Day 6, rest day... Hamm to Hamburg

I'm wondering in Germany's infancy, when they when they were assigning names to places for the first time.... did they drop the m and add the burg. Or did they drop the burg and add the m? These are the types of questions which become increasingly significant the more time you spend on the road, logic would suggest the latter but who can be sure... What I can tell you however is that men will always find it easier to use the toilets in the rest areas on the Autobahn because there is never a queue for the pissoir. Which is French. Naturellement...

A slightly longer drive yesterday to Hamburg, where we braved the elements (fairly mild pleasant evening) to paint the town red (eat dinner and see a music festival). One of the more exciting moments of the tour so far it must be said when we stumbled across a gelato shop not far from where we are staying - the first such establishment we have located this trip, despite my finely-tuned Gelato shop radar working overtime since the commencement of the tour... Friends of mine will know that given the choice between Gelato and most other things, I will always go for the sugar hit. Shops like Gelatomassi in Newtown planted the seeds long ago, now the cravings are a daily curse, one which can only be dealt with by excessive consumption and a temporary cessation of any diet restrictions (not that there is usually a great number of those on the sugar front, and rightly so!)

Now where was I again...?

Ah yes Hamburg! Last night we managed to find our way to 'The Bunker' here in Hamburg, which for those of you who aren't familiar with it is a big old Flaktürme, an above-ground bomb shelter of sorts built during the war. Outside and in, the building feels other-worldly. The walls are so incredibly thick, there is a heaviness about it that seems completely impenetrable... Not the type of place I would have expected to find the Keuchen Sessions festival in full swing, held in a pretty remarkable dedicated live performance space near the top of the building. So often in Germany I am amazed by their ability (and willingness) to use these types of spaces. A great thing for artists and musicians alike, and probably one of the reasons so many people like myself come from different parts of the world to spend time here. To finish the evening, we were treated to a few tunes from Iceland's Svavar Knutur, a friend of Lena and the VondoMachine, someone who's name I have heard many times yet never had a chance to see live. Very glad that has changed, a great songwriter and a beautiful, humble performer. Also if you ever see him yourself, please ask him about the martial art of gravity. I found that quite impressive... :). I'll be filming a few songs for the Keuchen Sessions website early in October here in Hamburg, will post a link once it goes live...

Ok that'll do me for today's ramble. Found our way out of the bunker, slept in, it's now 1.30pm and I have moved NOWHERE. This is completely fine.

Back soon x

Svavar live @ The Bunker, 22/9/13...