Road Trip: Soundtrack

[image by CubaGallery]

Last weekend we did a bit of a school holiday road trip: caught the train to Busan for breakfast with a tiger and a walk through the fish market; drove to Goseong and Namhae for some dinosaur footprint action, and then headed to Muju and Daedunsan for some spectacular mountain scenery (more about all of that coming your way very soon...).  It was a good road trip, and critical to any good road trip is a good soundtrack - partly because music lessens the monotony of long drives, and partly because I love the way songs become so entwined with memories.

Our car is evenly split between those who prefer audio books and those who prefer something they can sing along to (in one case, sing along perfectly well; in the other (ie. me) sing along sounding like a tone deaf drowning rat.).  And unfortunately those who prefer audio books are the, um, let's say 'more assertive' of the car occupants (plus, one was the driver and the driver always gets the veto vote, don't they?).  So our road trip sound track largely consisted of Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island and David Attenborough's Zoo Quest for a Dragon.  

As much as I adore the dry wit of Bill Bryson I must admit I am a little over hearing his voice, after awhile it all just seems a bit too clever and jolly...but David Attenborough...well, I could listen to his gently reassuring, knowledgeably dulcet tones for ever and a day.  If you're looking for some family friendly car listening I'd definitely recommend this one (especially if you've got kids who are mildly obsessed with natural history like my two step-sons are) - an interesting behind the scenes account of an expedition, peppered with amusing tales and intriguing facts.

And when we weren't listening to audiobooks?  Well, two songs did get a look in.  The husband's choice was Andrea Boccelli's Con te Partiro - not something I'd normally listen to, but it is a beautiful song and brings back happy memories of road trips in Italy, and made the beautiful spring countryside we were driving through (rolling hills, blossoms, new growth, rivers - you get the idea) seem even more beautiful.  

My choice was Adele's Rolling in the Deep which my sister introduced me to when she was here (I am so far out of the new music loop, I live in a veritable fresh tunes wasteland) and which I am currently a teeny bit obsessed with.  If I don't listen to it at least once a day I have a minor breakdown.  I know this obsession will eventually pass, but I like the thought that in the distant future if I do hear this track again I'll remember pink blossoms and Korea.  Anyway, despite an initial degree of wariness from the somewhat risk averse back seat, by day four the whole car was humming along.  Hurrah!