Culture Archives - Page 15 of 65 - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

Stick it to art protesters in Dusseldorf

20th April 2023 funtime65

It’s no jackets required in the K21 Standehuis museum where they stick it to art protesters in Dusseldorf.

The worry is that the activists will glue themselves to the art installations.

Now I don’t know the science of how unsticking a jacketed person rather than say a jumpered person helps but them’s the rules.

And if it helps divert the activists away from the galleries then all the better.

Acceptable, the Eighties

Turning Japanese: Little Tokyo, Dusseldorf

Now Dusseldorf in North Rhine Westfalen may be known for a range of things, the fashion capital and its Japanese links.

But for this day tripper the jewel in its crown is its former state parliament.

Its museum, the K21 which with two others forms the Kuntsammlung.

And boasts large scale film and video installations in a celebration of post-80s modern art.

Modern life

If you’re more of a fan of earlier 20th century big-hitters such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse then nearby K20 is where to go.

And postwar American art includes works by Jackson Pollock and Frank Stella.

And pop artists Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol.

But if it’s immersive, physical art you’re after then the aforementioned K21 that stands out.

In another orbit

The In Orbitinstallation installation by Tomás Saraceno.

And our guides left this, the best for last.

Suspended 25m above the piazza five air-filled spheres constructed of near-transparent steel mesh.

Encompass an area of 2500 square metres.

But enough science, now for the fun.

Visitors can don suits and shoes with suckers on them to enter one of the bubbles

And crawl into them.

Spider’s web

The idea being that we inhabit a spider’s world and movement to strategise our movement.

We, who merely watched, were more like worker bees following our queen who informed us we had to leave.

It felt like being stung but our train back to Essen as part of the German Travel Mart was leaving and we had to be on it.

The K21 Standehuis had been an education and we were happy to compromise.

By cutting short some our enjoyment to queue for our jackets.

All so we could stick it to art protesters in Dusseldorf.

America, Countries, Music

Grammys boomers

4th February 20234th February 2023 funtime65

They must have seen something in my re-recording of John Lee Hooker to reach out to me for my Grammys boomers.

And ask me for my vote… although I dare say the judges have made up their minds already about who they will be rewarding this Monday, February 6.

Now if you don’t get an invite out to LA for the big prize-giving or miss the broadcasts fear not.

Because the Grammy Museum themselves will give you everything any music fan will ever need.

Disney sound bad

The Grammy Museum (no, there are three) are the Disney of musical exhibitions.

And helpfully like Walt’s wonderlands they are spread around to be near you.

If you live in the States.

Or travelling, and believe me if you are near Los Angeles, Newark, Nashville or Cleveland, Mississippi, then tick off a Grammy before you head home.

Hooker by crook

Yes, you’ll get a chance to make your own re-record of Blues legend Hooker.

At the end of your odyssey around the history of music.

But be sure to leave yourself enough time.

Because you’ll find yourself dwelling at all the other boards and exhibitions along the way.

And your party, or the staff, will have to remind you that they have places to go.

The exhibits, of course, are being currently updated alongside the staples.

I want my Mississippi

And so we can look forward to celebrating MTV turning 40 from May 13-February 19.

With the tagline the memorable refrain from Dire Straits ‘I want my MTV’.

While the Deep South, the cradle of the Blues, Soul, Jazz and Rock’n’roll obviously runs right through the Cleveland museum.

And you’d do well too to run right through the Blues trail which covers Tennessee and Mississippi.

Rock it

Here at the Grammy Museum Cleveland they are in the middle of a year of celebrating the Sounds of Southern Rock too until September 3.

And among the exhibits are Duane Allman’s and Dickey Betts’ Gibson guitars.

And that namecheck just allows me to show off, with me rocking Prince‘s guitars with a colleague strumming BB King‘s guitar Lucille.

They were all called after her which all BB fans will know but I still like to remind everyone anyway.

And that as they say is a wrap for today.

So enjoy the awards next week and do get along to the museums and take in the Grammys Boomers.

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

America, Countries, Culture, Europe

I was crimson-faced the day I mentioned to my auburn-haired cousin that I didn’t care who my kids wed as long as it’s not a carrothead… so I’ll redress that because take it as red it’s Kiss a Ginger Day,

Yes, it’s a thing, and while the rest of the world has its tanned and toned carnivals in the sun, us Celts (Scottish, Irish, Welsh) and Northern Europeans have our fiery festivals.

