up and out of another town, another country. old friend boudine points the way out of here and thøger and i stumble our roller bags down cobble stone to the sunny train station. enjoy the fogged confusion and get on board something. the airport is next and we amble in and to the gate.

as we sit there, two more danes come passing by on the slow moving people mover. then a few minutes later they pass by on it in the opposite direction, like they were stuck on the thing. peter and anders. forgot we were all meeting here. them connecting from copenhagen. us all on to paris. in paris we meet up with nikolaj.

i suppose its hot. but not really. we stop for a coffee. now its going to be close to missing the train we’re supposed to be on. we take the metro to the gar nord, then change for the gar est. its crowded rush hour. i am road sore. but it looks like we might not make the train we need to make to nancy.

but we get to the station at least 8 minutes before it leaves, so i buy a shirt. just to up the anti of being on time. a 10 euro dress shirt. brown. i don’t notice yet its ridiculous. never buy a 10 euro shirt. never.

we meet steve left and head there. all of us now climb aboard the express to nancy. good to see head again, fresh from the pj harvey tours, doing their sound so fine. him and i tackle conversation in the same meter and text. we’re seasoned and slightly askew, in that elder statesman kind of way. gentlemen rockers. sorta.

steve is presentful in his usual 3 piece suit and ear lobe loops.

quite dapper.

the train is enjoyable and non stop. and we are enjoying conversation non stop. beers to slide the words better. then we’re hear.

out of the station and all pile into 2 cabs in line there. but the hotel is actually just across the street from the station. so then we pile out and yank our gear from the trunks as if we just taxied there anyway.

the hotel is a ridiculously tall building .. 30 or 50 floors looks like. the only building of its size .. we plunk in. and then plunk out looking for food. the elders settle on the expensive and fancy looking joint right across the street from the hotel. the fleur d’excelcior. it does not disappoint. we dip into an old favorite grape of mine from burgundy, the elusive mercuri vine. it tends to mess with my sensibilities in the best way. a buzz like no other grape. slightly psycholodelic.

then to bed. not bad. a travel day done well and now am done in.