Places I have been

Moscow -18

Just managed last evening to check the Red Square. It was ohh sooo cold...

Quando mi vieni a prendere - Ligabue

Mia madre che ha insistito che facessi colazione
e sa che la mattina il mio stomaco si chiude
ho finto di esser stanco, ho finto di star male
lei non ci casca più e io non schivo più l’asilo

In macchina si è messa a cantarmi una canzone
è sempre molto bella
anche se oggi non mi tiene
Il latte viene su
e mi comincio a preoccupare
che in mezzo a tutti gli altri
mi vergogno a vomitare

Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Quando finisce scuola?
Quando torniamo ancora insieme a casa?
Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Dammi la tua parola.
Quando giochiamo insieme a qualche cosa?

E la maestra oggi
sembra molto più nervosa
non so se è colpa nostra
o se sente chissà cosa
un paio di noi altro le fanno sempre fare il pieno
e io vorrei soltanto
che non mi stessero vicino

e poi è stato come quando tolgono la luce
e la maestra urlava come con un’altra voce.
Se non stiamo buoni arriva forse l’uomo nero
io prima ho vomitato e lui adesso è qui davvero

Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Quando finisce scuola?
Quando torniamo ancora insieme a casa?
Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Dammi la tua parola.
Vieni un po' prima fammi una sorpresa

L'uomo nero forse è qui
perchè ci vuol mangiare
non vedo la forchetta
ma il coltello può bastare
ti chiedo scusa mamma se ti ho fatta un po' arrabbiare
ma fai fermare tutto
che ho capito la lezione
e tu e papà che litigate spesso sul futuro
e io che sempre chiedo
ma il futuro che vuol dire

e l'uomo nero gioca
e questo gioco quanto dura
forse dopo questo gioco
avrò meno paura

Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Quando finisce scuola?
Quando torniamo ancora insieme a casa?
Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Dammi la tua parola.
Ti devo chiedere un'altra volta scusa

e la maestra adesso è sdraiata e sta dormendo
i miei amici urlano, qualcuno sta ridendo
ci sono le sirene e sono sempre più vicine
che giochi enormi che sa organizzare l’uomo nero
i miei amici ora stanno solamente urlando
e tutti quanti insieme
è proprio me che stan guardando
ma non ho scelto io di stare qui con l'uomo nero
appena lui mi lascia
è con voi che voglio stare

Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Quando finisce scuola?
Quando torniamo ancora insieme a casa?
Quando mi vieni a prendere?
Dammi la tua parola.
Vieni un po’ prima
fammi una sorpresa

I like this one

A falling tree makes more noise than a growing forest

In Patagonia

Today I started to read Bruce Chatwin's most famous book about one of my dream destination. Really curious to go through its pages.

Belen Rodriguez for Miss Sixty

You talkin' to me - Robert De Niro

The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver

From page 1 onwards a catching book. To read in one go.

Dad

Exactly one week ago my father underwent an open heart surgery during which the surgeon (Dr. Roberto Coppola) exchange one of his heart valves.
I learned from my father how strong and brave he is.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjama

“The boy in the striped pyjama” is an amazing book. The dialogues between Bruno and Shmuel, their innocence, the pain. I have been in Auschwitz some time ago and if I close my eyes I can see the book event taking place. The linearity of the story and its simplicity are just stunning. The adult world and the children world clash in a contrasting way. I recorded the movie and I am going to watch it soon. Read this book as it is extraordinary for your soul.

Armenia - Sacred mountain and more

Next week my work will bring me to what I believe a very exciting destination, Yerevan, Armenia’s capital city. I have done some reading and I regret already the fact that it will be a “touch and go” visit. The country cultural complexity and long history fascinates me but I fear that most it cannot be found in Yerevan itself. I hope that the sky will grant me a glimpse of the Ararat Mountain.

Holiday over and done.

Unfortunately finished. Also this year the summer vacation is behind the back. Three beautiful, relaxed weeks. Why isn't life just like that? I suppose this is a millionaire reality.

Solidarity for my Dutch friends and family

Muse - A band well ahead in the 21st Century

My expectations were great, these guys went beyond them. A mature, multimedia show that probably has not much competition around.

The music was an orgy of sound, a solid barrier with great melodics. Guitar, bass and drums. Awesome. If you have a chance DO NOT MISS Muse.

Seen on 19th June, 2010 at Goffert Park, Nijmegen. The Netherlands.

Concert of the year ??

Getting ready for Muse in Nijmegen.

Normandie, Bretagne, EuroDisney and Genova...and an artistic surprise

Right now I am in Cairo, sitting in the hotel so I have some time to write a few words about the holiday I have spent with the family in the course of the last two weeks. Despite of the weather (quite bad and certainly not expected during the second week in Italy) we had a great vacation.
It started off at Colleville-sur-Mer but probably better known as Omaha Beach (D-day). This was really impressive. Just thinking about all those hero's that without any personal interest came to die in Europe to fight Hitler. The following days we have visited St. Malo, the coast around Cap Frehel, Dinard (beautiful), Cancale (the world most famous oysters), Dinan (where we have slept) and Mount St. Michel (a must-see). A culinary note: we had excellent food and sitting at Sourcouf on the Cancale's boulevard was huge.

After Bretagne we drove to Paris with one single aim during one single afternoon. Go with the kids on the Tour Eiffel. It took a long (cold) time in quite a stressing queue but we managed to get to the top.

The next two days we spend at Eurodisney. We had a lot of fun and the kids went crazy. We left France passing the Mont Blanc tunnel we entered Italy where we totally surprised my parents who thought that we were having our holiday in the USA.

After one week in Italy we finally drove home in less than 12 hours (1180 km.), not bad.

Oh, today on the plane I sat next to Ziya, we had a pleasant discussion. Check him on Youtube and if you have the chance go to see his performance.

To Spring - William Blake (1783)

O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down
Through the clear windows of the morning, turn
Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,
Which in full choir hails thy approach, O Spring!

The hills tell one another, and the listening
Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turn’d
Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth
And let thy holy feet visit our clime!

Come o’er the eastern hills, and let our winds
Kiss thy perfumèd garments; let us taste
Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy pearls
Upon our lovesick land that mourns for thee.

O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour
Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put
Thy golden crown upon her languish’d head,
Whose modest tresses are bound up for thee.

Cordial, Oss

Hmmmm, hmmmmm, hmmmmm. Restaurant Cordial in Oss, The Netherlands. One of the top restaurant of the Low Countries. Tremendous cuisine. Three toppers: the crab amuse, the deer and the Canadian Vidal Icewine (oh so good).

Dubai...Dubuy....Dubye-bye

This week my work took me to Dubai. I was always quite skeptical about this city but I must say that it is really stunning, the city of the future....perfect beatiful streets, incredible buildings, lights and glamour. Burj Khalifa is really, really huge. I had also the luck to enter and stay at one of the villa's at Palm Jumeirah.

Belgrade and the Date Mussel

Despite the snow the visit to Serbia reserved a great surprise. The date mussel. Fishing this mollusc has been prohibited in Europe for many years (in Italy since 1988). Apparently there are no restrictions in Serbia where the date mussel comes from Montenegro. The soup at restaurant Bevanda was amazing and granted a jump back in time of 20 years.