Red raver: Irish legend Maureen O’Hara

Because with the most gingers anywhere in the world, and Scots are out front, then gingers like nothing better than getting together to celebrate all things red.

With us Celts and Northern Europeans having gone out and multiplied around the world you can even team it with a holiday.

So there’s where they shout… come on you Reds.

A reddy night in Georgia

Chat-up lines: Do you fall for them?

Ginger Pride Parade, Rome, Georgia, USA: And when a ginger in Rome, Georgia, in March then it’s all about the Annual Ginger Pride Parade.

The free parade kicks off in the morning from Broad Street in Downtown Rome.

The spectacle which has been running since 2011 is described as a lighthearted approach to anti-bullying.

A dab of rouge

Let’s hope he’s not playing: Ed Sheeran

Festival des Ch’tis rouge, Arras, France: In France’s northern city of Arras, redheads galore gather for two days.

They have a fashion show, a ‘redheads got talent’ show,stall and more.

And in 2019 Miss France the raven-haired Maeva Coucke flicked her mane in Arras to show that red est magnifique.

An Italian red

Da Vinci code: Leo was a redhead

RossItalia, Milan/Redhead: Sicily And, yes, of course we love a full-bodied Italian red.

RossItalia has been running since 2012 in the fashion capital of Italy, the perfect backdrop for redheads to gather, mingle and celebrate their ginger hair come May time.

In Sicily, in Favignana to be precise it’s all about la famiglia.

And the ginger family lets their red locks down in July/August with a party filled with music, stalls, games, photography, a parade.

And even a ‘Miss and Mister Red Head Sicily’ contest!

The future is oranje

Come ear red: Vincent Van Gogh

The Redhead Days, Tilburg, Netherlands, August: And in the land where they celebrate the Oranje Army, who follow their national soccer team, then it’s not surprising that your colouring is popular.

Redhead Days, or ‘Roodharingendag’ is known as the world’s largest ginger weekender.

And it holds the world record for the largest number of natural redheads in one place.

Red for Hamburg

Look who I met on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg

Redhead Days Germany/Das Rothaarigentreffen Deutschland, Hamburg, Germany, September: And yes, we all know about the Reeperbahn, the Red Light District in Hamburg.

So, I guess too we shouldn’t be surprised that redheads are looked after too.

With hundreds of redheads and their friends attending previous events, Redhead Days Germany is expected to once again bring you group photo opportunities, a pub crawl, exhibitions, talks and plenty more!

But, of course, you don’t have to wait for any of these events because we’ve got today.

So get out there because take it as red it’s Kiss a Ginger Day.

America, Countries, Music, UK

Hank Williams in Alabama

9th January 20239th January 2023 funtime65

As with so much in life where my great hero Billy Connolly goes I will follow which means to Hank Williams in Alabama.

Billy oft tells the story of how he first got into the banjo, his great musical love.

And the start point of his legendary entertainment career.

The Barras street market in Glasgow might seem an unlikely place to discover a Country legend.

But then many of the best people (Billy and Bandanaman) grew up in these streets.

And it was on one such stall that Billy’s dad bought Hank’s I’m So Lonely I Could Cry which prompted Billy to buy a banjo.

Hank’s for the memories

Billy, whose television travelogues are among the best anywhere, takes us to Hank’s gravestone in his Tracks Across America.

And texts his children and gets a photograph to tell him he’s there.

This year is a very special year for Hankophiles.

Hiram ‘Hank’ Williams was born on September 17 in Mount Olive, Alabama.

And Alabama naturally makes a big deal of their favourite son with a Hank Williams Trail.

It kicks off with a visit to his childhood home preserved as a museum in Georgiana, where he learned to play guitar from Black street musician Rufus “Tee-Tot” Payne. T

Then drive an hour north to Montgomery, where Hank moved in his teens, and pick up lunch as he did at Chris’s Hot Dogs.

Alabamaversary

Visit Montgomery’s Hank Williams Museum to see his stage costumes, guitars, and the 1952 blue Cadillac in which he died, aged just 29.

You can pay your respects at his grave, like Billy did in homage to Hank Williams in Alabama.

In nearby Oakwood Cemetery, marked by a marble cowboy hat.

Of course, in a state where music is in the very air, there is always an anniversary.

