Deutschland war geil. Ich liebe Deutschland.


~Hier kommt die Sonne!~


Some Things Which Were Fun

Cryss laughing for two hours, Angel’s sore face, quaffing mead, finding my death metal voice at the metal disco, staying up all night and some randomers raping Dave with a vibrator, the guy getting, uhh, see-you-next-Tuesday tattoed on his forehead, giant tankards of Franziskaner, crowdsurfing, danger-surfing, “it’s ok, they’re multi-layered”, metal version of Backstreet Boys, sunshine, helicopter overhead -> "Ausgebombt!" (hehe), the two/three aesthetically pleasing young men in nearby tents who shall remain nameless, being a pirate (seriously, they love pirates there), pentagram tan-line \m/ getting into the showers for free (the man obviously approved of my bikini), the giant Ferris wheel thing, the Reeperbahn, Caipirinhas, H und M, cheap cheap CDs, the most metal plane ever, SPIDERSCHWEIN!!!!!

Some Things Which Were Not So Fun

Numerous fallings-out, A LACK OF NORMAL WATER, SERIOUSLY WHAT IS UP WITH ONLY SELLING FIZZY WATER????? Having to share a tent (No offence but I like my privacy), multiple bruises, my toe going numb (which it still is, a week later), heavy rucksacks in the hot sun, multiple nosebleeds.



*THANK YOU IRISH GIRL IN BRA FOR GIVING ME CHANGE FOR THE DAMN TICKET MACHINE!!!*



Here are some bands I saw.

Rose Tattoo - OK, I think, but I don't really remember much of what I saw, but they weren't shit, I can tell you that much

Sodom - I don't really remember much of this except that it was very brutal in the crowd and I kept falling over, due to circumstances I'm sure you're all aware of... Anyway after fighting my way to three rows from the front and sustaining numerous injuries, I decided it wasn't for me and struggled back to the tent, where I passed out and missed Saxon

Suidakra - Much better live than I was expecting after what I'd heard, and with bagpipes!

Napalm Death - Their set was switched and shortened due to a fire in the straw which was all over the festival grounds to prevent us from sinking into the quagmire. Thus I missed most of their set, much to my chagrin. However, they shall be playing in Belshaft next week, I might take a trip.

Therion - Apparently I also saw this band although I had forgotten until I was kindly reminded by Chris there, I think they were the one with two girl singers who looked like they were really enjoying themselves...?

Possessed - Jeff the beast! (their singer) More hardcore than any of us and in a wheelchair! This was really good

Gravedigger - This festival was full of surprises, bands which turn out to be WAY BETTER than I thought, and this was one of them, they were excellent! Second and probably best crowdsurf...

Turbonegro - AHAHAHA this set was so much fun! They had the entire festival singing “All My Friends Are Dead”, this amused me greatly!

Sabbat - Another band I can say I’ve seen, but to be completely honest, although they were good, Turbonegro were more fun

Lacuna Coil - Once I learned to ignore every single male present saying “omg she’s so hot” (of Cristina) this set was very enjoyable, especially since I could sing along at the same pitch =D

Blind Guardian - N3rdy power metal galore, what can I say, they were AMAZING, even if they didn’t play the one song I wanted them to, they still make my top 5 =D

Dimmu Borgir - I had a really shit viewing position for this due to attempting to get a really good position for Iced Earth, but from what I saw, wow. I’d hate to have been in the pits when Shagrath informed everyone that he wanted to “see some violence”…

Iced Earth - They didn’t play any of the songs I thought they would definitely play, like Melancholy, Watching Over Me, Angel’s Holocaust, Travel In Stygian etc, nonetheless

Paris, c’était très magnifique!

Sticking our heads through the safety wire on le Tour Eiffel, Onion Soup, Me and Paddy getting lost (in a bar…*ahem*) and having to get the train ourselves, the nice student who helped us find our way back, Team Le Sexy, Macaroons, Red Light district (Sexodrome lol), Grace fully leaping into the Japanese tour group’s photo (Now really! You’d expect a teacher to be more sensible… maybe not =D), Fée Verte La Madeleine and Notre Dame - best 2 performances EVER, Berets and boat trips, Randomly singing anywhere and everywhere especially in Métro stations and under bridges (as you do) Conversations with random Parisians, Clandestine art photography (see photo album!), Emo Spotting in the museums, and the statue that looked just like Jeremy, Boy Love, Poppy and rose éclairs (made me happy) Space Mountain (made me happy, twice), It’s A Small World (acid trip) Alice In Wonderland caterpillar “They can’t promote drugs in such an open manner!” “Jeremy, why do you think Lewis Carroll actually WROTE the book??” Pirates Of The Caribbean (pirates excite me =D) Busking just off Boulevard St Michel (people stopped to watch!) =D und natürlich die viele scharfe junge Männer!!!

