View from our Berlin hotel room...

 Its nice to be in the same hotel for 4 nights!
There's no laundry within a 5 mile radius of the hotel so Kevin's taken to washing his T shirts in the sink and holding them out of  our 14th floor bedroom window in the 26' heat!

Herning, Denmark….

We caught the 11am train to Herning  from Flensburg where we stayed last night and arrived in Herning around 3pm. It was a holiday in Germany and i guess in Denmark too so Herning was like a ghost town. Kevin and i had booked a hotel right next door to the venue which was a 3 miles bus trip from Herning station.

We checked in the hotel only to find i had mistakenly booked it for the 18th June instead of tonight, the 13th! No problem though as they still had rooms available and after looking online when we got in the room we had saved over 30 Euros with my little mistake due to the price of the room been a lot more expensive due to the show tonight!

The venue itself was in the middle of nowhere, there was one hotel, a football stadium and the arena and that was it. There were no restaurants pr bars and if you wanted something to eat there was a single hot dog van in the middle of a field, as seen in the picture below.

 

I chilled out at the hotel for a couple of hours before heading over to the venue, it was fine when we arrived in Herning however i heard the rain start as i was laying on the bed in the room. Kevin had gone over to check out the venue(when i met up with him he had actually been in the hotel bar the whole time!) an hour or so ago. I met up with Anders whom I’d met on the Dark Side shows several years ago, it was his 10th wall gig tonight, he headed in the venue and i got myself and Kevin a hot dog.

Tonight’s show was standing only on the floor and as much as i do like the standing shows i was ready for a sit down tonight, i also decided id see the show from right at the back on the second level, just to see it from a position id never seen it before. Id seen outside there was a VIP entrance and below is a picture of said VIP all of whom must have places in private boxes at the arena and go in early for dinner before the show.

View from my seat for the 1st half        My view of the desk                           Dinner and a show in the boxes

   

I was sat next to three guys whom hadn't seen the show and knew little about Floyd or Roger apart from having heard The Wall a few times,one of their friends had chosen to go see Bryan Adams tonight whom i believe was in Copenhagen, bad move i told them, they agreed.

During the Spartacus routine one thing that did look great was the spotlights moving around the audience on the floor,every time “I'm Spartacus” was said the spotlights would move to someone else, then someone else and so on and so forth The first thing i noticed while at my seat was how small everything looked! even the wall itself looked small and when the pyros went off and the flag bearers platforms started to rise this was even more evident, one thing i did notice immediately was how much the light from the projectors gets in the way of seeing the show from this position! As I'd seen all the other shows from the floor and usually from no further back that 20th row i had always been in front of the projectors, i had no idea how much light they put out ad especially after all the pyro smoke from In The Flesh.

      

 

Danish speaking tonight                             This looks great from the rear

 

The sound wasn't the best tonight either, you just don't get any stereo separation when your watching it from the rear, it sounds very bassy too and one thing you certainly don't hear which i love hearing is the monitors onstage. At the beginning of Another Brick i was looking for the teacher coming down and at first i thought it had got stuck and hadn't come down but when the lighting shone on the area there it was, i was totally surprised and the appearance of the teacher is certainly one thing that works a lot better seeing it from this far back. The kids weren't great again tonight and just stood there clapping but that was all, not one of them moved forward or broke out and started dancing or playing air guitar, i wonder if this is just the kids that they are getting while around here or if they have started to tone it down a bit, i hope its not the latter!

The crowd went crazy tonight for some reason when the McDonalds signs came down on the wall,incidentally the colour on these and the images have been brightened a lot since they were added, they are really clearly visible on the wall now unlike they were earlier in the shows when they were not just red but red with white on them.

 

There were two bricks missing all the time for Don't Leave Me Now and at first i thought there had been a problem and two bricks had been forgotten, however,  at the end of the track i realised why. The ceiling in the venue was a lot lower tonight and the two “helicopter” spotlights that move forward and backward of the stage were not able to move out unless a couple of bricks from the top row were removed!

