Europe @ 2.4 km/h (57 page)
NAMIBIA
Tangeni Amupadhi: For supplying the electronic wherewithal and immense patience.
Graham Hopwood: For drawing my attention to the provenance of my Chapter 4 title, and for the footnote explaining it. And, more than ever, for your friendship.
Viviane Scholz: Your hospitality put me in the right frame of mind to tame another Beast; and extra thanks to you, Gunter and Renee, for creating good impressions.
Christelle and Jaco Reed, and Schalk, at Puccini: For giving me the best possible writing environment there is — yet again.
Marc Hofer: For your high resolution and technological genius in extracting the best photos from 2841 starters. (www.journalistpicture.de)
Chris Pate: For expert manuscript rescue beyond the call …
COSTA RICA
Linda Gray:
Viva
for your response to my unexpected Spanish inquisition. (www.ranchotranquilo.biz)
RUSSIA
Marina Smirnova, curator of St Isaac’s Cathedral Museum, St Petersburg.
Angela and Rustig Rstislav, Petrozavodsk.
Alexei Surkov, Pavel Nevzorov and Dmitri Shapovalov, Moscow.
Technical University students met in Kem.
Nadezhda Pestovskaya and the Hotel Dvina, Archangelsk. (www.hoteldvina.ru)
Osmo Kolu, Flait Travel Agency, Murmansk.
Alexey Telegin, Muscovite translator: For casting a critical eye over Chapter 1.
NORWAY
Mayor Marius Nilsen, conqueror of the True North.
Odd Magne Johansen, Tromso: For giving me house space and displaying generosity in a time of personal adversity.
Professor Kolbein Lyng, Faculty of Health Sciences, Molde University College: Good company, good fishing.
Tina and Per (Bonnie and Clyde): If any of my friends ever want a put-up job in Norway, I’ll tell them to go to Hell.
SWEDEN
Captain Cook, Aussie pub and restaurant, Ostersund. (www.captaincook.se)
Hotell Muttern, Uppsala. (www.hotellmuttern.se)
DENMARK
Jun Feng: Thanks for kind permission to reprint your ‘European poem’.
Steen Thomsen: For sharing your home, and the road. Also for introducing a ‘non-cousin’ to both our families.
NETHERLANDS
To Gordon and all the resident felines at Poezenboot, the Cat Boat of Amsterdam. (www.poezenboot.nl)
Muhammad and Savash, service staff at Hollandspoor railway station, The Hague, and strongest porters in the Netherlands: For showing the rest of the nation how to do their job.
Hague Peace Palace tour guide, Natalie Westerkamp. (www.icj-cij.org)
The Stayokay hostel network throughout the country, but in particular my hospitable friends in at the Haarlem, Hague, Apeldoorn and Maastricht hostels.
Jurjen Toepoel, Nationaal Jeugd Orkest summer academy tour manager. (www.njo.nl)
Ken Ueno, composer. (www.kenueno.com)
Bert Smit, Apenheul Primate Park: For taking time out from your duties to explain your function and mission. (www.apenheul.com)
Emilie and Hans Binnerts: May our roads always meet up.
BELGIUM
Brugge Public Library: For letting me have a lend of you. (www.brugge.be/bibliotheek)
Svein Koningen, Australian Viking. (www.koningen.net) Sharon Uyttenhove-Evans, authority on Ypres. (www.quasimodo.be)
My hosts Jean-Luc and Anne at Le Vieux Moulin, family-run guesthouse in Rochefort: For your adaptability and the free lift to Jemelles station. (www.giterochefort.be)
GERMANY
Sonja Pierach, information and assistance officer, Walle Friedhof, Bremen Free State municipal cemetery: For shedding light on my German family.
Birgit Dess: A long-lost cousin salutes your openness.
Herbert Bottger, general manager, Consul Hotel, Bonn. (www.consul-bonn.de)
Sylvie, Gunter and Hans, of Koblenz’ Pfalzer Hof hotel. ([email protected])
Peter Jaeger,
Stars and Stripes
, Darmstadt.
Kaiser Tom and all the crew at Wombat Hostel, Munich. (www.wombats-hostels.com)
Mike Holland and Regina Nickel: Great to catch up with you, Mike; equally great to meet you, Regina, and for welcoming an unruly house guest (me, not him).
