This is a bit of a diary type thing of my trip to Germany, some is music related, some is not... after the Wizo thing it'll probably be quite boring, just thought I'd warn you now so no one tries to hold me responsible when they fall asleep at their computer & get fired or something... That's my disclaimer! Pictures

2-28-05: FINALLY made it to Frankfurt, what a bloody long ass awful trip, 9 hrs + they had to fix a part on the engine for an hour so we sat for an extra hour on the plane & I could NOT sleep... But we (I met Dave in Utah so we could fly together) got there & called Tom from Galaxy Transport & Tom Space & whatever other projects he has going on (this is a long story, he found out I was going to Germany 2 days before I left) & he told us we should take the train to Freising (S1) ok... anyway, we met him eventually there & he took us to this, I dunno, bar, club, just restaurant??? Whatever, had Christian Christl playing this honky-tonk/ "bayoogie-Music" (their term, not mine) with a guy named Willi who was quite good on Sax & Harmonica & Rudi on drums though Tom & his friend Michy played with them for a bit also. It was quite cool! Very impromtu & cool to hear! Got to the hotel quite late... Oh yeah, btw, Tom & Dave swear it was at least -10F that night :-/

3-1-05: Wandered about Freising a bit & found this shop w/ wicked cheap CD's & DVD's... then I'm told it was a club & I needed a card but the lady was so nice she used a guest number for me so I could get what I'd wanted... whew!!! Some of those things were so weird, I really wanted them! We met Tom for a coffee & he was way nice & drove us to Ismanig so Dave could say hi to some guy he knew, then off to München... after playing "The Beast Within" (comp game) I had a huge desire to see Marienplatz... shopping galore, tourist traps included... we wandered here & there & found ourselves so hopelessly lost that when I finally asked for directions the guy laughed, we were like 2 KM away & going still in the opposite direction, d'oh! So we made it back & saw a fight in the train station, well, I saw the beginning of it, Dave told me what happened afterwards... I saw the two agressors running back up the stairs anyway... (the other had jumped onto a train) Later drank with Tom again until late...

3-2-05: Ok, time to go see Neuschwanstein!!! Well, Dave was sleeping so I tried to get my money exchanged since I was almost out of Euros... 3 banks & they kept sending me down the street to the next bank, finally gave up after visions of getting lost in München came to mind... so we sat on a train for a billion hours, ok... 2+ with lots of kids getting out of school & get to Füssen & I go to use the bathroom, 30 cents & the floor is covered in blood & there's a bloody fingerprint on the flusher thing, niiiiice!!! THEN we get to the castle after waiting an hour for the bus & go to buy tickets, 3:30pm, & I'm told it's too late!!!!!! I was mega-pissed!!! Like a big *F* word just BURST from my lips, haha! So I bought a Bavarian hat & Cuckoo clock (my downfall). Did I mention it was fricking cold as, uhh.. FRICK???

3-3-05: Heute ist WIZO!!!!! Today we sat on a train for another billion hours (2+) & ended up in Stuttgart & Jens was busy doing stuff so we wandered around... I was wearing these camo pants & doc martin boots & apparently people found that curious because I was getting alot of stares & it was actually starting to get quite on my nerves so when we finally met Jens & got a room I decided to change my pants immediately... Then we went to the show, THAT was so wicked cool!!!! Rock and Roll Stormtroopers were OK, kind of old school rock, & their cut-off denim shorts were very short! Haha, I think you know what I mean! So when they finished Jens & I moved towards the front (Dave stayed in the back where it was sort of safe) & then I moved even closer to the front, maybe 3 back & kept that place for the entire show (Jens ended up in a pile of people somewhere right behind me & moved back, I don't know how I missed this!)... Wizo was sooooooo kick ass!!! & funny & cool & just AMAZING!!! I tried to take some pics but I was being so bounced about the whole time, who knows how they'll come out... I'd been watching though for who I thought Fratz might be & never got a chance to say anything to him but when I was buying a couple shirts he came by & I spoke to him & met Vera & got some postcards & it was wayyyy cool!!!! Some dude earlier was asking me about my shirt, like if it was comfortable but I just heard "bequem" but just told him to talk to Jens, haha, then I thought Jens said he wanted to buy my shirt, which was an idea I didn't care for, but he wanted to buy the same one at the shop & then he's like, "Ohhhh, you didn't understand me! You understand me now???" Then he refused to believe that I'd flown from the US just to see Wizo, I mean he really refused until Jens told him I'd also flown to see the Onkelz, which was something he apparently didn't care for, lol! Oh & Fratz told me that there's this dude from California who'd gone to see Wizo in Japan, he also came to Germany & saw them for 6 shows!!! That's so kick ass!!! Fratz was also gonna reserve me a ticket for the last show until I mentioned I was with 2 other people... ah well... that would have been so awesome, though, to NOT be in the pit & just watch the show... hard to concentrate when one is fighting for their spot, lol! I hope I got a pic of Axel's ass anyway, haha!!!! :)

