Day 11, Braunschweig

So I'll preface this post by saying I'm starting it whilst sitting in a media-mart store (German electronics / white goods etc), watching three German girlfriends (*) trying to decide which blender they should buy. Words and thoughts may or may not be influenced by the surrounding toasters, kettles and coffee machines. Possibly also by the espresso I was just given by the old German salesman who, unperturbed by the fact he was dealing with a foreign customer, took me to the only English-language coffee machine in a vain attempt to get me to part with 600 Euros. If nothing else, his persistence will stand him in good stead for the final month before his retirement.

(*Lena, our host Lui, and her friend Carmen. Hence the reason I was in the store. In addition to looking for blank CD's. As opposed to just going in there on a whim to watch people compare features of kitchen products in German....)

Braunschweig is a beautiful little city. The picture above is of the old Castle, which has been rebuilt and converted into a shopping mall. It's not every day you see a shopping mall in a castle. None of us were exactly sure if this was a good thing, but then the only other option really would be a museum with an audio-tour, and perhaps they thought Europe already had enough of those. It probably does. How much do we need to know about the castle in Braunschweig anyway? Perhaps we'd all just prefer a t-shirt from H&M and and a Caramel Frappucino from Starbucks.

Last night's concert was in Lui's living room here and it was awesome. How often do you get to perform to a room full of Volkswagen employees? It gave me an idea - I've started the 'Find Renny a Kombi' society, a charitable not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping me in my quest to find a 1960's split-screen Kombi van to tour the world. Perhaps several. I figured if you're working for VW, and living down the road, then you must know someone who knows someone who knows where all the old Kombis are stored... Perhaps a big old car yard of some sort, in the countryside, were the old campers come to be restored to their former glory before being sold on to touring musicians for the cost of a song or two.... Well that was my theory anyway. I'm not sure the VW staff in attendance were entirely convinced, but I forgave them.... they were a wonderful audience, one of the best of the tour so far. And I was having a great old time playing my songs and yapping away about nothing in particular. As I like to do when I'm happy. So thanks Braunchweig, thanks Lui, and thanks Volkswagen!

Schoeningen tonight, Hamburg tomorrow. On we go...
ox

PS - Perhaps a sign this afternoon that I could be on to something here... for walking back towards the flat what should we see... but a 1960's split screen Kombi, fully restored and in mint condition. WITH, I might add, a surfboard on the roof. What was a surfboard doing on a Kombi in the middle of Germany, a country with no surf? I'm not sure, but for a very short time I died and went to heaven.