Its funny all the projections that you miss when your upfront, Kevin and i always try see the rabbits during Another Brick 3 and we usually always miss them (well i do) but tonight again i saw something that I've never seen before, Boxing cats! Yup, you read right, during  Another Brick 3 on the second section of the right side of the wall there's about 6 or 7 seconds of video of 3 cats in costumes stood on their back legs boxing with each other!! there's also a huge barking block dog a couple of other things that slip my memory at the moment but that boxing cats are a must to look out for.

As much as i enjoyed seeing the show from this position it was just so flat! there was no atmosphere, nothing was right there in front of you and in your face, everything looked so far away and sounded the same. I certainly would not have been able to do as many shows as i have if i was sat here every night! i decided there was no way i could sit here for the second half and moved down to the 2nd block at the side of the stage on the first level, one of my favourite places to see the second half from.

My view for the 2nd half.

I had seen Kevin just at the start of the show from where i was sitting, he was in our regular place on the floor right at the front left of the stage. We have both got to know a couple of the crew while seeing the shows one of them being the guy on the “helicopter” spotlight, he said to Kevin last night that in Hamburg when he came out during the beginning of Another Brick, he had spotted Kevin in the sat in audience and made sure his light was on him when roger says “ and there's one in the spotlight he don't look right to me”!

During intermission the teacher was lowered, bundled up and then raised again, i can only think this was due to the low ceiling and it getting in the way of when Dave K is on top of the wall during comfy Numb. 4 bricks were removed too so as to get the spotlight guys on the outside of the wall for their duties during the second half of the show. The spotlights moved forward and the bricks were replaced.

      

There were a couple of problems during ITAOT and Nobody Home, i think Dave was tuning up and strumming at the beginning of ITAOT but didn't realise the guitar was live and the band thought he had started playing so started to join in, this through the timing out totally as some joined in and others didn't but joined in at the right time, I'm sure Dave will comment and let me know what actually happened.

There problem was also similar at the beginning of Nobody Home when at one point the band stopped paying totally and roger was singing the lyrics alone without accompaniment.

 

Run Like hell really got everyone going tonight and i don't think I've seen as many people standing and clapping at the shows so far, it looked great, the video before doesn't do it must justice though.

 

The animation from The Trial always looks great from close up and especially from the side in the first 2 blocks, its never been one of my favourite tracks on the album but it for sure has grown on me and seeing Roger do it “live” and seeing the images the size of semi detached houses makes it a lot more special.

The wall came down forwards then backwards then forwards and the crowd rose to their feet cheering. Outside the wall was the usual with Roger saying how much he had enjoyed the show and how appreciative he and the band were.

 

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I'm on the train at the moment, its 1pm Tuesday the day after the Herning show and we are on our way to Berlin for 2 show nights and 2 nights off.

Isle of Sylt

Kevin kept telling me about this place, Sylt, that he'd wanted to visit for the last 10 years. It was on the way to Herning, Denmark, where we had a show on Monday. Since we had Sunday free, we decided to get the early train to Sylt, have the day there, then get the train to Flensburg, which was just on the German/Danish border. We would carry on to Herning the day of the show.

Leaving Hamburg                                Hammers!                                         The outskirts of some German town

      

Well, that's more or less what we did--it's 7:30 P.M. Sunday, and I'm typing this on the train--so the only thing we didn't do was leave early! We took the 11:20 train from Hamburg and arrived in Sylt around 2:30.

Crossing over to the island                                The most used transport on Sylt                 Proof that Kevin's been!

   

I had an e-mail this morning from Guntmar, who I'd met the night before at the show, and he said that if we were going to Sylt not to miss visiting the Kupferkanne Cafe. Its a very famous cafe among Germans and worth going to see. I looked at the map, and it was about five miles north of Westerland--the train station where we arrived. Kevin was up for it--I was definitely up for it! I Googled it earlier in the day, and it said, “We serve giant cups of coffee and huge slices of cake--including scrumptious plum cake.” Another done deal!

The art outside Westerland station.             Upside down head!         Even the lamp posts were art!

