leaving london.

God knows it's not my favourite city, but when it came to leaving London last week, I felt quite emotional indeed. My final days there were spent catching up with Machteld and Dieneke (quality Dutchies also away from home), playing with Gavin and Steven (some lovely, lovely Englishmen) and exploring the very best parts of the city. I also managed to pick up a few treasures for family and friends, drank much, much tea, and finally learnt how to make the most sugary and morish Irish creation that is "fifteens."
But it is goodbye now to the UK and Europe, and home again for me (I've been back a week infact)...to summer and unemployment.

Autumn.

A few photos from my last week here in Europe...I can't even tell you how much I am going to miss this side of the world and the people in it.

I'll be back real soon.

Nederland, I miss you already.

(Second photo credited to Caty Ann Rushing, Alabama).

Hrvatska.

Oh Italy, how you woo us...

North of Paris.

Quite obviously, it has been an incredibly long time since I have written anything on this blog and I cannot really offer an adequate excuse for my tardiness. I can only hope that the few of you who actually read this have not disappeared and might once again give it a wee moment.

Among the most exciting ventures I have had in the past two-or-so months, is of course the arrival one Adam Lewis, whom I joined in Paris on the final day of the Tour de France. Together, we spent the following two weeks in some fantastic cities, met some brilliant people, and saw a lot of great, and generally very good looking, musicians. Meanwhile, we also met up with Anna - a good friend from home who I have travelled with before, and this time in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
Here are some photos taken during this time, some highlights of which were my 21st in Amsterdam with Adam, Machteld and Luke; Sweden's Way Out West festival held in Gothenburg from August 12 - 15; and the discovery of Ben & Jerry's cheesecake flavoured ice cream:

After Adam and Anna moved on in different directions, I spent a little more time in Norway and then headed to Frankfurt to meet my Muma, who had come over to see me. From there we set off towards Italy and Croatia, where the sun was hot on our backs and the people...oh what characters they were! I will write about these adventures in another blog that will bring us up to the present - to The Hague, where I am crashing at Anna's, with only one month left in Europe.

Viva le tour!