When in Rome...

So we got the bus from Barcelona to Madrid which was an 8 hour journey but it wasnt all bad, kind of good to chill out and sleep on and off listening to some tunes. I just wish I could read but I start to feel ill when I read on the bus, plane, train etc. I was stuck next to a dude with really furry arms which kept rubbing against me which sucked and a big biker dude in front of me that smelt bad. But we rotated and Laura had that shift for the tail end of the journey.

We went out for a meal in Madrid and a bit of a wander, not really much of an opportunity to see too much of Madrid but from what I did see I liked Barcelona better but like I said I dont have much to go by. We were up super early the next day to get our 7 30 am flight to Rome. Flight was fine, fairly short and we all snoozed. Arrived and got a shuttle bus straight to our hostel Happy Days which was really convenient. The hostel is good except for a few annoying things. Firstly the dude at reception is really good looking which is always a bonus, he looks a bit like Jim Morisson so we have been calling him Jimmy and he has a really sexy Birmingham accent. You dont get keys to the place though, you have to buzz the door to be let in and the rooms are locked from 11 till 4 which is really annoying and is something they neglected to mention on the website. There are some nice people staying here though and it is fairly clean and is in a really good location too.

We have had a fair few good meals since we have been here with really friendly service. The best one being the night we went out for dinner when we arrived we went to a classy restaurant with seperate drinks and food waiters, ooo fancy. I tried the first red wine I have actually thought tasted nice and had kick ass home made pasta and a calzone. We had a pretty funny evening, wandered to a pub after where we were recieving far too much male attention to the point where all the staff were asking where we were staying and we thought we were part of some massive kidnap and rape plot that the whole restaurant was in on. We were given free beer and were joking it may have had drugs in it ha ha but it was all in our head, we were fine. We went to see the Trevi Fountain at night which was great, you can just drink in the streets of Europe so we were buying travellers from the venders on the side of the road and roaming Rome drinking ha ha.

We defiled a few Roman statues and monuments and thought the security guard was coming to tell us off but when we asked if it was ok he said it was fine and then we got a photo with him ha ha. We ended up getting lost with no map and wandered for a good hour and a half trying to find our hostel. We finally used the river and the Vatican as a way to find our way back. We went to the Colosseum and the ruins which was great but I wish there had of been more interesting factual information inside the Colosseum but oh well. It has been so hot here that you feel really drained at the end of the day!

We were planning on going to the Vatican on Tuesday but then we found out it is closed due to a public holiday which is really unfortunate because it is Lauras last day. But Manda and I are going to try and go tomorrow morning before our train to Naples because I would be really upset if we missed out on it. Strict dress code applies which is annoying because it is so hot! Excited to get to Naples, we will have a day trip to Pompeii and maybe Capri as well. Then we are getting a ferry to Patras in Greece from there.

Barcelona Burns.

So we nearly missed our flight to Spain. The train ride to the airport took longer than expected. Ran into an Easyjet employee at the platform to double check the terminal, got to the airport with like 10 minutes to spare and an employee told us to head in the wrong bloody direction!! So we ran pushing a trolley nearly knocking people down for 10 minutes to be told our terminal was at the other end of the airport. Ran again and just made it in time to check in.

Arrived in sunny Barcelona where the place already looked stunning with all the palm trees lining the roads etc. Made our way to our hostel with no worries and Laura was standing in the lobby! We all screamed and hugged and nearly cried etc. The hostel we are at is really good! Super clean and friendly staff, free breakfast etc. We had a few vodkas and caught up then went out for a nice dinner where we drank Sangria. We were given some complimentary almond liquer which we all shot and Laura threw up right next to our table ha ha. I had to finish it off cause Manda and Laura couldnt handle anymore.

Srumbled back to the hostel a little boozy for a few more drinks then bed time. The next day we spent the entire day on the beach where it was lovely and sunny but with a cool breeze. The water was far too cold to swim though. Had some more Sangria and nachos on the beach then went for a stroll on the boardwalk. Definntely got a little sunburnt. Hilarious sunburn pictures to come on Facebook soon. Today we have rented bikes and are cruising around the city to see some of the Gaudi architecture etc. Off to Madrid on the 26th for a night then flying to Rome the next day, pretty pumped about that.

One HELL of a festival....see what I did there? Ey ey!

