I was up at 9 AM with a plan to leave at 3 PM. Six hours later I was rushing to get in the car some time after 3 PM and I forgot the drinks in the fridge. There was so much to organise after the tour including going to Thornbury to buy that extra suitcase that I’d seen the previous day. It was only a fiver and I needed it for the extra music gear, leads, pedals, D.I. boxes, books, CDs and vinyl. On easyjet we discovered that you can take eight pieces of luggage per person, you have to pay and you have to call them but still, it seemed like a lot. We had eight items in total including four guitars, two violins and four suitcases. Trev and Trish generously took us to Bristol airport in both their cars as not everyone and everything would fit in one and then we were off, next stop Porto.

We managed to fit everything in very precisely weight wise, 23kg in each suitcase and each guitar couldn’t weigh more than 15kg, a 10kg bag inside the plane, plus you are allowed a small personal bag, in my case my laptop. Then there’s your heavy England/Scotland winter weather coats to squeeze into the luggage racks and how are we going to carry those ornamental skulls that sessioneer Noel gave us as an Archive present without damaging them? Well we did it with military precision and when we came to customs despite there being four agents there and us carrying so much, we sailed through without issue and suddenly we were in Porto where we certainly didn’t need those big winter coats anymore. An Uber van took us into the city but not to our new place – it’s not ready.

We have no electricity or water and it won’t be on till the middle of the month. So, we’ve had to check into a hotel nearby. It’s the smallest room and all our bags gave us no space but it’s only temporary and we will be bringing things to The Archive each day anyway. This place is only 700€ a month (which seems cheap for a hotel) and it’s run by a cool Brazilian guy who has renovated what was probably someone’s mansion in the twenties and turned it into an affordable place for what seems to be a bunch of other cool dudes who need affordable accom in central Porto. It’s temporary, it’s fine for now.

We checked in and they helped us with all the luggage up the stairs (three flights) and then we went straight out heading down the hill towards the city and our new place. It was great to be back in the city where we live and we ate at Suribachi, the veggie place in the same street where we are staying, we’ve been there before and it will probably be our go-to dinner place for healthy food, close by and at a reasonable price.

We went to check out the Archive building and the guys in the restaurant opposite invited us in for a drink, welcoming us back to Porto. Since we left, their renovation has been completed and they are open and working. The ladies of the night were huddled in a doorway as it spat with rain. We went back to the hotel and were soon asleep after a very long day.

Music today has been Be-Bop Deluxe – Axe Victim (1974). First, I listened to Abbey Road and then this album and then my iPod died, but the music of Be-Bop Deluxe never does.

Music Of The Daze