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Barcelona. Spain

by Europe

Barcelona. Spain

Barcelona. Spain

The megacity of sunshine, sangria, siesta and sagrada

Captains Log Day 8 – 28/07/17 7:15 am. Ryan Air Flight FR8136.

The reminiscent images from the Tomorrowland dream were still playing magical scenes across the Captain’s eyes as the vessel descended in the Spanish airspace.

Arriving with a touch of magic sprinkled over their hearts, the Captain and Admiral did not know what to expect from their first ever expedition to the land of bull fighting, sangria and siesta. Exiting the airport as the clock touched the devil’s hour, the duo shuffled along to join the long line of people heading to the heart of the megacity. Arriving exhausted, drained and a little physically and mentally broken, the heat embraced them. The Captain and Admiral disembarked the bus as the little hand ticked over to one. It was late, and the city nightscape resembled that of a late-night Manhattan, meaning that there were people around the streets, but not the people you would want to be around with on the streets. They decided that today they will not challenge fate as they caught a cab to the hotel, this time it was a wise decision as the late-night roughness of the city became evident behind the glass of our chaperon.

The place to stay was lock bang in the center of the city, however it was a mission to get up to the room, this included a lift, a few cases of stairs, then a hallway – there we found ourselves a tiny little room, with LED lighting (blue in some cases) and 2 single little beds. This was more of a crappy hostel than a hotel. The beds, the lighting or even the mold on the showerhead had no effect on the Captain, however as the sweat continued to drip down his brow he realized that the air-conditioning was only working in a trickle format, despite being on full. Asking the reception on the way down they were told, ‘that’s just how it is’ – stressed out they challenged the city as they looked for a place to get something to eat at two am. They walked down the street, often grasping their wallets and handbags, as they walked past pimps, prostitutes, junkies and homeless people – finally to arrive at the tourist strip called Las Ramblas, where to their surprise the same demographic existed along side a large crowd of partygoers commuting between clubs or heading home . Most shops were shut but they were able to find a Pizza place that they could get some slices. They bought these and scurried home. It was along this path that the Captain’s body started to fail, a sore throat showing its ugly head, a cough developing, his exhaustion seemed to be getting the best of him. They quickly ate, showered and somewhere between praying for aircon and body failing the Captain fell asleep.

Day one in the city, began with a coughing fit and a cold shower, the air con had started to operate and the room felt livable once again. The Admiral and Captain instructed the Cleaner to make sure she didn’t turn off the aircon – of course this was only possible through the use of Google Translate. The Captain was feeling worse, he felt an infection brewing inside his chest as if he had been bitten by a Face hugger (alien movie reference).

Admiral took ranks of the head of Navigation and Entertainment minister as we headed out to explore the Spanish city. They headed first down Las Ramblas, this time the strip was nothing like they had experienced the night before, packed to the brim with foot traffic, thousands of people walked along the promenade which was laden with shops and restaurants. Shuffling along they reached the first pit-stop, the market La Bouqeria, this market was a theme park for the senses, with beautiful visuals, tantalizing smells and an orchestra of sounds. They walked through the sensational market where traders were selling, fresh meat, fresh fruits, produce from all around etc. what made this market even more special was the fact that you could buy, fresh juice or cut up fruits from the fruit seller, cheese slices and olives to eat from the deli etc. it was not only a trading floor but a food court. Here the Admiral grabbed a quick lunch of some fresh pizza straight out of the oven using fresh produce. This was not going to be their last time in these halls.

Back on Las Ramblas they headed towards the centre of the city Cataluña Square – Here the Captain saw some hop-on hop off busses and convinced the Navigator that this was the way to go. They were now cruising down the old streets of the city of Barci in the region of Catalan. The first stop was Barcelona Cathedral – here they jumped off right into the blistering heat, and came across the Gothic Quarter walking tour that was just about to start – Super excited about this tour the Captain did some Tour’ception and signed up for the tour within the bus tour. Here they learnt of the history of the Catalonian people, the history of Barci (awesome story about the city flag) and its roman roots as well as visiting places such as the favorite church of Gaudi (also used for movie shootings for; Perfume, Nicky, Christina, Barcelona – both of which the captain had not seen) as well as where Columbus was commissioned to go to India (but found USA instead). Intrigued and fascinated and albeit annoyed since we couldn’t go inside the buildings, they headed to the next stop of the Hop on bus. The cough lingering on like an overstayed dinner guest, the duo cruised along the city – the Captain super excited as he controlled his chest from exploding and the Admiral falling in and out of sleep due to the open top of the bus and the climate music. The tour came to an end and stomachs rumbling coincidentally as they walked the Las Ramblas strip, the search for the best Paella in town took precedence. The Admiral was able to find a restaurant that had excellent reviews however resembled a hole in the wall. They took the risk and were rewarded, despite the ghetto like appearance the food was AMAZING! Turns out the place has been around for over 42 years and is famous for its Pealla. Content they headed back home hoping the cleaner understood their broken Spanish in the morning.

The night was rough, the Captain waking up all night suffering from the illness that had struck him. Feeling exhausted in the morning, it seemed the only way to beat this and not let it ruin the holiday was to go and see a professional. Turns out there was a hospital right across the road from where they were staying. If you’re a follower of the Captain, you’re probably thinking ‘here we go again’, the Captain himself was in the same boat. This was a relatively fast process, within 2 hours, the Doctor at the hospital had examined the Captain, taken an x-ray, given him a nebulizer and prescribed serious antibiotics. Another hospital visit added to the bedpost notches, the Captain felt a bit of relief, both physically (from the nebulizer for his asthma) and mentally (knowing that he was not dying). There was a lot to do, after a pitstop at the hotel for a power nap, the Admiral who was concerned as hell was forced to carry on as if the Captain was 100%, they were off site seeing once again, the objective: see all the walking tour things from the inside.

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To fuel the tanks, they visited the market once again and were treated to some organic delights, eating or rather inhaling the food they set off for the days adventures.

First up Barcelona Cathedral, where the captain coughed on the 12 Geese that live inside, then to the Historic museum to cough on the underground roman city, and lastly to cough on the famous architects Gaudi’s private creation for a textiles merchant – The Casa de Batllo – more like Cougha de Strugglio. Here the Captain had the opportunity to cough and splatter all over Gaudi’s beautiful modern work, as he learnt about how modern art is interpreted (lack of corners, inspiration from nature, phlegm etc.)

Exhausted and due for his next round of antibiotics, they stopped by home before receiving word that a friend to the Captain had landed in Barcelona. Marshal Mark had landed from Melbourne and was set to join them on their adventure. They quickly scurried and headed to meet the Marshal at a random location prescribed by the Captain mid way between the hotels. Finding the spot alive with people and drinking on the streets, time got lost in a blur of beer, and conversation, amongst the blur were the doctors’ orders not to drink whilst on those antibiotics. The trio soon found themselves, ordering a second jug of Sangria which was made up of, half wine, quarter lemonade, the rest a mix of vodka, brandy and sugar. We all knew the second jug was a bad idea. They were soon amongst the hoard along Las Ramblas stumbling along, tossing between heading to the Clubs or partying it down the street – the street won. They were enticed into a bar where all the cocktails contained three-quarters sprits, the chasers were shots provided free of cost from the bartender who seemed to be on substances far stronger than our drinks. The downward spiral continued, it was not until 3 am that some logic prevailed and heavily intoxicated the Captain and Admiral bid farewell to the Marshal – as they were set to see him in Ibiza soon after, concerned with their lives and wallets they grabbed some Maccas and headed home.

