Hungarian Horizons and Carpathian Castles - November 2013
Budapest and the Danube at sunset
Ben and Steve take a break
An early flight to Budapest and Ben, Jo and I arrived at Attila's studio in time for afternoon rehearsal with Djabe. It was good as always to see them all again. Then aboard the Columbus the following night for a warm up gig on the Danube with a fabulous view of Budapest.
Next day across the border into Slovakia we played in Nove Mesto Nad Vahom. the following day we drove through the edge of the Carpathian Mountains, where ruined fortresses cling to rocky crags and mist swirls around the lower forested slopes. Gateway to the realm of vampires, wolves and haunted castles...
And so on to Kosice, an atmospheric Slovakian town of towering turrets and vaulted cellars. The gig here had a dynamic vibe with enthusiastic crowd, and I believe the undead wisely hid away undercover in the forests...
The last show in Miskolc involved the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra. It was a joy to play with a combination of Djabe, Ferenc Kovak's' daughter Sára on flute and string players from the orchestra. We all celebrated into the night afterwards, joined by friend Roger Salem who coined the term zweets for my ring noises on guitar...
The following morning Attila showed us a forested hill just outside Miskolc, where caves nestle in the rock face and a Gothic style hotel stands proud above a lake. Leaving that magical realm, we headed on back to Blighty...
A big thanks to Attila and all the Djabe team, as we'll as the promotors, and orchestra with director Adam Horvath.
We always look forward to returning...
Steve playing with Djabe
Ruined castle in Carpathian Mountains
Steve playing with Attila
Backstage in Kosice, Slovakia
Steve with Ben and Attila near Miskolc, Hungary
