Some lovely pics from my lovely time in Krakow last month.

Me at Wawel Hill, and the wonderful storybook like castle grounds.

Heading down from Wawel Hill you can find the Wawel Dragon. Legend has it that it did something once and it was cool. Now it’s a tacky tourist thing and actually BREATHES FIRE. Sigh. They ruin sudh good stuff.

Aushwitz and Birkenau, the famous Nazi concentration camps. I am so fascinated by modern history, and this was one fo the big draws for me for Krakow. Such a harrowing, somber expreienc to walk through there.

1. Entrance to Auschwitz 1.
2. The execution wall at Auschwitz 1.
3. The entrance of Auschwitz 2, also known as Birkenau.

Interest in war stuff continued when I found Oscar Schindler’s factory. I had a surreal afternoon there fixing a projector and walking through the abondoned ruins, and buying batteries. I’ll tell you about it sometime. It’s probably my best travel story yet.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom in Krakow. It is such a beautiful place and the people were just wonderful. Best was he town square called Rynek Glowny.

1. Rynek Glowny, and the building in the middle called Cloth Hall.
2. Tessa and Sarah, friends from the Hostel
3. St Mary’s at night. Lopsided funny church that is also in Rynek Glowny.

I loved Krakow. If you go, stay at the Orange Hostel. They were so good to me.

Danny
London.

So back to our regular programing for a second…the second installment of my photos from Europe. This time, Prague.

Me in Wenceslas Square, Prague

So I got to Prague by plane from Brussels. Getting off the plane and onto the bus, I met 5 really nice guys from New york. We spent most of my time in Prague drinking, with me dragging along anyone I could find from the hostel.

l-r: Nate, Ian, Alex, George, Chris, Sarah, Alex number 2, all from NY

I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful Prague was. Simply put, no one told me.

Random Pretties

1. The John Lennon Wall. Still not sure why John Lennon has a wall here, and it’s just graffiti, scribbles and things from local youths. At least they are being political and optimistic with their graffiti. Good on ’em.
2. The view of the Vltava river from St Charles Bridge. I had a beautiful moment just standing there looking at the world one afternoon.
3. The somewhat Back To the Future Part 3-esque Astronomical Clock at the Old Square.
4. Steps leading up to Prague Castle
5. St Vitus Catherdal, within the castle walls
6. The Prague Castle itself, but at night, looking over the main city. So beautiful I cannot describe. This photo does it no justice.

More drinking buddies. Above, Brian and Adam. Below, Batman and the Joker.

I was already completely in love with this city when I stumbled onto this at the Old Town Square. A bunch of beautiful women doing a marching baton dance. To an instrumetal version of my favourite musical ever – My Fair Lady. I was clapping and hooting like a maniac with just pure joy, as the sun shone and the military band played: I’m Getting Married In the Morning, With A Little Bit Of Luck and I Could Have Danced All Night.

An artist greatly under-appreciated in his own time, and a statue of Frank Kafka.

Finally, my fave thing in Prague. The Dancing House by Frank Gehry. From the other angle, it looks like Fred Astaire holding Ginger Rogers as her skirt spins in a dance. It’s awesome.

I took so many more photos, these are but the highlights. More on Flickr. But even a billion photos cannot describe how much I loved every second in Prague. I can’t wait to go again.

Danny
London

Now that we caught up on London, finally I can post the some of the hundreds of photos from my recent Europe jaunt. Firstly, Brussels.

Undisputed, surprise highlight was the Comics Museum:
1. Asterix (and Dogmatix! I love Dogmatix)
2. A Smurf statue (Surgeon Smurf?)
3. Fancy shot of a Smurf House, lightly reminiscent of a photo of Elvis Costello I really like. It’s the back of the All This Useless Beauty record, trainspotters.
4. Some of the very first sketches Le Schtroumpf.

There was a free music festival on at all different sites around the city, and Katia and I enjoyed lots of great music. Katia also did a lovely job translating the French lyrics for me.

If I don’t look impressed it’s because I wasn’t. This is the Manneken Pis, a statue of a boy having, well, a piss. It’s supposed to be ironic, and cheeky. It’s a bit bizarre and disturbing. Just like Isabelle’s humour then.

