Liverpool keeps the dream alive. I went to see The Beatles Exhibition and John Lennon’s Memorial, mingling with Japanese tourists and ageing hippies. If you go to Cavern Walks, you get the feeling you’re in a Beatles theme park. Slightly more interesting is the Hard Days Night Hotel and The Beatles Shop where I bought tshirts and a Dinky Yellow Submarine.
John’s piano.
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‘What exactly do we call these Abu Dhabian, Dubian people?’ asked my friend Gordon brightly one morning. ‘Arabs,’ I replied.
In the spirit of Las Vegas, Arab princes compete with each other to see who can build the tallest tower, importing foreign culture wholesale. In the case of Dubai, the West is best and Stetsons can be seen amongst the dish-dashes and kanduras. The architecture is stunning, hotels monumental. This is where money lives.
It’s difficult leaving an island like Santorini, particularly if you’re returning to the smouldering shops of Manchester. I will never complain about 35°C again. Everything they say about it is true: it’s impossibly beautiful, and seems to get more breath-taking every time you turn a corner. We had a garden apartment with a sea view, like a little Barbary Lane with a sun terrace and jacuzzi on the roof. There were lazy days soaking up the rays and nights were spent in the stylish cave-bars and restaurants which cling to the cliffs, watching the cruise ships and shuttles glowing far beneath us like deep-sea creatures in the dark. You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve woken up on the set of Mama Mia, and the sunsets looked like something out of a movie. I left my heart in San Francisco, but my flip-flops belong to Santorini.
It’s been a few years but here’s a look back at my trip to the grooviest place on Earth. There’s a video to watch and you can click on any of the pictures for full size technicolour.
Officer Lovrin with his arresting good looks…
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This is Prestbury, basking in the June sun.
The second day of summer and finally the sun comes out.
Old England...
Cheshire is very green, perfect for a city boy.
Beautiful flower boxes...
...on one of the most picturesque high streets in Britain.
There were rabbits all over Alderley Edge.
The view from the Edge.
Mrs. Madrigal never had lupins like these!
There are not many places left like this...
The sunlight was strange today, golden... getting inside the lens and playing tricks.
The view from the graveyard.
Like the wild rabbits, the cat wasn't bothered by the camera.
The crypt on a sea of blue flowers.
One last look and then off back to smoky bohemia.
Click on any of these pictures to see them full size.
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© My artwork, photography and music are copyright Mark Wallis 2015
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