It’s not everyday you have a birthday and it’s not everyday that you get to celebrate it in the unique way that I managed to turn 32!
Myself & the German, Argentine & Australian women of 'Tango Fire'..!!
Our final show in Hamburg was on Oct 13th (the 14th being my birthday) and so by the time we’d Loaded Out, it was 2230 and the Fliegende Bauten were very nice and put on drinks for us. Very decent of them and very nice to ensure that my final drinks as a 31yo & first ones as a 32yo were free...!! Just as midnight came around , a cake came out and everyone started singing ‘Happy Birthday’ – once in English & then once in Spanish!! It was cool – whenever we have a birthday on tour, there is always a cake and we try and find a time to ‘surprise’ them but you know that you’re going to get a cake at some point. In this case, I had no idea! I expected it once we’d reached our next destination on the night of the 14th and we were all checked into the hotel. So it was a real nice, actual surprise and to be able to celebrate it with the Fliegende Bauten gang.
The Cake! The Cake!
My cake was definitely from St Pauli, complete with marzipan nude girl! Toni, Dan & Lynda got me this great T-Shirt by an Irish designer who’s stuff I’d actually browsed through on a prowl around the local area. I can’t remember the designer/brand off hand but he deals with ‘Big Brother’ (George Orwells novel 1984, not the stupid reality (!) tv show) and incorporates security cameras, propaganda etc into the designs. They also got me my own Hombre Chancho figurine!! He’s great and I’ve called him Hombre J or Man Junior!! Very cool and means that Gizmo now has a travelling companion!! Silke was amazing and managed to source a CD of ‘Soul Allnighter’! A very cool CD laden with some great tracks and with some by artists I’ve never heard of before! Wishy & Jacq have also stated that as their present they may just tag along to our next destination and explore that with us too! Cool!
Toni, Lynda & I.
We wrapped up at the Bauten around 0200 and headed back to the hotel... with there only being a few hours before we had to be on the bus to the airport, Dan. Jacq, Wish & myself decided that a few more beers were in order (which someone had cunningly prepared earlier...!)
0430 rolled around and I rolled out of the hotel, suitcase in tow, ready for a nap!! As it was stupid o’clock the hotel breakfast wasn’t being served yet but they did provide us with a small breakfast bag each. It consisted of a stale-ish cheese sandwich, a beaten and bruised banana and a very watery fruit type drink! Hurrah! My first birthday meal!
0430 rolled around and I rolled out of the hotel, suitcase in tow, ready for a nap!! As it was stupid o’clock the hotel breakfast wasn’t being served yet but they did provide us with a small breakfast bag each. It consisted of a stale-ish cheese sandwich, a beaten and bruised banana and a very watery fruit type drink! Hurrah! My first birthday meal!
The Celis Brothers - Nelson & Maricio
By the time we finally arrived at the airport & were checked in and had boarded our flight I was definitely ready for some shut eye... and woke up in Paris, mid morning & ready to have at least one beer!! Ah, a birthday in Paris. Granted it was celebrated at the worst airport in the world but it was on French soil and Paris is the main city Charles De Gaulle services, so I have had a birthday in Paris... technically...!!
We boarded the next flight after dedicating 5hrs of my birthday to France ready for the final leg and our home for the next 8 days – Athens, Greece! Slept most of the flight and upon arriving & checking into our hotel, Dan, Toni, Jacq & I headed off in search of a decent meal – which we found and I had a great birthday meal of eggplant salad (babaganush as we call it), tzatziki, great saganaki & a Greek souvlaki and washed it down with a decent local brew, Mythos and a spirit that’s not Ouzo and whose name I can’t remember!! Nice!!
Tango Woman - with a German Twist! Utah, Silke & Citro.
We boarded the next flight after dedicating 5hrs of my birthday to France ready for the final leg and our home for the next 8 days – Athens, Greece! Slept most of the flight and upon arriving & checking into our hotel, Dan, Toni, Jacq & I headed off in search of a decent meal – which we found and I had a great birthday meal of eggplant salad (babaganush as we call it), tzatziki, great saganaki & a Greek souvlaki and washed it down with a decent local brew, Mythos and a spirit that’s not Ouzo and whose name I can’t remember!! Nice!!
Tango Woman - with a German Twist! Utah, Silke & Citro.
Dan, Jacq & I then decided to retire to the hotels rooftop bar and wind up my birthday (2hrs left) with a couple of quite nightcaps that turned louder once we found that the Argentines were also up at the bar...!!
During the next couple of hours it was a race to get Wish to be able to make it to the hotel in time to see out my birthday. His ATM card had all of a sudden decided not to let him withdraw cash and there he was running around Hamburg with about 10 Euro in his pocket & a flight to catch....!! And with us in transit all day and with our German SIM’s no longer working, he had no way of contacting us!! We eventually got wind of his antic’s as he had found a free internet cafe at Athens Airport and had barraged our emails, Facebook and other friends in a blind and desperate attempt to make contact! He eventually made it to the hotel, after midnight unfortunately, but safe and with one hell of a story!!
During the next couple of hours it was a race to get Wish to be able to make it to the hotel in time to see out my birthday. His ATM card had all of a sudden decided not to let him withdraw cash and there he was running around Hamburg with about 10 Euro in his pocket & a flight to catch....!! And with us in transit all day and with our German SIM’s no longer working, he had no way of contacting us!! We eventually got wind of his antic’s as he had found a free internet cafe at Athens Airport and had barraged our emails, Facebook and other friends in a blind and desperate attempt to make contact! He eventually made it to the hotel, after midnight unfortunately, but safe and with one hell of a story!!
Homber J stands guard as Citro & Silke discuss.
Hugo, Chooky & Marce - 3 of 4 musicians.
Tango Men - Seba, me, Maricio, Nelson, Cristian y Cardinal.
Giz has a wee BDay tipple!
Mmm, stale cheese sanga's..!
Bus departure time...! Boring!
My passport and ticket to P.. A.. R... T.. Y...!?!?!
"Look! I'm in Paris!"
Dan y Nelson attempt to raise some much needed beer funds!
The scale of my birthday was do big, I had to print a guide..!!
Wow! Now I'm in Athens!
Mmm beer and genuine tzatiki..!
That's not a Greek souvlaki, THIS is a Greek souvlaki...!!
Cristian, Jacq, Cardinal, myself, Dan & Nelson - about 2mins of BDay left!
Well, that’s the story of how I spent my 32nd Birthday, across 3 countries & with 15 Argentines, 7 Germans, 5 Aussies and cameo’s by both French and Greek bartenders & waitstaff!! I wonder what 33 will bring.....?
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