Muscle memory

And April 23, 2023 marks the 60^th anniversary of Rick Hall’s FAME studios in Muscle Shoals.

The studios have attracted artists from Alabamian Wilson Pickett, who recorded “Mustang Sally”, Aretha Franklin and Etta James to Alicia Keys.

A new behind-the-scenes tour takes visitors into Hall’s personal office and showcases his collection of instruments.

Of course this being the Deep South then music is all around you so why not make an odyssey of it in neighbouring states.

And take in Tennessee and the best that Nashville, Memphis and Dollywood have to offer.

And Mississippi and its Blues trail and its Grammy Museum.

America, Countries, Deals, Music

Elvis – How Great Thou Art

8th January 20238th January 2023 funtime65

And I shall bow in humble adoration
Elvis – How Great Thou Art

Happy 88th birthday Elvis – How Great Thou Art.

And if there is a heaven then Elvis will be on a cloud singing to Gladys and Vernon and his twin Jesse.

It was to How Great Thou Art, one of Elvis’s favourite hymns, that The Great Man was guided to his rest at his funeral service.

All of which was fitting as The King of Kings was at heart a gospel singer.

And How Great Thou Art was one of his gospel standards.

Elvis’s last stand

There is surprisingly little evidence of how important faith was in the life of the Southern Baptist Boy around his home Graceland.

And visitors’ attention is mostly focused on the Jungle Room.

But the most moving corner of his Memphis home is outside in the Memorial Garden where Elvis lies for all eternity.

Next to his parents and the twin who did not survive birth.

And in the Games Room where Elvis, his girlfriend Ginger, and his cousin Billy and his wife Jo kicked back on his last day.

And played racquetball,

But more importantly where Elvis played two songs on his piano, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain and Unchained Melody.

It is poignant to reflect that were Elvis still with us today then none of us would get beyond the big black door.

Priscilla’s promise

And, of course, we have Priscilla Presley to thank for that.

Alas, with every passing year there are fewer of those in Elvis’s inner circle to relay how Elvis lived.

With Billy Smith, the last survivor of the Memphis Mafia.

Although Priscilla, Lisa Marie and her kids are regular visitors where they stay in the roped off quarters upstairs.

For the rest of us, of course, there is Downtown Memphis within easy reach of Elvis touch points.

Sun Studio, Marlowe’s restaurant, where he had his own booth (well, you would) and Beale Street.

Be our guest

Or you could stay at the Guest House Graceland where you can attach a Graceland package.

With a stay, VIP tour + planes package for two from $335 or a Graceland Experience Package from $269.

All of which will mean you can devote the whole day to Elvis’s home and the warehouses which house his clothes and cars.

Of course music is always in the air as a reminder of his enduring appeal. Elvis – How Great Thou Art.

Caribbean, Countries, Culture

Benedict, Barbados, reparations

3rd January 2023 funtime65

Sometimes you find yourself going off track on a Caribbean ceilidh tour and become immersed in all things Benedict, Barbados and reparations.

St Nicholas Abbey and Steam Railway sits inland in the north-east of the island in the St Peter region.

And little about this tranquil location betrays its links to an Oscar winning actor other than the framed painting of Joshua Cumberbatch, his seventh great-grandfather.

Something which on our visit there they wanted to play down… naturally.

And particularly because the Cumberbatch/Caves no longer own the former plantation and its grounds.

That responsibility is now Bajan architect Larry Warren and his wife Anna’s who bought it in 2006.

Brave Bajan

And their sons Simon and Shae who have overseen a meticulous restoration of the property as an operating sugar plantation.

You’ll likely see Simon at the climax of the tour when you sample the rum.

The St Nicholas Abbey rum may take you by surprise, or the one I imbibed did… more of a liqueur but a glorious addition to the range.

Simon is as warming as the rum and delightfully self-deprecating.

Simon says: Our host Simon, Michael, Corrie and your Bandanaman

Joking to groups that he doesn’t blame us for thinking from the sound of his voice that he’s pissed.

The truth though, as he’ll tell you, is truly heartening as he was in a coma for months after a driving accident and which you can read on his alma mater’s home page.

Back on track

If the St Nicholas rum has whetted your appetite then you can wind down in the Terrace Cafe after your visit to the house.

And refresh yourself with rum punches and a fish cutter (my fave, but the menu is extensive).