“That’s… enzyme party time! There’s an orgy going on in there!”

Ce n’est PAS magnifique!

The smell of the Métro, GYPSY ARSONISTS and being sans-abri for a night!, not getting to sing in Disney because of said arsonists, getting a cold because of said arsonists, missing Pride, blisters, Jeremy being right-wing and conservative and not accepting our point of view despite having been SCIENTIFICALLY proved wrong, falling and cutting my knee having to leave Paris and come back to crap NI

~*FRENCH NEWS ARTICLE*~

La "galère" pour les passagers

vendredi 29 juin, 5 heures. Un train arrive en gare à la station La Plaine-Stade de France à Saint-Denis où attendent depuis minuit plus de 200 voyageurs du RER B qui ont le sentiment d'avoir été oubliés par la SNCF.

"La SNCF nous a délaissés !" s'énerve Estelle A., 23 ans, qui vient juste de monter dans le train tant attendu, dans l'aube fraîche de la banlieue nord de Paris. La jeune salariée, comme ses compagnons de galère, s'est retrouvée bloquée entre deux gares (la Plaine Saint Denis et La Courneuve) jeudi soir vers 23h30 en raison d'un incendie. Un campement de caravanes de gens du voyage a flambé, sans faire de blessé, obligeant à couper le courant de la ligne B du RER toute proche.

"Vers minuit et demi, on nous a fait descendre sur les voies et nous avons marché entre les rails" jusqu'à la station La Plaine-Stade de France, raconte Estelle, jointe par téléphone. "J'étais stupéfaite, imaginez un train rempli (huit wagons) qui marche sur les voies pendant environ dix minutes pour arriver au quai de gare", s'étonnait encore Joëlle N., 27 ans. Cette jeune femme employée dans l'hôtellerie, qui assure que cette scène surréaliste a été prise en photo, et peut-être même filmée, par des voyageurs.

"Nous étions dans le froid, la salle d'accueil était fermée", affirme Christophe Lugari, un enseignant de Moulins (Allier) venu en stage à Paris et qui tentait de regagner son hôtel en banlieue. Les travailleurs du soir côtoyaient des touristes japonais. Ainsi qu'une chorale composée d'une trentaine de jeunes Irlandais, encadrés par des adultes, qui ont réchauffé l'atmosphère au beau milieu de la nuit en improvisant un concert, selon Christophe Lugari. (that's us lol)

Les témoignages soulignent le défaut d'accueil en gare ainsi que le manque d'information. Des bus ont ainsi été annoncés: ils ne sont jamais arrivés. "Un maître-chien a été humain, il nous a ouvert les toilettes du personnel", note toutefois Joëlle N., qui n'a regagné son domicile du Vert-Galant qu'à 6h00, après une journée en horaire décalé.

Celle-ci a parle de la SNCF com

It's my favourite sport you know.

(yes i am wasting time when i should be writing answers to oral questions, the exam is tomorrow )

How To Surf

To initiate a crowd surf, it's quite a lot like a stage dive in the sense that you have to get on top of the crowd. This is usually done by EITHER asking someone to give you a boost onto the crowd or by putting your hands on the person in front of you and climbing up their back (a bit like a monkey). You then spread your body out like you would after a dive (or death) and then surf to where you want by rolling your body. (nb, the crowd usually sends you where they want randomly, usually towards security )

Where To Surf

Crowd surfing usually occurs at bigger gigs (such as Slayer) and also festivals, and can be a very convient way of transport (to security). You can surf your way quickly closer to the pit (or security). You need a pretty dense mosh so theres no point trying to surf when you're too far away from the pit or you would fall and that's nobody's fault but your own.

When you get there you have to be careful not caught by the security guards who will pull you away from the pit and over the mysterous security bar...

But not if you're a girl. HAHAHA

Cultural Differences

In France and possibly some other continental countries, security are usually quite co-operative about crowdsurfing and if you manage to fight your way to the front, will usually help you up on to the crowd. They are also happy to repeat this process.

In addition to this, French moshers, while a lot more violent than those found at British gigs, will help you up very efficiently should you fall whilst in the pit. They will also help to locate your shoe should you happen to lose it in the fray.