If you look closely at this photo, you'll be able to tell that the tiny figure in the back bears a striking resemblance to the person on the glossy bookcover in the front. Yes indeedy, it's the Man himself, the Messiah of armchair travel, the "crumpet of intellectual travelers" (according to one observer at least): Mr. Michael Palin, alive and well & only 5 meters away from me!! Ok, I realise he's 64 years old and not the hippest cat around, but ever since I discovered his series 'Around the World in 80 Days' in the mid-nineties, I've been an enormous fan. His wicked sense of humour (remember Monty Python?), the type of journeys he has taken and the kind way in which he interacts with people from all corners of the world really appeal to me - which is why I own all his books and DVD's and have tried to follow in his footsteps a few times (see Tokyo entry). Imagine then my excitement when I discovered that he'd be coming to Wellington as part of a promotional tour for the recent series 'New Europe'! 
Not only would he appear on several tv and radio shows, but the New Zealand Book Council organised a 2-hour lunch event, complete with buffet, an extended interview and a book signing. Yippee :-)! Despite being broke and living 450 km away, I vowed not to miss this once-in-a lifetime opportunity and combined it with some more job searching in Wellington. I'm glad to report it was all worth the effort because in real life he's just as charming & funny as on screen, and even better, I was one of six people who got to ask him a question :-). I have only a few blurry shots and no signature (couldn't afford to buy the book) to show for this day, but seeing him in person was enough. Hopefully this positive energy can carry me through for a few weeks - the way things are going I'm going to need it (the job at Oxfam didn't happen & other opportunities are hard to come by) ...
Not only would he appear on several tv and radio shows, but the New Zealand Book Council organised a 2-hour lunch event, complete with buffet, an extended interview and a book signing. Yippee :-)! Despite being broke and living 450 km away, I vowed not to miss this once-in-a lifetime opportunity and combined it with some more job searching in Wellington. I'm glad to report it was all worth the effort because in real life he's just as charming & funny as on screen, and even better, I was one of six people who got to ask him a question :-). I have only a few blurry shots and no signature (couldn't afford to buy the book) to show for this day, but seeing him in person was enough. Hopefully this positive energy can carry me through for a few weeks - the way things are going I'm going to need it (the job at Oxfam didn't happen & other opportunities are hard to come by) ...NOTE: I just found out that my lovely friend Kelly is insisting on getting me Michael Palin's book 'New Europe' for Christmas. She's just TOO NICE & GENEROUS!
3 comments:
Welke vraag heb je hem gesteld en wat was zijn antwoord?
Ik vroeg me af of hij op z'n lange reizen (soms een jaar) nooit last heeft van mental travel fatigue (ik had dat in China na 10 dagen!). Hij antwoordde dat hij inderdaad momenten heeft dat hij gewoon naar huis wil, maar dat de mensen die hij onderweg ontmoet hem positieve energie geven & genoeg nieuwsgierigheid om door te gaan. M'n vraag was eigenlijk vooral een excuus om hem heel eventjes voor mezelf te hebben ;-). Mission accomplished!
Hey congratulations ... I adore that man too. Did you catch him on Radio NZ? Kim Hill interviewed him on Saturday morning, I downloaded the interview from the net.
Look here if you missed it http://www.radionz.co.nz/podcasts/saturday.rss and scroll down the page.
What kind of work are you looking for in NZ and where are you? I still have some contacts back home, maybe I could be a little useful. Occasionally 'who you know' is useful.
There's an email me function on my blog 'about me' if you feel like sending an email.
Kindest regards
Di
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