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Simon and Jackie AnnalsSimon and Jackie Annals
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Retiredish. Now 2 Wannabe Globetrotters. Läs mer Cuckfield, United Kingdom
  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    Dag 12

    Day 12 - The Carer in Gdańsk

    10 mars, Polen ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    The breakfast this morning at Hotel Gromada in Warsaw was the worst yet on the trip. The place was heaving and the very slow machine produced coffee that was disgusting. I had a bread roll with jam and some tasteless watermelon.

    The Magic Buses rolled out of Warsaw at 10.00am after making double sure that everyone had their phones. The journey took us along dual carriageways most of the way of the 4 hour journey. We stopped for a comfort break at a service station, where I took the opportunity to wish my mother a Happy Mother’s Day.

    After checking in to the Hotel Scandic in Gdańsk, some people were going off to do their laundry. One of the girls, Irish Lindsey, later that afternoon sent her roommate Priscilla a photo of her and Justin Sullivan who she had just met in a local launderette. He even does his own washing!!

    Lee, Priscilla, Lex, Ramon and I went off to explore Gdańsk Old Town. It was only a short walk, but it took much longer with Lee ambling along behind because of his multiple sclerosis.

    The buildings in the Old Town were very quaint. We visited several churches, the Amber Quarter and then we arrived at the enormous St Mary’s Basilica. It was free entry to the Basilica and took quite awhile to walk around it. The highlight was its astronomical clock. Before leaving it was suggested that we climb the 400 steps to the top of its tower. There was no way that Lee was going to be able to do that, so I did the honourable thing and took him to a local bar for a beer.

    We were joined by the others whilst on our 2nd beer in a very pleasant little cafe. Lex got up and said he was just popping out to the cannabis shop to buy a puffer for someone else in the group. Lee asked Lex to get him one as well. Upon Lex’s return, Lee started puffing on his newly acquired puffer, but moaned he couldn’t feel a high, so he kept on sucking. Apparently the puffer was supposed to have the relaxing qualities without the high.

    By now we were all hungry & were looking forward to some traditional Polish food. We researched restaurants on our phones and chose GVARA a posh Polish restaurant. We all had the same starter, black pudding with caramelised pear, chokeberry sauce and bread which was delicious. For mains, Lex and I had braised beef cheek with port wine, homemade potato dumplings and caramelised beetroots. It was superb, the beef cheeks were so tender that they melted in the mouth. The others had wild boar, pork chops or stuffed dumplings.

    The only drama occurred when Ramon leant over the table to taste Lex’s beef cheek, but accidentally knocked over Lee’s freshly poured glass of wine straight onto Lee’s dinner. His pork chops, potatoes and sauerkraut were swimming in red wine. The staff took his dinner away, but returned with his dinner now with a red tinge. Luckily Lee didn’t mention it again……..not. Ramon paid for Lee’s dinner including his wine.

    After dinner, Lex and Ramon decided they were going to an Italian restaurant to meet up with some of our group who were celebrating a birthday with some other NMA fans that had following the tour separately.

    The remaining 3 of us chose to return to the hotel. When we got outside the cold fresh air hit Lee and he suddenly became as high as a kite. He admitted that he had sucked way too much on his puffer. As a result it was a painfully slow walk back to the hotel with Lee shuffling along very slowly behind. I felt like his carer!!

    After a quick nightcap in the hotel bar we called it a night.

    Song of the Day - Mother by Danzig (Danzig is the German name for Gdańsk)

    NMA Song of the Day - Nothing Touches by New Model Army.    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    Dag 11

    Day 11 - There’s Always One …………Only Me!

    9 mars, Polen ⋅ 🌙 -1 °C

    Woke up at 6.20am despite my alarm being set for 8.00am. I went down for breakfast, then returned to my room to pack up my gear. We checked out of the hotel at 10.00am.

    After a 30 minute drive north outside of Krakow, I went to look at my phone. It was not in my pocket, not in my coat. Someone rang my phone number, but it did not ring, although I feared that my phone was on silent. Reluctantly, I asked the driver, Red, to please pull over. I frantically rummaged through all the bags in the back, but to no avail.

    Priscilla rang my phone number again and on this occasion it was answered by someone at the hotel. We had no choice but to turn around and return to the hotel. The return journey seemed to take an age, not helped by relentless mickey taking from those in the back, whilst I died with embarrassment.

    We eventually arrived back at the hotel and I retrieved my phone from reception. We then headed back towards Warsaw on the same roads for the third time that morning. After an otherwise uneventful journey, we arrived at the Hotel Gromada in Warsaw just after 3.00pm, over one hour later than the other bus.

    Priscilla and I went for walk, in the afternoon sun, into the Old Town of Warsaw. It has been faithfully restored after being bombed to the ground during the Second World War. I leant that Priscilla was head of an IT department for the Maltese government and that prior to meeting up with the Magic Bus Tour, she had been in the UK following The Editors.

    At 5.00pm, we went to the Nameste curry house, the designated eating place. I had a Chicken garlic masala, rice, butter naan and 2 pints of beer. It was very nice.

    As soon as we had finished eating, JP, Irish Lindsey and I rushed to an Irish bar to watch the 2nd half of the England - Ireland rugby match. It was an exciting finish with England winning by a single point with the last kick of the game.