I love random things at the best of times. But to see the head of my favourite comic strip character at the disused children’s play area at Brussels airport takes the cake. What the hell? This is Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. He, and his creator, Bll Watterson, inspired the very first song on the very first album I ever made. He doesn’t license this sort of thing out either, making it an illegal ornament. Makes it even better.

(Yes, it’s just a picture. I’ll get over it)

Danny
London (but my heart is in Brussels)

Here’s a bunch of stuff that’s been happening:

Josh Pyke continues to tour here a lot. Here he is with James Lees, sitting around at Balfour Manor. sorry to Hawker who I think we called during our drunken night.

Went to this year’s Mojo awards and had a blast! Belinda Carlise. Alice Cooper. Arcade Fire. Bjork. Iggy Pop. Damon Albarn. And in the photo behind me, Noel Gallagher.

Emily left Warners but it hasn’t stopped us from seeing far too much of eachother still. This weird shot was taken at her farewell.

I have decided I am in love with the new series of Doctor Who. One of the more crazy things about it is the TARDIS, which the Doctor claims can just fade into the background and no one would notice. Well, Jeanette and I have both passed this Police Box in Earl’s Court many times and only just noticed it one drizzly morning on the way to Dublin. The Doctor was right.

Dublin:
1. Jeanette at Trinity College
2. REM live at the Olympia Theatre, opening night
3. One of history’s greatest wits, and a statue of Oscar Wilde

More Doctor Who, this time at Live Earth, where he introduced the Pussycat Dolls. I was more excited about the Doctor, really. Spinal Tap, Madonna, Beastie Boys and the Foo Fighters were all fantastic.

Jodie, on the left, left us for home. The end of an era and we miss her heaps.

Two work colleagues. Actual names – Julie Wright, and Julian Wright. No relation.

One of so many random nights at home. Bec Couche having a lot of fun. Emily not so much.

My new bike. Well it’s old, and a present from Torsten. I’ve decided to name him Gerald, after the mouse in the Pink Floyd song ‘Bike’.

Nicole and Isabelle at the O2, for the opening night of Prince.

Olivia and Nathan, outside the weird Springfield recreation FOX made for the Simpsons Movie Premiere.

Finally, the newest member of our team, Monty Davis, son of Sian. Mark and Julian look on as David holds the big guy. Monty looks very happy with life in this photo.

Danny
London

It’s coming on summer, they aren’t cutting down the trees, and I figured better than doing a whole lot of explaining (like my brother Vince would), I would let these pictures speak a thousand words.

Jay, Josh and Natalie @ the Borderline

Asho and Ali @ Barfly

Nathan & Andy Clockwise

Tim Byron in a phonebooth

Sophie and Ash

A nice flow of friends have been coming through London. I don’t feel like a tourist anymore. Josh Pyke, a very talented and hairy singer, and an old mate, has come and played in London several times. Asho, a great old friend has breezed in and out as well. Andy Clockwise, who I barely knew in Sydney, spent some time in London, and some time drunk on my couch. tim Byron, ex Reservations keyboardist, came for a visit of universities, and spent some days in London. Two of my oldest, dearest friends, Sophie and Ash, jetted here for gigs and time off. I think we laughed the whole time.

C’est moi et Erin, dans Paris

Paul & Ann

I have done very little travelling in the last few months. A quick stop in Paris to visit Paul and Ann who were on holidays there. I love Paris so much. Erin and I recreated the movie Before Sunset one morning. Look at us chatting away about intense topics.

Emily and Isabelle, striking a pose

Nick, Nathan and Jodes

We had a party at my house and it was a great night. Above, Emily and Isabelle striking a pose. Also, Nick, Nathan and Jodes the morning after. I had a wonderful moment at the party, thinking I got to London with nothing, and built this life for myself. It was great.

My desk, circa May 2007

It’s changed quite a bit since then, but I thought it was funny. I will update this as time passes.

More actual proper ‘what I’ve been doing’ type updates coming soon.

