Red Hill Mining Town

Roussillon, Vaucluse, France.

September 2011.

The village of Roussillon is famous for the rich deposits of ochre found in the clay nearby. Nowadays, mining is prohibited and tourism has replaced the ochre industry. 

One of the friends who joined me on the road trip around the south of France, Freddy, came over to Hamburg for a visit during the holidays. Of course, we talked about the trip, and I couldn't help but look through my archive again. I had a hell of a time down there. We all did. But I really needed a break from the monotony of what my life was like at that point just before we embarked on our journey.

Now, I'm really happy with my life and I don't need to go on a trip. However, I do want to go on a trip this coming summer.


Spain and Sweden are possible destinations. I thought about going on a road trip around England - visiting some of my favourite places over there - but as much as I enjoyed my stay in London last summer, I also realised that it's no longer my home. I'm not planning on moving back. I don't think I'll stay in Hamburg for many years to come, but I'll never go back to London. Places change, and so do people. I had only been gone for three years, yet so much had changed already. Restaurants and shops I used to know were gone and replaced by others. Friends have moved away, to Dublin and Newcastle, Oxford and Southampton, to France and Italy, even as far away as Australia and China. It just wouldn't be the same thing. London - and England - have always been a part of me. They played their part in making me what I am. Now, three and a half years after moving away, however, they seem more like a memory to me... and memories fade away, like rain, like sunsets, like tears. 

Anyway, why did I pick those two countries as possible destinations for a trip? There's lots of amazing architecture, beautiful landscapes and delicious food down in Spain - Barcelona, Bilbao, and San Sebastian are must-see cities.  
Up north in Sweden, there's beautiful girls, beautiful girls, and... beautiful girls. There's also beautiful landscapes, beautiful old towns and beautiful stave churches. I'm also interested in Scandinavian history. Last but not least, I attended a Swedish language course last year after the Hebrew class I had previously attended began to get too boring... and now I can't wait to use some of my language skills.

I haven't forgotten that I'm studying archaeology, so one blog post this month will focus on that topic - I want to show you a picture of something I found at the excavation site I worked at last summer, and I would also like to share some links to articles and photographs.

Apart from the memories, the other reason why I decided to upload an old picture despite the fact that I had yesterday off is the lousy weather in Hamburg... there wouldn't have been any point in leaving the house; it rained too much to take pictures.

Blog post title taken from the song of the same name by U2.

Have a nice day.

- Dom