Leonard Cohen Walking Weekend, or Isn't It A Long Way Down?

[Diane]

Henning - Paul Robeson was a man of many layers and talents, most notably he was a political activist. He was also a singer and actor. The story of his life is told in the musical we will be seeing. I've heard it's very good.

PAUL ROBESON (1898-1976)


Paul Robeson - a great athlete, actor, singer, and scholar - was a pioneer in promoting political and material support to the liberation movement of South Africa. A courageous fighter against racism and colonialism, he suffered persecution during the "cold war" but stood firm.
The United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid held a special meeting on his 80th birthday to pay tribute to him.
On October 11, 1978, the United Nations bestowed an award on him posthumously in recognition of his great contribution to the international campaign against apartheid.
His centenary was observed in many cities in the United States and in London in April 1998.

More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson
including his interesting connections with South Wales:

Robeson's association with Wales began in 1928 while he was performing in London in the musical Show Boat. There, he met a group of unemployed miners who had taken part in a "hunger march" from South Wales to protest their situation. During the 1930s, Robeson made several visits to Welsh mining areas, including performances in Cardiff, Neath and Aberdare. In 1934, he performed in Caernarfon to benefit the victims of a major disaster at Gresford Colliery, near Wrexham, in which 264 miners were killed. Robeson remains a celebrated figure in Wales. The exhibit Let Paul Robeson Sing! was unveiled in Cardiff in 2001, going on to tour several Welsh towns and cities. A number of Welsh artists have celebrated Robeson's life: the Manic Street Preachers' song "Let Robeson Sing" appears on the album Know Your Enemy. The band also covered "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?"— the spiritual sung by Robeson as part of his 1957 telephone performance to the Miners' Eisteddfod in Porthcawl. The play Paul Robeson Knew My Father by Greg Cullen, set in the Rhondda during the 1950s, features a character with a childhood obsession for Robeson's music and films. Martyn Joseph's song "Proud Valley Boy" on his 2005 album Deep Blue is also based on Robeson's Welsh connections. In 1940, he appeared in The Proud Valley, playing a black laborer who arrives in the Rhondda and wins the hearts of the local people.

Robeson singing Ol Man River:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9WayN7R-s

Link to a cd of his:

http://www.sainwales.com/sain/product.a ... ategoryid=

I'm not sure exactly how long the railway trip takes - I'll have a look later - but it might not be possible to for you to do that too. You can't do everything Henning. Slow down and smell the roses.

Maybe Deirdre will ascend to the top in the train, as you carry her water on foot. Please don't be mean to your brother.

I hope this covers things to your satisfaction.

[tinderella]

Ten miles one day... nine miles another day, and staying up till 4am also? What the hell have i signed up for? Any secret training tips
My dad was a huge Paul Robeson fan by the way.

[Diane]

Tinders what do you think it is, a holiday or something?? Really looking forward to seeing you and your sister again.

In seriousness, re. training - if you are normally fairly inactive, you need to start walking regularly, gradually increasing the distance of some of the walks. Today, with exactly six months to go, is an ideal time to start. If you live near hills or mountains all the better. If you don't, add some other form of aerobic exercise such as cycling, swimming or jogging, do it regularly (twice a week minimum, three times is best) and build it up to peak about a week before we go to Barmouth. You should probably aim to do at least one good four or five hour walk that includes steep hills in the weeks before Barmouth. Or again if you've no hills, improvise - e.g. build to a four hour cycle ride plus a number of sessions walking up a long staircase over and again, or use one of those stepping machines (find a way to use the muscles you'll be using for walking up a mountain). Make sure you train in the boots you will be walking in, to get your feet well used to them, or you will likely suffer blisters in North Wales. Write yourself out a routine that suits, and enjoy!

Btw, a (sort of) LC link to Paul Robeson is that, at the begining of BL, he quotes the line, "(somebody said) lift that bale" from Ray Charles' version of Ol' Man River.

