No sidebar required - the ladies bar will do nicely thank you - South Africa up to the age of about 40-ish & Ireland after that. I have only lived in 2 countries. The list of places/countries I have been to (holidays/contracts etc) is too long to take the time to type. I have done a lot of travelling in the last 10 years or so - gone to all the places (the list is endless) that relate to albums I like. For example Shawn Phillips lived in Positano in Italy for a while, so I went to check that out. I can see why he came up with the material he did. The place is just stunning in every single way. Still my favourite place in the world. Went to Egypt (the poster of the pyramids included with the original release of DSOTM prompted a fascination with Egyptian Mythology that still exists to the present day), visited Paris with a view to discovering more about Edith Piaf - fascinating person. Decided to do that after seeing the movie La Vie en Rose. Went to Brighton UK for a week to see where the mods and the rockers raised hell. Walked into a bar with posters of The Who plastered all over the ceiling. Met an old guy who remembers them all - he must have been about 70 or 80. Could have listened to him for a month. Very entertaining character. Many more place to still see but running out of time to do it all. Going to Volos in Greece this year. Birthplace of Vangelis. I remember reading a line in a James Michener novel 'The Drifters' in my early twenties. It said 'men must inspect their dreams to know them for what they are' - that's what I am doing.
Oops - forgot 2.5 years in what is now Namibia (military service and working for De Beers) - used to be South West Africa - the kind of place you go when you want to get away from the world - vast open spaces of stunning beauty and probably the friendliest, no bullshit people I have ever met in my life. Was hitchhiking from Windhoek down to Cape Town and a German farmer picked me up in his pickup at about 2am after coming home from his local pub and took me home to his farm - it was bloody freezing that night. I had lit a fire of brushwood at the side of the road to keep warm and that is how he spotted me. He woke up the missus and insisted she cook steak and eggs for breakfast - accompanied with copious amounts of beer and Apfelschnaps (sp?). I was deposited back on the highway later that morning, completely plastered and with a food hamper to see me on my way. I wish I could go back and thank him but I can't even remember what stretch of road I was on at the time. Amazing place, amazing people. Big country populated with people with big hearts.
Oops - forgot 2.5 years in what is now Namibia (military service and working for De Beers) - used to be South West Africa - the kind of place you go when you want to get away from the world - vast open spaces of stunning beauty and probably the friendliest, no bullshit people I have ever met in my life. Was hitchhiking from Windhoek down to Cape Town and a German farmer picked me up in his pickup at about 2am after coming home from his local pub and took me home to his farm - it was bloody freezing that night. I had lit a fire of brushwood at the side of the road to keep warm and that is how he spotted me. He woke up the missus and insisted she cook steak and eggs for breakfast - accompanied with copious amounts of beer and Apfelschnaps (sp?). I was deposited back on the highway later that morning, completely plastered and with a food hamper to see me on my way. I wish I could go back and thank him but I can't even remember what stretch of road I was on at the time. Amazing place, amazing people. Big country populated with people with big hearts.
'The purpose of life is a life of purpose' - Athena Orchard.