Hungover AF. The Captain deserved the sleep. That being said it was day 3 and the final day that they had in Barcelona. It was also the day that they had been slotted in to see Gaudi’ s masterpiece, and the icon of the city Sagrada Familia. As a build up to his magnificence we decided to visit the national park Gaudi had designed – Park Guell. Despite the sun being in its peak position we climbed a series of hills and steps to reach the footholds of the park. Sweating and coughing the captain was marveled by the parks beauty as the Admiral felt as if she was going to die of heat exhaustion. They explored the park, stopping to buy water, watching the flamenco show and admiring/ trying to understand the dizzy monuments in the park.

Leaving the park the Captain misjudged the heat and distance when making a call to ‘walk’ to Sagrada. The Google maps suggested 20-minute walk, took over 40 minutes as the Admiral and Captain fought the blaring heat. Like a majestic nirvana the Sagrada Familia started to appear before them. Gaudi’s most famous work, is still in construction 92 years after his death and over 100 since he started it. This massive church stands at 172 meters (one less than the tallest mountain in the region – as he believed that they shouldn’t go higher than what God built) this marvel, is visually stunning. The fine details of the tower start to reveal themselves as the duo get closer. The giant structure was amazing. Photos cannot do justice to this. They both stood in awe as they stared at the structure. Soon they were prompted by the audio guide to enter, entering the church blew the mind of the Captain. If he thought the outside was stunning – the inside was far more beautiful. Shimmering lights of the glass panes resembling seasons, the pillars made like trees, the faces on the sculptures, the styles of Gaudi’s work were all showing a resemblance. Once again photos cannot do this justice as they stood in awe of the masterpiece.

Regretting leaving due to not only the heat outside but the inkling to stare longer at this work of art, the duo quickly found a local pub to refresh, here they enjoyed some delicious tapas and a fantastic paella. Refreshed and content the Captain and Admiral headed to the old Hospital – Recinte Modernista Sant Pau which was used as a hospital in the 17th century and converted to a national heritage site. As awesome as it was both the Admiral and Captain were now architected out, a mixture of the intense heat and the monotone audio guides left them tired. At one point in the surgical room both collapsed on the floor near an amazing air vent, this only lasted short time as a Spanish guided tour found them lying on the floor hugging the vent – though the tour tried to ignore them, it seemed that they were now an OH&S hazard so the duo continued the visit and left Mr Vent.

Exhausted the duo headed back to town, arriving at the Picasso Museum, only to find it booked out. Disappointed (and slightly happy because they felt dead) they checked out the gift shop and visited the museum of modern art – which was a bit of an eye opener in terms of some very weird art inside. A bit grossed out they left the place.

Last on the list and a highly prescribed landmark is the Catalana Cerveceria – a very famous and very busy Tapas restaurant in the heart of the town. Over the last few days the Admiral had guided the Captain here, only to find a wait of an hour and a half plus – they did not take bookings. Both the days they had seen the line and been disappointed that they could not try the famous Tapas. Hoping that today was their lucky day they headed in, this time it was only 7pm very early for Spanish standards and the Admiral thought they could take the chance again. The pair arrived and remarkably were advised that the wait was only half an hour. Sitting along the side shops, alongside others that were trying their luck, they registered their names and waited, only to be called up 15 minutes later. They chose to sit outside, but when visiting the bathroom, they saw the sheer size of this restaurant which took up 3 shops and seated probably 200 inside. The food did not disappoint, they consumed garlic prawns, grilled prawns, calamari, field mushrooms with egg yolk, fetta & tomato salad etc. they had over eight different tapas and were stuffed. Although the wait was worth it, the food was good, however both the Admiral and Captain Agreed that Melbourne does it better. As the meal came to an end, so did the Barcelona Adventure. The Captain and Admiral headed home, to pack and say goodbye to the city of Barci.

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Ibiza. Spain

by Europe

Ibiza. Spain

Ibiza. Spain

The insanity island where the laws and concepts of society cease to admire the sunsets.

Captains Log Day 10 – 30/07/17 02:35 pm. Ryan Air Flight FR7217.

The fact that this log exists showcases that both the Admiral and Captain survived the onslaught of the Island known as Ibiza. Reading the contents of this log entry will make the reader aware that it was not easy to survive and the battles that were fought were hard and long. When you think of this island, think of your childhood, think of that one guy in any sport that was always the best at it, running, cricket, soccer, and now imagine yourself going up against that one person. On game day you, psych yourself up, bring everything you have got and you fight. That is the personification of Ibiza.An already battling Captain awoke to the Admirals calls, sickness in his chest had improved but not yet healed, the time was 4 am and they had to make a rush for the airport to catch their 7 am outgoing flight. The challenge came about not in arising but prepping themselves up for the journey to the Airport. Testing for them, Barcelona was in the middle of a Taxi strike, and even private limos were affected (as in previous strikes taxi drivers attacked the cars) this meant that the only way to commute was using the public transport system. Luggage in hand the Captain and Admiral made a dash at 5 am to the closest bus rank, they made it just as the bus was pulling up, all luggage in hand they boarded and 15 minutes later were at bus stand number 2 for the second bus. Here the challenge went up a level, as they squished on to a bus carrying the maximum number of commuters along with luggage. The 1 hour journey standing squished was hell to say the least. Squished, standing, sleep deprived, sick all challenging the Captain’s will. Game day was coming up.

Finally making the flight, despite delays and Ryan Air dramas, the pair were off to Ibiza. The flight felt like it was over in a matter of seconds, as both had passed out only to awaken by the cabin crew to remind them that they needed to get off the aircraft now. Finding bearings, facing the island heat, they were off in a cab that coincidently started playing “Took a Pill in Ibiza” – was this a signal? Did they too have to show Avicii they were cool? Pondering their answer, they headed to San Antonio beach, where they were about to rendezvous with the Sippin’ Crew.

It was a grand reunion, hugs, laughs and all out joy, they had finally caught up with Squadron leader Arthur and his Admiral Alisha – Over 18 months ago the duo had been stationed off shore and since then the Captain had not seen them. The lack of sleep, exhaustion and sickness took a back seat for a while. Here they met the other Bedouins who had joined the adventure Major Alfie and Lieutenant Ray. Seems that they were up all night partying it up, sleeping only when the Captain and Admiral had left Barcelona. The room they had arrived to was very hot, the balcony had been opened but the Captain once again was facing delirium as he needed to be cooled down – Barcelona had been difficult, he was hoping it wouldn’t happen again. Luckily for the Captain there was an Air- Conditioner that they needed to pay extra for, without knowing the cost he ran to reception to request them to enable it.

The crew joined forces, and the Captain and Admiral donned the new ‘We be Sippin’ tee shirts. It was early but never too early to Sip, the crew now sat together and devised a game plan, they too knew that this beast would require the greatest of skill to slay. They decided the first day would be a epic Pool Party at the Ibiza Ocean Beach hotel, and day two would be total annihilation as they slaughtered the Ibiza boat cruise and backed it up with a visit to one of the big clubs.

After some requests form the Captain the crew break up, the Admiral and Captain return to the apartment to get a quick nap whilst the Squadron leader and crew headed to grab some breakfast. It was when they arrived and knocked on the door, the dazed Captain rushed to open it and stubbed his toe on the bed, the stub was bad, there was blood and an instant swelling demonstrating that it could even be broken. An injury just before the proceedings were going to kick off were not ideal, but the Captain knew that once the toxins arrived in his systems the pain would go away. The worried Admiral bandaged his toe up as they were getting ready to drop Major Alfie and Lieutenant Ray to their hotel which was around the corner. Limping along the captain headed down with the crew, stopping at every beautiful lady to have a chat and to get them to chant the “we be sippin’ catch phrase. They reached the hotel that the Major and Lieutenant were staying at, here both of them worked their absolute magic and managed to get an upgrade. Soon the crew entered their hotel room, which was D.O.P.E! An awesome apartment, with a balcony over the pool and a view of the ocean. This place was incredible. I think the crew all giggled a little after seeing the apartment.