[Henning]

Diane, seriously, what do you ask from our Irish friends. In 500 years of Olympic Games history, Ireland didn't even win a single gold medail. Sports is really not their sports. As you have learned from Leonard, they were born to write poetry. So I suggest that they remain in a Barmouth bar and write some decent lines.

[tinderella]

.....................and Germans have been famous for marching so those mountains will be no problemo to you H .... ah well, maybe i will just take the train and keep the bar seats warm for you all, unless you offer to carry my water too and the band aids for my blisters

[Diane]

Tinderella don't be so defeatist! And anyway, you seem like a person who has plenty enough energy.

Of course, if you like to suffer, then there's no need at all to practice for the hike. You will write better poetry that way. Sorry, during the course of my last post, I momentarily forgot this is a walk for LC fans.

[Paula]

Diane after reading your training regime I am exhausted! I will not be walking

As someone said before on this forum "I don't care what happens to your blisters" I will be taking in the sea air and clutching hold of the train engine.

Paul Robeson singing 'Ol man river is one of the mellowest sounds in the world.

[tinderella]

ah Diane, I will give it a shot!
The last time i walked ten miles together, was for charity and I was only 16 and I could not move my legs the next day ..... so thankfully we have 6 months to prepare, and from the pics you have shown of Snowdonia, I think the view will be worth all the blisters.

[Diane]

Well done, Tinderella, there is now a little w beside your name. It's official.

Paula, whatever floats your boat or pulls your carriage m'dear, but please don't mock our blisters. If you stamp on Henning's blisters, he will sing more sad.

[Diane]

Hi Henning - I see that the return journey to the summit on the train is 2 and a half hours. If we allow 6 hours for our walk up and down, plus your train waiting time, that would be about 9 hours. With travel time on top of that, plus the stop-offs on the way home, we would have to leave Barmouth that morning at about 6am, to have any chance of getting back in time for the choir. I'll leave it up to you to ask the rest of the group of they would like to do this:-)

Alternatively, if you want to dash off into the clouds with Christoph and leave the rest of the walkers, then mabe you can squeeze a part journey in. For example, maybe at the summit you can see if you can descend on the train to Clogwyn, the last stop before the summit, and then get the next train back up again. The train(s) may be full but it's worth a try.

[Steven]

Who lit a thin green candle to make me jealous of all of you going on this great weekend?
My jealousy is only exceded by the vicarious happiness I've got knowing you'll have
a great time. But, you won't have the extreme pleasure of my company; life
is not perfect. Breathe some of that fresh mountain air for me and enjoy!

[lizzytysh]

You're doing an incredible job of organizing this, Diane and Tim. The eyes are charmed to the point of love with Portmeirion. Walking or not walking, this will be an amazing time for all of you. Quite an ascent . Can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to launch into that training regimen . Makes me wish I'd never injured my knee... but couldn't even make it up the steps/hill on Hydra to my [informal] B&B without sympathetic-injury. For some of you, practicing extended sitting and elbow bending may be in order. I can only imagine how much and in how many ways everyone will enjoy it . Beaucoup bonding... enjoy !! Millions of memories .


~ Lizzy

[efc]

A link to BBC iPlayer for a programme called "Railway Walks":

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00dwflf/
Railway_Walks_Discovering_Snowdonia/

It covers a walk from Dolgellau to Barmouth along a disused (most of the way) railway line. Good scenic and informative stuff, and the programme is available until 23rd March.

[Pete]

I've just watched this... beautiful views, especially the aerial shots.
We went on holiday here in 2007....and caught the train from Barmouth to Harlech.
The views from the train would have been stunning if it wasn't for the fact that the windows were filthy and the train was packed

Looking forward to September already.

Pete

[liverpoolken]

There can't be too many Paul Robeson shows doing the rounds so I'm presuming that this production is more than likely to the one that will be on during the Barmouth Festival.

I picked up this flyer a few days ago but unfortunately it clashed with the LIPA Buddy Holly evening that I attended last night.

I think I would have to get very drunk or similarly disoriented before I could attend the planned Queen Tribute show during the Barmouth weekend but put me down for the Robeson show, and just maybe the ladies choir night.