So just got back from Hellfest....my god twas amazing, one of the best weekends of my life. As far as the campsite etc was concerned it wasnt the greatest as the toilets were not emptied regularly so there were basically piles of shit in every one of them. The tents were just scattered everywhere and there were no proper lights at the back of the campsite but in regards to everything else it was birlliant!

So we made the stupid mistake of not checking our tent before we left so once we set it up it was ridiculously small and barely fit our packs let alone Manda and I. It rained the first night and we discovered our tent was not waterproof! So there we were sleeping in the fetal position freezing cold whilst our tent leaked ha ha worst night ever! Didnt take long to be hassled by some men, one of which proceeded to explain his documentary that would be a "cult classic". Quotation marks because its a load of bollocks, bollocks because the dude was English. It was to be called 'Pursuing Miss Watson' and would detail this idiots journey to making Emma Watson his girlfriend.

So we saw a ridiculous amount of good bands including some I hadnt heard before. We had people asking to take our picture left right and centre for either their own personal collection or for websites, magazines etc. One was for the official website so maybe it will be up there soon? Watched Sigh first who were really good, awesome stage presence. Instead of listing every band I will only go over those worth an individual mention but you can have a look on the site at all the bands on the bill.

I saw a few bands which I will look into that I had not heard before including Negura Bunget, Secrets of the Moon and Obscura. Saw Nile and they were far better than when I saw them last in Australia and happened to meet Karl who was an extremely cool guy. Decapitated were tight but I think that Covan's absence was really felt but the dude on drums did a swell job. Alice Cooper was amazing as well as Twisted Sister showing the oldies have still got it. Dee Snider made a tribute to Dio which made me a little teary :( Lemmy rocked out with his cock out! Which reminds me of the amount of male nudity we were forced to endure during this weekend ha ha.

Katatonia was also amazing as well as Ihsahn. Was really something to see both Ihsahn and Anders Nystrom in the flesh. I am afraid my obsession with Anders has only increased now. Of course Bloodbath were the highlight of the weekend where I got front row centre for the entire show and managed to score the setlist as a momento of the occasion.

Exodus got one of the biggest circle pits happening that I have ever seen and a dust storm ensued!! Beer was cheap so we got a bit plastered :p was awesome to see Ghost Brigade and also saw Swallow the Sun who I hadnt heard before and were pretty cool. Had a chance to see some awesome black metal courtesy of Behemoth, Marduk, Watain and Dark Funeral who did a rad cover of Slayers Dead Skin Mask. Was good to see Nevermore again and have a good old sing a long to The Heart Collector and Inside Four Walls.

Was absolutely stoked to be able to see My Dying Bride and it was awesome when they played She is the Dark!! We saw Uver, need I say more. However I think I would prefer them in a more intimate setting than at a festival but was great none the less. Got a chance to catch a few tunes from Brant Bjork which was good to chill out to. Ended the fantastic weekend with none other than Kiss which was unbelievable!! Paul Stanley on a zip wire flying over the crowed, the outfits, the podiums, the lights, the explosions, Gene Simmonds tongue etc just so over the top and awesome!! Then the festival finished with a fireworks display.

So many hilarious stories in between with not enough time to write it all down now but none the less some things stay at Hellfest and wont be spoken of again ha ha. Either way the weekend was all we hoped and more! Never had so much fun, some of the best times of my life so far, cannot wait for Wacken!

T-minus your life and counting...

So Hellfest is currently only 2 days away and we are getting really excited!! I really dont know what I will do with myself, so many amazing bands it will be like I have died and gone to heaven. Met up with Sam last night at Cafe Oz where people were watching the soccer. 10 euro entry fee but its all good because that got you 2 big ass cans of Fosters. We had amazing paninis for dinner mmmmm and did the old switcheroo, one euro plug for one double adapter, thank you Sam you saved our asses!!

Charged all our things ang got up bright and early to hit the Eiffel Tower. Chocolate and Vanilla croissants for breakfast followed by an hour or so of lining up just to ascend the tower whick meant more lines for the lifts etc. Once we were up add another few lines just to get down the bloody thing. Just as we reached the bottom a storm broke out so we had to walk in the rain where I nearly ate shit 3 times due to my crappy thongs with no tread on them.

To escape the rain we went to the Museum Du Moyen Age where we saw a lot of cool stuff dating as far back as 200 AD. Lots of creepy statues, drinking horns \m/ and intricate wood carvings etc. There were Gallo-Roman baths there too which were awesome. I had a Nutella Crepe for lunch which was amazing, I have totally rediscovered this magnificent spread. We did our grocery shopping pre Hellfest after this cause the weather was too miserable to walk around in.

