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 Here is a little about my life

 

I was born in London England in the year of 1932 the month of may. My father and mother were danish. I came to Denmark when I was 5 years old and stayed untill I was 19.

When finished with my education as an Optician the world lay open. I am now 75 and can look back on an interesting time where there were many challenges. I always wanted to travel. It may have been because of my father who had been all over the world told me many interesting stories about his life.

My travels started when a friend of mine and I went to Paris through Germany - Holland - Belgium on a Tandem Bicycle. The trip took 14 days. We soon found out though that when we arrived tired at the different destinations we met the same people we had seen in the morning and they had been there many hours before we arrived. It turned out that they had hitched a ride by car. That was when we decided to send the Tandem back to Denmark and travel like "normal" people did.

From Paris we went through Switzerland to Italy. My ultimate goal was Australia but first I went to Egypt to visit my parents who were there with the Flea Circus. I was offered my first job as an Optician making Glasses for schoolchildren but it never came off as there were some troubles between England and Egypt, and I was repatriated to England because of my british passport.

I stayed in England some months and there I met a girl and we became engaged before I emigrated to Canada. After some months in Canada I sent for my fiance and we got married. That is where my first son Stephen was born. We stayed in Canada about 4 years. My father got sick and died so we went back to Denmark to help my mother with her Flea Circus in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen Denmark. My second son John was born in Denmark.

After Denmark we stayed in England for a while and then emigrated to the USA where I stayed almost 5 years working as an Optician and later traveleling with my Flea Circus. I had learned how to tie up fleas and train"condition"them from my father. They were set to pull small Chariots and Carts - ride a Tricycle - play football - walk a tightrope - juggle a little ball ect. The Show was very successful. We performed at Fairs and Shoppingcenters and TV from Massachusetts to Florida and from New York to California. It was a good way to see the USA. Unfortunately my wife and I got separated and later divorced.

Later I was to meet my lifes companion Gina from Brasil and we had 16 wonderfull years together. We left USA and went to the Canary Islands where we opened a Bar-Restaurant. We sold the Bar after 6 years and went to the mainland Spain. There we opened a Merendero "Roadside Snackbar" north of Malaga where we were robbed by a "Dane"of all people.

We couldn't stay as he was dangerous so we escaped to Portugal driving our 21 years old Ford Taunus where we arrived with no more money than enough to buy a chicken. We found a place on the beach at Faro in the Algarve where we put up our tent.

Sitting in the darkness we counted our money by flashlight. It turned out that we only had enough money to buy a chicken.  We decided to spend the money on a glas of wine instead of a chicken and that turned out to be a good choice. We saw a light by the water and went to have a look. It turned out to be a Restaurant. We went in  and after a while talking about our life we ended up with a job playing the Guitar and Ukulele and singing. That evening we came back to the tent with enough money to buy 3 chickens. Playing and singing was something we learned in Tenerife so that came in handy. We stayed in Portugal about 2 years almost like hippies playing music - picking up clams - caching shrimps - making lamps in copper - translating - making paintings - taking tourists on an excurtion by boat - bartending and catering. It was some of the best years of my life believe it or not. A real challenge.

From Portugal we went to Brasil to visit Ginas family. We stayed 2 years. Gina died there. I miss her but life goes on. I couldn't stay.There were too many memories so I went back to Denmark where I got a job first as a bartender and later as a travel guide taking english tourists around in Denmark by bus. Then I became a guide on the Islands of Gran Canaria and Lanzarote "The Canary Islands" for 2 years. There I met a girl from Sweden. Sweden is now my home. The girl is long forgotten and I live here now and can look back on for me an interesting life.

 

 

Video of the Flea Circus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeDT9pbJZrw

John Torp's Flea Circus

My family's Flea Circus in Tivoli Copenhagen

My Flea Circus in the USA

Loppe Cirkus "In danish"Dansk

My Bar on Tenerife the Canarian Islands

My Paintmachime in Puerto de la Cruz Tenerife

 

 

 

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