In the sanctum of the overhanging trees overlooking the plantation’s lush tropical gullie.

We’re all working on this: The St Nicholas Abbey railway

St Nicholas Abbey is a hell of an addition to Barbados’s visitor experiences…

And as you wend your way up to the house your mind may drift to Benedict Cumberbatch‘s forebears.

And think too about the sweat and toil of those working here.

Cat’s the way: The St Nicholas Abbey house

They still are on the steam train, but it’s refreshing to see that today’s staff will be heading for a beach bar at the end of their shift.

The house is a charm too, only one of three Jacobean-style mansions still in the Western Hemisphere.

We can point too about the history of the house, Benedict, Barbados and reparations.

But anyone who has visited will know who has the real claim on the house…

The cat, whose name I didn’t get but I’m thinking maybe, Nicholas.

Culture

Bruges to Mayo

17th October 20221st November 2022 funtime65

It’s been more than a decade in the making but Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell are back together again for another black comedy from Bruges to Mayo.

Of course we all of us will be hoping the bromance, or brom com if you will, does the same for Mayo as it did for the medieval Belgian canal city.

And well done for Brendan in persuading Colin out to see its charms.

Although both being gangsters we thought they would have wanted to see the fabric of the cloth Joseph of Arimathea used on Jesus in the Basilica of the Holy Blood.

Film buffs and proud natives of Mayo will, of course, tell you that the Maritime County is already on the cinematic map.

With Cong drawing fans of The Quiet Man to its village religiously.

And Linnane the setting for The Field among others.

Of course Tourism Ireland are all over the possibilities from Mayo being showcased on our big screens.

And in conjunction with Searchlight Pictures they have created a behind-the-scenes featurette.

With footage shot during filming for The Banshees of Inisherin.

All Ireland

Director Martin McDonagh, Farrell (Pádraic), Brendan Gleeson (Colm), Kerry Condon (Siobhán) and Barry Keoghan (Dominic) all talk us through the locations.

The Banshees got a 14-minute standing ovation at the Venice International Film Festival.

And it is expected to do the same when the film hits picture houses in Ireland, the UK and the US on October 21.

Farrell and Gleeson have, of course, done much to promote the whole of Ireland.

Where East and West shall meet

With many remembering a cherubic-faced Farrell negotiating the mean streets of Dublin in Intermissions.

And country village life in my old bailiwick of Co. Wicklow, the Garden of Ireland in Ballykissangel, near Avoca.

While Gleeson has been out West before.

Most notably in The Guard opposite Don Cheadle, and Calvary.

All in all we can see just why the Venetians and the international film audience would want.

To spend 14 minutes clapping Colin and Brian.

Because anything they do from a black comedy from Bruges to Mayo is right up our street.

Asia, Countries, Culture

Japan for old times’ sake

14th October 202214th October 2022 funtime65

And the cherry blossom will look even better this year as the Land of the Rising Sun reopens again… Japan for old times’ sake.

See what we’ve done there… sake as in meaning purpose and sake (pronounced sakky) as in rice wine.

All of which I got a taste for, breaking the boxes with Japanese friends at a kimono-adorned wedding in Islay, off Scotland.

And a hankering to see first hand.

Brad in Japan

As we all knew already but have been reminded of by Brad Pitt the bullet train is the way to get around.

Although remember that that film is just a gangster romp, and the Japanese really are very friendly.

Our own pals and Far East specialists Platinum Travel have put together some itineraries which highlight the best of Japan.

Land at peace

Embrace the timeless tradition and modern spirit of Japan’s iconic sites, from the neon skyline of Tokyo to foodie Osaka.

Spend the night in a traditional ryokan.

And take a peace pilgrimage to Hiroshima.

And enjoy genuine Japanese hospitality in the mountain hot springs village of Kotohira.

Learn how local artisans make Japanese washi paper in the UNESCO village of Gokayama.

Enjoy a kaiseki lunch near Kyoto where you will learn about local customs.

Circle of trust

And what I’ve learned from my Japanese friends here is that making a circle with your hands above your head is your go-to.

It’s sake OK and when I do get out to Japan I’ll be trying it out for myself.

Platinum have 13 days from €6,225 during cherry blossom season.

It includes 12 breakfasts, three lunches, one Be My Guest, one welcome reception, one farewell dinner, one regional dinner and four dinners.

