Granada.

I'm back.

...............................................

Exported to China!

Not me - my paintings. I am going truly INTERNATIONAL! But, I'm still skint :(

I met someone in Barcelona who wanted to try selling my sketches in China (how times are a changing). And, now I'm back very close to where this adventure began: http://www.thelostphotographer.blogspot.com/2011/04/secret-chinese-madrid.html

It's a China connection sort of thing.

When I get paid I go back to Barcelona again. I'm finding I have to travel to find work this way. It's been great. I've enjoyed all of it, however, however, however...

I'm getting a bit tired and missing my own bed, so it's time to settle and knuckle down. Create a more reliable/static/stationary income and existence. After all my walking I still love Granada most. I have a plan! A plan to create a new arts based business in the most economically disadvantaged part of Spain during crisis :D

It's a good plan mind. It bloody well needs to be!

And, back to Costa Brava.

I'm back where I was in January. Not my plan at all. Just following work.

It is a part of Spain that fascinates me. I love it here even though I really wasn't expecting to. Completing murals for a small hotel, then back to Granada. I think.

From Costa Brava in January to...

Melilla
Morocco
Algeria
Spain
France
Italy
France
Germany
Austria
Slovakia
Czech Republic
Germany
Belgium
France
Spain

Plus the little bits like Monacco. All slowly and carefully. Nice trip!

Now it is hard work!

In Four years of walking and selling sketches, picking up work, today was the most difficult. It was sunny, all was good. 12 hours to cover the cost of my €12 bed!

Times are getting seriously tough. You see it on the street. More bag snatchers. Less art buyers :(

I read a book once.

Hey! Didn't we all?

I forget the name of this book, but it was a bestseller, and a very good book. It painted vivid pictures in my mind of a very wet, grey and dismal Barcelona. It was about a secret library (amongst many other things). This is not Barcelona I thought. Barcelona is blue skies and sunshine.

Ever since reading that book, every time I have visited Barcelona it has been very wet, grey and dismal. Brainwashed by a single book from a sceret library of truth! It's not just me - the weather people believed it also.

I'm washed out once again by Barcelona :(

Rain is expensive. Very expensive.

Raceway.

I've been toing and froing between Barcelona and Sitges for a few weeks now. Work is good.

Here is a 'secret' about Sitges. The race track... see Google maps.

Many other 'secrets' about Sitges, but it doesn't need them, so they remain 'secrets'. Story is that this track was built for a Grand Prix back in the 40's. The workers who built the track didn't get paid, so they took the prize money. It's remained closed, but fully intact ever since.


I'm back in Barcelona where I actually saw the police catch a bag snatcher. They are actually beginning to deal with real crime instead of giving charity fund raising artists a hard time. Perhaps things are changing in this beautiful, but very wrong city?

On a lighter note...

It's very wet, very windy, and yet strangely mild. Warm even.

I'm still in Sitges. Still collecting good work. Staying now in a very 'charming' traditional guest house type place. I like it. Art all over the walls with a very homely feel.

End of another adventure. What to do now?

Well, 'start another adventure' is the only good answer I can come up with. I tend to go through some sort of emtional release at the end of all these trips. I was expecting it this time, but it didn't happen.

For anyone wondering...

The Death of Mr Baltisberger was a reference to this weekends Moto GP tradgedy. Bohuml Harabl is possibly my favourite writer of short stories. You need to find a good translation mind.

The Death of Mr Baltisberger...

... and, other stories.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohumil_Hrabal


I don't know why I like Sitges. But, I do like it.

The Day Facebook Killed the Web.

They've done it :(

Once upon a time in the net, you could find private places. Not anymore. There was net etiquette respected by all. Facebook have fucked that in the face.

I now delete my Facebook account.

Trains.

They're very fast aren't they.

Cutting a longish story shortish...

I'm back in Spain. Sitges - a place I always enjoy. Spent a few days working in Paris which was exceptionally good and booked an overnight train to Barcelona. At Sants station I decided to continue along the coast.

I have good work here. People are being very friendly. I always have fun here.

