St. Patricks Day

If you are planning to stay in London for St. Patricks Day, you should be prepared for a lot of people.
Though, only a few are actually dressed up apart from a bit of green make-up smears on their faces. I actually saw a few with green wigs, green dyed beards and hair and more unusual clothes.

And lets be honest, a lot of people see this holiday as an opportunity to get shitfaced. So if you have a problem with any of these you should find another activity.

Anyway, the first thing we saw after getting dinner was the parade at Picadilly Circus with several trucks including dance groups, bands, a marching band playing "Uptown Funk" and even a football team. In between smaller groups of Irish people and kids walked along, waving at the people behind the barriers. We came just in time to see a gigantic thing drive along, to this day I have no idea what it even is. Looked cool, though!

To my surprise, Picadilly Circus was still fairly empty at this point. Maybe because it was rather early or most of the visitors were standing somewhere else along the way. So we made our to Trafalgar Square where we finally found more people. At this point we were actually concerned that we were the only ones dressing up at least a bit. I mean, we actually painted our lips green with eyeliner, that's commitment right there!

Trafalgar Square had a gigantic stage. In the time I was there, which wasn't for very long to be honest, several bands performed a few songs each, mostly traditional Irish or at least with an Irish touch to it. The crowd was nice and there was still space to move around and breath, though I don't know how it got once it was late. To catch our breaths we took a break and went to Waterstones for a bit. Books are just relaxing, especially after standing in a already slightly drunk group of strangers. That's also the reason why I split up after and went to a comic book store instead of joining the others.

So no, sadly I can't say a lot about St. Patricks Day or spill some secret stories or tips. I don't like hugh crowds, even during concerts I can barely tolerate them. It's the feeling of being restricted and the difficulty to breath that I just can't stand. Not to forget that I wasn't feeling very social that day.
But, as always, I'm happy to have tried it. It was quite an experience after all, and I had a reason to wear my little green hat I got in Dublin in February. And the glances you get when you step into the tub with green lips was definitely worth it, too.

A Day in... Glasgow (feat Twenty One Pilots)

Being too exhausted to do anything right before a concert is normally not a good sign. At least I had a good explanation in my case.

After arriving in London on Friday morning from my visit in Dublin I had to leave again not even 13 hours later to take a coach to Glasgow in Scotland. And as usual, I wasn't able to actually get a good nights sleep. Adding the fact I couldn't check in until 3pm and the mess that is my life is complete.

Now, Glasgow is supposed to be a fairly nice city; not the most beautiful, but still interesting. Only was it raining that day and I had to walk around with my rucksack and all my stuff. The only locations open and close where the shopping centres and the museum of modern art, with is not only very small, but also not the kind of art I like. But it has a roof, so a short walk through it was ok. Also, did you know that Glasgow is the city with the most 'TARDIS' police boxes left? I didn't which is a really cool surprise for a Doctor Who fan like me.

Now, the hotel I was staying at was something else entirely. I got updated to a 4-bed all-female room, however the room was rather small and dirty. I didn't even think about taking a shower in there, even if I had the time. My advice: spent less money on hotel shampoo packages and coffee cookies and more on renovation! Good thing I only needed a room to sleep in for just one night and that it was central.

After dumping my stuff in there and walking the short distance to Barrowland I had to stand in line for about three hours. Not considering the weather, which was a mix of cold wind and drizzling rain, my Nikes were definitely the wrong choice of shoes, but too late for that now. 

When they finally let us in I was able to get a good spot in maybe the 7th row. The room looked cool and according to Google, about 2000 people can fit in there. 

Sadly, the support act - Ultraviolet - wasn't really my cup of tea. The guitarist reminded me of an old friend back in Germany, but that's about it. 

Now, Twenty One Pilots themselves were awesome, the crowd less so. They were really pushy and actually created 'waves' from side to side which made it hard to stand. Also a lot of people fainted. I have been to a few concert so far, and there is always someone who didn't have enough to drink etc., but this was just over the top. According to other people I've talked to, it is rather normal for a 21P concert though...