    After 3 pints of Guinness, we walked to the Palladium arriving just 15 minutes before New Model Army were due on stage. By now my stomach was gurgling & the thought of bouncing around felt quite daunting. As luck would have it, they opened the balcony up at the last minute, Lee and I bagged ourselves a very spacious spot right at the front of the balcony. This was after he had tripped up a step and gone down like the proverbial sack of….. It took the help of a bystander to assist me to get him back on his feet.

    It was another enjoyable gig. The encore was ‘51st State’, ‘Poison Street’ and ‘Get Me Out’.

    Lee and I missed the obligatory photo because we couldn’t make our way through the crowds leaving. Instead we met up with everyone in the bar. Drummer, Michael Dean came out and chatted for ages with some members of our group who clearly knew him well. I joined them to listen to the conversation and Michael was talking about his shoulder problems. He apparently wakes up in absolute agony and is having to take strong painkillers to get through. On one of their coming days off he is flying back to the UK to see a consultant with a view to having an operation between tours.

    Ceri Monger also came out and was happily chatting with the group. I finally relented and had my photo with him. My phone ran out of charge at that very minute, so Lee took a photo of Ceri and I on his phone. Ceri was already aware that some idiot from the Magic Bus group had left his phone at the hotel and he was told it was me. He shook my hand.

    It was at least an hour later, when Lee ordered an Uber back to the hotel, despite me telling him it only a 4 minute walk. Lee, Priscilla, Ramon and I walked to the meeting place, then took the Uber all of 300 metres to the hotel. We had actually walked further to meet the Uber! Apart from Lee, the rest of us were uncontrollably crying with laughter. Lee was charged £2.78 for the Uber, which was well worth it for the comedy value.

    We all had a nightcap beer with some of the group in the Tap Bar that was again further away than the Uber ride. I got to bed gone 12.30am shattered.

    Song of the Day - Die Laughing by Therapy?

    NMA Song of the Day - Reload by New Model Army.    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    Dag 10

    Day 10 - The Handshake

    8 mars, Slovakien ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Despite setting my alarm for 06.00am, I woke up at 04.18am & couldn’t get back to sleep again. When my alarm went off, I got up and got ready for the long drive. After a decent breakfast, both Magic Buses pulled out of the B&B Hotel car park at 08.00am sharp.

    We headed north out of damp rainy Budapest, picked up a dual carriageway & and couple of hours later we were in Slovakia, a new country to my list of countries visited. We managed to have taken a different route to the other Magic Bus, which had crossed at a different border 15 minutes earlier. We stopped for a comfort break and I asked Ramon to swap seats with me because he genuinely is asleep for 70-80% of the journey.

    We continued through Slovakia on main roads and not the hairpin bends of the minor A roads through the Carpathian Mountains. Our route was longer, but much quicker. We passed Kosice and discovered we were less than 50 miles from the border with Ukraine. We raced through the snow covered countryside in the Carpathian Mountains, with me now facing forward, & very soon we were in Poland.

    A second comfort stop was made at a supermarket & we marvelled at how cheap everything was. We bought snacks that caused a mess in the back of the bus & then continued on to the Swing Hotel in Krakow arriving at 3.45pm. We were at least 15 miles ahead of the other Magic Bus.

    I checked in and relaxed in my room. Messages on the WhatsApp group suggested a pre-gig beer bar to meet, but no time was set. Lee and I met at 5.20pm, but then realised the suggested bar was 3 miles away. We decided to walk towards the venue for tonight’s gig & hopefully stop in a bar on the way.

    It turned out that our walk consisted of walking through a shopping outlet, over a bridge, then down the runway of Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport, a disused airport in Kraków, Poland, one of the oldest permanent airfields in Europe,

    The airfield has its beginnings as a military airport established in the borough of Rakowice in 1912,[1] one of the most modern and largest in Poland at the time. It was built for the needs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire along with an army garrison. In 1917, the airfield became one of the stopovers in the first European air mail service linking Vienna with Kyiv and Odessa. The airport was in continuous use to 1963, until the relocation of the Kraków passenger airport 16 km westwards, to the village of Balice.

    We didn’t find a bar, so we waited 12 minutes for tonight’s venue, the Kwadrat Klub to open. Once the venue was open at 6.00pm, we secured an alcove with a table and comfy seats, then imbibed in a few cheap beers. Other Magic Bus occupants arrived and we learnt that the other bus had taken a scenic route over the Carpathian Mountains and had had a nice lunch at a historic lodge with views.

    The support Polski Zespot were not great. They started sounding like an 80’s electronic band, but did improve to sound more Goth

    The NMA gig commenced and it became clear that Justin Sullivan was still suffering with his loss of voice. I went down to the edge of the mosh pit. I think the beers helped! During the performance, I acted as a guard for Jack’s 1st foray onto Red’s shoulders, then I held his right leg steady for ‘Green and Grey’ & ‘High’ in the encore. (Note to self- avoid Green and Grey - the song is too long. My arms were aching). The encore consisted of ‘No Rest’, ‘High’ & ‘I Love The World’.