Tomasz Nawka of the Sorbian Museum, and the Sorbian Cultural Information Centre, Bautzen. (www.ski.sorben.com)
Stephan Schelhaas, director of tourism, Lutherstadt-Wittenberg: For the lift from the station, the Luther DVD viewing and all the Luther literature. (www.wittenberg.de)
Professor Emeritus Derek F. Abell, European School of Management and Technology, Berlin. (www.esmt.org)
Raffaele Sorrentino, chief concierge, Hotel Adlon, Berlin. (www.hotel-adlon.de)
Walking Berlin tour guide Jason Andrews.
FRANCE
Jean Cedric Menard, deaf cinematographer. ([email protected])
Front desk, Hotel B.S., Avenue Parmentier, 11th
arrondissement
: My bags got better service than I did.
Nunzio: Who runs the best Italian restaurant in the twelfth
arrondissement
and, most probably, in all of Paris (
Trattoria da
Nunzio e Nadia
, 134 bis, Rue de Charenton).
Grazie
.
Vicki-Marie, guide
par excellence
: You brought Sainte-Chapelle alive.
Francis Boussard, manager, Cafe de Flore, St Germain des Pres.
Cyril, hotel manager, Hotel Belle Epoque, 12th
arrondissement.
David and Pauline, proprietors, The Old Farm of Bellerive, Picardy: For your generosity, and rides to the Clearing of the Armistice, Compiegne, Villers-Bretonneux and Amiens.
Christophe Thomas, principal of Victoria School: Australia will never forget you either. ([email protected])
Jacqueline Brunneval, the Hotel-Restaurant France Bourgogne (21 Cours de la Republique), Le Havre: Three cheers for two chairs.
Ed Guerin, D-Day Tours: You shone by comparison with the competition, but then again … what competition?
Yann Scavarda, journalist,
La Renaissance
, Bayeux: A very professional write-up, young gun.
Jean-Francois and Annette at Hotel de Naples, Vichy. ([email protected])
Freres Gilles, Pierre-Marie: Ile St Honorat. (www.abbayedelerins.com)
Manuela and Yves Desjardin, and Helene, Hotel d’Arlatan, Arles. (www.hotel-arlatan.fr)
Claude and Hubert: For treating me to Toulouse’s finest
cassoulet.
Frederic Rodier and Catherine de la Coussaye, pharmacists, Nimes.
Sister Ghislaine de Clerq, Assumption Centre, Lourdes. ([email protected])
Frederic and the crew at Biarritz H.I. hostel. (www.fuaj.org/ai/biarritz/)
MONACO
Rod, Neville and Isabelle Smith. (www.vfsgroup.com)
ANDORRA
La patrona
, Hostal dal Sol (Placa Guillemo, 3).
Ms Roser Jordana, director of Andorran tourism.
Montse Buil and Meri Meritxell at Radio SER.
The curator, Museum of the Miniature. (www.miniaturamuseu.com)
SPAIN
Nerea, at Sidreria Donostiarra: Keep tapping cider in the Casque Country. (www.sidreriadonostiarra.net)
Francisco Fuentes, bagpiper at the Tower of Hercules, A Coruna.
Manuel Santos: You drove me out of Portugal but all is forgiven.
Eugenio Duarte, owner of El Zaguan restaurant, Salamanca.
Angel Hurtado and Soy de Carabanchel, Al Magro, Madrid hostel:
Gracias
for ensuring I didn’t miss the Australian election coverage.
Benigno and Diana Calvo, and Leon Massouf: For sharing Alhambra. Especial thanks, Benigno: For translating de Icaza’s beautiful poem.
German Gamarro, of Algeciras Port Authority: For telling me about the lighthouse — and the dark house. (www.apba.es) Becky and Luli from Casa Caracol house. (www.caracolcasa.com) Marian at Tavira Tower: Thanks for the CD. (www.torretavira.com)
Quadro Flamenco de la Carboneria — Mauro Perego, Anna Japon, Juan Murube and Jordi Flores: For a magical performance.
Paco, true barber of Seville: You really made those scissors sing.
GIBRALTAR
Chief Minister Peter Caruana, and press secretary Francis Cantos: For talking to me.
Governor Sir Richard Fulton: For not talking to me.
PORTUGAL
Maria Teresa, Eduardo and Henrique Almeida: You showed me the smiling face of Portugal with an open-door policy typical of Braga.
David Policarpo, from Pensao Policarpo:
Munto obrigado
. (www.localnet.pt/residencialpolicarpo)
Pedro Souto de Castro, Ana Sofia Varela and Rita Almeida: It was no coincidence that we met, but
Fado
.
Nicholas McNair, Lisbonian, opera composer, Englishman, European: Perfect timing.
Jos Damen, Dutch football fanatic: Go Belem!
Mario Anagua: For seeing me through to the end.
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