Thursday, October 16, 2008

Utrecht - Day 9

October 16, 2008
Day 9 - Utrecht, Nederland
Venue: Tivoli


Martha and Brad try out their new (used) bicycle in Utrecht.


Lily and Sylvan found some very groovy old bikes and we bought two for the road. They're old Dutch style bikes made by Gazelle. The new ones are all made in China, apparently, except if you want to spend a thousand euros. The bikes have back brakes, just a single gear, and they are a joy to ride. I realize I am always purchasing things for a lifestyle I wish I had rather than really have. Lily got me a basket for the bike--she knows me well--forget the fact that I am on the road and won't be seeing a kitchen or supermarket for the next three months. I guess Lily and Sylvan will have to take them back when they leave in about two weeks. Can't take them to Australia, and they won't be much use crossing Canada on a bus in December.

Things are going well. Finally starting to sing properly. Oslo was good, and it was nice to see some old Norwegian friends, but Copenhagen was really great, I thought. The Vega is a wonderful venue and the day was nice. I did a little video-shoot for a Danish online magazine and then a photo-shoot with a big Danish photographer for an exhibit. He told me he had photographed Rufus and it was nice to chat to him about how much of a joy it is working with Rufus. I miss Rufus and Kate and realize how lucky I am to have Brad out on the road, as well as Lily and Sylvan for now.

In Copenhagen we met all of Sylvan and Lily's family from both sides. They are very nice and the resemblances are truly there. They are aunts and cousins of Dane Lanken, Lily and Sylvan's dad, and it made me think of my growing love for Brad's family and the amazing thing that happens when you have children and a family tree grows.

Off to dinner now in this great town. We love Utrecht.

- martha

11 comments:

Anna Liv Jonsson said...

Brilliant.

bart said...

Almost as brilliant as the performance on stage! Despite the not very well-behaved crowd...

If you paid 110 euros for that bike you got ripped off though :-)

Maarten Das said...

Cool show last night. I esp. liked Hearts Club Band and So Many Friends - the new songs are really beautiful. Loved your smile during You Cheated Me. Nice to see a real band onstage, instead of musicians-accompanying-the-singer. Though when you were alone on that stage you still filled the room with your great voice and courage. Be safe everyone and enjoy the rest of the tour.

Lys said...

I loved your show last night Martha!!It was excellent! My favorite is Dis, Quand tu reviendras tu, and I was so happy when you sang that one :-)
I had a feeling you wanted to stay a wee bit longer but had to rush of because the venue had to turn into a bar again for the evening, I know I could have stayed forever listening to you and the band!
You are one super lady!
Hope you like the polkadots :-)

snowsheep said...

Loved the show last night, and I think it's brilliant that you tried the bike... I've lived here for 8 years and I still frequently cause injury to myself and others! But being British, I'm probably just used to biking on the other side of the road ^^ Thank you, Martha, for making me so happy last night - and thank you for taking a pic with me :) Come back soon for another show, please!!

Lys said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rosesarenotred said...

Great show last night, Martha!

I don't remember me thanking you for the show afterwards (I'm such a nervous coward), but THANKS A BUNCH. It was great, nice seeing you playing some older songs.

Rose

Maarten Das said...

What, are you still in my hometown? Come over!! :)

analiese said...

How sad I am to discover that you will not be in my area (Chicago) for quite a long time. I suppose that I'll have to make do with albums and Youtube until then. :D

Good luck as you continue the tour!

Analiese

Erika and Sarah said...

Hi Martha!

It was so nice to go to your concerts in Utrecht and Leuven! We had such a great time!
Sorry that we left before the encore in Leuven on Friday, we had to catch a train.
We have this week off, so on Wednesday we're flying to Edinburgh. We're very excited to see the city and your concert there of course!
See you there

Love
Erika and Sarah from the front row

PS: Be careful on your bike! ;-)

flipzoso said...

Not sure if you've seen this, but when you mentioned "singing properly" this came to mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJFhdPcgyBw

Stunning vocal performance!