Tomorrow we will explore more of Montmartre and visit the Sacre Coeure as well as 2 cemeteries and possibly another museum if time allows and then it is off to Nantes the following day where we will spend the night then get the train to Clisson for Hellfest the next day. No internet access until we arrive back in Paris on the 21st to spend the night before our flight to Barcelona!

France.

So we finally made it to Paris without too much complication. We are in a hotel this time, not a hostel so we have a private room and bathroom etc, soooo good and its really cheap. We were worried initially about the location but its actually really close to the city, only 5 minutes by train. We have been having baths everynight which are pretty much saving our lives and trying to brush up on some French by watching the movie channel, its not working.

We hit up the Louvre straight away and saw some amazing art. Of course we saw the Mona Lisa, its so ridiculous that people go so apeshit over this painting when there are so many more amazing art works here that deserve more awe and praise. The Venus De Milo was really cool to see in person and made me giggle thinking of The Simpsons.

Highlight of the trip so far, The Catacombs. Oh. My. God. They were unbelievable! So spooky being among thousands of actual human bones and skulls. It takes about 30 minutes just to walk the full length of the ossuary. You werent supposed to take photos with a flash but we did anyway. I took so many inappropriate photos which I cannot wait to upload. I picked up one of the skulls for a photo and got scared when we were leaving cause they search your bags and after he searched mine he said something about questions and I was worried I was in trouble for picking up a skull but then he just said it was fine?

We went out for Mandas birthday to Montmartre in the Red Light District, walked past the original Moulin Rouge. We had some cocktails and dinner and ended up drinking with some french dudes at an irish pub. So many sleezy guys in this area, we were getting hit on like every 2 seconds. There are more sex shops in this strip than there are in Amsterdam I swear. The guys we were drinking with paid for a cab to Cafe Oz where we wanted to go then they got a bit too touchy feely so we ditched them and they tracked us down!!! Then I felt bad cause they told me I was a bad person ha ha but one dude kept trying to make out with Manda so you cant blame us.

Still got a few more days here then we are off to Hellfest!! Cannot wait.

In Bruges.

So we were only in Brussels for one day because we heard Bruges is way better, we heard right. There really wasnt much to see in Brussels except for Cafe Delerium which has an insane amount of beer on tap! We went to a few little cafes etc for cocktails and it was like 30 degrees out!! I left our stupid EU plug at the hostel which has really made things difficult but thankfully Sam is helping us out and giving us one of hers for a double adapter in France.

So Bruges was one of my favorite places so far. The town itself is so pretty and the buildings are quite breathtaking! Particularly the church which held Michelangelos Madonna with Child which was one of the most amazing cathedrals I have ever seen. The chocolates, waffles, omelettes etc were all amazing and the best Hot Chocolates EVER! The Cappacinos there were so good, I dont even like coffee but I liked them. I have now decided I like mushrooms too.

So we saw what is supposedly Christs blood and they were making people pay to touch it which I find so ridiculous. I am not a religious person but if God is supposed to be for the people etc then why should you have to pay to touch something that should rightfully belong to all "Gods children" etc. I dont know it just seems stupid. "Hey everybody please hear the word of God and change your ways, but please pay 50 Euro cents to make the leap of faith".

Anyway our hostel had a bar and restaurant which was good and the staff were very helpful to get us on our way to Paris.

Amsterdam...I think.

So this is a bit belated cause we have been so busy and havent had much internet access. Amsterdam was amazing but 3 days was definitely enough. We didnt really know what to expect soà we were pretty pleasantly surprised at how pretty the actual city was with the canals and little bars etc. It was good because virtually everyone there speaks english and I think they must have a lot of vegetarians there because there were plenty of vege options. We didnt really sight see cause honestly we were pretty out of it most of the time ha ha. We went for a bike ride around the city though, pretty annoyed that we didnt set aside a designated sober day to sight see because there are lots of good museums there...oh well. Met up with Auntie Angie who took us out and we had a blast at The Grasshopper! She let us use her hotel room to have a good shower etc. I fell in love with Cherry Kriek Beer mmmmm. We wandered through the Red Light District where the girls stand in their booths on the street waiting for customers. So bizarre how many attractive women end up there?