Countries, Europe, Music, UK

Liverpull of Euro music

9th October 2022 funtime65

It is little surprise Merseyside has won the race to host Eurovision for Ukraine because it’s always been a Liverpull of Euro music.

It may have been a surprise surprise (well that’s our big-up to Liverpool’s favourite daughter Cilla Black done).

Yes, Glasgow put together a good bid but who can realistically compete with The Beatles as host ambassadors?

And lifelong supporter of Liverpool Paul McCartney will doubtless be front and centre when Eurovision kicks off next year.

Love me do

It’s apt too that Liverpool should get the nod 60 years on from the release of The Beatles’ first single Love Me Do.

The tens of thousands of Eurovision fans descending on Liverpool next year will flock to The Beatles story on Albert Dock.

They’ll get a picture taken with the statues of The Fab Four at Albert Dock and the Eleanor Rigby monument on Matthew Street.

And channel our inner Beatles at their old stomping ground The Cavern Club.

Tour de four

Take one of the tours around the city and tick off Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane and The Beatles birthplaces.

And you may be lucky too to have a driver with a pop link (everyone in Liverpool is a musician).

Ours was Holly Johnson’s brother on the Magical Mystery Tour.

The invasion of European music fans to Liverpool then is nothing new.

And its place in the continent’s thinking existed too back in the late 50s.

Hamburger thrill

When talent spotters headed to the north of England to find bands to feed American servicemen’s appetite in Hamburg for the new rock’n’roll music.

The thinking was that they would be cheaper than the London bands.

The Beatles were a late pick but they honed their skills on the Reeperbahn with exhausting sets.

While days of seeing and enjoying Beatles music in the German port city are long behind us.

The Stef of dreams

The best Beatles experience you can have there is signing up for Stefanie Hempell’s Beatles tour.

Where she will take you around Hamburg’s Beatles’ landmarks.

And strum her way around their hits on George Harrison’s favourite instrument, the ukulele.

That’s the Liverpull of Euro music for you and why we’re endorsing Merseyside as the best choice for Eurovision 2023.

And that’s coming from a proud citizen of Glasgow.

America, Countries, Culture, Europe, UK

I spy Bond over 60 years

7th October 20227th October 2022 funtime65

We’ve all got our fave 007 moments but here’s how I spy Bond over 60 years through his exotic travel.

I was there where it started in Casino Royale. Not when (steady), but there at the casino where James first cashed in his chips.

Pupp love

At the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Spa Triangle.

The world’s most famous spy has only stayed in the swankiest hotels since.

And all you need is a tux/cocktail dress and a bundle of cash to live like Bond.

Bite-size Hamburg

Or know your way around Marriott Autograph Collection… and Hotel Atlantic Hamburg from Tomorrow Never Dies.

Where 25 years ago James seduces Paris, girlfriend of his nemesis Elliot Carver.

Not for James the Reeperbahn which of course is the heart of Saint Pauli.

And what Hamburg is best known for although Germany’s Port City has high culture too with the Elbphi.

And spy culture too with the Alter Elbtunnel which would be ideal for a Bond chase.

Anyone for Venice?

This James has also crossed swords with 007 in the shadow of The Bridge of Sighs in Venice.

Where like myself I went back for a second helping.

The action switches in From Russia With Love at the end to Venice where Sean Connery’s Bond checks into the Hotel Danieli.

Roger Moore outdouble entendres Big Sean in Moonraker ten years later delivers the line “Bollinger? If it is a ’69 you were expecting me” to Dr. Holly Goodhead in the lavish Suite del Doge.

London calling

Now we all know that James is a man for all seasons so it’s probably little surprise that like us he is a fan of the Four Seasons.

For Londonwatchers they’ll spot the location trickery with the Four Seasons Hotel Canary Wharf doubling for Shanghai.

When Daniel Craig swims in the turquoise rooftop pool with water views.

Before showering and sizzling (if you like that sort of thing).

Miami advice

Of course perhaps the most memorable hotel scene was in Goldfinger though not perhaps for Goldie’s girl Jill Masterson.

Who James found dead on the bed covered in gold paint.

This being Miami Beach and the Fontainebleu Hotel nobody’s asking what you want to do in the privacy of your own room. Just enjoy.

No doubt we’ll find the next Bond whoever that is living it up in fancy rooms around the world in the next six decades.

It’s just these are the ones where I spy Bond over 60 years.