Anyway, Josh and Tyler were great, talking to the crowd, making us sing with them and lets not forget their stunt where they stand on boards that are being held up by fans and drumming there while confetti rains down and the mist machines go off. Really cool ending, I loved it.

Setlist:

1.  Heavydirtysoul
2. Stressed Out
3. Guns for Hands
4. Migraine
5. Polarize
6. We don't believe what's on TV
7. the Judge
8. Lane Boy
9. Piano + Drum Mix of: the Pantaloon, Forest, Screen, Ode to Sleep, Addict with a Pen
10. Doubt
11. Holding on to You
12. Ride
13. Not Today
14. The Run and Go
15. Tear in my Heart
16. Car Radio

Encore:

1. Goner
2. Trees

As a conclusion I would say that I would love to see them again (and I will, at Readings in August), but I won't go too far to the front. Not worth it. The fans should reconsider how they behave first.

The walk back to the hotel was nice, I got some chili chips. The only thing I hated about the next day was that instead of 9 hours, the bus ride back took 12,5 hours because Scotland was one gigantic traffic jam. That was really annoying, but I can't exactly change that.

Musicals: Kinky Boots

(pic: thetimes.co.uk)

Kinky Boots. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Kinky Boots is a fairly new musical in London that three friends of mine and I decided to see last Saturday. With daytickets at only 25 pound it wasn't even too expensive (like some others).
Basically, the story is all about Charlie Price inheriting a bankrott shoe factory from his dad that he will probably have to close down. His plans to go to London with his fiance are destroyed as he has to try to save his fathers work. Then he meets Lola, a drag queen who complains about her shoes and how badly made they are. Charlie decides to start making 'kinky boots' for drag queens and manages to convince Lola to be the designer. They work together to overcome different obstacles like money shortage, prejudices and even a bit of love drama.

It's a wonderful show, I especially loved the singing and the costumes. The sassy and funny conversations made everyone laugh multiple times. I can really recommand it to anyone who wants to see something extraordinary.

A Day in.... Dublin

Dublin. The capital of the Republic of Ireland.

A beautiful city, even when you are ill and don't feel like doing much more than lie down and sleep for about 50 years.

Sadly, it takes a 12 hours bus drive to get there from London. It only gets worse when there are four guys right next to you who can't seem to shut the fuck up. The whole trip also includes an about 3 hours long trip on the ferry, which is nice cause you are able to sleep. And if you are bored, there is a mini cinema waiting for you.

Day 1

Anyway, after arriving at 6am on Tuesday during the half-term holidays at the coach station right around the corner of our hostel Jacob's Inn, we made our way there to check-in or at least lock away our bags. By the way, in my case that meant a rucksack and a bag. That was all I needed. Minimal package is the best.

They actually allowed us to shower in the 'public' showers (meaning they are for a whole floor and not just a single room) and have breakfast for free. The lockers, which are really big, were free, too. That was already a huge bonus since we were really tired. I only got about 2,5h of sleep on the ferry! After spending maybe three hours in the louge we decided to explore the city north of the river. To be more specific, the botanic garden. We had to walk quiet a bit, but it was totally worth it. Th garden is beautiful, even in the winter, and really warm which was one of the reasons we spent so much time there. We just didn't want to go outside again.

The garden is devided in several houses which are dedicated to different continents. Little signs explain everything you need to know. Very lovely, I wish I could see it when everything is blooming.When we came back we pretty much just walked through the shopping streets for a bit to get a sense of what we wanted to do the next few days.

The only two things we did after that was go back to the hostel to unpack our stuff in our room (10 bed room mixed) and then go for a Guinness at the famous Temple Bar. It was great, a lot of people and a very good singer. And to be honest, Guinness isn't half bad. I'm not a beer fan (even though I'm from Bavaria...) but the dark beverage didn't want to make me throw up as much as others.

The great thing about the hostel: there were two other Germans, medicine students who came here for holiday. A nice couple, sadly we didn't exchange numbers or social media names.

