My life in the last four months.
In November, as work wrapped up in North Carolina, I joined Coliseum for a month-long European tour. We did something like 25 shows (?) in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, and the UK.
From Left: Martin (our driver and all around amazing dude), Me, Mike, Ryan, and Chris (crouching)
It was cool to finally get to see all the European squats and youth clubs that I’ve read about in zines and tour journals since I was 14. This one, I think called Ex-Haus, is in Trier, Germany. Inside is a full sized venue, indoor football/basketball court, cafe, dormitories, kitchens, common rooms, etc.
Europe is rainy in the winter time. And cold. And apparently full of pathogens.
One of the coolest parts of the tour was running into old friends made years ago in Mexico and Guatemala:
Such as Antje, my favorite temporary family member from San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala (in her home city of Berlin!)
And Chrissy, my dorm mate from San Cristobal, Mexico (at a club called Vera in Vienna, Austria)
And, of course, its always fun to make some new friends on the road:
Such as Martin, in Oberwart, Austria
and Katia, Justin, Lucca, Davide, et. al. in Lille, France
and the kids from Disgrazia Legend in Dresden, Germany.
We played as far east as Prague and Budapest:
Charles Bridge, Prague
This is Martin and Mr. Banana at the show in Prague. Mr. Banana got his nickname during the Soviet days, when his father would smuggle bananas back from business trips to the west, and give them to his son, who would then share them with the other children in his small Czech town. You can’t make up stories like that!
The bone church, between Prague and Brno.
The shows were generally well attended, usually 50-150 kids each night. It was a fast trip, and a side of Europe I’d never been lucky enough to see before.
After the last show in Brighton, UK, we crashed for a few days with our buddies Sam and Eva in Amsterdam. Mike went home, Ryan’s girlfriend showed up for a vacation in the Netherlands, and Chris and I took off for the Middle East.
Saqqara, Egypt
And of course Giza, where we we met Max. Max is now on a bicycle, somewhere in central Africa about halfway through the Tour D’Afrique
Egypt was fucking awesome
In Upper Egypt, stopping to stare at the Colossi of Memnon before continuing via bicycle over the mountain in the distance to arrive at the Valley of the Kings
Where the landscape was incredible.
In Cairo we met Walid, a drug addict and hustler who became a good friend. This is Walid and myself preparing counterfeit documents in an internet cafe, to help Chris and I obtain teacher certification, and get 50% discounts at every major tourist site in the country.
Egypt is best seen by bicycle.
One of the more memorable and foolish nights. New Years Eve, sleeping atop Mount Sinai. Temperatures were well below freezing, and all we had were blankets. I’m trying to keep this blog short on words, but we truly thought we may not make it through the night a few hours after this photo was taken.
But we did make it through, and stumbled to the edge of the summit to watch the first dawn of the new year as the sun slowly rose over the Sinai peninsula.
Next, we were on to Jordan:
First stop was Petra, secret city of the Nabataeans, carved directly into the cliffs of a hidden valley and absolutely fucking stunning.
The Monastery at Petra
We spent a few days with Sumi, a Japanese photocopier salesman who we had met on the peninsula.
And then met up with Khaleel, a Bedouin kid who had nothing better to do for a few days. We met his family in Aqaba, rented a car, and took off for more remote corners of Jordan together. We passed alot of road signs like this one.
We arrived in Amman and Chris set off for the States. I was on my own, not sure where to go. I wanted to try Syria, but did not have a visa, and knew that Americans were not allowed into the country without obtaining one prior to leaving the States. I tried anyways.
I was detained at the border for about four hours, but eventually was let in.
The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
Damascus was incredible, and I spent a week with Amanda, a Canadian journalist on her way to Baghdad, and Jeremy, a Canadian author riding his motorcycle throughout the Middle East. It was one of the most perfect weeks of my life, but like all friendships forged on the road, it was soon time to move on. Amanda went to Iraq, Jeremy headed to Jordan, and I set off for Lebanon.
Where the damage of the July War with Israel was still very visible.
And the classical ruins, like the Roman city of Baalbek, are among the most impressive in the world.
As you head south in Lebanon, the Hezbollah presence is ever more prevalent. Here in Tyre, an Israeli tank seized during the July War is displayed underneath a giant poster of Nasrallah. His image is EVERYWHERE in Lebanon.
I had only been in Beirut for around an hour when a car bomb went off, intended for a US Consulate vehicle. The target was missed though, and three Lebanese citizens lost their lives in the blast.
Ask me sometime to tell you the story of getting BACK into Syria from Lebanon to catch a flight from Damascus to Cairo. I’ll tell you about a ten hour detention, a former Abu Ghraib detainee, and hitchiking halfway across Syria with a carload of Palestinian refugees who may well have been the most phenomenal human beings I have ever met.
After 2 months, it was time to head back west. With a heavy heart I boarded a plane in Damascus, then another in Cairo, then a train in Koln, Germany, and finally a flight back home from Amsterdam.
I managed to make some friends during my layover in Koln.
And, finally, back home to Florida...
Where I enjoyed drinking with friends at Reds
And watching John pass out on the patio at said bar.
And hanging out with Stacy and Chad in Gainesville.
And now I am here, in Columbia, SC. Only four months after the whole journey started, back to work and trying to process all the amazing shit that’s happened to me. And of course, planning for the next time.
The new job site.
New co-workers, like Mike Shimel, and old co-workers, like Josh Hopper.
And some spear points from last week.
I went to the Middle East to see it for myself, to answer alot of nagging questions... I hope to go back someday.
My Life in Pictures.