    After the show, we again had the obligatory photo, then discussions took place as to where to go to next. It was decided to have another beer at the venue. Jack introduced me to Rob, one of the ex-traffic cops he had mentioned, who it transpired left the police in the 90s on medical grounds. He now lives in Holland after meeting at a NMA gig and marrying a Dutch girl.

    We were nattering away & l saw the NMA bassist, Ceri Monger, appear and start chatting to people in our group. He was laughing and joking whilst selfies were being taken. I couldn’t break away from my conversation without appearing rude. Michael Dean, the drummer, then appeared followed by Dean White, the other guitarist. They were chatting, posing for photos and signing autographs, particularly on records and cd’s that people seemed to magic out of thin air.

    I was then chatting with Jack, when unexpectedly (and quite unusually) Justin Sullivan came out from backstage with his vape and started interacting with those of us still in the bar. Jack and I watched on whilst people gathered around him, including Lee, who got a selfie with him. Lee then came over to us & loudly said “I should have told him that he damaged my phone”. Probably in earshot of Justin.

    Lee had told us in the Magic Bus about an embarrassing incident he had had at a Justin Sullivan gig about 9 years ago in Gillingham at a small venue. After a few beers, he tried to take a photo of Justin Sullivan mid performance. He was struggling with the zoom on his phone and to take a close up photo he misjudgedly shoved his phone in front of Justin’s nose. With the end of his guitar, Justin thwacked the phone out of his hand and the phone went spinning across the stage. For a split second he thought about getting on stage to retrieve it, but sense kicked in and he went to the back and waited for the show to end before an embarrassed Lee asked for his now damaged phone back.

    Lee was recounting the story again to Jack, who was trying to tell him to stop digging a hole for himself. It transpired that Jack had been at the same gig and remembered the incident well, as did a 4th person who had joined us. Apparently everyone else in the crowd thought that dickhead deserved it!!!!

    Talking of photos, I tried to surreptitiously take some photos of Justin on my phone, but I got caught out when some Poles now with him asked me to take their photos with him on their phones. I suddenly became their official photographer. I could and probably should have asked for a selfie myself, but instead I just shook Justin’s hand. (I’m too old to appear like an excitable groupie!)

    Scottish Louise, who is in the other Magic Bus, I am led to believe is also a good friend of the band members. She was still talking to Dean White in the venue foyer when we left.

    Jack, JP, Lee and myself got a taxi back to the hotel.

    Song of the Day - Magic Bus by The Who.

    NMA Song of the Day - Before I Get Old by New Model Army.    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    Dag 9

    Day 9 - Spa Day in Budapest

    7 mars, Ungern ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    It was a leisurely start to the day following a shower & breakfast, we departed the hotel at 10.00 hours. We all sat in the same seats on the magic bus and we arrived at our B&B Hotel in Budapest just over 3 hours later. During the journey the inevitable question came up about what the 6 of us in the back did for a living. 4 of us were in IT, Lee is a jeweller and watchrepairer & it eventually came to me. When I revealed I was a retired copper, actually detective, I got a very positive response.

    After lots of faffing around, six of us decided to the go to the a spa in Budapest, something which Budapest is famous for. Our group consisted of Jack, the Americans Lex and Ramon, Priscilla and a German lady, Ulrike from the other bus. It was 30 minutes ride on a tram and the metro to Széchenyi Bath, which to use we had to download an app. Jack and Lex managed to download the app and log in, whilst the rest of us failed, so lex offered to pay for our tickets on his app. Ideal.

    We travelled on the tram alongside the River Danube, then alighted and walked a short distance before entering the world’s 2nd earliest underground railway. It is 2nd only to London, but is the 1st electrified underground railway system. We got off the train at our stop & were stopped by the guards and asked for proof of payment. Lex got out his app, but it was established that he hadn’t activated his app at the beginning of the journey. We were each fined €30. Great start.

    The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath in Budapest is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Its water is supplied by two thermal springs, their temperature is 74 °C and 77 °C, respectively. Built between 1909 and 1913, the exceptionally beautiful Szechenyi Thermal Spa is the most famous spa in Budapest. The hot spring water is rich in calcium, magnesium, hydrogen carbonate, sodium and sulfate, fluoride and metaboric acid. It is mainly used for medical treatments of inflammatory diseases and joint complaints. Over the years, the charming thermal bath was constantly renewed and expanded. Today there are 15 indoor swimming pools in the interior of the Szechenyi Bath, and in the beautiful outdoor area you will find another 3 large pools.

    We paid our entrance fee of €28, then an additional €11 for a pair of flip flops that were mandatory. I can’t even walk in flip flops!!! We got changed into our swimmers and spent the next couple of hours wallowing in the hot thermal outdoor pool, the numerous different saunas, hot pools of varying temperatures and the freezing plunge pools. Although busy with both locals and tourists, it was a very pleasant experience. Gone 5.30pm, when we headed back to the hotel.

    On the journey back, Jack and I were chatting and he revealed that he was a contractor for a company and he may be losing his current job later this year. He also asked me what I did & after, he went on to reveal that amongst the usual NMA crowd were 2 Police traffic officers & a girl who is a Derbyshire 999 operator regularly seen on the TV programme ‘Police Interceptors’.

    We were planning to go back out to eat, but time was pushing on. We eventually decided to eat in the hotel. I had the Hungarian pork stew and a pint of beer.