Day 2

Our first full day started with a nice breakfast (toast and cereals) and a trip to Trinity College. A nice place to walk around as long as it's not too cold – which it was. So we flet into the old library which includes an exhibition about the Book of Kells. It was 10€ and for the both of us the exhibition was a bit too boring, but that always depends on what you like. After that, the trip to the science museum on campus took longer than expected. The exhibits are partly interactive and play with your mind. Three installments, which were made by an artist who is afraid to lose his hands in an accident or because of illness due to age, made it clear to us just how difficult it can be to do easy everyday tasks like opening a jar when you can't properly use your hands. Another experiment shows why waterboarding as an interogation technique doesn't work since your memory suffers due to stress caused by imitating drowning. And that was in a safe environment with our previous consent!

A hugh part of the day was over already at this point, so we went to the Nation History Museum for an hour, only after walking around the university again by accident, and then back to the hostel. The last place we went to was the cinema to see Deadpool, which is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Seriously, I normally never go into a movie twice, but Deadpool would be an exception. If someone asked me, I would say yes in an instance. It's sassy and witty, fast-paced and breaks the fourth wall several times – just like in th comics. And it's th only superhero movie I can think of that has a lot of swearing in it and therefore doesn't pass a PG13 rating – sorry kids.

Day 3

Our last day. Sadly.

We were allowed to keep our bags in the locker and went out for our last tour. First we visited the Dublin Castle and booked a tour as well. That way you can see more areas and get some background knowleadge along the way. I was really ill by that time which makes it a bit of a problem to walk around in the cold as well as the rather wet underground areas, but there is nothing you can do about that. The tour guide was nice and it didn't take more than 45 minutes as far as I remember to finish.

Slowly, we made our way to the prison Kilmainham Gaol only to find out that there was a hugh queue and that the next tour wouldn't be for another two hours so we ditched that plan and went to the nearby Phoenix Park and the Wellington Monument instead. The weather was still crisp so we sat down and enjoyed the silence and the view before heading back, which seemed to take ages. On our way back we went to the main shopping street for a bit to buy postcards and because I had to return something to Penny's, which is the exactly the same as Primark but named differently. Sadly, there it happened.

I got robbed.

Not my wallet, and I have to say it is partly my fault. I went from the cashier to the cash & wrapping department to customer service only to have to change till because the first one was broken. At that point I was just exhausted, irritated and hungry so when I finally got my money back, I left my shopping back behind.

In there was my dark green Dublin sweater, presents and an already filled our and stamped postcard. I noticed an hour later and went back only to find out that the woman behind me picked it up and left with it. Great.

Because why give it to the nice lady at the customer service you are already standing at anyway, am I right? Why be a decent human being when you can steal tourist stuff from an ill teenage girl? At first I was angry and sad, but by now I'm mostly disappointed.

When our coach came two hours later, I had mostly come to terms with the fact that I'll never see my stuff again. I hope the woman that took it sees my postcard and feels guilty and ashamed. I don't care what your reason was, I just hope you will remember it every time you wear my sweater and feel bad about it.

That night, I didn't sleep at all – not even because of my stolen stuff, but because it was too early on the ferry to sleep there and I can't sleep on buses. So instead, I saw Star Wars in a miniature private cinema on the ship and listened to music on the bus. Just like Deadpool, this is a movie that's just as great as everyone says. The effects were great (and the rocking of the ship during the flight scenes was an unexpected bonus), the story is close to the original movies but with not too many parallels in much else and the characters are interesting. And don't even get me started on the fact that the three main characters are a girl, a black ex-Stormtrooper and a Hispanic pilot.

A wonderful holiday in a beautiful city. I am really happy I went there and would recommand it to anyone who has a few days off.

A Day In... Birmingham (feat All Time Low)

All Time Low is one of my favorite bands.

That's a simple enough fact.

Until last Saturday I didn't know they would be my all time favorite live act, too.

Saturday

The day started with a two hours train travel. I have to admit, I prefer trains to coaches, but sadly the latter is a lot cheaper, especially on long journals. Birmingham is close enough to not empty my pockets luckily.

