Name: Wayne Flask
Age: 29
Occupation: DJ, writer, music critic
My best holiday ever…
Anyone asking me for advice on travel is in for a rough time
Must be Croatia, this summer. We toured what is essentially a small part of the Dalmatian coast, from Split to Dubrovnik and then back up north to Hvar. Twelve days of sun, rocky beaches, islands and absolute peace. I even ate fish, which is quite an event in itself. I’d go back anytime.
I would never return to…
Brussels, definitely. I can clearly picture the scene: sitting on a bench under a grey sky at 5 p.m., watching a traffic jam of grey Audis, Beemers and Mercs, lights in grey skyscrapers going off one by one, a grey-haired man sitting next to me, as I turn my sights to the grey pavement beneath… Marsascala is Disneyland bycomparison.
The most dangerous place I’ve visited…
The harbour area in Split can get a bit shady, but to be honest I quite enjoyed watching plainclothes police at work while we waited for the ferry.
The moshpit during the Hives’ set at Rock Werchter in 2008 was an ideal place to lose a limb, or maybe two. We got into a friendly tangle with a group of Spaniards, who all wore boots and looked like they were fairly seasoned in the art of the high kick.
My favourite city…
Tough one. I would say Amsterdam for everything it offers, and I’m a bit of a history geek so Dubrovnik is high up the ranking. I stayed in the Old Town and the city walks were, unusually, a highlight for me. When the sun shines nothing beats the atmosphere that envelopes the city.
I am particularly attracted to London, it’s like an endless playground. Some friends of mine who live there will probably scoff at this, in between mouthfuls of toast and Marmite.
My most memorable experience on an aircraft…
A Japanese kid in a Dynamo Dresden football kit (wonder where he found that) took his shoes off rather unapologetically on a flight between Hamburg and Frankfurt. He just popped his earphones on and fell asleep. The stink could have kept me awake for days on end. Thank God it was a short flight.
My most treasured holiday souvenir…
I mostly buy T-shirts when I’m abroad; I’m a reluctant victim to those tacky tourist shops. I have a chiming windmill I bought from Amsterdam and a pair of horrific orange bedroom slippers that still scare the life out of my cats. And an Arsenal kit with my surname printed on it, but right now I’d rather keep it hidden.
My biggest gaffe abroad…
Who, me? Gaffes…?
I can tell you about my sorry kayaking experience in Dubrovnik, in very bad weather. On the way down to Lokrum Island all went well, except for the instructor (an ex-soldier called Dragan) who kept barking orders but politely adding “Meester” before each missive.
On the way back we got caught out by severe exhaustion, lack of training, psychological attrition and petulance, and arrived around 10 minutes after the rest of the group; not before crashing spectacularly into a rock formation that had ‘avoid’ written all over it and was honestly impossible to drift into.
The friendliest people…
Liam Gallagher pounced from the stage right in front of us. I thought he was going to hit me but he high-fived and walked off
Ante and his mother in Dubrovnik. Very nice people indeed. In general we found people in Croatia to be very nice.
I never travel without...
A raincoat; I mean, a decent one. Lesson learnt in Werchter 2008. Mika was prancing onstage bare-chested like the nuisance he is, and we were getting soaked by the largest cloud covering central Europe.
I spent up to €80 on official merchandise from a nearby stall, changed in the very fresh air of the restrooms on festival grounds, and trudged back to my tent expecting to find a muddy mess. But it was alright.
The taxi ride I will never forget…
I don’t usually take taxis. It’s perversely enjoyable to drive around Sicily, especially the trip to San Vito lo Capo. To this day I’m half sorry I couldn’t enjoy the scenery completely as I was trying my best not to drive off the cliffs.
We somehow survived a coach driver who floored it between Dubrovnik and Split, cutting what is usually a five-hour and three-stop trip to a ‘mere’ four-hour, one-stop trip.
My all-time favourite holiday photo...
The view from the city walls of Dubrovnik. Sunshine, history and sea are all I need for a good holiday.
An unforgettable hotel...
We stayed in an agriturismo in Sicily, in a small town called Buseto Palizzolo. There is nothing much to see around town, and I suspected most villagers went about their business at night wielding an axe.
The agriturismo itself was immaculate though; the smell of breakfast divine, the beds comfortable, and the cat overly friendly.
I return most often to...
I think I’ve visited London four times now. There will be a fifth.
My ideal travel companion...
My girlfriend, naturally. And a good book, I hate travelling for long hours. Thanks to technology, on one journey we even had the luxury of watching Upside Down, a documentary about Alan McGee and Creation Records. Time whizzed by and we had a good laugh too.
Country with the best cuisine...
Croatia, hands down. I became addicted to their prsut (ham) and was actually plotting to bring a few kilos down to Malta but the smell in the luggage would have probably sent Croatian Airlines’ instrumentation berserk.
My next holiday plans…
I am planning to go watch the Stone Roses in Portugal; if not there they’ll be pretty much all over Europe next summer. As long as it’s sunny and relaxed, I’m up for it.
My dream trip…
Trinidad and Tobago to Florida Keys, via Barbados, St Vincent, St Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas and Nassau: a good two years in the Caribbean. I’ll need to buy a straw hat and a decent pair of Bermuda shorts. OK, back to work now.
I partied hardest in…
I’m not the party type, not in the traditional sense at least. But festivals always provide great moments.
I was in the front row for one of Oasis’ last gigs in 2009. Liam Gallagher pounced from the stage right in front of us at the end of the gig. It happened so fast that it was almost comical: a pair of angry eyes peering at me from underneath a single brow thicker than a paintbrush. I thought he was going to hit me or something. He high-fived and walked off.
The atmosphere at festivals is unique. Two consecutive years of Werchter amount to quite a few unforgettable moments: The Hives, Gossip, Digitalism, The Raconteurs, Kaiser Chiefs and, especially, Sigur Ros and Radiohead in 2008; in 2009 it was Nick Cave, Nine Inch Nails, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Elbow, even Metallica on the cuspof pensionable age wereentertaining.
Not to mention camping, travelling and everything that comes with it.
My travel tip…
Anyone asking me for advice on travel is in for a rough time.