and buckets for bailing out the flood
Thursday, 9 October 2008
The end...reprise
I can't do it. I can't go through all the wonderful places again. It's too upsetting. I don't want to be here in England. I want to be on the road.
"Man is born free, but everywhere is in chains".
That's how I feel. He was a smart cookie, the guy who wrote that. Jean Jacques Rousseau. He wrote political philosophy. I might have mis-spelt his name. Don't care. All I know is I have this emptiness inside of me. This turgid fatalism. I know my travelling goose is cooked, at least for a little while.
Where next? Scandinavia maybe, then all the way south to Greece, criss-crossing eastern European countries. Perhaps South America. Who knows. But somewhere. Anywhere. Any place that I can wake up and feel alive in. Yes, I've been bitten. But the truth is I already was. I knew what I was doing. The box (Pandora's) is open but you know what? I'm glad. That's the way it should be.
Everyone needs a 'reason' - something other than friends and family. Some greater goal. Some find it in religion, some in sports, activities, music or whatever. But this is mine. For good or for bad. I need the road, and I'll be on it again as soon as I can. Anyone fancy it?
Thanks for reading. Until we meet again.
Rich x
"Man is born free, but everywhere is in chains".
That's how I feel. He was a smart cookie, the guy who wrote that. Jean Jacques Rousseau. He wrote political philosophy. I might have mis-spelt his name. Don't care. All I know is I have this emptiness inside of me. This turgid fatalism. I know my travelling goose is cooked, at least for a little while.
Where next? Scandinavia maybe, then all the way south to Greece, criss-crossing eastern European countries. Perhaps South America. Who knows. But somewhere. Anywhere. Any place that I can wake up and feel alive in. Yes, I've been bitten. But the truth is I already was. I knew what I was doing. The box (Pandora's) is open but you know what? I'm glad. That's the way it should be.
Everyone needs a 'reason' - something other than friends and family. Some greater goal. Some find it in religion, some in sports, activities, music or whatever. But this is mine. For good or for bad. I need the road, and I'll be on it again as soon as I can. Anyone fancy it?
Thanks for reading. Until we meet again.
Rich x
Monday, 6 October 2008
...and so the dance ends...
Well. That's it. It's over. Finished. Done. Ended.
...or is it? No, I'm not going to jump on a plane or a train tomorrow, skip work and disappear like a guy that likes to Canoe! No, what I mean is...well, it's never really over is it? You're everything you do and every person you meet. And in that respect, this trip will always live on (oh, and I've got a knackered ankle as well, but that will go in time).
So, overall memories of the trip? Hmmm, let me try to run down the list of the people I met...these are people I chatted to or went out with. Remember the trip was for 16 days only...
The two guys from Chile
Rachel
'The sixth'
'The unit'
The lovely french girls...Julie and Lucie Loison
Raghu
Adriana
Nicholas
Claudia
The two Aussies (whatever your names REALLY were!)
The five Argies (Carol, Vicky, Maya, Alexandra and Debs)
Zoo
Alice
Danny
The two Kiwis in Amsterdam - sorry guys, can't remember your names!
Morgan
Carly
Mike
Shaun
John
Alexandre
The girl who looked like Liv Tyler (she did!!!!!)
..and her friend!
Apologies to all the rest of you. I know there are more, but hey.
That's around 30 people. That's pretty amazing really. We made friends easily and despite the fabulous places we visited and the amazing trips we took, sights we saw and experiences we had, it was the people that made the trip special. But then it always IS the people isn't it!?
So Final thoughts.
Maybe I'll write this again in a couple of weeks time and come up with something completely different. Dunno. I guess you're supposed to rediscover yourself, or something as equally profound. But what do I actually 'feel' about the trip?
Exhausted. Shattered. Senses filled to overload. Invigorated. Sad. Reaffirmed in many ways. Purposeful. Richer; so much richer.
I'm going to leave it there for now and finish this when I have more energy. I'm bushed and work is calling tomorrow. Back to life.....pooper scoopers!
I want to post the way I was feeling in each city and a little more about the places. I'll do it later this week.
Later. x
...or is it? No, I'm not going to jump on a plane or a train tomorrow, skip work and disappear like a guy that likes to Canoe! No, what I mean is...well, it's never really over is it? You're everything you do and every person you meet. And in that respect, this trip will always live on (oh, and I've got a knackered ankle as well, but that will go in time).
So, overall memories of the trip? Hmmm, let me try to run down the list of the people I met...these are people I chatted to or went out with. Remember the trip was for 16 days only...
The two guys from Chile
Rachel
'The sixth'
'The unit'
The lovely french girls...Julie and Lucie Loison
Raghu
Adriana
Nicholas
Claudia
The two Aussies (whatever your names REALLY were!)