Heading down to the pool at the hotel, the crew got some Pina Coladas and started serenading the bartenders. The time had come, they made their rounds of ‘juice’ started sippin’ and headed off to Ibiza Ocean Beach – Pool party. Walking along the beach esplanade, the testosterone was running as high as the temperature as the boys stopped and introduced the matching tops to various girls they passed on the beach. Finally reaching the club the crew were dazed by the venue. It was epic, a pool party just like the video clips. Cleavage as far as the eye could see. They quickly bought a series of drink coupons at heavily inflated prices and headed over to the pool. The Captain and Admiral starving, ordered an overpriced meal and to put things into perspective of what is meant by overpriced, the meal included a €12 bottle of water ($20 AUD). Soon the crew were deep in a mixture of pool water, cleavage, and alcohol, dancing, swimming, sippin, surviving. The crew had their A- Game on taking a chance to talk to everything beautiful that embraced the party.

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As they get more intoxicated, Marshal Mark arrives with his crew member Adrian, the festivities continue. The sun sets, but the Dj Sets keep getting better and better, dancing sipping, time just flies by as fast as the money being poured over the bar. The night ends around midnight when all that sun and booze show their after effects, an exhausted Captain and Admiral stop by some dinner and head home to get some much needed rest, the crew split, we discover the next morning that Squadron Leader Arthur got home at 2, Ray at 3 and Alfie the machine at 7am.

Hungover AF. The Captain arose to some loud video that Arthur was playing, this continued alongside a pounding headache and pulsating toe for another 15 minutes followed by silence, as Squadron leader Arthur left for breakfast soon after. Hours later he remerged and got the household up, this time the Captain’s headache did not join him.

They got ready, today was game day. Soon they sat by the pool of the Hotel, the crew re-assembled, telling war stories and Sippin. It was determined that the crew were Sharks in a Pond, soon there was a Shona war cry – Tisumahsharkie! The sipping having some dire effects they were feeling pretty cooked, and it was time to head to the Pukka up boat cruise meeting point, where Marshal Mark and Adrian met them.

The Captain and Admiral were well under the influence to the point of slurring when they boarded the small boat the sippin’ had turned to gulping as they pushed to finish the pre-drinks before boarding the Ship. The cure for his possibly broken toe was now in effect. The Captain was in his element and the cruise was absolutely mental. Nothing else to describe it. The most beautiful Mediterranean Sea, littered with Spanish islands, the blaring hot sun, the wind in the face and the sounds of an amazing Pukka up DJ. Here the champagne started to flow, bottle after bottle the crew were on fire, 3 bottles down before the Captain found himself having a chat to the DJ from Sweden and his music producer from the States, who invited them to the Villa for an after party. Exchanging details, they informed the crew of plans. The sun was setting, the Captain & Admiral were peaking and one of the most beautiful sights were before them. Emotions ran high as the boat docked and the three-hour cruise was over.

The crew stumbled out. Intoxicated and drained they decided that they needed to eat and get ready for the night. Marshal Mark and Adrian headed back to the hotel, and despite initial plans to join the Djs, they decided they needed some downtime if they were going to make the night count. A quick dinner on the street, which consisted of a Garlic bread slice for the Captain and Admiral since they did not feel like eating and they headed home to get ready to head out.

Albeit exhausted and the after effects of drinking all day was hitting, they couldn’t stop drinking for long if they were to survive – they quickly got ready and regrouped at the Hotel where the sipping started again and batteries started to charge up once again. The Chants of Tisumahsharkie and ‘ We Be Sippin G’ heard across the hotel halls. Here Marshal Mark joined us to tear up the night.

The crew split in two, with Ray and Alfie heading to see Black Coffee and the remainder of the crew selecting Pacha for the night – it was Paris night, featuring Bob Sinclar and Benny Benassi, It had always been the Captain’s dream to visit Pacha, a club he grew up hearing about, The likes of Ministry of sound, Cream fields and Pacha. He felt like a kid in a candy store as they arrived at the venue. It was magnificent. The venue was everything the Captain had envisioned and more. they started comparing it to Tomorrowland, but they knew that was like comparing a mountain to an anthill, yet they still enjoyed the vibe, the venue etc. The beer ridiculously expensive at €9 euro a pop, they refrained for going crazy although a series of gleeful emotions flooding the Captain’s veins mixing nicely with the toxins in his body, once again his mental levels started to peak. Everything was sheer happiness as he stood on his injured toe and danced the night till morning. By the end of it as the clock hit 5am the crew was exhausted, and although the Captain could continue he knew it was time to call it a night and head back.

Still not feeling the hunger aside from the hunger to dance, they made a quick stop and picked up one dirty Kabab that the Captain and Admiral shared. The Marshal not agreeing to such things as eating and deciding that he will sleep it off. They bid farewell to the Marshal and headed back to the apartment with the Squadron leader and his Admiral, struggling to keep down whatever they put in their mouths. Only seconds passed before they were in a comatose state dreaming of the lights of Pacha.

Awaking the next morning – they felt broken, bodies sore, hungover, head hurting, Sundayitis. However amongst the pain of the onslaught, a slight feeling of satisfaction, as they had overcome the island, as well as a feeling of sadness as they bid farewell to the sipping crew, promising to catch up again soon.

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Valencia. Spain

by Europe

Valencia. Spain

Valencia. Spain

The city that draws the expectation of Spain. A perfect mix of old and new to deliver the perfect Spanish experience.

Captains Log Day 12 – 1/08/17 12:12 pm. Renfe Train 05321.

The Captain felt the hand of the stewardess once again in what seemed the shortest flight ever, he looked behind and the Admiral was fast asleep too. She was awoken and split away from the Captain since they were sitting separately – another perk if you fly Ryan Air, the Admiral had already, disembarked, gone through border control and picked up her bags by the time the Captain’s tarmac bus arrived.

Promptly figuring out how to get into town, the duo hopped on the first metro train and headed in to the City. Disembarking from the train both the Admiral and Captain were in instant awe of the landscape they saw before them. The buildings, were magnificent, in front of them a colonial building and next to it a bull fighting ring. As they walked toward their accommodation the grandeur of the buildings started to impress them even more, this is what they had expected from Barcelona. The architecture, a clear demonstration of what they had in mind when they thought of Spain.

Finally reaching the place of stay, they were already impressed by the city, which was much quieter and much more authentic then the megacity they had visited previously (not counting Ibiza – that place was not a city but rather a giant playground). After some initial confusion regarding the instruction of how to get in to check in, they were able to figure it out and get into their apartment. Worth a shout out, that the place the Admiral had booked was fantastic, and it had real, functioning Air Conditioning – the Captain was the happiest he had been the whole trip #princess.

Dumping their bags, they were off again, strolling around investigating the city, getting lost. Visually stimulated they found themselves at a happening plaza square, here the Captain tried the local Nut milk drink called Horchata, it was interesting, nutty, earthy, sweet. The exploration continued, they found a nice Steakhouse to eat where the Captain devoured a rack of ribs and the Admiral went taboo and had a steak. We hailed a cab and headed to the new part of the city, and one of the key reasons the Captain had chosen this place to visit. The national Science and Arts district.

Arriving at the Cinta de Musea, did not fail to disappoint, it blew all of the expectations the Captain had set for himself. A complete contrast to the heart of the city in which they had been exploring. The District appeared like they had taken a space craft and landed on another planet. Straight out of a sci-fi movie it was as if they had taken a time machine into the future. There is no proper way to describe the feelings of awe and astonishment, neither is there a way to describe the landscape they saw before them. With the sun setting in the background, it looked like a place that Isaac Asimov would write about in his books.