 

We asked the lady in the tourist information booth outside the station where the best places to see were if we only had three or four hours to visit. The train to Flensburg left at 5:20 or 7:20, and we planned on taking the later one. She pointed us in the direction of the promenade and told us to walk north. We also asked about the Kupferkanne Cafe in Kampen, and she marked it on the map for us. It's about 7.5 kilometres, she said, and the bus goes from right outside the station and takes about 15 minutes. We thanked her, took the map, and started walking towards the promenade.

The shopping area of Westerland:

We passed a few ice cream places--we walked past one just as the waiter was bringing out some HUGE ice cream creations to customers sat outside. Kevin and I looked at each other, then looked for a table. Unfortunately there were none outside, and it was too warm to eat inside, so we were safe from ourselves for a little while longer :)

   

We passed a couple of places that had these strange seats-in-a-basket constructions. Kevin mentioned these were popular here, and we’d see lots of them on the beach. I suggested to Kevin that we take the bus to the cafe, then walk back to work off the cake and other delicious food! He suggested we walk TO the cafe, then get the bus back. That was good with me--I was up for a long walk, for sure! We passed a few places that rented bikes, and I asked Kevin if he wanted to rent one, but he was pleased with walking. We headed to the beach, and, after reluctantly paying 3.50 Euros to enter, (Come on! Kevin NEVER pays full price for tickets!) we headed down to the promenade and started walking north.

      

Kevin was right--the basket things were everywhere! They were on the promenade and on the beach--facing every direction so people could catch the sun or the shade. They also moved up and down--this enabled you to fully recline.

Seaside band

We walked north until we came to the end of the boardwalk, then we had to walk on the sand. I took my shoes and socks off and headed down the beach. The sand was some of the softest white sand I've ever felt, and I've seen very soft sand in Hawaii, but this was not just soft, but clean! This is something we both commented on when we arrived--the whole place was spotlessly clean! Just before we got on the beach, my blackberry maps app said 4.5 miles and 55 minutes to Kampen, where the cafe was. As we started walking on the sand, I told Kevin that walking on the beach probably added another hour to that 55 minutes. Little did we know how right I would be!

Kevin walked on the sand nearer the sea, so it was a bit easier. I was happy feeling the soft white grains in my toes, but and struggled a little--I hadn't worked out for weeks, and this was hard work--but great! Minutes later, I looked around, and there were naked people! Not just topless people, but naked--FULLY naked!! There were bits dangling down all over the place! I put my sunglasses on, hung my head towards the ground, and started walking as fast as I could. "Oops! Excuse me!" I said as I nearly walked right into a lady with everything pointing south! I finally saw a sign I presumed signaled the end of the nude beach--phew! That was close! I was hot and sweaty, and it wasn't from the sun!

Plane landing over the beach

Plane landing

Kevin was struggling after a while too, and we took a rest in one of the basket seats for a minute. We carried on and headed to the next exit off the beach, so we could walk the remainder of the journey on the road. What we actually did, though, was manage to get on the walking/cycling path, and it went on and on winding for miles--this way, that way, then back this way, and all we had walked was about 50 feet forward! It was worse that walking on the sand! What was cool, though, was the houses and the area. It was beautiful, and a lot of the houses had thatched roofs--something that isn't seen a lot in the UK and usually only on older houses--these looked to be brand new properties!

Kevin taking a break                           Beach baskets!                                  Thatched house

      

      

We kept following the signs and wound our way left, right, then left and back right on the scenic bike path.

We constantly joked that it would be just around the next corner, then the next, then the next. Eventually we asked someone the way to Kampen--we knew we were heading in the right direction, but just wanted some reassurance. A local said we were fine, just to keep heading up the path.

Follow the rabbit!

We walked past fields of pick-your-own strawberries and potatoes. We passed some beautiful houses--I couldn't even begin to imagine how much they cost. We kept walking and walking, and when we saw a few houses up front, we finally passed a sign saying, "Welcome to Kampen!" We were there!!

