Bob Dylan – Mark Knopfler 2011 European Tour
20th – 21st Nov 2011 – London 2 & 3
Forever Young Finale... Well here we are again, at the end of another wonderful adventure. This trip has fulfilled every expectation, it's been enlightening, entertaining and educational to tour in unison with another organization and [...]
19th Nov 2011 – London 1
Odeon not Apollo... It will always be the Hammersmith Odeon to me and as the name suggests the Odeon was once a cinema. Opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, it was designed by [...]
16th Nov 2011 – Zurich
Modern Times ... We have a winner. As I said to Mike, John and Ian whilst basking in the cold Autumn sunshine lying in one of the three outdoor whirlpools, "when we next come to [...]
15th Nov 2011 – Geneva
Soldier's Joy... I have decided that if you're going to have Bircher Muesli in Europe, make sure it's in Switzerland. It's not rocket science, they did after all invent the stuff, but they really know [...]
14th Nov 2011 – Milan
Abhorrent Bouquet... Day Off - Despite the stark contrast in hotel rooms between Milan and Florence, my lack of sleep on the bus last night meant I felt compelled to stay indoors ALL day in [...]
12th Nov 2011 – Rome
Coffee of the gods... Florence seems like an awful long time ago after one of the longest days of the tour. We finally checked out of the sumptuous Four Seasons at 2pm and took local [...]
11th Nov 2011 – Florence
11-11-11...Renaissance relish... Day Off - When the sun is shining as much as it has been this past few days, the moment when you wake up, draw the curtains and open the window to [...]
9th Nov 2011 – Padova
odore di basket E 'fantastico essere di nuovo in Italia .. Land of passion, pizza, pasta, perfection (in some areas)pother and puzzlement. We arrive in this beautiful country in the midst of a financial and [...]
8th Nov 2011 – Innsbruck
The hills are alive.... Only a few days ago we were bemoaning the onset of Wintertime as it seemed that the gloom had descended and the sun disappeared. Last night's drive Southwards meant warmer [...]
8th Nov 2011 – Innsbruck
The hills are alive.... Only a few days ago we were bemoaning the onset of Wintertime as it seemed that the gloom had descended and the sun disappeared. Last night's drive Southwards meant warmer weather [...]
7th Nov 2011 – Nurnburg
Norisring.. It's an old cliche but when you're on the road, you REALLY don't know what day it is. This morning could have been any day of the week. I'm honestly not really sure why [...]
6th Nov 2011 – Hannover
Driving limits... Day off - Another day off and this one is the last in Germany. With winter now rearing its chilly head with gusto, wandering the busy Hanoverian streets is a bracing affair. One [...]
4th Nov 2011 – Stockholm
Skeppsholmen stroll an Ice Ladder.... Well I was right, it was very difficult to get up this morning. Once I'd got back to sleep at the hotel, the getting up bit was tough. Being in [...]
3rd Nov 2011 – Malmo
Zamboni Baloney... There's something about the weather in Scandinavia at the moment which is making it difficult to get out of bed in the mornings. I'm not sure that we've seen the sun for a [...]
2nd Nov 2011 – Herning
Great Danes... Day Off - Hamburg The day started with the traditional swim and Bircher Muesli. After lazing back in bed for a few hours I thought I should make some sort of effort to [...]
31st Oct 2011 – Hamburg
Banjoween Day Off - ANOTHER day off, this time though most of it was spent on the bus as it was decided that we'd use today to make the 175 mile trip from Berlin to [...]
29th Oct 2011 – Berlin
Schnitzel Logic.. Day Off - Now we're well and truly starting to feel at home in the land of Schnitzel and Wurst. The Weissbier is going down pretty well too. What to do on a [...]
27th Oct 2011 – Leipzig
Banjo jokes.... It's odd that Bircher Muesli can vary so much from hotel to hotel within Europe. Being a lifelong fan, I've sampled a few bowls and this morning in Leipzig, the centerpiece of the [...]
26th Oct 2011 – Munich
World's loudest tambourine... Senility can rear its unwelcome head at the most inopportune moments when you get to my age and last night when I walked into my hotel room at 2am I neglected to put [...]
25th Oct 2011 – Mannheim
Tripping points... A day off at the Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt..I'm not sure we've quite earned it but there are no complaints from any department. The hotel gym is a highlight and indeed most of [...]
23rd Oct 2011 – Oberhausen
Wurst Brat... Day Off - Dusseldorf on a Friday evening is I suppose like most European cities, heaving with people out for a good time but when the bus rolled in last night at [...]
21st Oct 2011 – Luxembourg
Luxembourgish Steel... Another mind-numbingly interesting morning, this one spent in the Luxembourg Sofitel. I could see it was a beautiful day outside but somehow something prevented me from venturing into the outside world today, most [...]
20th Oct 2011 – Rotterdam
Santa's in town and he means business... Ahh, the sound of construction. I peer through the curtains to see in full daylight the monstrous new rail terminal taking it's weird and wonderful shape. Breakfast winged [...]
19th Oct 2011 – Antwerp
Kwak... Day off - Brussels. Another jewel in the Rocco Forte crown, the hotel Amigo is one of those which never lets down. Great staff, food, rooms and bar. Late to surface this morning after [...]
17th Oct 2011 – Paris
Lobster toilet... One of the world's most beautiful cities and I didn't leave my hotel room, I couldn't find the door! Just kidding. By the time I'd surfaced, ordered breakfast, edited photos, written and posted [...]
16th Oct 2011 – Lille
Three in one... On previous tours we've had many examples of traveling to and through three cities in one day, well today I'd say was the first 'long' day of the tour. I woke at [...]
14th Oct 2011 – Bournemouth
Together at last... My room was so big in this hotel, I actually discovered a new bathroom this morning that I never knew existed last night. In actuality, the reason for the grand suite is [...]
13th Oct 2011 – Cardiff
Triassic Ammonites Rock...and Roll... A day off in Cardiff, what more could a man ask for? Oh, yes, by the way, it WAS raining when we arrived AND when I woke this morning. However, there [...]
11th Oct 2011 – Nottingham
Rock City.. ..was the name of the venue we used to play at in what is my somewhat vague memory of Nottingham. This is not a town we've visited much over the years so I [...]
10th Oct 2011 – Manchester
Tip-top bearings.. Is it really 'always' raining in Manchester. It certainly seems that way. When we arrived in the early hours this morning it was a light drizzle and as I write this (midday) it's [...]
9th Oct 2011 – Glasgow 2
Shiny Bus... Show Day 2 - It's an interesting thing, being a support act again, as Mark so rightly pointed out in the dressing room last night. The pure fact that not everyone in the [...]
8th Oct 2011 – Glasgow 1
Sauchihall Overspill.. The first of fourteen days off on this tour consisted of another short flight on the Embraer Legacy 600 from Dublin to Glasgow. Lunch on the plane was a fabulous home-made Shepherds Pie [...]
6th Oct 2011 – Dublin Show Day
Potato Boxty ... on order as an integral part of the full Irish breakfast, kettle on the boil, PG Tips sitting eagerly in the teapot, NHT speakers hooked up, yes, we're back on the road. [...]
5th Oct 2011 – Dublin – Production day
The Whistling Wind ...was the sound to which I woke this morning, no, it was 'howling' through the gaps in the window which won't quite close properly in our popular, recently refurbished hotel in the [...]