Thanks Wolfgang for this great email below.  I’ve been in Berlin and Hamburg and now driving up to Denmark for the concert which is tonight.

Wolfgang B wrote:

Hi Luke, hope you will remember the 22th of March in Berlin when we met you in Friedrichstraße near “The Blockhouse” restaurant. After a smalltalk you gave me a cd with a lot of songs made by your own.

Great in songwriting and guitar playing. I have a friend who is a guitar teacher in Berlin and a performer and composer too and he was very impressed of your fantastic songwriting. I hope you enjoyed your stay in Berlin.

Such a short moment we had together was worth much more than a stay in a cd shop with uninspired shopping. When you come back to berlin, maybe we will find a location for you to introduce your songs to a greater audience…….. All the best for you.

Wolfgang

Berlin was a buzz but i only saw the bright side there is a dark side of course.  A lot of poverty.  A lot of street people but the drunks seem more polite and orderly than antipodrunks or irish drunks.

I tried playing the street but it wasn’t as great as i thought it would be. The cops were very nice but adamant that.

..it is forbidden……here they are

So it’s not so easy and there are a lot of people on the streets asking for charity. like this lady see “the honest beggar”

Then there are clubs like this one the junction bar where its nice and cosy but small and you get a cut of the door and have to do all promo. Not worth it for the money cause there is none by the time you pay expenses.cd sales? there are none.Ha ha. So its the usual tale of woe.

The only guys coining it are the name acts but it’s probs not easy for them either cause berlin consists of many cities….its not under a forced centralised system ….yet. Thats why it still hosts a profusion of small shops and funky places.

In Alexandra pltz there is a conglomeration of franchises all vying for the visitors dollar. Ghastly atmosphere and a taste of things to come if the mammon heads take over ……èeeeeeeeeeeeek! God forbid! Berliners aren’t wimps they would put up a good fight …thats probs why its not a corporate city. They care about their heritage.

Stayed at a backpacker called heart of gold very warm comfy and inexpensive. Close to everything ya need.

Old and new- side by side

Messing about in boats

Was invited to play a house concert…..see facebook link

Very unlike any i have played.These berliners actually listen closely.They respond. It was recorded so let me know of you wanna copy.

Right now we are heading to Denmark for a concert tonite. Wilfried and Rita are driving me there and they are the reason i am in Germany as their daughter Natasha has a travel mag she runs with her husband michael… They did a story on me a few years ago and by an amazing coincidence i met Natasha’s parents when they were on holiday in Auckland….they invited me to Germany for the launch of Anamea.de Natasha and Michaels new mag….Wilfried and Rita have been together 50 years.

We are taking the same road Wilfried took when he was 17 on his cycle trip to Denmark he is now 66.

Thanks to them we will be in Hjallerup soon. Thanks also to all those who made donations and gave other help so I could make this trip.