            

Then the strangest thing happened--I can't really explain--you had to be there to see it--but imagine this; we walked three miles along this bike path with nothing but fields, trees, the odd thatched cottage, and a few nice houses. When we turned right onto a street, the first thing I saw was in the picture below:

I saw three Porsches and a Ferrari California!! It was bizarre, but the further down the street we walked, the more we saw--an old Aston Martin DB7 convertible passed us, as did a Porsche 959, then a couple of the Mercedes G wagons, then parked up were three more Ferraris! This wasn't a car show or anything like that--it was just a street with three or four restaurants and bars. These places were packed to the brim with the type of people that would drive such cars!! We still had no idea where the cafe was, and we took to asking a guy on the end of the street who was perched taking pictures of all the cars driving around. "Ah yes," he said, "It's about 200 metres down that way on your right-hand side!"

Bvlgari store!                                           Louis Vuitton store           Thatched roofed Vuitton store!

Neither of us could believe it--it was like a mini Beverly Hills right in the middle of nowhere! The cars, the people, the stores, the restaurants--it was so strange just to stumble upon it all.

Kampen

Kevin and I followed the road--it just looked like a country lane. In fact, it WAS a country lane just winding its way around some gorgeous country houses that looked a lot like quaint English cottages.

   

We walked and walked, and after walking 200 metres like the guy told us, then another 200 metres, we asked a lady out walking her dog if she knew where Kupferkanne was. “Ahhh, just down the road, and turn right by the blue sign.” So again we walked down 300 metres or so, then turned right onto yet another country lane.

By this time Kevin and I were joking that maybe there was no such place as the Kupferkanne Cafe--maybe it's the Germans inside joke, and ALL Germans know that if anyone ever asks them where the Kupferkanne Cafe is, just tell them it's down there and turn right!!

We also passed a couple of strange houses with grass on the roofs! I guess mowing the lawn could be a bit dangerous! Then, finally, there was a sign for the Cafe!!!

   

We also saw a strange sculpture in the middle of a field. It was in the middle of nowhere!

   

We followed the arrow on the rock until there was finally some sort of activity in the distance! All along the road we hadn't seen a single person--when we walked into an opening between the trees, there were hundreds of peddle bikes, Ferraris, Mercedes and Porsches all parked up!

We're here!                                          Yes, that's a McLaren SLR!!!                JUST a Ferrari

     

Kevin and I walked up to the outside area of the cafe, and it looked amazing. It was just like something out of Alice in Wonderland!! The inside was just as cool as the outside, with bare-faced rock walls brought inside to sit around

    

I waited outside while Kevin went to the bathroom, and I started drooling when I saw the waitress carrying the largest pieces of cream covered cake I've ever seen along with huge cups filled with hot chocolate and coffee!

   

We took a table to the side in the shade where we had a nice view of the sea through the trees. We sat and watched the other tables. We both ordered the rhubarb cake with cream, a coffee for Kevin, and a hot chocolate for me.

View from our table             People watching                Happy!!                             Rhubarb cake

     

The cake was amazing, and the hot chocolate was good (but not as good as the stuff I had in Barcelona.) The view was spectacular,--it couldn't have been better. I was surprised that it wasn't too expensive either--3.50 Euros for a piece of cake the size of the island of Sylt!

    

We took a quick walk after we finished--the place was huge--it went on for ages with tables and chairs tucked over every bush. It had some amazing views of the sea and the countryside around it. I could have sat there for hours with the birds whistling, the waves crashing, the clinking of peoples spoons in cups and forks on plates--it was divine! Time was getting on, however, and much to my disappointment, (yeah right) Kevin wanted to get the bus and not walk the six miles and two hours back to the train station!

Our view at the cafe

We got to the stop and jumped on the bus 15 minutes later--not before seeing the car of all cars though! Just as we got on the bus, there was a Buggati Veyron on the other side of the street! Not just any Veyron, though, but a convertible version painted in satin black. I'm sure the guy driving it could look around at all the other cars and think, "Game, set, and match!"

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