    It was raining when we left the hotel for the 15- 20 minute walk to the A38 venue which is actually on a boat on the River Danube. A lady called Alex from Vienna offered to shelter me under her umbrella during the walk. It turned out talking to her, that Alex was on the guest list, because she was friends with some of the members of the band. It transpired that one of her best friends used to go out with Nelson who was a guitarist with NMA for 22 years, leaving in 2012 for personal reasons (too much touring). Apparently that’s why most of the band have left over the years. It was an interesting chat & great insight into the workings of the band.

    The support band, Aznincs, were not my cup of tea and so I sat down with the others in the bar area.

    NMA came on at the scheduled time and it was clear that Justin’s voice was failing him a little bit which he acknowledged, however during the performance his voice returned. According to my source in the know, the drummer, Michael Dean, is suffering with a shoulder problem & is having to take lots of painkillers before each gig. Fingers crossed for the rest of the tour.

    I stayed a couple of rows back with Lee, who has mild MS. I’m glad I did, because it was a particularly lively one in the mosh pit. Jack did his usual thing - not with any help from me. The encore was No Rest, High & Get Me Out. Another great performance.

    After the obligatory photo, we hurried back to the hotel and bed in anticipation of an early start tomorrow.

    Song of the Day - The Voice by Ultravox

    NMA Song of the Day - Rivers by New Model Army.    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    2
    Dag 8

    Day 8 - I Walk in the Cold Air

    6 mars, österrike ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    After a stress free night’s sleep, I woke up at 7.00am. I went down to breakfast and found Jack Cheung, who introduced me to the others on the Magic Bus. They seemed a nice friendly bunch, but remembering everyone’s name will take time.

    At 9.00am, we went down to the 2 Ford Transit mini-buses. In my van, Red and Paul Rizos were the designated drivers and sat in the front, then 6 of us sat in the back, 5 hefty blokes, myself with Lee, JP, Lex and Ramon and 1 poor Maltese lady, Priscilla. We sat in 2 rows of 3 seats facing each other whilst jostling for leg room, with a needless to say decent playlist on the stereo. It was a 2 hour drive into Austria, where we stopped for a comfort break at the border. A group photo was taken in front of the border lap dancing club.

    30 minutes later we stopped again at a motorway service station. Everyone ordered lunch, so I felt obliged to order something - Bratwurst & chips. I couldn’t eat all of the chips. In future I will have soup.

    We arrived outside our Hotel Boltzmann at just after 3.00pm, but it was 3.30pm before I had finally checked in and got to my room. We were due to meet from 5.00pm onwards at the Beaver Brewing Company, just a 7 minute walk from the hotel.

    I immediately headed out for a 1.4 walk into the centre of Vienna for a spot of sightseeing in the cold afternoon air. I found the impressive Votive Church & had a look inside because it was free. I headed towards Hofburg Imperial Palace, but somehow ended up walking away from it. Conscious not to turn up too late, I headed back to the hotel having walked just over 3 miles.

    It was just after 5.30pm, when after freshening up, I arrived at the Beaver Brewing Company. Lee and I shared a couple of pitchers of Witty Bastard beer, whilst a whole large group of NMA fans assembled, most were known to each other. I am slowly getting to know them - a friendly bunch. Around 8pm we all headed the short distance to WUK, tonight’s venue. After watching the end of the support band, Tauren Rosen, who were ok, I headed into the centre of the crowd where most of our Magic Bus were gathering.

    At 21.20pm, New Model Army took to the stage & I was in the middle of the mosh pit, now suddenly surrounded by bare chested men frantically dancing and pushing and shoving. I joined in but soon was boiling in my t-shirt and hoodie. I remained in the fringes the whole evening getting my toes trampled by wooden soled clog boots.

    I was also asked to assist Jack to get up on Red’s shoulders and I held his right leg throughout the performance of ‘If I Am Still Me’. Security staff tried to get Jack to get him down, but others wouldn’t let them near him (us). At the end of the song Jack got down and gave each of us a thank you hug!

    Being the nice chap Jack is, he went off to find the security staff and apparently negotiated that he could get back on shoulders for the encore. The encore consisted of
    ‘1984’, ‘High’, which Jack went up for, and ‘Get Me Out’.

    After the ‘family’ photo in front of the stage at the end, Paul, Lee and I headed back to the hotel, stopping for a huge Bratwurst in a hotdog roll for less than €5.

    Song of the Day - Vienna by Ultravox.

    NMA Song of the Day - Family by New Model Army.    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    2
    Dag 7

    Day 7 - Josef Buffler, my saviour…………….

    5 mars, Tyskland ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    ………the world’s most expensive parking attendant!!!

    As predicted, I struggled to get any sleep. I was still watching Top Boy, when the Italian got up to go to the loo at 2.20am. My alarm went off at 6.30am & after showering, I went to breakfast at 6.55. To my horror the 50 odd school kids were already in there, but they had doggy bags & left almost straight away for the United Nations.

    My breakfast consisted of just 2 slices of toast, 3 coffees & yoghurt & granola, but I got the proportions wrong & it had the texture of concrete. I then packed in the dark whilst my dorm companions slept and left the hostel.