On a mission to get back to Granada, and then begin a new project in the Canary Islands for winter. May, or may not happen, but it's a plan.

Time with friends. Glorious weather. Spain is most definitely my home these days.

Dusseldorf - Koln.

A brief update.

Uslar. I enjoyed very much - great bunch of people (I will be in touch soon).

A fabulous Indian summer in Dusseldorf and Koln (not sure if they use that expression in German?). Fine weather. Good work. All is good. Staying for as long as I'm busy. But, I have to return to Granada soon.

Hannover and a small village called Uslar.

It's still raining.


I feel like I'm suffering summer withdrawal :D

Other that things are good and interesting. Really not sure of plans from here.

Uslar is a small market town about 100 KM south of Hannover. Beautiful countryside, but like almost all isolated rural towns in Europe today - industry is dying. Jobs are hard to find. Here, some people are trying to make good things happen in a postmodernist office block which used to be home to the local metal construction industry.

Photos will come later. I like it here, but I am missing the Andalucian weather.

Berlin is wet.

I'm stuck here. Weather has not helped, but it is a very difficult city to make money in.

Plan from here is to head towards Hannover (backwards again) to try and replenish funds before meeting up with some people in a small town to talk about more work. It's a project that interests me.

A sunny day yesterday followed by an almighty storm in the night. Today looks iffy.

Hmmmm...

Maybe I was being a little unfair to Belushi's/St Christopher's/Oasis, but I do NOT appreciate being rudly interupted whilst taking a shit in a room I have paid €55 for. The shower flooded also.

Actually, no - I'm not being unfair at all. Utter shyte.

My first major rant for a long time...

Belushi's, Oasis, St Christoper's - whatever they're calling themselves these days. The fact that they change their name so frequently says it all. Just don't people!

These guys are taking about €164 a night per room. That's a room shared by 8 with just *1 shower/toilet. As far as I can tell there is just one other toilet in the whole building.

I've just paid €55 for the smallest single room I have ever come across. WiFi doesn't work.

On the plus side - the staff are all very fucking lovelly.

Oasis/Belushi/St Christopher??? Not good. Not good at all.

*Actually, that's 1 shower/toilet between about 80 people. There is no bathroom in the dorms. Is this legal?

Pool...

Berlin.

Huge, cheating train ride :)

Vienna, Bratislava and a Strange Town in Deepest Darkest Slovakia.

I'm back in Vienna. It seems to have rained constantly for the past 10 days wherever I've been.

A break for a few days in a very beautiful place on the edge of a very strange town near Lucenec. Serious drinking which appears to have left me with a very painful absess on my gum. Feet are much improved.

Vienna is - exactly as you would expect - a stunning city for architectural sketching. I'm on a bit of an uphill mission to make enough cash to get me to Berlin from here. Bratislava was nice also, but much, much smaller.

Not sure how to cope with the rain. It's big, very wet, and very persistent.

Strasbourg. Another update...

I'm in Strasbourg - an exceptionally beautiful (and wet) city. My first rain since...ooooh... I don't know when. I have been extremely lucky with the weather.

From Nice I went by train backwards (again) to Marseille, then onto Lyon. I think I have finally conceded that there will be no more hiking on this trip. My ligaments need weeks, or months to recover.

So...

No more 'qui va a pied'. I'm going to be using trains to work my way across Germany to Austria to Slovakia, then back to Germany (for work in Berlin). Not sure where I go from there.

Despite foot problems, this has been another fabulous adventure meeting many, many good people.

My cameras are both borked also. Photos will come when I've managed to buy a new camera. Paintings have sold for good causes without internet auctions, but hopefully new stuff will appear for auction online soon.

Not without problems, but fantastic fun! :)

Nice.

An update...

I'm in Nice under strict instruction to rest my feet. I went across the border into Italy (San Remo) and then retreated back to France. Taking an enforced break from hiking and using trains to get to Strasbourg on Monday.

I'm also struggling to get ebay to work for auctioning paintings. I've been carrying this one around for some time now.

I've been posting more on web forums rather than here simply for a bit more interaction and feedback.