Part 7: "Mein Blauer Himmel"
The Gypsy Kings are blasting out their "Arabesque" via the jukebox, including "Bambolay-oh!", which - I surmise - hungover or not, would even inspire a Dominican Mother Superior to attempt the Lambada.
I'm holding the fort/ship in Usingen's Black Pearl bar - meticulously abiding by the "Code" - with leggy blonde barkeep, Gaby.
Just we two, mouthing every Spannish musical syllable and word, equally oblivious as to their content.
...Funny kind of day... Finally figured out how my new credit card works; finally figured out the Laptop's net-surf stick, the inter-net signal/lack of one.
In the community I wave to the odd soul...at the local market/beer store. They wave back; this I could get used to...amidst the "Tannus" Summer charm.
Initially, these parts were an alien world and on arriving, clad in black leather jacket and Stevie-Ray leather hat, promenading and viewing these "Fachwerkhausen" hamlets and Usingen Stadt itself, I must have appeared somewhat like Steve Martin's Todd Wilkinson character: the New York hood, relocated to no-where's Ville in the Witness Protection programme; the movie: MY BLUE HEAVEN....he, looking like a fish out of water.
"Hi, Mr Wilkinson!" hail the kids, cycling by his surburban tract housing home.
"Hi, Kids!" -he replies, standing - zoot suited - in the garden, posing with his lawn mower; DOH-ish, exhuding upper New Jersey confusion.
-As here (in Usingen):
(Me) "Guten tag!"
The locals: (in Deutsch) "Git the frick outta here!"
Ja-ja. It takes a while. Soon, the locals find out who you are, who you actually know here (the Count), then the invites gusher forth; swimming parties by local lakes, bonfire parties deep in the forest, BBQ's. Suddenly you're a flash in the pan-EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and EVERYONE wants a piece of you for their Social showcase.
Whilst the party lasts you WILL have fun, you MAY fall in love/and are bewitched.
So? SNIP-SNIP! ...."I'm WIV ju!.... NO! I DON'T mean, 'I'm WITH you', I mean: I AM WIV JU!"
...I make a note to pinch myself sometime soon, but meantime, savor these Salad days and all it's incumbent spiritual ephemera.
Valentin, Ivan, Horst, Udith, Nadine, Marius, the Count (Alexi) of course, Mikail, MAIKE "und alles" say "Hi!" to Denver, USA....whilst one is reminded of the Monty Python comedy sketch: "Can we call you Bruce?" -because for the life of me, I've REALLY searched but I can't find ANYONE with names like Steve, Bill or Janice!
"Prossit!"
Aug (I think) 2010, Usingen
c 2010 dave delacroix/our man in europe
Wow mate - I've heard of taking a walk down to the market for a jar of milk when the shit hits the fan at home - but you've up and flown the coup to the land of Troubadors!
ReplyDeleteYour description of life on-the-go, music, and Cookin with the Count (great title for a Basie album - fuck the Beatles ... Really.)- all of that reminds me of when i was touring with a blues harmonica man out of new orleans - goin up to canada, the girls ( who love to ... cook) and taking a sweat-lodge with an Ojibwa medicine man - you take me back Dave - course we didn' havet of all the electronic do-dads to mess with at breakfast: someone took a photo or a video we wouldn't see it for - maybe never!
What motivated you to take this trip? And how do you know Alex? Did you say you were hitting russia as well (could you get them to lighten up on their own people and keep the gas on? with all that gas and the locals can't even cook ...)
And are you really traveling across your-up by Thumb?
I got to hand it to you Dave - you are livin' the free life, cept for all those devices that need recharging and that constantly distract you from what's right in front of you - keep posting however, i at least am reading. And i am most impressed that you are able to write all those fuckin foreign words and names after drinking so much of their fucking booze - you are a true Poet my friend! Safe Travels, and love from Ben
God bless, Ben! Keep on trackin'....:)
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