    I set my SatNav at 7.57am to get to the Holiday Inn Express, Munich City West by the fastest route, but avoiding tolls. My SatNav showed that it would take 6 hours 39 minutes, a distance of 273 miles. I was due to arrive at the hotel at 2.42pm if I didn’t stop. I wanted to get to Munich in plenty of time to make the rendezvous, be totally sorted out for the next stage of the trip & not the one perceived to be unreliable.

    The weather was best described as miserable, drizzly with stormclouds on the horizon. The roads north out of Bern were uninspiring A roads following the Aare River. At 10.30am, I arrived at Koblenz, where I crossed the Rhine River into Germany. I decided that I would stop at the 1st hopefully now reasonably priced McDonalds I saw after 11.00am. Needless to say they went into hiding. I saw one about an hour later, but incredibly there were roadworks preventing me from getting to it.

    I continued onwards towards Munich, passing Lake Constance on my right. This was on a road that Jackie and I had driven the other way on our way back from Croatia a couple of years ago. It was notable for all the vineyards along this stretch of the route. Eventually I pulled into Friedrichshafen, still on Lake Constance & hunted down a McDonalds. It turned out to be a tiny one in the railway station.

    I returned to my bike & opened up the throttle to arrive at my hotel at now just after 3pm. I was speeding east along the A96 dual carriageway, when my heated handlebar grips kept turning themselves off. Next all the lights turned themselves off & I managed to turn on the a slip road, just before my bike whirred to a standstill. I turned the ignition off then tried to-restart by bike, but nothing was happening. I got off the bike & the bike toppled over , knocking me down and prone in the middle of the road with the bike on top of me. Out of sheer absolute embarrassment, I managed to out & heaved it back upright. I then pushed it up a slope to the junction at the top where it was less of a hazard to other traffic. I was in the middle of absolutely nowhere & didn’t know how to describe where I was. All I knew was that I was beside the A96 & just over 100 miles away from Munich.

    After several unsuccessful attempts to start it, I rang Jackie and gave her the good news. Jackie very helpfully provided me with some suggestions as to who to call & she did some research for me. The upshot was that I was not covered with a breakdown service outside of the UK. I rang my bike mechanic in the UK, who got me to try various things which didn’t work, but he couldn’t help without seeing the bike. I then rang the emergency number for motorway breakdowns (not dual carriageways) and they said would get the police out to me who would arrange a recovery truck.

    Several motorists stopped & one recommended I rang a local garage who might be able to help. I rang the garage, Moto Punto, and spoke to the owner who spoke only a little English. I tried to explain where I was, but he couldn’t understand & said that I was too far away. I later rang him back & asked him if I managed to get my bike to him, would he be able to look at it. He said he would. After several more phone calls of almost pleading with the garage owner, he agreed to come out when I finally was able to give him a better idea of where I was.

    Whilst waiting for him, now 3.55pm, the police showed up. They didn’t speak English, but recorded details of my bike, driving licence & passport. Whilst they were interrogating me, my saviour in his beaten up old van arrived. He was an old man with a gammy leg from a motorcycle accident 20 years ago. We managed to get the bike in the back of his van & we drove to his garage 8.5 miles away.

    Back at his garage his mechanic got to work. He connected a large battery pack & the bike fired into action. My relief was short lived when he diagnosed that the ‘reactor’ (or something) was not working. Apparently there are two parts of the bike that keep the battery charged when the engine is running.

    After looking it up, they announced that they couldn’t get the parts until the morning, but they would take me to a hotel for the night. I enquired if I could get a train to Munich. I could & could I leave the bike with them for 10 days & pick it up then. The bottom line is that I loaded up my motorbike gear in the panniers and the owner, Josef Buffler, ran me to the train station to continue my tour. He told me to ring him when I was coming back & he would pick me up.

    My train ticket cost just €26 & arrived in Munich main station at 19.42pm. It was a 2.1 mile walk to my hotel. I could have got another train but I chose to route march to the Holiday Inn Express, Munich City West. I arrived at 8.30pm. It was a 4 minute walk back to the venue, Backstage, so I treated myself to a shower and fresh clothes.

    I arrived at the gig at 9.00pm & it was heaving with people. It was the biggest venue so far. I decided there was no way I would or could find the others from the Magic Bus Tour, so I WhatsApp’d Jack Cheung, the tour organiser and driver to let him know that I had arrived and would catch up with everyone in the morning.

    Another excellent concert seen from a totally different perspective. During the song, ‘If I Am Still Me’ Jack rose up out of the crowd near the front and was stood on the shoulders of others for his usual dance. He did the same for ‘Green and Grey’ and ‘High. The encores were ‘Bittersweet’ their 1st single and was dedicated to the original manager, Nigel Morton aged just 70 & ‘High’ & ‘Get Me Out’.

    At the end I rushed back to the hotel & my bed. The following morning I discovered that I missed a 2nd encore of ‘No Rest’ and ‘Poison Street’.

    I am just very relieved that my tour is still on course. The mechanical failure could not have been foreseen & hopefully won’t cost me a fortune. I rightly or wrongly trust Josef. Either way things could have been a lot worse.

    Song of the Day - Breakdown by The Buzzcocks.

