SIDEBAR: COUCHSURFING.org is a site that I registered on before this trip. It is a network of households and individuals willing to share their space with you simply because they enjoy meeting new people and travel themselves and would like the favor returned. It is a very well organized and convenient system.
I wanted to try it out this time because having never been to some of the areas we were visiting and knowing we'd be breezing through, the idea of staying with a local had great appeal from the standpoint of getting "local knowledge" from our host and the fact that it's free helped with our budget.
Randy was skeptical about this arrangement at first because he works with inmates and doesn't trust strangers quite as easily as I do. He rightly worried that it could be awkward, but this was a risk I was willing to take. Thankfully, he was too.
FIRST HOST: Neil , 40, musician and teacher.
TOWN: Cirencester, England
REASONS FOR THIS CHOICE: The prospect of doing an open mic with Neil sounded fun and Cirencester wasn't too far out of the way of our travel route.
Our host Neil was waiting for us and had made us a delicious Sunday roast--chicken and potatoes, carrots, and turnips, followed by a walking tour of Cirencester. Unfortunately, neither of us thought to bring the camera.
Cirencester turned out to be quite an interesting town with a beautiful church dating back to the 1100's in the center of town.
It is also the seat of the Earl of Bathhurst, whose impressive house is on the edge of town with land that is so vast you could walk 5 miles through the park path open to the public and still be on his land. We learned that this earl's estate also boasts the world's tallest yew hedge. It sounds weird and not so interesting but I found it fascinating because it's way taller than you could imagine!
Neil's friend helps to trim it, and apparently, this stuff is being used in the fight against cancer.Late afternoon found us napping, goofing around on Neil's guitars, and just shooting the breeze. We found out that Neil is a science teacher who, in addition to be in two bands, has aspirations to build his own home that would be part of a community of sustainable green-built homes with shared facilities for laundry, etc. in a central building. What a cool idea.
We talked music too, and once the name Neil Finn was mentioned, we were on common ground. We are both big fans and would conside NF a songwriting hero of ours. After our nap, we found Neil cooking again. After realizing that the lentils he had prepared might have some poisonous qualities, he shifted to a pasta dish and we had another great meal before heading to the pub for some music.
Walking through Cirencester on a Sunday night at 9:30pm is like walking through a Hollywood movie set. There was no one on the streets. It was beautiful and completely silent except for the three of us trudging with two guitars to the Nelson Inn. Once again we forgot the camera!
When we arrived, only Neil's friend Kevin (one of the trio called the Tourettes that Neil plays in--they do covers of songs you know by bands like Squeeze and Foo Fighters, but on mandolin, guitar, bouzouki, with three-part harmony) was there.
By about 10:30pm, the small pub was full and we took turns doing songs until about 2:00am. We were given a warm welcome by the owners who bought us a couple drinks, and an unforgettable cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" by John and his mandolin.
Neil left for work before we were awake the next day so we did the dishes, and left the door unlocked according to his instructions, and after running a few errands around town, we set off for Cornwall. Neil was such an excellent host and we hope he will make it to our guest room in Denver sometime.