The five Argies (Carol, Vicky, Maya, Alexandra and Debs)
Zoo
Alice
Danny
The two Kiwis in Amsterdam - sorry guys, can't remember your names!
Morgan
Carly
Mike
Shaun
John
Alexandre
The girl who looked like Liv Tyler (she did!!!!!)
..and her friend!
Apologies to all the rest of you. I know there are more, but hey.
That's around 30 people. That's pretty amazing really. We made friends easily and despite the fabulous places we visited and the amazing trips we took, sights we saw and experiences we had, it was the people that made the trip special. But then it always IS the people isn't it!?
So Final thoughts.
Maybe I'll write this again in a couple of weeks time and come up with something completely different. Dunno. I guess you're supposed to rediscover yourself, or something as equally profound. But what do I actually 'feel' about the trip?
Exhausted. Shattered. Senses filled to overload. Invigorated. Sad. Reaffirmed in many ways. Purposeful. Richer; so much richer.
I'm going to leave it there for now and finish this when I have more energy. I'm bushed and work is calling tomorrow. Back to life.....pooper scoopers!
I want to post the way I was feeling in each city and a little more about the places. I'll do it later this week.
Later. x
Friday, 3 October 2008
Oh my! Amsterdam....
So here we are in Amsterdam.
I have SO much to write about this place that I could spend days merrily typing away.
It's the strangest, most different city I have ever been to. God, where to begin!? Ok, let's start with something easy. The bicycle / road / pedestrian system!! How confusing is that!? Both myself and Neil have nearly been run over 3 times each by mad cyclists and moped-ers. The thing is, it's mostly, if not totally, our faults. You see they have this system where the bikes pretty much have their own roads. Add to this tram lanes and sometimes when you're crossing the roads you have to contend with 6 streams of traffic, all moving at varying speeds. It might sound easy but you just come and try it. Especially after a few sherberts!
We obviously haven't frequented the coffee shops to get stoned as that would be just wrong. In fact we've just sampled several varieties of coffee in the various establishments. They're absolutley as cool as you can imagine. A totally new experience for me.
The red light district. Again, only visited for anthropological reasons. I feel a bit sorry for these girls. Yes, they're attractive, but you wonder. As I've been wondering the streets I've been pondering whether visiting one would make me cooler or less cool. I guess it would depend on who you're talking to. And did I visit one.... Ha....I couldn't possibly comment.
The city has a feel and coolness about it that makes me desperate to return. I can't believe it's so close and I've never been. It's almost Victorian in a lot of it's ways. It's a difficult one to explain, and is something that I'll have to try and talk people through face to face.
Oh and one other thing about Amsterdam. It's SO easy to get lost. I've been lost a couple of times and I like to think I'm quite good at reading maps. But not in Amsterdam!!!
Hope everyone is good and I'll try and post from Paris tomorrow.
I have SO much to write about this place that I could spend days merrily typing away.
It's the strangest, most different city I have ever been to. God, where to begin!? Ok, let's start with something easy. The bicycle / road / pedestrian system!! How confusing is that!? Both myself and Neil have nearly been run over 3 times each by mad cyclists and moped-ers. The thing is, it's mostly, if not totally, our faults. You see they have this system where the bikes pretty much have their own roads. Add to this tram lanes and sometimes when you're crossing the roads you have to contend with 6 streams of traffic, all moving at varying speeds. It might sound easy but you just come and try it. Especially after a few sherberts!
We obviously haven't frequented the coffee shops to get stoned as that would be just wrong. In fact we've just sampled several varieties of coffee in the various establishments. They're absolutley as cool as you can imagine. A totally new experience for me.
The red light district. Again, only visited for anthropological reasons. I feel a bit sorry for these girls. Yes, they're attractive, but you wonder. As I've been wondering the streets I've been pondering whether visiting one would make me cooler or less cool. I guess it would depend on who you're talking to. And did I visit one.... Ha....I couldn't possibly comment.
The city has a feel and coolness about it that makes me desperate to return. I can't believe it's so close and I've never been. It's almost Victorian in a lot of it's ways. It's a difficult one to explain, and is something that I'll have to try and talk people through face to face.
Oh and one other thing about Amsterdam. It's SO easy to get lost. I've been lost a couple of times and I like to think I'm quite good at reading maps. But not in Amsterdam!!!
Hope everyone is good and I'll try and post from Paris tomorrow.
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Ich Bin Ein Berliner (or however it´s spelt!)
...so onto Berlin.
The curse of bad weather hit us again. We got here at about noon yesterday, dropped our bags at the incredibly cheaply priced Hostel (9 Euros) and headed for the sights.
