Padova

Belisimo. The town centre is very impressive. There's a huge circular
moat in the square lined with statues. The market goes around that
today with all manner of things to buy. I bought my body weight in
fruit for €5 to flush out last night's wine. It's still hot weather
and I'll stay another day. Tomorrow four days of rain starts so it
will be wet riding to Slovenia.

Simone

I take it back about Simone. He cooked a bonisimo risotto for lunch.
He was also a racing cyclist when he was younger and his uncle coached
Pantani and now coaches Contador.

Padova

Simone's microwaving me a deliscious meal he bought with his own two
hands. It's a club show house concert-style, unplugged and informal. A
really nice group of folks.

Last night's show was in a Julien's restaurant. Nice food and drink -
hot rum, now that's a keeper. But crap audience if eaters. Man they
eat a lot here.

New outfit

Back on the bike. I'd left it in Vicenza for this week round Italy.
Good job too as it would have been a nightmare on and off the trains
and up countless stairs and when i'd had time to ride it the in Rome
and the coast roads around Iscia the drivers were maniacs. Letchia who
I left it with works for Felt cycles and gave me a new outfit ready
for the colder weather. Mind you, I had to stop to take it off as it's
18 degrees today so I'm in shorts and short sleeves.

Francesco

He organised the couch concert in Pescara last night. Mr Connected.
There were over 40 people there. He is a law lecturer and Chairman of
the Microbrewery appreciation society. He organises food competitions
and trips to wine tastings.

I played a club show in Latina the night before. Those are not a patch
on a well-attended house concert though.

Conductor

The only nice train conductor I've met in Italy. I did my best to
answer his questions about football: how many people live in Stoke
City and how far Manchester is from Liverpool. And he told me the
story of his friend who cycled from Italy to Mumbai, only to lose an
eye when he was robbed by a man with a catapult while sleeping in a
restaurant.

Junior and Bruno

I thought I'd change the blog to be about the people I meet which
explains more the places.

Junior and Bruno are two young guys I met on the train from Rome to
Pescara. They got off at the base of Mount Armor (bitter). It's quite
late in the season and they couldn't afford professional gear. I hope
they make it ok.

Poolside

The view from the hotel window. I've had worse.

Ischia

I'm on holiday. I know, but a real holiday. Two days on Ischia off the
coast of Napoli (which lived up to it's reputation, chaos and piles of
rubbish everywhere). The island was one of the locations for the
Talented Mr Ripley and I always wanted to see it. It's the end of the
season and people are shutting up shop. I got a nice hotel for €100
for three nights. It's raining but not too cold, and very quiet. A
good place to relax.

Rome

I played inside the... no. But it was a nice club. Really packed. They
get a 1000 people through there on a good night. It stays open late. I
had the early slot, on at midnight.

Cesena

A beautiful night, walking round the old streets before the show in
Lego cafe. The first bar show in a while. Felt weird playing with a
microphone. Restrictive.

Vicenza

Nice crowd. Everyone brought a pie. We were crammed into a tiny living
room. It was a fun show and a great start to my Italy tour.

Sezana

It was a long days travelling yesterday from Graz to Sezana in
Slovenia. I cycled the last 50km and got lost in the dark. Finally
made it but not without a few close calls. I had a nice hotel for once
so it ended well.

Graz

Graz had a great vibe to it. 50,000 students, a fifth of the town.
Musicians, mathmaticians and language students mostly. We had a big
jam-singalong which was good but bad because they were all better
players than me.

I could stay longer in Graz especially in a funky little house like
that, but people were talking about their travels to India and
Indonesia so I'll play there first. And while talking about getting
better food of an evening, someone turned me onto the http://gen.ecovillage.org/
movement and maybe I could play for those communities. It's funny
how things move along.

Food

I've had lots of interesting food so far, I could easily do a food
blog. I've been doing a lot of cooking as well, a food as well as a
music service. I'm carrying my own ghee and spices with me. Tonight in
Graz I get some nice soup and homemade apple strudel (about my 4th in
Austria).

Stattegg

A nice couch concert (that's what I'm calling them now) in a valley
north of Graz. Beautiful smoky mountains. The held the Mountain Bike
World Championships here last year. Nice to be in the countryside with
a quiet family.

Balkans

Have you travelled the Balkans before? I have to get from Slovenia down to Greece and was wondering the best way.

Steyr

There was a Grandma in the basement. Every house should have one. She made me a nice breakfast. It was in Dominik's house, a very talented young guy who supported me when I played the club here. A good crowd for a Monday night. I finally got a good nights sleep in a relaxing house. It's been two weeks now since I had a good one. I'm quite exhausted from it and my asthmas played up because of it. The ride helped, 3 hours from Linz, headwind but sunny. Cycling is the ultimate cure-all.

 

Linz

If it's not kittens it's kids. Or shamens. I had a bad nights sleep
sharing with thus 60 year old lady from Guatamala who snored. She's
been travelling for 8 years performing ceremonies. It was a hectic
house with kids running in and out and quite an informal show.

Munich

I played with Phil Vetter in one of Munich's oldest theaters, the
Rational. A very pretty place hidden out in a backstreet, all original
red furnishings and yellow light bulbs. That place had history. So did
the audience, there were some characters. It made a nice change from
house concerts.

Wessling

Nice to have a show in the countryside, especially in such iydillic
spot in Bravaria. I played at my friend Phil Vetter's house, a fellow
musician.

Kittens

Another day another fucking kitten. The world is infested. I propose a cull. All in favour say aye.

Sent from my iPhone 

Innsbruck

I played a house concert for an Austrian Capoera group. Good dancers
and singers so it made for an eventful show.

Austria

A lovely ride today in beautiful weather through the valley from
Switzerland to Austria. I took the train most of the way and cycled
the rest in the afternoon.

Zurich

Two nice shows in Zurich. I even have a small following here, which
makes it even better. The weather has been very good and I went
cycling in the mountains. Slowly getting fitter, which is important if
you're to digest the local cuisine.

Antwerp

Another night another house concert and another kitten (not pictured).
This one was less trouble after I threw it across the room a few times
(cruelty not pictured). People say I must like animals because I'm a
vegetarian, but the reason is because I don't like them. It was the
mosquitos that kept me awake last night. I've had a run of bad luck
sleeping what with allergies to feathers before the animals and
insects. The show went well though. The Belgians (pictured) have been
very hospitable.

Gent

This kitten annoyed the shit out of me. I had to look after it in the
house I was staying in. Jumping on me, scratching, shitting, meowing.
It was nice in Gent though, despite only 8 people coming to the show.
A waste of tone really. I felt bad taking there money. I'm not booking
any more of them. House concerts are far superior.

Goes

I'm staying in a lovely cottage in the Dutch countryside near Goes
(pronounced Goose), with Gerard (pictured in his clogs) and his wife.
He works as a science supply teacher for international schools, so
goes off to China, Singapore or Africa or anywhere a teacher needs
covering for a few weeks. It's a beautiful old house with a big
orchard, he used to keep pigs and bees in it but only has sheep now.

Zeeland

A windy ride past miles of windmills and greenhouses.