    NMA Song of the Day - Stormclouds by New Model Army.    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    Dag 6

    Day 6 - The Bear of Bern

    4 mars, Schweiz ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Well, the good news is I did have the dorm to myself, but the bad news is that I struggled to get to sleep until well into the early hours. It was probably due to the fact that I had not had any alcohol to assist the process. I still woke up at just after 7.00am.

    The toilets and showers are spotless and well equipped. I went down to breakfast and the vast canteen was empty apart from the staff working. The relieved waitress told me that all the kids had been and gone. The breakfast buffet was well stocked with all the usual continental breakfast staples of meats and cheeses including homemade hummus and various vegan options. I had 4 slices of toast, then a large bowl of yoghurt & homemade muesli with 3 cups of coffee. By the end I felt quite sick.

    I caught the 9.10am bus, which arrived dead on time with all the accuracy of a Swiss timepiece. The 7 minute bus ride dropped me off in Bahnhoff, in Bern City Centre. My walking route firstly took me past through Bundesplatz to the Bundeshaus, the Swiss Parliament Building. There was an opportunity to enter free of charge, but I didn’t think I could be bothered to go through all the security checks.

    I then crossed the Aare River over Kirchenfeldbrucke into Museum & Foreign Embassy Land for a look only because all museums are closed on a Monday in Switzerland. I found the fairytale castle like Bern History Museum, the Museum of Communication, the Museum of Natural History, the Shooting Museum and the Alpine Museum.

    I then followed the river into a park, where my heart nearly stopped when an elderly man let his long tailed Doberman off its lead. I loitered until a young mum pushing a pram got between us and then I bravely continued my park stroll.

    At the other end of this park was Bear Park. With the assistance of a passing lady, I located the one and only brown bear lying in a concrete cave with just his head poking out. I sat down on a bench and waited for him to come out. It was a battle of wills which he won.

    I gave up and continued following a footpath alongside the river. I reached Kornhausbrucke, where I shocked to see three middle aged women in bathing suits and hats climb down the steps and wallow in the river. I checked my phone and it gave the current air temperature as just 8 degrees. Feeling cold at the thought of it, I crossed the river and climbed up a very steep path back to the Old Town.

    I then located Kunsthaus which was also closed, then I faithfully followed a recommended walking route of the Bern Old Town in my guidebook. I started on Speichergasse, turned right on to Waisenhausplatz, through the Barenplatz square, into Bundesplatz, down Marktgasse to Zytglogge, a clock tower which is Bern’s central landmark. The tower used to be used to imprison prostitutes. The astronomical clock was made in 1527-30 & contains mechanical figures including a bear & crowing cock, that begin their procession 4 minutes before the hour. After being described as elaborate chimes, I was severely underwhelmed by its chiming.

    I then headed down Münstergasse to Münster St Vinzenz, Bern’s Gothic Cathedral. An intricate depiction of the Last Judgement fills the tympanum in the 15th-century central portal. The Cathedral was free to enter and signs reminded visitors that no photography was allowed. The first 3 people I saw were all simultaneously taking photos on their phones. Other visitors were also blatantly taking photos and in the end I joined them.

    I continued down Gerechtig-Keitsgasse & then crossed the river back to the Bear Park. The brown bear was initially hiding in a hole he had dug, but my patience paid off & he took a leisurely stroll around his enclosure. In the end I got bored and left him to it.

    I walked back over the bridge up Postgasse, Kramgasse and Zeughausgasse to complete my walking tour. I bought a bottle of fruit juice and caught the 2.30pm bus back to Hostel 77. My watch recorded that I had walked 8.34 miles.

    Back in my room, I caught up with my blog, but sadly my peace and solitude was shattered by a noisy Italian who is staying in the same dorm as me and kept asking questions. He eventually went out. I lay on my bed and watched the 1st 2.5 episodes of Top Boy on Netflix. I think I’m now into it.

    During the afternoon NMA posted on Facebook that tonight’s venue, Muhle Hunziken was going to be a cosy one and it was one of the quirkiest venues they had ever seen. I set off on my bike to the venue at 7.00pm. I was in the already packed converted flour mill by 7.30pm & found my self the perfect spot. I was stood next to stressed Dave the sound man, who had his mixing desk at the side of the stage.

    The support band, Anger Management, seemed much more appealing to me tonight & Ceri Monger even came out & stood at the mixing desk to listen to a couple of their songs.

    NMA came on early at just after 9.00pm & played their best set yet on this trip, despite Justin Sullivan apologising for losing his voice. The gig was just stunning, definitely helped by how intimate it was. Their performance of Idumea was mesmerising & it was clear that the band were really happy with how played that song.

    I was able to see the whole band, stressed Dave and the other roadies throughout the performance. I spent the show studying how much tweaking Stressed Dave had to make to the volume of the instruments at the request of the band. Dave and a female roadie who was hidden out the back sang on a lot of the choruses, much to my surprise. The gig ended with No Rest, Poison Street & Get Me Out.

    After the gig, I returned to the hostel arriving at 11.15pm to find the Italian asleep & a German man reading. I found the kitchen area & updated my blog.

