North America Guitar Tour - spin off
Czech 2
July 19-20, 2008
July 19: I must have been very sleepy and cold the night before. I slept with my fleece on. After breakfast, a young couple from the neighborhood came to visit, so I played the guitar as a greeting. The girl pointed her cell phone at me and took a picture. It's a common sight in Japan too.
I left Mr. M's house after 10 o'clock and went to the house where I had a session with drums for nearly two hours when I came to Horni Police in 2005. His mother, who had a fever and was lying on the sofa in the living room at the time, seemed fine and remembered me. I played a few songs as a thank you (apology). Next, I went to the house of Mr. M's friend who is good at computers and played a few more songs, but the area around his house was a mysterious space with many buildings that were a bit artistic. After that, I went to see the land where the car mechanic I met the night before was planning to build a house. It was a tranquil place with grasslands stretching as far as the eye could see.
Before heading to Prague, we stopped at a supermarket, so we went into what seemed to be a shopping mall, but we were immediately stopped by a police car. It seems that we entered from the exit. While Mr. M was talking to the police, I went into the supermarket, but I was worried about the gazes of the people in the store, so I left without buying anything. I was the only Asian person there, and my companion was arguing with the police, so I guess I looked even more suspicious.
Perhaps because it was a Saturday, the roads towards Prague were relatively empty, and the drive was much more comfortable than the previous day. We arrived at Ms. I's house before evening and had dinner with Mr. M. Naturally, I was in charge of the background music again, and I played while being conscious of the balance of both hands that I had held the night before.
July 20: On this day, we decided to go to Prague Castle and Charles Bridge, which we had missed when we visited the Czech Republic in 2005. Ms. I's father drove us to the nearest station, and from there we took the subway into the city. Ms. I gave me a rough overview of Prague using the subway map, but the reading and pronunciation of the Czech station names are hard to match. Each station has a designated color, and although none of the stations are flashy, they are somehow artistic. In the city, we took a streetcar called a tram from the subway to Prague Castle. It was cloudy in the morning, but by the time we got off the tram, it was sunny and the temperature was high, and Ms. I said it might be the hottest day of the summer. It was much more comfortable than the summer in Japan, but it was a tourist spot and it was a Sunday, so there were a lot of people, and it felt hotter than the temperature.
It was past noon when we crossed the bridge, so Ms. I took me to a stylish restaurant and we ordered something like a cutlet or sausage, but it was a huge amount, so we left more than half. It tasted good, but it was greasy, so if we had eaten any more, we would have had heartburn. After leaving the restaurant, we stopped by the university she attends and were shown inside, and then we went to a cafe that she sometimes goes to. It's located at the top of a flight of stairs in a quiet alleyway, so it's a place that tourists would never visit. The spacious interior had a calm atmosphere that evoked history.
On the way back, we followed the same route as when we came, got off the subway, and took a bus back to the neighborhood near my house. I was a little tired from walking a lot, so I lay down until dinner. The younger brother of Ms. I, the owner of the room I was using, was coming back from London late that night, and while I was carrying my luggage to the living room on the first floor before dinner, he came back earlier than expected. He said he came by car with two friends. He looked very sleepy and was about to pass on dinner, but his mother wanted to let him hear my guitar, so I started playing next to him while he was preparing dinner. I stayed for about an hour after that and learned a lot about the weather and circumstances of London. This was my last day at Ms. I's house. I played with gratitude for how warmly they looked after me despite my sudden appearance. Elton John's "Daniel" requested by Dad became homework (it was not yet part of the repertoire at this point). Dad's 12-string guitar joined in the party, and the party continued until late at night. The next day was my first time in London.
*People in the text are listed by their initials until their identities can be confirmed.
Contents
Introduction
Until Departure
Seattle
To California
Day Off
Sunnyvale
To La
LA 2 Days
To Tucson
Albuquerque
To Colorado (beginning of Miracle)
Berthoud
Denver
to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City 2 days
To Texas
San Antonio
Georgetown
Dallas
Houston 2 Days
Benton
Nashville (CAAS)
Roswell
Tampa 2 Days
Miami
Orland 2 Days
Myrtle Beach
Chapel Hill 3 Days
Kingsport
To Indiana
Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival
To Staten Island
Manhattan
Phillipsburg
Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory)
To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)
Methuen
To Montreal
To Buffalo
Meadvill A Day Before
Meadvill Ghost Hotel
Detroit
Chicago
Minneapolice
Spin Off #1
Spin Off #2 "EU Tour IN 2008 / Until Departure
Czech 1
Czech 2
London
Liverpool
Chesham
To Germany
Lemgo
Ingolstadt
Bregenz
To Italy
Florence
The Last Gig
Going Home