As time was running late they would have to visit the science museum another day and dedicate the remaining hours to the Oceanographic, or the Aquarium. This Aquarium was the largest in Europe and it was AWESOME, sea creatures from near and far from, Jellyfish to Sharks, Penguins to Beluga Whales, the visit was informative and truly special, it also managed to gross out the captain with the Sea slugs, as well as almost cause an heart attack as he saw an lobster from underneath and thought of a facehugger (Alien Movie refrence). The finale of the visit would go down as one of the key memories of the trip, watching a entertainment spectacular dolphin show, which included synchronised swimming, break dancing, singing and of course Dolphins doing some pretty hectic stuff. A magical end to a phenomenal visit.

Day two started with a glass of fresh Valencian Orange juice made from the famous Valencian oranges, it was refreshing and delightful as well as being very sour, it left your mouth feeling like you have just eaten a sour pineapple. Both the Admiral and Captain are fans of sour, so this suited their palate perfectly. They then joined the walking tour of the city, which took them to the old quarter church, which was built on the remains of the Muslim Mosque, they saw how the Muslims introduced a court to the city, used to make decisions on how water rights were distributed (still in action today and forms the Spanish constitution).

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Next up was the Silk Markets, believed to be the first bank in Europe where Merchants got loans, where we sat the tour guide explained was the gallows where, people that could not pay the loans were hung. She then also explained the story about how people would bring their children here and abandon them, asking them to stare at a building to see a goose lay golden eggs whilst they did a runner, hoping someone would take their children in and use them as apprentices.

The tour then took them to see Europe’s Narrowest building (initially freestanding but now with building support) with a remarkable width of 1.47 meters wide. Lastly visiting the Market, which was stated to be the largest market block in Europe. Here the Captain and Admiral devoured fruit, had an Avocado for lunch, and bought a bag the size of their heads of Sunflower seeds. They also learnt about the specialty of the region the Valencian Paella, which unlike common Spanish belief has no seafood and contains Rabbit and Chicken.

Departing the tour they headed straight to the cathedral, On the tour they had learnt two very fascinating facts about this place, the first being that it contained St Vincent’s right arm, when he was killed by the king all his body parts were distributed around Europe to stop one place holding its remains and forming a following. The second being it is believed to hold the Holy Grail, the Cup that Jesus used as part of the first Communion. The Captain headed in and slowly made his way through the tour listening to all the audio guide describe what they were seeing in front of them, the importance of the church, they then saw the preserved arm in its glass case. Finally, after exploring all the checkpoints the Admiral and Captain enter a room, in the front center a glass case holding a chalice, this is where the Captain and Admiral sat and prayed. The wars fought over the cup, the people killed had us sitting and admiring it in wonderment. Finishing the visit and still carrying goosebumps they visited the Silk markets and explored Europe’s first bank from the inside.

Content and feeling filled with learnings of history the duo headed back to the future. They headed back to the science and arts city, this time to visit the science museum. Once again, the Captain could not contain his excitement, this had been on his list for a while. Like a kid in a candy shop he dragged the Admiral on to see the Tesla exhibit, Space exhibit, the technology exhibit and finally the dinosaur exhibition. The interactive exhibits made the Captain a very happy chappie as he rushed to beat the children and get a go. They remained in the building until it was closing time and time to leave.

Like the Museums the day was coming to a close and it seemed that the avocado they had eaten for lunch was well digested. They headed to check out the Central Market which had been converted into a Food court, here we loitered but the Captain knew where the Admiral’s heart was, and it was calling for the ocean.

They headed to the beach and to the famous restaurant called– La Pepica, an establishment dating more than 100 years. Despite it almost being 11pm the place was very busy. The walls littered with all the celebrities that had visited the dining halls, from famous soccer players to bullfighters and presidents. Here they sat by the beach and ordered a Venetian Paella with Rabbit and Chicken, which took a good hour to arrive. Both the Admiral and Captain were not impressed, they found it very bland and from the previous Paellas they had eaten, it tasted very mediocre. Slightly disappointed they got an Ice-Cream and walked along the beach soaking up the atmosphere, the disappointment of the dinner faded as they were absorbed by the place they were at. Strolling along it was time to leave. With that we they left a little piece of their hearts in the small town of Valencia.

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Main

Moscow. Russia

by Europe

Moscow. Russia

Moscow. Russia

The City that follows you.

Captains Log Day 5 – 18/07/2018 2:57 pm. Aeroflot SU2694.

The view from the flight over the city of Moscow reflected the enormity of its plains. The planned serpent like paths circling towards the center of the city were visible from 30,000 feet as we descended towards the country’s capital. We had arrived not only to make our mark on the city, but etch our memories by being in the city of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals.
The vodka hangover was slowly fading when the Captain and General emerged from the vessel onto the tarmac, instantly the humidity and the heat more intense than the place they had just departed. Commander Ollie had left his heart in Saint Petersburg and decided that he would not join us for the festivities in the host city.
With a very tight timeframe, we rushed from the airport to get to our accommodation. We had to be swift, since the city was large and the Finals were only a few hours away. In the long uber ride, we could already start noticing the differences in the city scape.An hour after we had arrived we finally reached our accommodation, here we checked in, dumped our bags and rushed out like a well organised football counter attack. Although we did not have tickets to the finals the plan was to go and watch the game in the Fan Fest area which was located near the stadium. Jumping on the packed train with barely any room to move, we soon realized that a lot of people seemed to have the same idea. As we got closer to the stadium the number of people increased incrementally. It was sheer madness. Disembarking the train was a struggle, the crowds only comparable to New Year’s Eve in Times Square New York, although possessed by the event that was to start in a few minutes. Singing, dancing and drinking the mass crowd marched on towards the fan zone until a backlog of people appeared. Here people started cutting across the parks, the forest like vegetation to beat the bottleneck. The Captain and General followed these masses as they improvised. Trying not to lose each other they got to a gate which was closed with security members indicating that the Fan Zone was full. The crowd not accepting this, started to jump the fences and rush towards the location, we joined them. We were now part of the Mob. In Russia, Part of a Mob, Chanting, Marching, just as things were starting to get stereotypical, the armed forces decided to pull out the batons and started shouting in Russian. Our rebellion was short lived – at the risk of getting battered we had to face the fact that the fan zone was full. Disappointment sinking in as well as the match getting closer to kick-off we were frazzled at what to do, thousands of other supporters were also in the same boat. We commenced walking back to the Train station, hoping to find a bar in which we could watch it, but from the looks of it there was nothing as far as could be seen. It was here along the walk we met a fellow Australian, Officer Nick. He was from Sydney and joined the Captain and General in a search for a bar. As we walked we noticed a large crowd circled around something, walking over we discovered it was a small TV with hundreds of people gathered around it watching. The madness was everywhere and the match had started Walking along we came up with a quick solution, between the Captain, General and Officer we will grab a cab and head to the closest bar that could accommodate us. After waiting about 10 minutes, we finally were able to stop a taxi that agreed to take us. We explained our urgency and the situation and this guy was off like a Russian rocket ship, flying down the streets at 120KM per hour in order to get us to a place we could watch the game. Fearing for our lives and missing the first goal our anxiety grew. He sharply braked in front of an enormous castle looking structure, we had arrived at our destination the Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow. Rushing to a bar without noticing the multiple Lamborghinis, Maybach’s and Brabus cars parked outside we entered a fairly fancy looking restaurant. Being the rowdiest people there we did our Country proud, yelling whilst nursing a beer and a sheesha. The match ending with the underdogs losing and a hefty bill, we bid Officer Nick goodbye, exchanged details and headed in our own direction.The torrential storm that was going on broke and the General and Captain thought that even though the walk to their accommodation was one hour, they would walk down and see some of the city. leaving the huge iconic Radisson hotel and crossing the giant bridge they noticed that the side walks did not have many people crossing them, one or two here or there but not more than what can be counted on your hands. On the road however, it looked like there was a type of traffic jam, cars backed up as far as the eye could see, with none moving. They walked along until they reached the end of the bridge and it was here that they noticed that there was a police blockade set up, halting all the traffic. It was then that the General pointed towards the horizon, there was a glimmering of red and blue lights, as we waited this eventuated into a convoy of police cars, which grew and grew. We counted six police cars then a tinted limousine, followed by another six police cars. The Captain deciding to videotape the encounter, slowly pulled his phone out, to which from nowhere a large built man in casual cloths yelled ‘NO’ he then looked away and slightly flashed out a badge muttering something in Russian. Shocked we both stood there, the convoy sped fast, the Captain then asked the man ‘who was that?’ to which he responded something in Russian pointing us go, as he walked away. The General and Captain still in awe and were convinced they were only 100 meters away from Vladimir Putin as he drove past in an unmarked limousine. After about 10 minutes the traffic commenced.After a quick rest, and a shower they headed out to explore again. The streets were packed, all the bars were full of people celebrating the end of the world cup. French and Croation colors everywhere, Russian chants going on – it was a huge party and this country deserved it. After a phenomenal world cup they could now let their hair down – the FIFA 2018 world cup was over. The strip had now started resembling a club, people dancing drinking, we walked up and down for hours trying to soak it all in. The flame was to be passed and the party would be on hold for another 4 years. It had been a long day, we finally let our body overcome our minds and the Captain and General headed back to rest up, stopping at a late night American diner for some munchies which was accompanied by terrible service (a noticeable trend in restaurants that we visited in Moscow particularly).

