Route for October

My route for the coming month. Mostly by bike except the longer stretches.

My new partner

Touring by bicycle at last! A new beginning! After 13 months of trains, planes and automobiles I've decided the two-wheeled life is for me. OK the European weather's not great at the moment but I'm heading South. It's going to be great. And what a beautie. Bob Jackson from Leeds. Together we'll go places.

End of Europe part 1

A photo in Hamburg station standing where I did for 'The Quest for Less' album cover and I have much less so I'm happy. In fact I'm down to 40 items now. Ta da!

On the train to Amsterdam for four days off and to finalize the route and dates and the new mode of transport for part two.

Reeperbahn festival

I had a good festival. I managed to get round and see some other acts,
Donavan, Gonzales (both), Blood red shoes, Edwyn Collins and quite a
few besides.

My show was well-attended. I sold 12 CDs which is an all-time record.
The Hasenshaukel is a trip of a place. Always a good show, but with
the festival it was even better.

Hamburg

Hamburg feels like coming home. I played a house concert in the quiet
suburbs. I got badly lost trying to find it and Nadine the host had to
come and pick me up in the car.

Berlin was great as always. I caught the end of the summer. Lovely
weather and a slow pace of life. Three cracking shows there.

Berlin

I'm settled in Berlin. It's a very nice apartment in Fredricksein I've
been lent for a week by a friend. I played the first house concert
last night for Max (pictured) a guy that saw me play in Liege last
year, and his friends in Berlin. A good crowd but too enthusiastic. I
could only stop when the neighbour banging on the ceiling got so loud
I couldn't play

Two more shows to come, both in the Neukoln district and should be
good. Anecdotes? Not really. I've been taking it slowly as I get
better, but I did see Ken Parsons, my harp buddy from Amsterdam and
saw him play at Intersoup.

Ear infection

Another city another infection. I've been down through Latvia and
Lithuania and now I'm in Polland. I played in Warsaw and Poznan but
had to cancel more shows because of ear pain. I have some pills and
sprays and will douse in Berlin where a friend is giving me an
apartment for half a week. Two shows there and then back to Hamburg.

Goodbye Estonia

Finally moving on after a week in Tallinn. It's a very pretty city but
too bakward for me, just look at the way they dress and get around.
The whole place is medieval, how do they expect to join the EU?

Throat infection

I'm out of action. Went to the hospital here in Tallinn and got some
antibiotics, cancelled the next four shows and checked into a hotel to
sweat it out. It's pretty gruesome, swollen gums, ulcers and lesions.
Fever. The whole set.

Tallinn

Another day another living room. One CS show and one to the Spanish-
Estonian chamber of commerce. I has one more but had to cancel it due
to sickness, which I hate to do. It's been a tiring trip and I have a
bit of a fever. Three days in the same place has been good. I met lots
of nice Estonians.

Helsinki

I played in Bar Llamas, a Chilien-themed bar, last night. Helsinki was
fun, but I'm glad to be moving on. Finland's a little too much for me,
all this dancing drunk to Gothic metal in communal saunas.

Porvoo

Finland's the craziest place I've seen so far. The whole place belongs
in AA. I played last night in a very old fishing village 50 minutes
East of Helsinki. It was virtually empty but they paid me anyway. I
stayed with Davie the box, a Glaswegian accordian player who's lived
in Scandinavia for the last 16 years.