Outer Hebrides (Part 3)

September 2008. Barra

As I enjoyed myself on Harris and Lewis earlier, I wanted to go to the other Islands. I have read about Berneray and Barra. When I figured out that you can actually go on Barra by plane from Glasgow International, I thought I could save some time for traveling. Then I found that Barra airport is actually a beach, planes land only at low tide... So I planned my trip and booked a flight.

I'm going to take that plane...

On board

Erskine bridge from the sky

Barra airport from the sky

Landing

Passengers getting off


Alone on the beach...

Be careful!

Plane leaves for Benbecula (Uist)

Barra is a small island, you can walk around easily. I spent the first two nights in a B&B near the sea.

Castlebay is the main village on Barra. Name probably comes from the fact there is a small castle in the bay, clan McNeil's castle.

You can also come to Castlebay with the ferry from Oban (5 hour journey)

And pictures from Sunday's walk, something like 16 miles.

This is actually the airport, no plane on Sundays, it's safe.

Then it started to rain, a proper Scottish rain for eight hours...

Outer Hebrides (Part 2)

May 2008. Lewis

From Tarbert, I took a bus to Stornoway. I talked with a retired Dutch guy at the bunkhouse, he told me to go to the Hebhostel. http://www.hebhostel.co.uk/home.htm and he was right. Place is clean, comfortable and Christine, the young Scottish girl who runs the place, is nice.

Stornoway is the main town of all the Hebrides. Around 6000 people if I remember well.

There is a castle, Lewis castle but you can't actually get inside.

Place to see on Lewis are the stones at Callanish.

Lewis is flat compared to Harris and coastlins are rough, there is no beach like on Harris neither.

I went to the top North of the island, called Butt of Lewis.

The Vikings came from the nordic countries and settled on Lewis. They tried to invade the main land from there after. You can find paintings or statues of them like in Stornoway harbour.

Dr Scott has a chess game in the Museum with pieces like those:

Then I had to go back to the mainland. I crossed the Minch with the Ferry and went to Ullapool. John told me to go at some place to sleep and "Tell Andy, you know John from Largs, he will remember" but Andy is retired know...

Ullapool bay

Outer Hebrides (Part 1)

Due to a request from Miss Cupial...

May 2008. Harris.

Best weather in the UK so far since November 2006!

I went to Isle of Skye but instead of coming back to the main land, I took a ferry to Tarbert on the isle of Harris.

Leaving Skye from Uig

Bye bye Isle of Skye

Harris is a incredible scenery. Desertic hills, long beautiful beaches and small lochs. The beaches were the best. Loooonng. I got sunburns, yes true, in SCOTLAND!

A small loch near Tarbert

I actually never found McMillan's house...

From Tarbert, I took a bus to Leverburgh. I've found a nice place to stay, I didn't sleep there as I was in Tarbert, but this a good location to see the beaches on Harris and you can take the ferry to Berneray from there. http://www.ambothan.com/

Then I started to walk the way back, something like 16 miles.

Chaipaval

Then I walked towards Luskentyre beach...

Maybe grass proves this is really Scotland

I actually never expected to find such a blue sea over there. Most incredible thing was that, despite the weather, I didn't see anybody on the beaches .

Music (Part Three)

The legends...

My legend rock band is The Stooges. Not the first band but the one that made James Osterberg aka Iggy Pop famous at the end of the sixties. They did only three records, then split, Iggy wanted a break, he went to rehab in 1974. Their last gig, Iggy was knocked out by a bottle thrown by someone in the audience. The band was composed by Iggy as lead singer, the Ashton brothers, Scott on Drums and Ron on guitar and Dave Alexander on bass. They reunite the group without Dave (who died in the 70s) in 2003 and tour outside the USA for the first time and did another record. I promised to myself, I would go to every gig in Paris. So I have seen them live five times between 2004 and 2007 in Paris or suburbs. I have just heard that Ron has just died on Tuesday, the 6th... "I am in shock. He was my best friend.“ Iggy Pop.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojti8oEZI7g
Fuckin' bad news...


Other legend in a different style, Herbie Hancock. He played the piano in Jazz bands, including Miles Davis quintet, in the 60s and then went to form his own band, the Headhunters, mixing jazz and funk.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=0hmVHhH96es&feature=related
They played that jazz/funk from the very end of the 60s to the mid 70s.


Then I love the funky guys George Clinton and James Brown and guys who played with both of them, like Maceo Parker.
Clinton had two bands, Funkadelic and Parliament, they played "P-Funk", "P" stands for psychedelic and James Brown had the Soul Power...
Maceo is sax player who played with James then joined Funkadelic and then got his own bands.
Well it's funky music, doesn't need to many comments.
Funkadelic "Cosmic Slop": http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=O4U1Ln_X_zo
James Brown from live in Paris: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=LPyaF7_iUTA&feature=related if you need one record from the godfather of soul, it must be this one, it's called "Live Power Peace", recorded at Olympia in 1971.
Maceo with Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis: http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=nv_UUIvKT-k&feature=related


And last one, still a bit funky but he created his own style with Tony Allen, it's Fela Kuti, from Nigeria. Known as the "Black President", a fighter against corruption and for democracy.
Two of his sons are well known now, Femi and Seun.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=iBgewcFh-cg&feature=related
He had two bands, first one was called Africa 70 and second one Egypt 80. Fela died in 1997.
Youngest son Seun plays with Egypt 80, his style is very much like his father's.