3-4-04: I didn't write anything down after the first few days so... Jens drove us to Baden/ Schwarzewald & this was weird, this guy stopped us cuz his gf or whatever was unconscious in the car, apparently has heart problems, so while Jens looked for, I dunno what, Dave & I stood by the road waiting for the ambulance so we could direct them... it was very odd & there were, by the time we left, 3 ambulances, so to speak... I hope she was ok, though... she was pretty young :-/ Anyway, then we went to Freiburg... got a hotel, ate, went to WOM which was way too expensive (so didn't buy anything) then to some bar & Jens outlived me that night cuz I was way tired, lol! As you can see, I did NOT go to see Megaherz afterall, this was the date of the Hanover show...

3-5-05: Today we drove to Heidelberg, my first day of seeing it snow, every other day it was just cold & snow was starting to melt & fall off trees & stuff... The castle in Heidelberg was cool, it had this big section that just collapsed or something & this big ass barrel that they kept wine in & I do mean BIG ASS... I could live in that thing, well, if it wasn't all round or whatever, haha! Checked out the pharamacy museum, pretty cool, & I was sweating my ass off & was so glad to get out in the cold & snow, Jens was telling me to put my coat on but I didn't want to... maybe I was already getting sick, lol... we spent the night at Jens's parent's house & watched TV & ate pizza & repacked our bags... I should have taken a shower but I was so sore from the show that I could barely move & breathing was a chore, I thought, groundlessly, that maybe I had broken a rib or bruised it wicked hard, lol, because I was in MAJOR pain! Being a sweaty smelly slob came to kick me in the ass the next day, though!

3-6-05: Ok... couldn't sleep... woke up every hour & was just restless... Jens was way nice & drove us to the airport even though he was feeling kind of sick & I was just sweating all the time still... plus I had this dumbass cuckoo clock in this big bag & it was a pain & my backpack & my coat which I couldn't carry (because my hands were full of backpack & cuckoo clock) but I was so hot I didn't want to wear it... so we get to the check-in & almost the first thing she asks is if I'd had anything to drink, wtf??? (guess not sleeping made me look inebriated) & then... if I was traveling alone & then she wanted to know if I'd eaten anything! Da hell??? Then she said maybe I could get something upstairs in the restaurant, it was very odd (& they never asked Dave any of those stupid questions!)... & then I had to remove my shoes twice & my belt & wallet & coat & the clock had to be examined for explosives, repeatedly (stupid clock!) & I was still sweating like a pig!!! I'm sure I must have been getting sick cuz I've been dog sick the last 2 days (3-8 to 3-9). So I finally get to the US & this woman is looking at me & wants to know, straight out what I do for a living & then doesn't say a word, gives me a little blue card back that states what I might have to declare, which was nothing & then Dave goes straight forward & I'm sent to some room where I have to wait for what seems like an hour, as I continue to sweat, & then this guy wants to know what I was doing in Germany & how I paid for my ticket, how much it cost & when I told him I went to go to a show he wanted to see my ticket stub!!!! They clearly thought I was some drug addict/mule or something (I suppose that's what I get for not sleeping & smelling like a goat!), it was VERY ANNOYING!!!!!!!!! But I had my ticket stub, damn them to hell!!! Wizo RULES & I wouldn't lose that to save my life!!!! Take THAT dumb ass US immigration!!! But I made it home, somehow, & now I'm sick, I think it was immigration that made me sick... yup, I should sue them, haha, J/K!!! Next time I'm taking a shower & am willing to freeze to death & am NOT carrying anything but my backpack & no belt or keys & wallet will be in my bag but, depending on the weather, still may have to wear my Doc steel toes :-/ Anyway... That was a long, boring story... SORRY!!!! Did I mention that Wizo is the greatest band on the planet & that Hulk Räckorz RULES????? Mikki 3-05