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We woke to the realization that today would be the last full day that we get in Russia and we had not seen the most iconic of things in the city. The Captain finding a city walking tour and booking it was a good kick starter to getting the General out of bed. Energised and with only a few minutes before the tour started we rushed to the meeting spot where about 40 people had gathered for the tour. First up we saw the amazing City metro, with the story about the central circle line – Lenin kept his coffee cup on the Map and the engineers weren’t brave enough to ask if that was intentional or not, they just decided to factor it into their plans. Next up we visited the Moscow gardens slowly heading to the Red Square and then to the most iconic of Russian landmarks and one that the Captain had been looking forward to since deciding to come to the country: the Kremlin. As we walked down from the park in the distance the beautiful domes of St Basil’s Cathedral started to come into sight. St Basils Cathedral is the red domed church that people often misconceive with being the Kremlin. St Basils Cathedral is located in the Red Square which is right next to the Kremlin. The Kremlin means ‘Fortress’ and located in the fortress is the birthplace of Moscow and the Russian Parliament. As we walked along we passed the studio that Lucy and Craig ‘Foss’ Foster were hosting the world cup from. To our surprise the place was already gutted out, with remnants left of its former self. We finally got to St Basils Cathedral, this building was utterly amazing, beautiful in all rights – just a stunning structure. We could not stop and stare, the Captain and General fell behind on the tour as they were fascinated at the structure. We finally caught up and heard the story of how Napoleon wanted to take the cathedral back with him to France, but since he couldn’t manage to figure out how, he ordered his army to destroy it. The Artillery surrounded the monument, and just as they were to fire the cannons, torrential rain stated, blowing out their fuses, leaving them unable to fire for long enough that the reinforcements came. The intense heat was getting the best of all of us when the tour guide announced that we are going to be taking a break for 15 minutes inside the GUM department store. The GUM department store was one of Moscow’s oldest department stores, located right next to the Red Square and inside the Kremlin complex. Here we all took a seat and cooled down with some famous Ice Cream, a great idea before heading to the Red Square.

Boy oh Boy was the red square impressive – a huge cobblestone plain surrounded by watch towers, lookouts and of course the kremlin, here we took some photos and ended the walking tour with some more stories about Russian culture, the Red Army march and the events that took place in the historic square.

Utilizing some of the tips from the walking tour the General and Captain headed to grab some authentic Russian dumplings. The area the Red square was littered with tourist traps, however we found a recommended local hangout in which we were able to experience great Russian hospitality (although very poor service) and grab some local cuisine.

Our bellies full we went and caught up with another comrade we had met on our journey thus far, Comrade Abhi – who we partied with in Saint Petersburg was visting Moscow at the same time. Teeing up in Red square we caught up and took an internal tour of the beautiful St Basil’s. I think all of us felt a bit disappointed, the inside was like any other church with markings and information all listed in Russian. Although at this point I am not sure what we were expecting (Sagrada Familia maybe?). We then headed to the entry of the Kremlin, in which we were able to explore the complex, taking photos of the buildings, the artillery (including a giant cannon) and just stroll around, trying to pick who the undercover cops are as we discussed global politics.

Realising that they were covered in sweat, smelly and a tad bit exhausted the three took a photo with some FIFA memorabilia and headed their separate ways deciding, to go freshen up and meet back later in the day.

A giant laundry session, a shower and lie down later the Captain and General decided to head to meet up with the Comrade at Arabat street. We messaged a meet up point and called an Uber. As we were waiting for the uber on the footpath, a man comes over and throws 2 LARGE bricks at a glass window of the hotel right behind us, the glass does not shatter but there is a loud thud! People inside rush out, but at this point the man picks up the two bricks and crosses the road towards a car, here he takes those two bricks and shatters a cars windscreen! He continues walking. At this point the people inside the hotel behind us run out and start chasing him. We watch for a bit and notice the cracks on the window behind us. Finally, our ride arrives and we leave, our thoughts going ‘What the hell just happened”

Still a little shell shocked, we meet our Comrade, we explain this story as two random girls with Their father walk over to the Captain and request a photo. Both the General and Comrade are confused about why they came only to the Captain. We later realise it was due to the captain’s uniform – a Rick and Morty Tee shirt.

Swigging some Vodka and water that the Comrade had bought we trotted along visiting souvenir shops, doing our best to bargain for FIFA goods. Satisfied with the loot we grab some dinner and lose our shake shack virginity. Devouring our meals in seconds.

We finish up the night heading to the Street next to the Kremlin where the remaining soccer fans are still partying. We join them for a bit and then say our farewell to Comrade Abhi, swearing an oath to meet again in the future.

Marvelling at the Bolshoi theatre we end our Russian adventure and reflect on the amazing country and the epic time we have had.

Dasvidaniya Russia. Spasibo..

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Main
Main

Saint Petersburg. Russia

by Europe

Saint Petersburg. Russia

Saint Petersburg. Russia

A picturesque beauty, that shattered all expectations.

Captains Log Day 3 – 15/07/2018 1:26 pm. Aeroflot SU6021.

A Dream. Something you fantasise about, wish upon, think about before you fall asleep and when you wake up. It had been a dream since as long as I can remember to come and be part of the biggest sporting event in the world, to cheer a team, be a fan, and to be part of a rollercoaster of emotions, laugh, yell, party on the street and dance all night. It was a dream to come to the FIFA World cup, and it was just about to come true.

Months of anticipation, ballots, bookings, planning and it was all coming to a head. This time the Captain had a new sidekick, General Nuj. His brother in arms and brother in blood, had decided to join the Captain on his mission to Valhalla.

General Nuj and the Captain set off on what was going to be one of the longest of journeys the Captain had ever experienced. The in air flight time totalling up to 23 hours and the total travel time hitting 28 hours. Transiting twice in China, in Guangzhou and Urumqi, the venture got interesting when we were asked to show our Chinese Visa in Guangzhou. We didn’t have one.

