Van Morrison wrote this song* about his Danish girlfriend Ulla Munch. She lived on the fourth floor of an apartment in the Vanlose district of Copenhagen. They lived together here from 1980 to 1983. The song itself was released in January 1982. Vanlose is on of the 10 districts of Copenhagen and also was home …
Category Archives: Europe
Then it’s the feeling like you’re also glad you came
We have a really tenuous link between our video and today’s destination. First enjoy the video and then we’ll explain the link. The title of today’s post is taken from the second line of the song. Many of you will be aware that Canadian born Nelly Furtado is of Portuguese ancestry and has from time …
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Last Train to London
Last Train to London was released by ELO in 1979. One of the lines in the lyrics goes “The sun is going down”. When discussing London as a travel destintion its so difficult to know where to start. However going back to 1979 I remember going on a walk round the centre of London in …
There is no other place like Split
Nima Splita do Splita (There is no other place like Split) is the title of a song by the Croatian singer Tereza Kesovija. The lyrics talk about the beauty of the town and how it’s the most beautiful place in the world, if fact the lyrics specifically mention that Split is more beautiful than Athens! …
Autumn In Rome
“Autumn in Rome. My heart remembers fountains where children played” so sang Patti Page in the film with the same title. The film is generally forgotten by the song itself became famous over the years, being sung by stars such as Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett. The Autumn is a good time to visit many …
Te Dejo Madrid
“I am leaving Madrid” sings the Columbian Singer Shakira. The video below has a bullfighting theme to it. The Spanish “El Juli” sued Shakira for $5 million for using scenes of one of his performances without his permission. As a visitor to Spain, it is sometimes difficult to understand how even in modern times, that …
Cavalcata Sarda
Cavalcata Sarda, the festival of beauty is held in the Sardinia city of Sassari, on the second last Sunday in May. Communities from all over the island come together and demonstrate their talents and skills. Sassari is the second largest city on the island of Sardinia and has its origins in the 12th century. In …
In Amsterdam’s Port, there are Sailors ….
The title for this post comes from the English translation of the first line of each verse of Jacques Brel’s “Amsterdam” that was released in 1964 in French. When the song was written it was supposed to be based on the port of Antwerp, but “Dans le port D’Anvers” did not fit the meter. We …
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From Bruges to Gent
In his 1961 hit song “Marieke”, the Belgian singer, Jacques Brel sings about a Flemish girl, Marieke, whom he once loved and lived “between the towers of Bruges and Gent. It is the only song where he sings both in his native French language and in Flemish. Towers played an important part in medieval life. …
Chariots of Fire
This edition we will be visiting the birthplace of the Greek composer Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, otherwise known as Vangellis. He is probably best known in the UK as the composer of the soundtrack for the film “Chariots of Fire”. The 1981 film is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 …