Weblog
24/11: Turn it on again
Just bought a pair of tickets for Genesis' Turn It On Again Tour.
I think they'll be going like hot cakes if the other European venues are anything to go by.
21/11: Berlin
Just got back from a great break in Berlin. It was my first time to Berlin and, in fact, my first trip to Germany in more than ten years. Julie and I had a great time and learned a lot about the history. The city has certainly had more than its fair share.
We flew over on Ryanair from (Nottingham) East Midlands Airport. We had been recommended a hotel in Charlottenburg by some good friends of ours and I mentally switched off once it was booked. Normally, I read up in the Lonely Planet Guide and figure out what we'll try and see.
We landed on our feet though. We saw an advert for a Free Tour. We were a bit skeptical but thought that we'd give it a go on our first day. Anyhow, we were glad we did.
The page on their site that descibes their free Berlin tour is here.
Our guide Dave O'Kelly was excellent. He had a group of about 40 mostly young Inter Railers from all over the world. He was funny but at the same time sensitive, thought provoking and inspiring. The tour took almost four hours but it felt like two. The tour guides do not get paid for these free tours but rely on tips. Dave seemed to do fine and he deserved it all. He wrapped up his tour with the story of how the wall came down in 1989. He could have been on stage at the Edinburgh Festival and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the next time I see him it's on TV.
I thoroughly recommend this company if you fancy a tour of Berlin and I'd expect their other city tours (London, Munich and Amsterdam) to be worth going on too. I may even do the London tour myself when I'm next there despite having lived in London.
12/11: Jamie Wills is a star
My nephew Jamie is a bit of an all rounder. He's captain of his football team, setting school records in athletics and also is a bit of a golfer. My brother now often ends up on the losing side when he plays golf. Anyway, here's a shot of Jamie picking up his latest trophy.
When he comes down South of the border to play his Uncle though, I will have invented some local rules that he doesn't know about.