The combination of stress, sleep deprivation alongside a language barrier as big as the great wall of China were getting the better of us, although all was well in the end, our negotiation skills and showcasing our desperation resulting in a transit visa being applied.

Popping two sleeping tablets we awoke in Urumqi groggy and jet-lagged. The great wall popped it’s head again, this time as a mechanism blocking our debit cards leaving us paralysed to purchase even bottled water.

Finally the last Seven hour stretch was to be completed, getting us to our first destination in the Sporting Mecca. Saint Petersburg, Russia.

A nervousness loomed over our heads as we crossed the border control unit, doing our best to contain our excitement.

Waiting on the other side of the gates in the arrivals area was Commander Ollie!

To a huge shock the Captain saw the Commander holding a sign saying ‘Raggie gets Bucked’ he ran to him and hugged him, leaving General Nuj wondering why the Captain is hugging the taxi driver. He later realised it was Ollie. After buying our Sim cards, we inquired with our hotel the status of the car we had organised, it was running late. This was our first glimpse of what madness awaited is in the city of the Saint.

Arriving at our apartment we had a quick shower and a change of clothes, the time was hitting 10pm although outside resembled a 6pm summers day – the brightness and sunlight shining through.

Heading out we marvelled at the city strip. The life in the city was incredible it was 11pm and the sidewalk strip full, the buildings glimmering, in the still evident Suns glare. Finally, we found a place for dinner and most importantly chilled beverages. Refuelled and (de)hydrated we continued our adventure, the three amigos exploring the mysterious city scape. The General deciding that Shisha session was required and after some interest intense googling we found a place hidden away behind a security gate, inside a building with a second doorbell to get in. Here we had possibly the best Shisha I have had in my life. We relaxed had some tea then headed back. The time now creeping up to 2am what shocked us was that the sun had started to rise. The Commander in his haste had not booked any accommodation. It was 2am and the city had the same amount of life it did at 10, simmering with activity. Looking for accommodation for the Commander we stopped at a few hostels hoping that we could get Ollie a bed for the night. After visiting some very questionable hostels in some very rough buildings (very scary experience) we were lucky enough to find him a place right across the road from the Captain and General. We said our goodnights and headed home. It was 3am the sun had lit up our rooms, a sign of the lit times to come.

 

The next day started early as both the General and Captain could not sleep. This was clearly due to the excitement levels running very high. We left the room and walked down to DuNord, a coffee shop we had seen the night before. The walk along the strip was amazing. We admired the architecture and the sheer royalty of the city scape. Reaching DuNord we smashed one of the most delicious Apricot Danish and patisserie items ever. Carb loaded we continue our tourist attack on the town. First up “The Hermitage” – one of the best art galleries in the world. Although it was a hours walk away we decided to continue our stroll, and along the way seeing many other things such as the markets, vape shops, bars. fan zone and a very extravagant chocolate shop.

At this point is important to point out that the stereotypes of Russia are BS! The people had been very friendly, helpful and hospitable. The place is friggin beautiful. Every building has character and is architecturally stunning. We could walk around for days next admiring the city. Everyone is accommodating and nice, we often found ourselves lost and people would be more than willing to help point us in the right direction – even if at times they couldn’t speak any English. I loved this piece so much at this point that I rate it one of my favourite cities – to describe it I would say it felt like a mix between Prague (for its beauty) and Barcelona (for is vibe – it even felt safer then both of them).

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Reaching the Hermitage we were taken aback at the size of the complex, at first we struggled to find the entrance, however after noticing a giant line we realised not only was this the entrance but, that we might be in a pickle for time. The line was moving slow. The Captain pulling out his phone and booking online. Accelerating to the front. What came after was like a child in a candy shop with his mother. The Captain wanting to see everything and the General trying to control him. Spending 4 hours (Only!… although seemed an eternity for the General) they left. They explored the winter palace of King Nicholas and the art gallery, the Captain crossing off Raphael and Leo DaVinci from his list – only 2 more ninja turtles to go! They were able to see some amazing works. It was just beautiful. Outside waiting for them was Commander Ollie, they meet him and visited the Aurora Russian war ship (the Captain felt at home), followed by Saint Isaac’s cathedral.

This is where this whole thing gets intense. Following our sightseeing adventure, the Captain suggests that they head to a local restaurant that he has come across in his research. This is a place that locals go to for a Russian/Georgian meal.

We order from the sole English menu they have in the restaurant. The food starts to appear and it was delicious. As we are enjoying our meals we notice the table next to us orders a second bottle of vodka. There is six of them and they have been drinking since before we arrived.

All of a sudden two of the men walk over to our table with vodka shots in hand. They ask us to shot with them. We signal at the beer we are drinking, they say ‘No’ in Russia we shot with friends for health. Who are we to disagree?

This followed with them buying us a pitcher of Georgian wine, then another pitcher of wine, another two shots with them on our table, then them asking us to sit with them and another two shots with them on their table.. drunk from the hospitality and from the copious amounts of alcohol we had just consumed we stumbled out of the restaurant, still not comprehending what had just happened.

The following events result in a blur. We somehow in our intoxicated states find ourselves heading to the pub crawl. It feels like it is somewhere between brunch and lunch time but in reality it’s 8 pm. Joining the pub crawl we are already loose, it is not long before the three amigos are off making friends and draining the bar. Shots, bar games, rounds of drinks. The time is soon 3am, the sun is out and the Captain is stumbling home. He is approached by a homeless man offering him booze. There is an indication the General is not far behind him and the Commander is lost. Reaching home, the General finds the Captain asleep outside the apartment on the footpath. The night ends. There is loads of missing blackouts that have been suffered by all three. The General has admitted to vomiting seven times at the club. The Captain spend his night in the bathroom regurgitating his soul.

The next morning is rough. Very rough. The Captain is struggling when he is awoken. it’s 2:30pm and a mad rush ensues. We have to get to the stadium. The time is against us as we rush to the train station and board the train heading there. The Captain trying very hard not to vomit on the journey. As they arrive the excitement starts to overcome them, it’s a long walk to the stadium from the station, we start to see it on the horizon. It is phenomenal. We enter the gates of footballs greatest competition. The atmosphere of indescribable. We witness magic. Everything just stands still as we are watching a World cup game. The Captain feels sick from the emotion and previous night’s festivities. It’s overwhelming. He goes and throws up once again. Life is returning to him and the feeling of a dream coming true his home when Belgium score. These words cannot do justice to what is felt by the Captain and General.

Just like that in what feels like seconds the game is over. Buzzing from the excitement we join the armies of fans and head back home.

Like beaten soldiers we return home and collapse into a slumber, only to wake up 2 hours later at 11 with an undying hunger. It seems the commander has gone missing, so the General and Captain venture out to get some Greek dinner and return home.

The final day, energized the Captain and General awake early, head out to see the last church on their itinerary – Church of our saviour of spilled blood. It is amazing, they realise that they are caught in a stare with the magnificent monument, with time running out the visit it cut short, they take some photos and head straight to the airport as the time has come to bid farewell to this magical city.

The adventures had in St Petersburg will never be forgotten, it is here that the Captain witnessed magic, had an opportunity to achieve his dream. The beautiful city has stolen his heart and broken every stereotype he had conceived about Russia. Hoping to return again we board the flights, one last time allowing our eyes to bask in the beauty of the city.

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Amsterdam. Netherlands

by Europe

Amsterdam. Netherlands

Amsterdam. Netherlands

The Atlantis Amnesia. The city of Lost.

Captains Log Day 5 – 19/07/2018 4.22 pm. NS International Train

The Captain and General arrived from Russia with Love. For the sixth time in his life the Captain lay foot in the Adult Disneyland of the continent, yet this was the first time for the General, which only meant that that he was in for some real ‘Amster’damage.