I arrived at 12am and still had about two hours until I could check in into my hostel, so I decided to go into the shopping centre right next to Moor Street Station. And boy, that's one gigantic shopping centre! Three floors, very long and with everything you could possibly want. Not to forget about the market on the street and in a market hall just outside. Those are mostly groceries, but I also saw a few Tshirt booths.

The hostel was ok. It's close the the city centre, though the area was actually an industrial area and looks a bit scary when you walk back in the middle of the night on your own. The entrance hall where the breakfast would be was nice and cosy, but not the best I've ever seen. The staff was very friendly and funny. I got an upgrade from a 12 to a 6 bed room and went there immediatly. It is definitely safe, you need two codes to go into the room and your room, the bed seemed clean and even the toilet/shower was good.
Not the best I've been to, but acceptable.

After that I went straight to the Barclaycard Arena. Or, I tried to. I actually needed far longer that I thought because I got lost and had to walk for a while to get back on track. Of course there was already a rather big line when I got there 2,5h before the doors would open. At first I was disappointed, but as the line got longer and longer I realised I was actually lucky to be where I was. Turns out, I was really far in th front of the arena.
The nice thing about concerts is that you meet people who like the same bands you like, too. So go out there, make some friends and let them hold your place when you need a pee break, Cause you will definitely need one at some point.

The concert was fantastic. Against the Current and Good Charlotte were the opening acts. I know AtC but I'm not a fan, though I have to admite they are great live performers. GC one the other hand got me excited when I found out I'd be seeing them. They are really funny, too, and know how to get the fans worked up.

All Time Low was... I can't even describe it. Fantastic. Wonderful. Fucking alive.
Like I said, I was in the front and Jack's side, which is already the best place you could be in cause that guy is on fire. Jumping around, dancing, twerking?!, pulling bras that were thrown over stage on his head. And let's not forget that he stripped down to nothing but Union Jack boxers in the mini-break before the encore. He takes fan's cameras and takes videos of the crowd, his fellow band
members and his nipple. he licks Alex'es mic when is isn't looking, he is just having the time of his life. I would love to party with him one day.
Rian (my fav tbh) was right in my line off sight, too. One great drummer, I can totally understand why he won awards for his talent. He was shredding it up there, a shame he didn't have a mic.
I'm not saying Alex and Zack aren't good, they were fantastic, too. Alex is a great singer and entertainer you could say. I have no idea how many "your mother" jokes he made. Sadly I couldn't really see Zack most of the time.

However, all good things come to an end, and after the encore the lights came back up and I walked back to the hostel. Or, I tried to. First I had to get something to eat cause I was starving and my knees hurt so much I was nobbling rather than walking. I got back a bit before midnight and just fell right into my bed.

The Setlist:

1. Kids in the Dark
2. A Love Like War
3. Dancing with a Wolf
4. Backseat Serenade
5. Lost in Stereo
6. Poppin' Champagne
7. Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)
8. Runaways
9. Tidal Waves
10. Bail Me out (feat Joel Madden)
11. Therapy
12. Missing You
13. Coffeeshop Soundtrack
14. Don't You Go
15. Old Scars/Future Hearts

Encore:

1. Weightless
2. Something's Gotta Give
3. Dear Maria, Count Me In

Sunday

Sunday didn't start very good. I didn't sleep well and woke up way too early, way before breakfast would start, but I also wasn't able to fall back asleep. So I decided to go have a shower and pack my things while I waited. Breakfast was good, toast and fruits. The problem was that my train back was at 4pm, so I had a lot of time to kill.

My original plan was to go to the art gallery, than the library and maybe another detour to the shopping centre. Sadly, my left knee didn't agree. It hurt so bad I had to sit down instead and wasn't able to walk too far. The gallery was still near enough to walk to, but the library just wasn't possible. Instead, I went to the church right next to the shopping mall to sit down and have a few quiet minutes. All of this plus useless shopping and sitting in cafes finally got me to 4pm.