    Song of the Day - Bear by Armstrong

    NMA Song of the Day - Idumea by New Model Army    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    1
    Dag 5

    Day 5 - Stunning Scenery in Switzerland

    3 mars, Schweiz ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Woke up at 8.10am feeling decidedly groggy, I really shouldn’t have finished off all of my wine on a pretty much empty stomach. I finished off my blog & tried to post it with 2 videos. I later discovered that it didn’t go. Uploading videos takes too long, so I won’t be doing that again.

    After a shower & getting packed up, I left the Green Marmot Capsule Hotel at 9.58am, just 2 minutes before I had to be out. I loaded up my bike and set the SatNav to take me to Interlaken on the Windiest Route to ensure it took me past the lakes. My plan was to stop early at a supermarket to get some much needed sustenance, but I soon came to realise that no supermarkets are open in Switzerland on a Sunday.

    Somewhere near Zug, I stopped at McDonalds for a coffee and Big Mac that cost me close on £10. I used the opportunity to make a few phone calls, including to my parents who were celebrating their anniversary today. My mum told that she had been reading the blog, but was upset by the derogatory comments by someone called Andy Mays.

    Back on the bike, now feeling much better, I was soon in the attractive town of Lucerne sitting on the shore of Lake Lucerne with snow capped mountains in the distance. I stopped for a quick photo & continued on. The road followed Lake Lucerne, then Lake Sarnersee, Lake Lungersee and Lake Brienzersee, before arriving at Interlaken. The sun had been out throughout this leg of the journey. It could not have been a more enjoyable ride…..or could it get even better.

    In Interlaken I found a convenience store, where I bought a large bottle of water, a Coke Zero and 2 packets of my favourite Biscoff biscuits. I didn’t stay in long in Interlaken, mainly because there was no focal point of a lake. Instead I took a diversion from my planned route to visit a little town called Lauterbrunnen, which was 16 km south of Interlaken and had been recommended by my brother, Jonathan who is holidaying there later in the year.

    The narrow windy and windy road took me through a brewery and then a farm. The road was flanked on both sides by steep mountains & it followed a river and a train track. Lauterbrunnen looked like a scene on a chocolate box. It was crammed into the valley between two mountains which had waterfalls falling from them. It was very picturesque. Lauterbrunnen looked like the perfect place to take a ski lift up the mountains and walk back down. Strangely this small municipality in the Swiss Alps was absolutely heaving with Asian tourists. They didn’t look like they were there for the skiing!

    I returned to Interlaken then headed west where I followed the winding road on the northern shore of Lake Thunersee. It was absolutely stunning. I felt compelled to keep stopping to take photos and admire the beauty of the lake with its backdrop of the snow covered alps. To make this absolutely the perfect ride the sun remained out the whole way.

    My left arm was aching from waving to all my fellow motorcyclists. I wasn’t doing it like I was a village idiot, I was doing it because it is the done thing that every motorcyclist does on the continent. We ignore the moped and scooter riders.

    This road, the ‘Seestrasse’, took me through the villages of Merligen, Gunten, Oberhofen am Thunersee and Hilterfingen, before arriving at the town of Thun at the other end of Lake Thunersee. The villages I passed through had beautiful castles, hotels, restaurants and mansions to just increase the pleasure on the eye.

    By now time was pushing on, so I hotfooted it to the outskirts of Bern, where I located Muhle Hunziken, the venue for tomorrow’s gig. It was then a 25 minute ride into Bern and to Hostel 77, my accommodation for the next 2 nights. My heart sank when I pulled up outside at 5.10pm. There were about 50 children and a handful of teachers hanging around at the front. I had visions of sharing my dormitory with a load of 10 year old boys.

    Daniel, the receptionist, checked me in and assured me that the children were all on the floor above me. Daniel gave me lots of information and surprisingly all the buses and trams in Bern were free of charge to me. I just needed my hotel receipt which had a QR code for them. Breakfast is also included.

    I went up to my dorm 309 and got the feeling that I would probably have the whole dorm of 6 beds to myself. It is now gone 9pm at the time of writing and no-one else has arrived. What a result.

    I settled in & listened to the football commentary in time to hear Utd concede 3 goals. I decided I couldn’t be bothered to go out. I made do with my biscuits and water and enjoyed the luxury of the dorm to myself.

    Today was a (very) good day. My ride should have only taken just over 2 and a half hours, but actually took over 7 hours.

    Song of the Day - Slow Ride by Foghat.

    NMA Song of the Day - Today is a Good Day by New Model Army.    Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    Dag 4

    Day 4 - Endless Art in Zurich Photos

    2 mars, Schweiz ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    A selection of photos of the artwork in the Kunsthaus. I am actually in one of the photos and no it is not the Big Nude.

    I managed to upload one video of the NMA song of the day, but I won’t be doing it again as it takes way too long & it caused today’s blog to not go when I posted this morning.Läs mer

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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsNew Model Army European Tour
    11
    Dag 4

    Day 4 - Endless Art in Zurich

    2 mars, Schweiz ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    I woke up around 5.30am in my cosy Capsule 37 having had a deep undisturbed sleep. I watched Netflix until I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to get back to sleep. After using the perfectly adequate shower facilities, I treated myself to a fresh set of clothes (Yes, I know…….minging).

    (Morning to Angela & Pam, I see you are both following & liking my blog. I hope you are both keeping well & that Chris & Tony are also well. It seems strange being away on my own. I haven’t got Jackie to take the mickey out of or blame if things go wrong!)