Attempting to briskly exit the Airport, we got held up as our luggage got mixed up somewhere, anxiously waiting at the airport for an hour both the General and Captain had accepted that their luggage was lost, right before it appeared from the carousel.

Finally departing the flight docking station, we headed into the city to finally join forces with Admiral Akbar, and Rebel leader Amit. Central station marked as the rendezvous the squad united, it was like warriors returning to family. Sharing war stories and catching up on a series of life changing events, the A team checked into their brilliant hotel accommodation.

It was not long after that they were off exploring the city, showcasing the teams favorite city to the newly christened General.

Walking around they finally got a chance to do their favorite Amsterdam pass-time activity, Get lost. It took a lot of coordination to organise a meeting point for other padre’s to join us, and join us they did.

Stumbling to our favorite hangout spot in Amsterdam, we took a seat and started noticing the changes that had happened to the place over the past few years, we ordered our old favorite drinks and broadcast our meeting spot. It was not long before the infantry arrived, Jason, Pat, Lara, Adrian as well as the Generals comrade who had moved here earlier Vivan. The crew spent hours catching up, and when it was time to leave the whole crew was slightly roasted to say the least. As a group we all decided to get lost, walking around, exploring the city, jumping from venue to venue. Heading to the Red light district we once again met some reinforcements consisting of Nuraj, Ivan and Richie and the group once again grew.

We hung out for a bit, had a peep, then departed ways. Slowly the crew dissipated, leaving only the General, Admiral and Squadron leader to explore, they also noticed that it was approaching 3 am, the time had come to head home and get some rest. The subsequent day would be a big one.

Awakening after a slumber better than that of sleeping beauty after her ‘nap’, the squad energized to head out, there was much to see in the city!

At first the Admiral and Captain headed out to meet the Captains’ old mate from school – Dan. Dan had moved to the Netherlands 2 years ago and is currently working in Amsterdam. It was fantastic to catch up with him, reminiscing about old school days, they started the day with several beers. During the catch-up comrade Dan was able to provide heaps of tips and tidbits about Amsterdam from a local’s view. Stories included; why the famous chain FEBO is called FEBO, popular insults in Dutch and how the competitor to Heineken started off right next door and had to move. Along with the tidbits, he told us about what life was like in the city of sin.

The Rebel Leader and General joined us, and things started to get loose with the beers and snacks starting to flow like the conversation. This was unfortunately short lived, as the time we had in the city was short and there was still much left to see.

Heading straight to the Van Gogh museum, the General got a chance again to be a babysitter as the Captain once again started to act like a child in a candy store, wanting to see and read everything.

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Fortunately for the General, and unfortunately for the Captain, the rest of the squad agreed and the Captain had to hurry along.

Leaving the Van Gogh, we went to the infamous Vondel park and lay in the sun. We needed to rest and boost our energy levels before heading to the Heineken experience.

The newly renovated experience was not like either the Captain or Admiral had remembered, newly furnished and with new activities and shows the squad was able to get a few more beers in and reinvigorate their senses.

Lightly toasted the team continued to the iconic iAmstardam sign laughing along the way, the General pointing at a person and asking them if they are Amit, to which they responded – “I Wish”. a few selfies later they walked to the Mannikien Pis Fritz shop for some refueling, battling against time to get there before they shut shop. It was here where Commander Ollie appeared hiding in the line to surprise us! We had not seen each other since Moscow and there was a lot to catch up on. As we approached the front of the line our friends Jason and Pat appeared and joined us, we then strolled to a Bar and met Lara and Adrian. The group once again grew. We found ourselves walking around the red-light district, popping by bar to bar. Things start to get blurry here, slowly the group started to peel away, all heading home. We grabbed some Walk to Wok noodles and satisfied our Asian food craving.

 

The night was spent once again in a majestic slumber. With alarm bells hard to ignore and a broken body, we arose to finish up our packing. The Admiral was clearly broken – struggling a fair bit. We checked out, left our bags and headed straight to the station to buy our tickets to Brussels, which surprisingly went very smooth.

All set we had 3 hours to kill before our train departed – in this time we headed to the famous cookie place ‘Van Stepele Koekmakerij’ to have a cookie. We were not disappointed – the gooey chocolate cookies filled with cream were phenomenal.

The time was in our favor as we headed to meet Lara and Adrian, at the Avacado restaurant in Amsterdam ‘The Avacado Show’. The wait was over 30 minutes but when the food came it was very aesthetic and delicious. This place would do the Melbourne brunch scene proud. Food’gramming we finished our yummy avocado filled meals and headed back, stopping by a barber as the General wanted a grooming session before heading to Belgium.

All of sudden due to our slightly slow movements we realized we running late, we pushed the limits. Grabbing our luggage and rushing towards the station proved to be harder than we thought, often the Generals slippers breaking along the way. We continued to push hard and climatically, we reached our train just as it pulled in.

The Amsterdam adventure was over. There is a lot unsaid in this log, our blurred memories require some deep thinking as well as investigation skills, we plan on debriefing and rehashing our memoirs.

The General had now witnessed the city, the damage unrepairable will remain with him for a lifetime.

Saying goodbye to Amsterdam we got headed towards Brussels.

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Brussels. Tomorrowland. Belgium

by Europe

Brussels. Tomorrowland. Belgium

Brussels. Tomorrowland

The pilgrimage that has no words.

Captains Log Day 9 – 23/07/2018 4.22 pm. Ukraine International 146.

It has been a delayed entry for the Captain. Often, he has found himself picking up the ink and feather to write of the escapades that took place in the summer of Belgium 2018, but his emotions seem to take control of him. Unable to start to comprehend the emotion and transcribe the events, he is overwhelmed and often finds himself tucking away the tools. A coward of his emotion. It was not until a long journey across the globe as he tries to recant his adventures, there are gaps in his memories. The realization hits that some of the events may be lost if they are not documented. He believes it only fair to mark the history, and ‘try’ to do justices to the memories that were created in that small magical town of Boom.

A train journey from the adult Disneyland of Amsterdam was quiet, like exhausted children coming home from a day in a theme park, we all take our turns in napping. Arriving in Brussels they manage to pin point their accommodation on the map, knowing that they had to cross the old town to get there. The Captain, Admiral, General and Rebel leader set out from the station crossing the city, as they walked the General, who had visited Belgium for the first time was lost in awe of the Grand Place. He stood in the center of the square with his suitcase, in awe of the towering buildings that surrounded him.

With some difficulty we asked him to move along, we promised to return once we had checked in.

Our apartment was on the third floor, the building had no lift. It took it all out of us as we chauffeured 9 bags up the old wooden staircases. We were greeted by our host, a middle aged French Mauritian lady, who did not stop speaking French to us, we mentioned that we had no idea what she was saying, but she did not comprehend or refused to acknowledge that. She was ironing in the apartment and we somehow, understood that she will finish up before she leaves. She continues to speak to the Captain in French, the crew all in hiding in the other room, the Captain just continuing to nod politely. In what seemed like forever, she finishes up what she is doing and leaves the apartment.

We coordinate with another comrade who has joined us in Brussels – Newbie Nuraj. The Newbie is in town alongside a big crew of infantry that has flown to make the pilgrimage to Tomorrowland. There is a large crew and rather than naming all of them, they will be reffered to going forward as the BuxSqaud.

