The Other London

A few friends have asked me to write about how I came to use the name, theotherlondon, so here it is: a collection of stories from June 1993 to October 1994 that include my experiences working in Switzerland and the UK; my engagement to a German blacksmith in Paris; our road trip across North America in a '67 Volvo with an Australian footballer, and oh yes, my introduction to something 'new' called the Internet.

Part 1: She's got a ticket to ride

On June 24, 1993, I flew to Amsterdam on a one day ticket with vague ideas that I hoped to spend the summer, or at least a month or so of it visiting Italy, Spain, Greece and if my money lasted, Egypt or Israel. You'll eventually notice that I visited none of those places, and ended up in a  bunch of countries I never dreamed I would ever set foot in. Funny how those things can happen when you don't have a set plan.

I enjoy traveling alone. It can be lonely and maybe a bit precarious at times - like when you pull into a train station in a seedy part of town at 3am in the morning with no idea where you're going to stay - but it also has its benefits. The perk I appreciate the most is that you get invited on all sorts of adventures with groups of people who are looking for some fresh company but can only make room for one. And most groups can usually make room for one.

I'd like to mention that I in no way intend to suggest that it's a good idea for young girls to go traveling alone to any part of the world. I've been lucky to have never ended up in any truly dangerous situations, but I've heard reports of others who have. Frankly, amongst the other young girls I crossed paths with who were also traveling alone, I never encountered any of these unfortunate damsels. But who's to say.

My first few days in Amsterdam I got invited to join in on a few promising outings:

Option 1
A couple invited me along to Turkey, a country they had recently returned from. They had traveled back to Amsterdam to pick up belongings they had left behind and where excited to get back to what they described as the most beautiful landscapes they had ever seen.

Option 2
I met a fun and friendly group of students from Bath who were coming to the end of a three-week summer road trip on the continent asked if I might be interested in catching a ride with them to visit their home turf where they promised bustling student nightlife and interesting architecture.

Option 3
Most temptingly some fellow Canadians who had rented a VDub bus for the summer and were heading to Spain asked if I might like to join them. Well, Spain was on my 'itinerary'...

Option 4
On my second morning in the hostel - Bob's Youth Hostel, which had been highly recommended by a number of friends and didn't disappoint - I was <mumble> playing guitar in the hostel cafeteria </mumble> when a gorgeous Norwegian with amazing blue eyes asked if I might like to go see Neil Young in concert. I happened to be playing a Neil Young song at the time.

[caption id="attachment_197" align="alignnone" width="300"] Screenshot from theotherlondon blog circa 1993[/caption]

"But isn't Neil Young  touring North America?" I asked/responded wishing I'd showered before heading down to grab breakfast, or at least brushed my hair. "I have some friends who were just caught one of his shows back home."

"Maybe he was there," the Norwegian answered in that slightly American sounding accent I discovered most young Scandinavians have when they speak English. I later learned that many of the American films and televisions shows they have access to aren't dubbed into their native tongue but are shown in their original format, thus their dependably excellent English.

"He's here now," the Norwegian continued. "He's playing at a music festival in Denmark in three days. If you'd like to see him, you can come with me. If you'd like." He flashed a drop dead gorgeous smile.

"How are you getting there?"

"I was planning to hitchhike. It shouldn't take any longer than 2 or maybe 3 days to get there."

Hitching through Europe to a music festival? It seemed a no-brainer that this was the way to go. Oh, did I mention he had amazing blue eyes?