It appeared to be a perfect confluence of fortune. My good friend Chrissy and I had long been great fans of the sainted Leonard Cohen. Leonard was due to perform a rare European concert in Strasbourg, France on Friday 5th March. Chrissy's eldest son Tim was spending a year in France as a teaching assistant as part of his degree in modern languages and was based in a small town about fifty miles from Strasbourg. We could kill two birds on a wire with one stone, and so a trip was planned which would take in Chrissy's second son Will, who is at University in London, a Eurostar journey to Strasbourg, a chance to see Tim, a chance to visit Strasbourg, and a chance to hear the sainted Leonard. But the best laid plans ... and all that. Leonard has suffered a sports-related injury and had been ordered to rest up for a few months and the concert is postponed until September. A case of "first we take Manhattan, then we slip and fall on the way to Berlin".
But it matters not : Chrissy, the Good Lady Wife, and myself are still going on our trip. We will get the opportunity to visit some galleries - and some good pubs - in London and to explore Strasbourg and Alsace. And we will get the chance to meet up with both Will and Tim. We set out first thing Wednesday morning so I will miss out on both Theme Thursday and Sepia Saturday this week. However, the Linky list for Sepia Saturday 14 is already up so make sure you sign-up and I can catch up on all the posts on my return next Sunday.
Please excuse my lack of posts this week and my tardiness in my visits to your blogs. I will be back soon, but in the meantime, so long Marianne .... and everyone else.
I adore Leonard Cohen. His low, gravelly voice makes me weak in the knees. And what a poet! I'm so sorry you won't be able to hear him live. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the galleries and pubs. Take some pics for us! xx
What bad luck, Alan. Although getting in a tour of galleries and pubs seems to be at least adequate recompense. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteFunny... I was gonna ask you something about Leonard Cohen a while ago. Totally forgot!
ReplyDeleteRemind me when you get back.
dwingeds: adjective: birds brought down by birdshot, but were not the actual target
Whoops! That should've been a noun!
ReplyDeleteWhere am I this morning?
Oooh.... this one's easy...
fuellori: noun: a tractor-trailer designed to carry liquids, particularly petroleum derivatives.
I was just listening to Leonard Cohen yesterday. A friend gave me a couple of albums worth of music--I'd never heard him till recently. He's great.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful adventure even without him!
Same about Lenny.Your Tickets will still be valid for September?
ReplyDelete"Sports Related Injury"!!!! I wonder what has the Old Goat been up to now!
Have A Good Trip.
"Shame" not "Same".I must get a new h for my laptop!
ReplyDeleteI heard about Leonard cancelling . .a 'sports related injury' you say. God the man must be 80! Enjoy your trip,send lots of postcards!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good time by all. It is good that you can be out and about. Leonard needs to be more careful with this athletic stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhew! For a minute I thought...and then opened the link! And what tony says about the tickets; they'll be honoured?
ReplyDeleteHave a fun trip--too bad about LC!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a fun trip, in spite of the last minute changes. Have fun!
ReplyDelete"Everybody knows" Saint Leonard is the best!!! Too bad you will miss him but it sounds like you still have a great trip planned --enjoy!
ReplyDeleteJust have a good ole fun trip anyway. I'm sure with your spontaneity you'll manage well.
ReplyDeleteBe safe and have a great trip!
:) The Bach
A good 95% of the people I know who've even heard of Leonard Cohen are people I "met" on Blogger!
ReplyDeleteWe rock (in the colloquial sense of the word, if not necessarily the literal), as does he!
And speaking of Mr. C, an early Silver Fox multi-parter references him heavily in Part One.
Have a wonderful trip, Alan! Maybe you'll get a second trip out of it if your tickets are honored! :)
ReplyDeletehope you'll be able to attend when leonard comes back for the make up concert.
ReplyDeletei was heartsick to have missed leonard when he came through this past fall, was in the middle of a 'being frugal period' the tix were a bit pricy
but in the meantime you take strasbourg - sounds wonderful
think I too will be missing sepia saturday this week, i'm heading out of town at the crack of dawn on thursday.
hallelujah and don't pass on being taken down to the river.....
Hullo Allan,
ReplyDeleteSaw Leonard Cohen in Glasgow a couple of years ago now and he was fantastic. I had been a fan for many years and it was a special night. I'm sure you'll enjoy the concert when you finally get there.
Arrived in your blog from a roundabout route and have enjoyed my look around. I'll be back.
regards.....Al.
I'm afraid I have been out of the picture a fair bit myself, dear Alan. Wow, what a great trip planned. We'll look forward to learning more upon your return.
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing rave revues of his recent concerts. Sorry that it didn't work our that you get to see & hear him. However, it sounds as if you will have plenty of places to entertain you! God speed!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you will not take Leonard's injury personally... have a great holiday.
ReplyDeletePatiently waiting for 'show and tell' -J