First stop was Checkpoint Charlie. Oh dear. Oh very, very, dear. What have they done to this place? You´ll be familiar that this was the checkpoint between the US and Soviet sectors of Berlin during the Cold War. It has some special meaning to anyone who studied or followed politics following the second world war, especially those over the age of 30. I was really looking forward to seeing this sight. And what did I find when I arrived? Some dumb ass American actor dressed up in uniform selling photos to tourists for one Euro each regailed in uniform and holding the Stars and Stripes (the American flag to those who are unsure). This was subtely offset with the snack bar across the road named ´Snack Point Charlie´! I KNOW that the tenticles of commercialism stretch far and wide but come on! People lost their lives trying to escape from behind the Iron Curtain. How about the memories of the familes who were seperated from their loved ones for decades. Grrrrr, not happy at all.
So off we went, moods to match the cold rain beating down on us. Next was a memorial to the Jewish dead of WW2. What a contrast. It´s an incredible museum / memorial. I went to Auschwitz last year and any of you that have been will know that nothing can surpass that experience for reflection and realisation of the evil humankind is capable of...but this place was moving all the same.
We took in the Reichstag and then conceded defeat to the elements. We headed home. The evening was spent scoffing a feast of a half roast chicken and fries, washed down with smuggled in 70 cent a bottle beer. Far more sensible than purchasing the 3 Euro offerings from the Hostel. Met an interesting guy from Toronto in Canada, Danny is his name. I´ve lost count of all the people we´ve met on this trip. Hostelling is SO sociable. It´s definately the future!
And so the final major destination will be reached today...Amsterdam. Good way to finish I think you´ll agree!
Will post again when I can. Oh, and I know it´s an early post but the Chinese guy in the dorm is snoring like a trooper, lol. Yes, that´s a drawback to the Hostelling lark! ;-) x
The curse of bad weather hit us again. We got here at about noon yesterday, dropped our bags at the incredibly cheaply priced Hostel (9 Euros) and headed for the sights.
First stop was Checkpoint Charlie. Oh dear. Oh very, very, dear. What have they done to this place? You´ll be familiar that this was the checkpoint between the US and Soviet sectors of Berlin during the Cold War. It has some special meaning to anyone who studied or followed politics following the second world war, especially those over the age of 30. I was really looking forward to seeing this sight. And what did I find when I arrived? Some dumb ass American actor dressed up in uniform selling photos to tourists for one Euro each regailed in uniform and holding the Stars and Stripes (the American flag to those who are unsure). This was subtely offset with the snack bar across the road named ´Snack Point Charlie´! I KNOW that the tenticles of commercialism stretch far and wide but come on! People lost their lives trying to escape from behind the Iron Curtain. How about the memories of the familes who were seperated from their loved ones for decades. Grrrrr, not happy at all.
So off we went, moods to match the cold rain beating down on us. Next was a memorial to the Jewish dead of WW2. What a contrast. It´s an incredible museum / memorial. I went to Auschwitz last year and any of you that have been will know that nothing can surpass that experience for reflection and realisation of the evil humankind is capable of...but this place was moving all the same.
We took in the Reichstag and then conceded defeat to the elements. We headed home. The evening was spent scoffing a feast of a half roast chicken and fries, washed down with smuggled in 70 cent a bottle beer. Far more sensible than purchasing the 3 Euro offerings from the Hostel. Met an interesting guy from Toronto in Canada, Danny is his name. I´ve lost count of all the people we´ve met on this trip. Hostelling is SO sociable. It´s definately the future!
And so the final major destination will be reached today...Amsterdam. Good way to finish I think you´ll agree!
Will post again when I can. Oh, and I know it´s an early post but the Chinese guy in the dorm is snoring like a trooper, lol. Yes, that´s a drawback to the Hostelling lark! ;-) x
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Prague....land of the hotdog and cheeseburger
Prague....Gulp! Another beautiful city. I loved it to bits, totally wonderful (sorry Colin, didn´t get to check out the bar you used to own / run).
Ok, you´ve got to bear in mind that we arrived in Prague on the back of one of the worst nights of our respective lives. We determined to have a good time and enjoy ourselves but I could tell Neil was a little down and I felt the same way myself.
So. Day 1 in Praguge. We were stressed because of the night / morning before. We got to the hostel, showered, dumped our stuff and headed out. We eventually found a bar selling beer at below the magical 30 Czech Crowns (1 pound = 31 Krona) and settled in. We were having an ok time but obviously as the beer flowed so our moods lightened. It wound up being a good night. We met a guy from Dorest. I think he was Cypriot. Neil remarked mentioned that he understood as he had (Simon had) a ´nice tan´. He obviously meant that the guy had a nice tan because he was from Dorset, but it was funny as. I hope you understand what I mean there.
