Pisa

After hearing from a few people that Pisa is something of a dump, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to seeing it. Even though it’s something that has to be done. 

But it was well worth the visit. 

And, of course, this also had to be done …

It’s not remotely a dump. Come on, I live in Gateshead. Our only historic landmark (the Get Carter car park) was demolished years ago. 

Roma

A few pictures from Rome. 

The hotel wifi isn’t the best, so I might add more pictures later. Most are on a proper camera anyway. 

I’ve only been here once before, way back in 2002 (I think). I’d forgotten how much there is to see. 

Most important of all, it’s so easy to be a vegetariana and a vegano here. 

Sam Smith

Would you believe, I had to come to Italy to realise that a Sam Smith video  was filmed on Gateshead’s high level bridge (saw the video in a bar). 

How didn’t I know that? Not that I like the bloke’s music, but I do live in Gateshead. 

The Zomboss

Last night, I watched Survivorz,  a pretty mediocre British zombie film. The acting was actually a little better than most low budget films of the genre. 

A lot of the sets were reminiscent of the now defunct Slingshot 2.8 hours later. And, near the end, it became apparent why. 

Alex Noble, the Zomboss and former Slingshot zombie trainer, appeared in a scene near the end. 

I had to move quickly, so the picture’s somewhat blurry. 

The Mosaics

There’s a band in Los Angeles called the Mosaics. 

I’ve no idea whether they’re any good. But, a few years ago another band who’d first used the same name decided to split up. 

They’ve still some stuff on YouTube, so I’d recommend listening to it. Because they truly had something magical. Don’t confuse them with the new Mosaics though. 

The former front man, Dan McClew, has been performing solo for a while now. So he’s built up some great songs of his own (although the band’s stuff was all original). 

He’s a really nice bloke too. 

I mention this because my local has played the Mosaics album twice over. 

Cheburashka

I’ve had separate text message exchanges with two blokes this evening. About Cheburashka. 

That’s the weird little thing with big ears in the middle. 

My first encounter with Cheburashka was at an Eels gig. An old film was the support. The dialogue was Russian, but some Eels content had been cleverly added. 

Anyway, both myself and my mate Ian have a Cheburashka condiment holder. I fear that mine may be radioactive. I’ve never asked whether Ian’s might be. Both were bought from Russia, mine from the Ukraine. 

An old mate, Tom, is currently in the Crimea. He’s not yet encountered Cheburashka. 

Kids

The high level bridge is my most favourite bridge. Its restoration over a decade ago was remarkable, turning an old blackened monster into a thing of beauty. 

In recent years, though, grafitti has made something of a mess of the structure. Apparently, the estimated cost of a clean-up is around £40,000. Removing the mess would probably be a waste of time, however. The underlying cause would remain and the grafitti would doubtless return. Kids. 

It may have seemed cute in the beginning, but the addition of hundreds of locks has attracted lovesick teenagers. Who, in addition to leaving a token of their undying love, leave the names of their loved ones, friends and words of youthly wisdom. 

Personally, I’d remove them all and throw them into the Tyne. Along with any returning teenagers. 

As an aside, there’s an interesting trick of light in the first picture. I was alone on the bridge.