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I was longing to get on the road again, and so within a month I had left my job, my girlfriend, my house, my friends and family, and exchanged it for an organic Wwoof farm in the valleys of central Switzerland.

European Tales: Switzerland 2001, a lengthy tale

Joseph Tame
2006-06-30 17:46:43

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pass, and so they did. Unfortunately they were replaced with a rather depressing air of boredom, the team here lacked the spark of the previous season. No one in particular was to blame; it was just the way it turned out. We did however make a smash-hit record, and we did venture down the mountain quite a bit, Wengen (our local village) being the destination. There we'd spend copious amounts of money in the familiar bars and the atrocious clubs (with their "Special DJs"), before trying to find somewhere to spend the night for free. Our French contact didn't know what had hit her as we piled into her one room apartment, breaking her bed with the weight of all the beer we'd consumed. In the morning we'd have to be up at a ridiculous hour to catch a train back to our hotel for the start of work, which would pass painfully slowly as we longed to crash out.

Fortunately, in February 2001 I broke my collarbone in a skiing accident. On Doctor's orders I was granted almost two months paid leave. Rather than return to rainy old England where foot & mouth was soon to take a grip, I opted to buy an Interail ticket - valid in about thirty European countries for the period of one month. With that I went on a little adventure visiting friends and family in France, England, Germany and Italy, passing through Belgium, Austria, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria. I even got as far as Istanbul - a place unlike any other I've visited so far.

In March it was back to work. Since then I have been busy building my website and reflecting upon the changes in my life that have occurred over the past year. It's been quite remarkable really. I feel so much happier and healthier now I am living every day for the day, and doing exactly as I wish. I'm not a waiter, I just pretend. Really, I'm an ordinary person living as close to my beliefs and ideals as possible. It seems to be working though - I have a smile upon my face and so do those around me.

Oh, by the way, I'm leaving here on September 14th 2001 and I probably won't be returning. My reason is that I feel I will have learned as much as I can from this place by then. Mind you, that's what I said last time...

Joseph Tame

June 2001