My knee problem also meant I couldn't go to the Chinese New Years party in Central London. I was already too late for the parade anyway, but though I could at least drop by for a bit. Instead, I went straight home. A shame, but my health is more important that anything.

Hindu Temple

Did you know that the biggest Hindu Temple outside Asia is located in London?

Yeah, me neither.

So when a friend of mine asked if we wanted to go there I was actually really surprised. Good thing I didn't have anything planned. With only three busses and a bit of waiting we made our way to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir.

First thing you had to do was leave your bag outside the whole area and once you enter the building, you also had to get rid of your shoes. The entrance hall is very high, with beautiful wooden walls and carpets. Once you go to to through the left door you have the choice between a Hindu museum, which explains the origins and most important aspects of the religion as well as the temple itself, and the small praying hall. 

(pic from londonpass.com)

We went to the praying hall first, which is made of a very bright stone (marble as far as I remember) that is carved into small lovely details. Panels all around the room explain the importance of several deity and their relationship with one another. 

Don't forget to look up at the ceiling and the inside of the dome!

(pic from lbc.co.uk)

The museum (the only part of the temple you have to pay a small fee of 2 pound for) is a mix of explanations of how the religion was founded, which people and deity are the 'most important' or most commonly known and facts about when and how this specific temple was built. It's weird to know that it was built in just about three years. And lets not forget how advanced the people hundreds and even thousands of years ago were in maths, medicine, language and many more in comparision to Europe. Somehow it's easy to forget about all of that when you never really think or even learn about it.

So even if you are not the most religious person, you should definitely pay it a visit. It will be worth it. We can only truely understand and therefore accept other people when we open our minds to their believes and way of living and thinking. Ignorance is not acceptance after all.

Theatre

Jim Broadbent is a well known actor. To most young people he is Professor Kirke in Narnia or Horace Slughorn in Harry Potter. But he also playes in theatres!
His latest role is (was) that of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in Central London.

It's a bit late now for a recommandation since me and my friends were there on Saturday for the second last performance. We got day tickets for the first row for only 10 pound; they are not exactly the best seats, but better than nothing. And who knows how much the actual good seats would cost.

Seeing the play was actually a huge coincidence! Our original plan was to go see a musical, our favorites being Mamma Mia! or Wicked. I arrived a bit early and started walking around when I saw the theatre A Christmas Carol was playing in. I already knew the theatre, it was the same I saw Daniel Radcliffe almost three years earlier in. I met the others and we decided to at least ask for ticket prices for the muscials. We could have gotten seats for Mamma Mia! for only 18 pounds (restricted view obviously). But we went with the theatre instead since, like I said, it was the last day. So four tickets for the afternoon show it was.

After getting lunch and walking around, we came back. And wow, it was truely amazing. Really funny, a bit ridiculous at times and the costumes were amazing. Props to the staff behind the scenes for that.
One of the funniest moments was when the entire cast broke the fourth wall and started packing away the equipment and later even threw chocolate coins into the crowd. Or was it the scene where Jim Broadbent confessed his love for a lady in the audience?

Great performance by everyone. Afterwards we went outside and to the stage door at the back of the building in the hope to catch some of the performers. We actually got three autographes! But we wouldn't get Jim Broadbent's until after the evening performance.

We actually didn't plan on staying so long after he didn't come outside in the afternoon, but we staying in CL for so long that we decided to try it. We spent the time eating Italian at Leichester Square, I had pasta and the others very well done pizza for a surprisingly low price considering the location. Then we went looking for a Shisha bar and eventually found one in a side street near Leichester Square station while looking for a different one. By the way, did you know there is a Starbucks that actually has people bringing you to your seat and taking your order? Fancy!
On our way to the tub station we figured out the evening performance of Christmas Carol was over and we decided to try it again. This time he had to come outside after all.
And yes, we got his autograph as well. I told him it was great, especially the breaking of the 4th wall, and then we left for good. Nothing exciting, but still a great memory (and yet another thing to show off with, lets be honest). If there is one place to meet famous people in Europe, it is definitely London.