Orestis Kazasidis was the "Gladiator" who won July's Championship and got tickets for the last day of Rock en Seine Festival and accomodation in Paris.
Orestis and his friends and Suzanne and Lutz sent us their review (and we thank them for that) from their stay in Paris and Rock en Seine Festival.
Today is the last day of September's Championship and dimpole, addntox give a big battle over who will win the Wii console. But beyond the first winner, the next 3 Gladiators will win the new releases of Inner Ear Records, Sound of Everything & Archangel Music.
As for gifts for the next Championship, be certain that they will be more. You'll see them tomorrow. Let's go to Paris now ...
A trip that ended wet but was hot all along:
"We will meet at the top of the Eiffel Tower!" That was our first
reaction when we learned that we got the tickets for Rock en Seine and
the Hotel in Paris. Susanne arrived from Hamburg, I made it from Münster
- what could possibly be more obvious than to imitate Meg Ryan and
Kevin Kline? Unfortunately, for the sake of the crowd lingering beneath
the tower and waiting in looong lines to get up, we shifted our initial
meeting point to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We had not seen us for
years - the joy was correspondingly great!
Then off to the hotel (TimHotel Boulogne), which we’d like to recommend very much indeed. The room was wonderful, our extra-night was surprisingly low-priced, and with regards to the the festival it was located perfectly - as we should later notice emphatically. We arrived on Friday – so we had enough time to enjoy the city before the concerts on Sunday. The weather showed itself merciful at first - sometimes there was some rain, but it never lasted long.
So first we went out to explore extensively the many cafes and pubs, and to visit some of the parisien landmarks - Notre Dame, of course, La Sainte Chapelle, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries, Eiffel Tower, Montmartre - but especially the walks through the streets of the various quarters were a pleasure, even when we realized that it was not really easy to find a supermarket or a bakery that was actually opened. A highlight was our picnic in the Bois de Boulogne - on a park bench, as it was indeed a "Bois" in the truest sense of the word, which meant that we didn’t find the expected meadows of a Park, but dense wood. But there was ample entertainment: A lively display of social interaction unfurled before our eyes with all the mobile Parisians and Parisiennes on skates and bicycles that met in the Park, greeting, chatting, separating, returning and chatting again.
For food we tasted everything from crepes and croissants for breakfast,
on to pork knuckles up to some healthy yet strangely insipid "Organic
food". In the evening we would not miss to pass through the quarters Marais and Montparnasse – countless crowded “In”-Clubs with hip people
and hip drinks in hip glasses with glowing straws - as many “trendy
persons“, we both agreed, we had not yet seen that densely packed
before.
Then, of course, the festival on Sunday, at last! A truly impressive experience with a great crowd of fascinating people, great bands, musical styles ranging from the psychedelic rock of the Black Angels to reggae ("Shake da thang, buy my record") to classics like the Eels and Folk of Beirut and great straight rock of Wave Machines. Of course, for me the highlight of the evening was the performance of Arcade Fire. Fittingly opening with "Ready to start” followed by a dozen of stirring performances, they were – alas! – interrupted by a sudden eruption of the heaviest imaginable rain.
Almost without warning, the sky opened its gates and down poured the water, and as the stormy wind blew it directly on the stage, there was no thinking of a regular continuation of the performance - after all, the unplugged version of "Wake Up" that followed will certainly become legend. But after that, the band unfortunately had to call it a night, so that classics like “Rebellion” or “Tunnels” felt literally into the water. Bollocks! But now the location of our hotel proved its worth - while at the subway entrances miles and miles of waiting wet people formed up on the streets, we reached our dry, warm room in less than half an hour.
All in all, it was a journey that we both will certainly never forget – great thanks to you for making it possible!!! Next year we will definitely be back at Paris’ Rock en Seine!
Susanne & Lutz, Germany.
Orestis and his friends and Suzanne and Lutz sent us their review (and we thank them for that) from their stay in Paris and Rock en Seine Festival.
Today is the last day of September's Championship and dimpole, addntox give a big battle over who will win the Wii console. But beyond the first winner, the next 3 Gladiators will win the new releases of Inner Ear Records, Sound of Everything & Archangel Music.
As for gifts for the next Championship, be certain that they will be more. You'll see them tomorrow. Let's go to Paris now ...
A trip that ended wet but was hot all along:
"We will meet at the top of the Eiffel Tower!" That was our first
reaction when we learned that we got the tickets for Rock en Seine and
the Hotel in Paris. Susanne arrived from Hamburg, I made it from Münster
- what could possibly be more obvious than to imitate Meg Ryan and
Kevin Kline? Unfortunately, for the sake of the crowd lingering beneath
the tower and waiting in looong lines to get up, we shifted our initial
meeting point to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We had not seen us for
years - the joy was correspondingly great!Then off to the hotel (TimHotel Boulogne), which we’d like to recommend very much indeed. The room was wonderful, our extra-night was surprisingly low-priced, and with regards to the the festival it was located perfectly - as we should later notice emphatically. We arrived on Friday – so we had enough time to enjoy the city before the concerts on Sunday. The weather showed itself merciful at first - sometimes there was some rain, but it never lasted long.
So first we went out to explore extensively the many cafes and pubs, and to visit some of the parisien landmarks - Notre Dame, of course, La Sainte Chapelle, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries, Eiffel Tower, Montmartre - but especially the walks through the streets of the various quarters were a pleasure, even when we realized that it was not really easy to find a supermarket or a bakery that was actually opened. A highlight was our picnic in the Bois de Boulogne - on a park bench, as it was indeed a "Bois" in the truest sense of the word, which meant that we didn’t find the expected meadows of a Park, but dense wood. But there was ample entertainment: A lively display of social interaction unfurled before our eyes with all the mobile Parisians and Parisiennes on skates and bicycles that met in the Park, greeting, chatting, separating, returning and chatting again.
For food we tasted everything from crepes and croissants for breakfast,
on to pork knuckles up to some healthy yet strangely insipid "Organic
food". In the evening we would not miss to pass through the quarters Marais and Montparnasse – countless crowded “In”-Clubs with hip people
and hip drinks in hip glasses with glowing straws - as many “trendy
persons“, we both agreed, we had not yet seen that densely packed
before.Then, of course, the festival on Sunday, at last! A truly impressive experience with a great crowd of fascinating people, great bands, musical styles ranging from the psychedelic rock of the Black Angels to reggae ("Shake da thang, buy my record") to classics like the Eels and Folk of Beirut and great straight rock of Wave Machines. Of course, for me the highlight of the evening was the performance of Arcade Fire. Fittingly opening with "Ready to start” followed by a dozen of stirring performances, they were – alas! – interrupted by a sudden eruption of the heaviest imaginable rain.
Almost without warning, the sky opened its gates and down poured the water, and as the stormy wind blew it directly on the stage, there was no thinking of a regular continuation of the performance - after all, the unplugged version of "Wake Up" that followed will certainly become legend. But after that, the band unfortunately had to call it a night, so that classics like “Rebellion” or “Tunnels” felt literally into the water. Bollocks! But now the location of our hotel proved its worth - while at the subway entrances miles and miles of waiting wet people formed up on the streets, we reached our dry, warm room in less than half an hour.
All in all, it was a journey that we both will certainly never forget – great thanks to you for making it possible!!! Next year we will definitely be back at Paris’ Rock en Seine!
Susanne & Lutz, Germany.
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