Long Story Short

To cut a long story short, I just took a 3 month break from reality and it turned into an adventure of a lifetime.   

As usual, I had no real plan, but the first stop was Potsdam Germany, for some family time with my brother and his girlfriend. 

They live in a funky apartment located in the transformed historical military stables of an ancient King...so their back yard pretty much opens out to the Palace gardens. 

It's an incredible place to wake up to... here's some of the scenery I encountered on my morning run. 



Next stop was Barcelona - this was a dream come true for me.  As soon as I set foot on the streets of this city I felt like I was home.  

As you know I'm a big fan of Art Nouveau - and this city is Art Nouveau heaven!  

Everything about it resonated with me; the architecture,

 the people, 

the cheap wine, 

the beach, 

the late night pizzas and ice-cream, 

the lazy starts to the day and afternoon siestas... I was made for this place.

Even so I decided to take a quick plane trip to Ibiza to visit an old friend of mine, Jose Padilla, the famous sunset DJ aka the Grand Father of chill-out lounge music.

I was only planning to stay a couple of days, but as it turned out Jose was going to be away for most of the summer, so he invited me to stay as long as I wanted, providing I fed his cats and watered his beloved garden.  How could I say no to that! So 2 days, turned into 2 months - it was an incredible summer!

When I tell people I spent 2 months in Ibiza, everyone thinks I spent the summer taking drugs and partying.  But that couldn't be further from the truth.  The island certainly has a reputation for that, but I got to know the real Ibiza and hung out with long-time locals.  

Reality is, I spent a lot of time on my own in the country getting in touch with nature and myself - It was a journey within -   Reading, writing, practicing yoga and meditation, going for walks, playing guitar... 

And when i wanted a break from the the peace and solitude, I would explore the island in Jose's vintage Renault... 

...wandered through the old town, shopped at hippy markets, hung out at the beach and soaked up the incredible sunsets.  

Speaking of which, I had the honour of accompanying Jose at a couple of his gigs, and he was kind enough to give me the sunset slot.  Pretty amazing! 

The island is a very mysterious and magical place.  A lot of Islanders told me, if there are some lessons for you to learn, or some healing that needs to take place, the island will call you to stay for as long as is needed for your soul to evolve - I have to say, I definitely learnt a lot about myself during my stay, so I think what they say is true. 

As soon as I felt ready I returned to Barcelona.  I stayed in a beautiful artists residence and it became my base for a couple of weeks while I explored the city, caught up with some of my favourite friends and got my Gaudi architecture fix.

It was almost time to say goodbye to Spain,  but first I climbed a mountain with these amazing girls.

Followed by a crazy night of dancing...

Then it was back to Germany, to enjoy the last of the European sunshine...

A couple of days in Hamburg and a quick trip to Prague...

And then I was home sweet home...

Wow, what a crazy ride!... Still trying to process it all, and have no idea what my next chapter is going to be.  I'm broke and unemployed...but this trip has reminded me that as soon as you take a risk, life will reward you in ways you could never have imagined... So... I am waiting in anticipation for the next surprise, stay tuned xo