Why not smile
Danny

I am the proud owner of a new Macbook. I got a white one, because black just looked like a PC. So goodbye old Dell crazy thing, with your angry screen. I’m up to date with things like Messenger and Skype too. Most importantly, I can finally upload some of the photos I’ve taken.

Tim, who along with Marianne were my first hosts in London. He is putting together the Christmas tree I got to know very well.

Emily, and her store. We worked together at Warners and now both find ourselves in London in the same point in our lives. I will have big news about her soon, but so far we have been loving Wagamamas.

Nick and Dave, last seen in Paris, chilling on the couch. They crashed with me for a few days before Dave returned to Canada and Nick slowly makes his way to Sydney of all places.

A couple of photos from the tremendous Tate Modern museum. I know Nick found it frustrating, as did I in many places. But I loved the wankery of it, the art as ideas only part. I wont wank on, but the first shot is of the series of slides that you can go on in the main entrance hall. The second in a series of automatic doors made of mirrors.

Back in Paris again for Simon’s birthday. We actually ran into eachother in the streets on Monmartre, near the Sacre Coeur, my spiritual heart of Paris. From left to right there’s Adam, Simon’s brother who’s apartment this photo was taken. Chris, who Simon met at a tourist office when travelling through Europe last. Simon sits next to Joan, his mum who along with Adam treated her to this trip. Far right, Swedish Pete, who along with Swedish Tom (not pictured) joined a random crew for a big random night.

Finally, it snowed in London as January faded. It was such a wonderful thing, this blanket of magic light that covered everything, put everyone in a good mood and made us amazed at the world we lived in. Or at least it did for me. 1) The car outside the building I live in. 2) Em and the snowman that was a group effort amongst the office staff.

Hopefully it wont be that long before another photo update.

Finally back in Wi Fi land. Here are some photos now that my laptop is back in almost top form.

This is Lisa (left) and Kim (right), from Melbourne Australia. They kept me laughing from Paris to Madrid. They also kept me up with a couple of rather late nights.

As expected, the Spanish birds are all over me. Is there an emoticon for the drum thing that happens when someone makes a crap joke?

Nick and Dave from Canada. We hung out in Paris together and they are two of the most head-screwed-on 19 year olds I’ve met. Most people under 20 I’ve met have been knobs of the highest order. And as Nick noted, there’s not that many of them anyway. Maybe people are travelling later in life now.

This photo was taken at the gorgeous Jardin Du Luxembourg, on a beautful sunny morning. Behind them is a huge pond where people play with electric boats, a big castle and you can even see the rows of yellow flowers in pot plants along the edges. Look, it was just cool ok?

The OTHER Arc De Triomf, in Barcelona. I just like this photo.

Steph and Bron. More Canadians. Canadians are lovely, I tell you. I really want to go now. Here we are at a fancy-ish restaraunt in Plaza Real, just off Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Those lamp posts in the background were one of Gaudi’s first works. Don’t I seem clever? (thanks Steph).

Me at La Sagrada Familia, the church designed by Gaudi that they ave been building for 100 years and could well take 100 more. The ambition of it is simply amazing. Makes the Killers look lo fi. Over produced is the key word. But I like it. In fact I love it. I love crazy old men. And Gaudi takes the cake.

So finally, here we are in Madrid. It rained almost the whole time. It was a bit of a shambles to tell the truth. This was taken at Palacio Real, which was built almost 50 years before a british guy in a boat stumbled upon Botany Bay.

Please note the new sweater I am sporting in some of these shots.

Now, finally, Mischa Barton. I wrote about what happened elsewhere on this blog, but here’s the photographic proof. We didn’t touch elbows though.

Danny
Paris

So please allow me to be poetic for a second. It is Paris after all.

So somehow we all found ourselves in the same place. 14 solo travellers, no friendship more than a few days old. It was and will be the only night all of us would be together.

And I had a wonderful night. All of us from such different backgrounds and personalities, and each of us looking for the same thing.

It was only day 4 for me on this journey overseas and think you for sharing it with me. Hopefully I’ll see you again…

Danny
Copenhagen
14-11-2006