On the eve of the holiest of events, the BuxSqaud was assembling all around the city walls. Newbie Nuraj however reached out and we coordinated a rendezvous point where we could all meet and prepare our strategies for the days to come. We united at the Grand place square, exchanging stories as we sipped our strong Belgian beers in the marvel of the grandeur of the landmark surrounding us. Time had us carried away, as we saw the places around us starting to shut shop, we hustled around looking for a place that we could find some late-night nibbles together, the time had slipped as most things had already shut. Finding our last open option, we grabbed some kababs and called it an early night, agreeing that what waited for us on the other side of dawn was going to be something far greater than each one of us would expect.

Anxious, with butterflies in our stomach, we awoke to the buzzing of the alarms. It was time, we were approaching the first day of Tomorrowland. We adorned our uniforms – matching tee shirts that the General had organized, loaded our bags and utility belts and set off to meet the BuxSqaud at the dedicated meeting spot of i-primi-piatti, which was the Captains favorite Italian restaurant in the city. Here we met with the remainder of the crew, Lara, Adrian and Amel, We enjoyed our meals as our thoughts lingered on awaiting festivities in the city of Boom.

Gathering our final things, the squad split up, taking 2 ubers to the destination. The traffic had started banking up, but we finally arrived and we could feel the bass on the souls of our feel. An unknown nervousness settling over the Captain as they approached the ‘will call ‘ desk, along the way seeing a global representation of people that had flown to make the sacrilege. Delightfully and unlike last time the Captain had been here, the bracelets took a lot less time to obtain. The squad was ready to enter the holy grounds of Tomorrowland.
We put our things in the locker and headed down the path to the entrance.

Inside the General was not able to contain his excitement, his first every experience at the Mecca of house music, stopping at every stage in awe and disbelief that ‘this was not the main stage’. Often the squad stopping to take photos, echo’s of sounds like ‘Woooow!’ could be heard amongst the bass, yet the summit was still a while away.

The daze like walk continued, past several stages before our squad arrived at the arches of the epicenter, the mainstage. As the Captain entered for this third time, every single hair in his body stood up. He had avoided seeing what the mainstage looked like, just to be blown away at this exact moment and blown away he was.

The towering Planaxis sea horse, casting a show over the dancefloor, its enormity comparable to last year’s circus tent, all encased by pearl shell sculptures that changed colors and water fountains that splashed water at every changing beat. It was beautiful. Although it was broad daylight the visuals and the lighting from the stage was phenomenal. The squad stood in awe as they crawled, heads turning towards the infamous Tomorrowland hill. Here we meet Comrade Ollie! He is a shepherd to the Australian crew! We hang with the Aussies on the hill, take a few group photos, and then all head down to see ‘Vini Vici’ play their set. Dancing and laughing, Ollie disappears, only to come back with MC Strech – The Tomorrowland MC! It is awesome, he is a fantastic guy, we all are a bit star struck as we take some selfies with him. It is not long till Ollie vanishes into the crowds.

What follows is indescribable, the first day of Tomorrowland we spend just trying to absorb our surroundings, we are joined by other squad members such as Jason, Pat, Ivan and Richie as well as new friends such as Nam and Tina.

Our whole day is spent on the mainstage, we are able to see Netsky, Hardwell, Axwell and Ingrosso and Tiesto. The day ended like a blur, we walk to get on our bus back to Brussels, awoken from our comatose walking state just by the smells of urine near the bus stand. Day 1 was over and our hearts were already overwhelmed by the music and the time we have had. Reaching Brussels the squad broke apart, the Captain and team grabbed some noodles and like zombies retreated to our homes to rest. Day 2 awaited us.

Broken we awoke to our alarms chiming, the sheer excitement of embracing the holy grounds helped to place mind over matter. We headed to Friteland, the most famous hot chips place in Belgium. Here we enjoyed a plethora of fried foods. We met the squad here and like we had done 24 hours ago took 2 transports back to the holy grounds of Tomorrowland.

We arrived and walked from our transport to the entrance of the festival and along the way were approached by a 5 year old child with his family, they handed us some candy and said “this is a present from us to you, welcome to Boom” – we were both shocked and overjoyed at the friendliness and love that the locals have for the pilgrims that arrive, and we gladly accepted their gift, took a photo with them and continued on.

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Today not only did we have our BuxSqaud, be we also had some very special guests coming in to join us from London town – Arthur and Alisha. We embraced them as Arthur ran into us (in a sea of 100k people) as we were walking to the main stage. He was blown away by the size of the festival – saying he had never been to a place like this. It was phenomenal. We headed to Organ of Harmony where we were able to see Ytram, who unknown to many was the alter ego of Martin Garrix. His Deep house set was one of the best sets the captain has seen on a side stage at TML

Day 2 felt like we were Ducks in a Pond, floating around, relaxed, feeling like we had no care in the world. This changed when the BuxSquad which had grown with more people all gathered to see Armin on the mainstage. The floating ducks had been put up in a Chinese restaurant and were about to be served Peaking. Continuing on to see the Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike and watching Alesso close day 2 was spectacular. The fireworks and visuals up a level from the previous years. We all slowly left, taking our time to get off the hill, still recovering from the spectacle we had seen and heard. Slowly walking back we had realised that we had missed the last waiting bus- meaning that we would have to wait 30 minutes before the bus came back for another round. We were dead exhausted, we all passed out in the bus. We had pushed our limit, grabbing some fried chicken burgers, we arrived at home as the sun was coming up at 6:00 am.

The final day of Tomorrowland, Day 3 was upon us. We all awoke exhausted and broken, but it was not our bodies that felt the pain, emotionally we felt distressed as a depression was coming over us – it was to be the last day of Tomorrowland. Felt by all, the cracks were displayed most evidently by the Admiral as she had tears dripping down her face as she got ready – when the Captain asked why she was weeping – she said, today is the last day.

The Captain could not argue or console her much as inside he also felt the same, and knew that the others could empathize. Feels were in the Air. We packed our bags as the next morning would be the day that the crew would all split. This adding to the emotional overdrive that we all were in.

We met this time at Pizza Hut, where Arthur and Alisha dropped by and then we grabbed some food, we headed back to the grounds for our final day.

Once again, I fail to find myself doing justice for what occurred at Tomorrowland, the love and the unity of those that are present is not describable in words, the music and the visual aesthetics are not able to be captured in even the most vivid of photos. It’s a sight to behold in person.

The day started with our local Timmy Trumpet blowing up the mainstage, being one of my favorite acts last year he did not disappoint. The Captain, General and Rogue leader finding their way deep into the mosh, whilst the Admiral was at a safe distance to watch. He was awesome. Just as good if not better than last year. Having the crowd eating from the palm of his hands

The last day flew by but we got to see legends Cosmic gate, Marcus Shultz, Coone, Axwell, Lost Frequencies finishing off with the heart wrenching set from Martin Garrix. We had more friends join us – as Erol a traveller and friend of the Captain and General had managed to get tickets to the closing day of the festival, his mind like the others who had visited the festival for the first time was BLOWN.

Just like that in a flash like the strobe lights, Tomorrowland 2018 was over. we stood watching the dimmed out stage, emotions flowing, our squad together hugging, crying and taking photos to preserve the memory like an Egyptian mummy. We just stood there, the gut wrenching feeling is bringing emotions rushing back as I write this. It was not only the end of Tomorrowland it was the day we said goodbye to our close friends – the ones we had shared the magic with. We all felt like a piece of us had been sliced out, as we slowly walked out of the most magical place on earth. Looking back, promising the we would be back here again.

Reaching home, the Captain, General, Admiral and Rebel leader all just sat and enjoyed their last family McDonalds meal together as tomorrow they would be parting ways, the Admiral and Captain heading to India and the Rebel Leader and General heading to the ancient city of Athens, Greece.

We said our emotional goodnights and went to bed, our eyes closed just replaying on repeat the lights lasers that were embedded in our memories from the last 3 magical days. We leave the definition of happiness in a small town called Boom

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