    It was 9.30am, when I locked all my belongings away in my expensive locker and headed out for the day. I was keen to see if it was possible to get a cheap coffee in Zurich. It wasn’t. I headed first along Theaterstrasse passing Mascotte, the venue for tonight’s gig, just a 6 minute walk away, then on to Zurich’s Opera House. Outside the Opera House, was a large open space with numerous pairs of chairs presumably to relax in. The place was deserted.

    I crossed Quai Bridge and found myself up on Bahnhofstrasse, where I saw a super busy bakery which also sold coffee. I bit the bullet and bought myself a small Americano, costing 5 Swiss francs, nearly £5. I sat outside in the sun next to the random rhinoceros metal statue & ate half a packet of biscuits with my coffee. I got out my DK Eyewitness Travel 2008 guidebook & planned my route for the day.

    As I set off, I realised that I had actually chosen the most expensive street to buy a coffee on, because the street was just designer shop after design shop, including every high end Swiss watch makers. Along Bahnhofstrasse, I had to avoid a little old man handing out leaflets under a gazebo with the words ‘Jesus Sucht Dich’. I hope it’s not what it sounds like and I’m not sure googling it would be a good idea!

    My first stop was Fraumunster, the history of which dates back to 853ad. I took some photos from the outside & from Munster Bridge, where wedding couples where having their photos taken. I then moved on to St Peter’s Church with its large clockface, measuring 28ft in diameter, the largest in Europe. Next was Augustinerkirche, a 13th century Gothic church.

    I continued back along Bahnhofstrasse, past the monument to Alfred Escher on Bahnhofplatz, and on to Bahnhof, described as Zürich’s monumental Neo-Renaissance train station & one of the city’s greatest icons, built in 1871. It was virtually empty inside.

    I continued north to Schweizerisches Landesmuseum, the Swiss National Museum for history and culture. It was housed in a very impressive building, but I wasn’t enticed in. I continued through the park known as Platzspitz, then crossed the Limmat River. I followed the river back to Wasserkirche, meaning Water Church, where Felix and Regula were martyred in Roman Times.

    Next was Grossmunster, with its twin towers that dominate Zurich’s skyline. It was not open & in any event an admission fee required. I then wandered through the narrow cobbled streets of Niederdor to Rathaus, Zurich’s town hall.

    Within Niederdor, I found the 13th century church, Predigerkirche It was open and I was able to go in free of charge!

    On the way to the Kunsthaus, I saw signs for the Cabaret Voltaire which I followed to a beige coloured building, which was the birthplace of the Dada Movement which started in Zurich in 1916. I was more interested, because I assumed it was the inspiration for the Sheffield band of the same name.

    At 12.30pm having already walked 5.7 miles, I arrived at the Kunsthaus, which my guidebook tells me is Switzerland’s greatest art gallery. It cost 24 Swiss francs to enter and I felt that it was worth every franc. There was artwork from Monet, Manet, Picasso, Cezannre, Van Gogh, Munch, Warhol, Hockney, Miro & Rodin to name just a few. I studied & then memorised the artist & title for each and every piece of artwork on display. It included Claude Monet’s Winter.

    Photos from the Kunsthaus I will upload as a separate footprint.

    I left the Kunsthaus at 4.00pm exactly & then marched along the busy lakeside promenade to the Henry Moore sculpture, just another 1 mile away. It was a pleasant sunny walk.

    Back at my Green Marmot capsule hotel, I sat on the balcony in the setting sun & drank 3 plastic cups of red wine accompanied by just a packet of imitation Jaffa cakes. From my balcony I espied 2 obvious NMA fans.

    At 7.00pm I hurried out from my capsule balcony, for the 6 minute walk to Mascotte. I found the couple I had seen & I introduced myself to them. I found out they were German and they had spotted me on my balcony. We had several chats throughout the evening.

    The ground floor seemed tiny and I took advantage of the Swiss politeness to get myself a spot right at the front, next to Ceri Monger’s drums. I was not moving from this spot.

    The support band, Anger Management, were ok, but not worthy of a playlist on Spotify. Very annoyingly a security guard insisted that he had to stand at the front of the stage. With the kind assistance of a fellow NMA fans, we got him to agree to ‘work with us’ during the performance. It wasn’t perfect, but I took the opportunity to record pretty much the whole performance in less than 2 minute chunks.

    At the end of the gig, my German friends, told me they were disappointed that the gig had only lasted an hour and 35 minutes. They were used to NMA playing a double bill concert (of which I have experienced).

    The gig finished at 10.10pm local time & at the end I hunted out the NMA stalwart, Steve Clarke. I found him near the bar & I introduced myself as a fellow Magic Bus traveller. He asked me to call him ‘Red’ & told me that he and Jack were driving the Magic Buses. We agreed that we would meet in Bern & he disappeared into a throng of fans near the stage. One of his mates/companions handed me a bottle of beer which went down a treat, but not worth the £10 it probably cost,

    I returned to the Green Marmot Capsule Hotel to download my photos and videos. I necked the remainder of my 3 litre box of red wine.

    Song of the Day - Endless Art by A House.

    NMA Song of the Day - Winter by New Model Army    Läs mer

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