Day 2. Prague is a beautiful city. It has wonderful sights to behold. We walked up to the castle and took in the amazing buildings. There was a church there that was fantastic to look inside. The setting sun was playing all sorts of tricks through the stained glass windows. The photos will not do the place justice...but hey ho. And then to the night. We got back to the hostel at about 8. We had arranged to go out with Zoo and Alice (two Lyonese French people we had been chatting to). Of course we asked the rest of the dorm if they fancied the night out and the 5 Argentinan girls were up for it. Wow, what a night we had. We ended up rolling in at 5am, totally smashed out of our skulls. It was definately the best night we´ve had so far. Have you had one of those nights recently when everyone gets on, no one is quiet and it´s just a mad party? Maybe it´s just me but I hadn´t had one of those in a while. It was fantastic. There was Zoo who was crazy when he chilled out, Alice who was as cool as. Then there was Carol who was mad even when she hadn´t had a drink - she was the glue that held the rest of the girls together. The lovely Deborah, the music mad Vicky, the poorly (bless) Maya, and the football playing Alexandra. They were all wonderful. We must have made a good impression as we now have 3 invites to stay over at their houses should (when!) we visit South America.
Day 3. Not a lot to say about this day. We recovered! We spent most of the day in bed, sleeping or reading. Understandable due to the late finish the night before.
Other memories from Prague:
We ran out of money so had to survive the final day on mostly hotdogs and cheeseburgers which are as cheap as chips out there.
No wonder Kafka wrote ´The trial´. The street crossing timers ticking away on every street corner are enough to send anyone into a paranoid spiral!
Happy birthday Sam. I thought about you yesterday but couldn´t text as I had no credit and didn´t get paid until today. I thought abotu you, and dad, and it made me sad. Chin up baby. X
Oh, and a final word for the beautiful women of Prague. Oh my god! You western women REALLY have something to live up to!
Take care all. Rich x
Ok, you´ve got to bear in mind that we arrived in Prague on the back of one of the worst nights of our respective lives. We determined to have a good time and enjoy ourselves but I could tell Neil was a little down and I felt the same way myself.
So. Day 1 in Praguge. We were stressed because of the night / morning before. We got to the hostel, showered, dumped our stuff and headed out. We eventually found a bar selling beer at below the magical 30 Czech Crowns (1 pound = 31 Krona) and settled in. We were having an ok time but obviously as the beer flowed so our moods lightened. It wound up being a good night. We met a guy from Dorest. I think he was Cypriot. Neil remarked mentioned that he understood as he had (Simon had) a ´nice tan´. He obviously meant that the guy had a nice tan because he was from Dorset, but it was funny as. I hope you understand what I mean there.
Day 2. Prague is a beautiful city. It has wonderful sights to behold. We walked up to the castle and took in the amazing buildings. There was a church there that was fantastic to look inside. The setting sun was playing all sorts of tricks through the stained glass windows. The photos will not do the place justice...but hey ho. And then to the night. We got back to the hostel at about 8. We had arranged to go out with Zoo and Alice (two Lyonese French people we had been chatting to). Of course we asked the rest of the dorm if they fancied the night out and the 5 Argentinan girls were up for it. Wow, what a night we had. We ended up rolling in at 5am, totally smashed out of our skulls. It was definately the best night we´ve had so far. Have you had one of those nights recently when everyone gets on, no one is quiet and it´s just a mad party? Maybe it´s just me but I hadn´t had one of those in a while. It was fantastic. There was Zoo who was crazy when he chilled out, Alice who was as cool as. Then there was Carol who was mad even when she hadn´t had a drink - she was the glue that held the rest of the girls together. The lovely Deborah, the music mad Vicky, the poorly (bless) Maya, and the football playing Alexandra. They were all wonderful. We must have made a good impression as we now have 3 invites to stay over at their houses should (when!) we visit South America.
Day 3. Not a lot to say about this day. We recovered! We spent most of the day in bed, sleeping or reading. Understandable due to the late finish the night before.
Other memories from Prague:
We ran out of money so had to survive the final day on mostly hotdogs and cheeseburgers which are as cheap as chips out there.
No wonder Kafka wrote ´The trial´. The street crossing timers ticking away on every street corner are enough to send anyone into a paranoid spiral!
Happy birthday Sam. I thought about you yesterday but couldn´t text as I had no credit and didn´t get paid until today. I thought abotu you, and dad, and it made me sad. Chin up baby. X
Oh, and a final word for the beautiful women of Prague. Oh my god! You western women REALLY have something to live up to!
Take care all. Rich x
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