Paul McCartney and Wings

Classic performance of "Jet" 1973

Music I find is so closely associated with place and time. The places and time I associate with Wings is 1973, a trip with seven other friends in a van, camping, all the way to Italy. That was when you had to have an envelope for the currency of every different country you drove though, we weren't into credit cards then.

We played that tape over and over, all the way through, France, Switzerland, Italy and back through Germany. Camping by Lake Maggiore, visiting the hill towns in Tuscany, and spending a week in the area of Castiglione della Pascae, I think that's how you spell it.

Crossing all those borders. One of our friends, Pierre, was Italian, although brought up in England and he was travelling on an Italian passport, all the rest of us had British passports, as soon as customs saw his passport I guess they thought we might be smuggling something, everything had to be unpacked off the roof rack, two tents and all the camping gear for eight. Plus every suitcase.

It seems Pierre packed English chocolate for his sister in Milan, and it was very hot and the customs inspector came out with a chocolate covered hand, I'm sure he'd had worse.

Great memories.

Christy