Η Επιστροφή- The Return (2011) – Part 6 - Top 40

So  . . . the trip is almost at an end. . .

My ride today was great for the first 400kms and awful for the last 175kms. I was so terrified I thought I was a goner for sure. Very strong winds which blew me right across the road and at one point when overtaking a truck, blew me straight into the side of the it. I was fortunate to get away with it and my whole body spent two hours of being tensed up while my mind was lost somewhere in the land of fear.

But I made it, chilled out, showered, emailed and relaxed. . .

I've just had dinner which was good - indeed very good - but not enjoyable for some reason . . . I think mainly due to the snooty French waiters.

When looking at the menu I told the Maitre D that I didn't like French cheese . . . I think if I'd said I was planning on killing his children he would have been less disgusted and horrified . . .

Indeed later in the meal, another waiter came over to my table to verify the fact that I didn't want the cheese course and asked "You do not like cheese???" as though asking "You do not believe in God???"...

I did however discover an amazing new dessert wine to add to my portfolio of favourites:

Domaine Cauhape
Jurancon
2008
Symphonie De Novembre

The smell of the wine intrigued me - a bizarre, unique and unnervingly compelling mixture of rotting gooseberries and a piece of pickled cabbage married to freshly picked incredibly juicy and fragrant strawberries swimming in honey  . . . Now I know why wine tasters say daft things like that . . . because it is the only way of conveying a sense of the flavour.

Very nice.

But I'm not going to write about the meal, the people in the restaurant or the waiting staff . . . it would be tedious in the extreme and I have written enough about food this trip.

It was great food, amazing wine and an overall disappointing experience based mainly on my mood and mindset coupled with French gastro-snobbery . . .

Beaune remains the best meal of this trip and well deserving of its "Top Ten Greatest Meals of All Time" position.

Instead of writing about the food I ate, I am going to share my Top 40 from the massive playlist I put together for this trip.

Picking only 40 from the playlist of 260 favourite tracks is difficult, but I have done it quickly and based on gut. I will kick myself tomorrow no doubt!

The Top 40 (in no particular order!) :

1. Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd
2. Not The Drinking – Lauren Pritchard
3. Consolers of the Lonely – The Raconteurs
4. You Don’t Understand Me – The Raconteurs
5. Heart of Saturday Night – Tom Waits
6. 29 Dollars – Tom Waits
7. Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis – Tom Waits
8. Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
9. Rude Boy – Rihanna
10. Set Fire To The Rain – Adele
11. Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
12. Like A Hurricane – Neil Young
13. Moonage Daydream – David Bowie
14. Right in Time – Lucinda Williams
15. Shake, Shake, Mama – Mance Lipscombe
16. Statesboro Blues – Taj Mahal
17. Waiting Around To Die – Townes Van Zandt
18. It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) – Bob Dylan
19. If You See Her, Say Hello – Bob Dylan
20. Sara – Bob Dylan
21. Thank You – Led Zeppelin
22. The Everlasting – Manic Street Preachers
23. Get Over You – The Undertones
24. Lust For Life – Iggy Pop
25. Things You Don’t Have To Do – Peter Malick Group
26. Tweeter & The Monkey Man – The Travelling Wilburys
27. Talk – Coldplay
28. Rewind – Paolo Nuttini
29. You On My Mind In My Sleep – Richard Ashcroft
30. Side – Travis
31. Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
32. Catching the Butterly – The Verve
33. Know How – Young MC
34. Konichiwa Bitches – Robyn
35. Dead Flowers – The Rolling Stones
36. Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
37. Shine A Light – The Rolling Stones
38. Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones
39. Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
40. I’m A Ram – Rev. Al Green

 I could write a commentary to every song, or provide a YouTube link - but I won't.

If you're curious, send me an email, if you don't know the song, put it into YouTube search.

What I will say is that these songs - at one point or another on my trip - made me stop breathing, sing out loud at the top of my lungs, consider my existence, weep with joy or simply lose the power of logic for a moment.

Music does that and without these songs  - and many others - this trip and all that I have done, written, thought, dreamed or hoped, would not have been the same.

Music - the soundtrack to our souls. Simple.