A Kiss From the Past
Just the other day the past reached out and touched me and brought to life a lovely memory. I will tell you all about it forthwith. But first a quick recognition that it has been a long while since I posted anything. What is happening with Pass the Salt?
Well in short it has been in the doldrums. Since Covid really. Not intentionally. We have tried to start up a couple of times but a couple of non-starters later and we are still no further. Hopefully we can get something going soon. A little push and we can get to creating something positive to gather around and warm our hands. This world seems to be teetering precariously and we would love to do our tiny part in tilting it towards the right way.
Pass the Salt is about building community between people using the vehicle of art. And inherent in that is to create something good and put it out there. It’s as simple as that. I would love to incorporate where I live here in La Gomera somehow into this endeavour - to bring fellow artists and musicians here as a place of retreat and inspiration. This island would be perfect for this.
I will share with you a little story that will create a picture for you of a slice of my life here in La Gomera. Also in it is found a little spark of magic or the divine (as I like to think) that happens sometimes in life. These kind of moments are what inspire what we want to do with Pass the Salt. Nothing divine or magical happens unless an effort is made to invite it.
I have started an e-bike business here on the island. I have a small number of bikes that I rent and I also take people on guided tours of the island. If you are unfamiliar with La Gomera take a quick moment to look it up. You also can look at my website if you like - islandtime.es. It’s a picturesque place and an e-bike is a great way to see it. There is hardly a flat spot to be found on this mountainous island so an e-bike helps one to see the beauty and not die from exhaustion.
Just last week I had a German fellow show up in our little town of San Sebastián wanting to take the Majona tour. This is a 55km ride with 1800 meters of climbing. So it’s not a walk in the park even on an e-bike. I love the ride and I was happy to accompany him. We wound our way up into the majesty and emptiness of Majona park. We talk some. We sweat and pant. Teide mountain looms in the distance across the channel. We cross the entirety of the park and pause for a moment before descending the other side to take in the steep sea cliffs poised above the rolling deep blue of the ocean.
My companion is a friendly sort and I tell him as much as we stop at a cafe for a bocadillo and something to slake our thirst - he had a tall beer which I envied mightily but I have strict policy of no alcohol while “working” so I had the Spanish equivalent of a gator-aid. Actually what I tell him is that from my experience the German people are not so deserving of the stereotype that is often applied to them of being cold and unfriendly. For instance I tell him that during the two weeks my brother and I spent hitchhiking around Ireland in 1994 it was mostly Germans who stopped and offered us rides. But more specifically I told him of the generosity of one particular German who blessed us in the year 2009. Unfortunately I don’t even remember his name.
The story goes that my brother Rob and I were headed to play music for a reconciliation program in Croatia. We were both living in Colorado at the time. Rob bought his tickets and sent me his itinerary so I could buy the same flights so we could travel together. I noticed looking at his itinerary that he had an overnight layover in Frankfurt. He hadn’t noticed this and was comically shocked to find out. But what the heck. Why not spend a night in Frankfurt? We will have our guitars with us - why not look up an Irish pub in Frankfurt? They are always game for a bit of music. We emailed a couple of Irish pubs and one answered us and said they would be delighted to have us play. They could give us bit of coin and feed us. Great!!!
So after our time in Croatia we land in Frankfurt and sally out of the airport in search of this pub. A couple of subway rides and we walk through the doors of the pub only to find that they have no idea of who we are or why we are there. It turns out that there are two pubs with the same name - one in Frankfurt and one that involves taking a train. The guy was friendly enough to phone the other place and indeed they were expecting us. Not really wanting to pay for a train ticket out there we decided to do a bit busking in the underground to see if we could make what we needed. Amazingly in no time we had the funds. Not at all stingy the people.
A half hour train ride and we show up in this quaint little hamlet on the outskirts of Frankfurt. I remember the place as beautiful. And to enter the pub you had to walk through a proper gate into an inner court yard. They are happy to receive us. We play our music. The people love it. The pub owners love it. The scene had that special quality that comes from when something out of the ordinary happens. And later, to our great fortune, the lady manager or owner (who I remember as being quite beautiful) asked us if we had anywhere to stay for the night. This was one hitch in our poorly cobbled together plan that we had not addressed and it was already late. We didn’t we told her. Then she tells us that this gentleman who had been sitting the whole night listening to us would like to put us up in the 4 star Mövenpick hotel in town and that he would be happy to drive us there. Stupefied we accepted of course.
This fellow was a medical doctor but he had started a travel agency because he wanted to create more work opportunities for people. So through his connections he got us this fancy room. Not only did he drive us to the hotel but he offered to pick us up and drive us to the airport the next day - which he did. On getting to the airport he bought us lunch and tried, through his connections, to get our tickets changed to first class. (Unfortunately in this attempt he was unsuccessful). It’s the kind of generosity that is prone to make you suspicious. How could anyone be this kind? This generous? What’s his angle? But he just simply was this kind. He asked for nothing. Maybe you can imagine the impression that makes.
So I tell this story in all of its serendipity to my fellow German e-bike rider. He starts to ask me a couple of questions about this town and the pub. I couldn’t remember the name of the town or the name of the pub. But I describe to him the pub as best I could remember - that it was unusual. You had to walk through a gate or under an arch and there was an interior patio. He says “I know this pub. It’s Mac Gowens. It is in Oberusel. This is my home town.” It was like being kissed on the forehead. We laughed and clinked glasses. I looked it up on the internet when I got home and sure enough there it was as I remembered it. And there also is a picture of the lady in front of the bar and yes she was and is beautiful.
We hit the road again. We ground our way up the verdant valley of Hermigua refusing to use anything more than the lowest setting of the battery, we crossed the tunnel and then flew down the other side returning to San Sebastián. Tired and happy with what was a great ride I joined him for a beer and off he went. I was grateful for this guy. I was grateful for this kiss from the past - this reminder of the goodness that is to be found in humanity. But it always does seem to come with a bit of sweat.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Zachary