IVIED

So now after quite some time of not updating the graphical appearance of this blog here’s something completely new. I’ve been working on this new theme for quite some time now, doing a mash-up of the themes Epsilon and BlueBreak. I hope you like it.

But I also did some other stuff recently. For example last Friday I was at the “Konzert für die Hirnlosen” at the Zeiss Planetarium here in Vienna. There were live Gigs of Mäuse (with singer Tex Rubinowitz) and TNT Jackson. First Fritz Ostermayer was on the turntables. Next was the concert of Mäuse which was a bit strange but OK, well I expected something like this from Tex Rubinowitz. After this was of course the concert of TNT Jackson which was really great (see photo below). Their performance on stage was great and the music made everybody move. In my opinion TNT Jackson is one of the “hottest” bands around here in Austria at the moment and I like their new album Across the Towers a lot. All in all it was a great night at the planetarium.

P.S.: Please let me know if you find any graphical errors or so in the theme so I can fix it. I really tested it a lot now but who knows… One thing I already know is that for some reason images are displayed stretched in height in Firefox, I didn’t find the reason for this yet. I know I still have to do something about the formating of some of the pictures.

So I was in Madrid for New Year’s Eve (came back last Friday). I think some of you may have seen my Madrid album on Flickr and were now waiting for some written comment about my stay at the centre of Spain.

First of all I have to say that the trip was definitely worth it because I was so happy to see many of the people again whom I got to know on my Erasmus semester in Dublin. We really had a short but great time with a great New Year’s celebration.

The second thing is that I didn’t like the city of Madrid itself that much. Of course I liked the old town and for example the Parque del Retiro but I don’t really know how to describe it but the atmosphere was somehow strange. Because for example on the 31^st in the afternoon when we were walking around near the Prado/Parque del Retiro/Atocha station there were so little cars on the street that the 3 lanes seemed totally over-dimensioned. And I think Madrid lacks tourist attractions a bit. I mean, I don’t want to be the typical tourist with a camera hanging in front his belly but Parque del Retiro – Museo del Prado – Plaza Mayor – Palacio Real and a few others like Atocha station or the Reina Sofía Museum that’s not that much. And you also have to consider the fact that at three of the ones mentioned there was a veeeeery long queue in front, so that we just laughed and walked away again…

By the way here I have to mention one place I really liked in Madrid. I knew the reason it was built for is a sad one, but the memorial for the victims of the 3/11 train bombings at Atocha station is really beautiful although (or because) it’s quite simple. When you sit down there in the half-dark blue-painted room and watch the people looking up to from where the light comes in, that was quite impressive.

And now I’m gonna give some more short notes about my impressions of Madrid:

• Spanish food has quite a lot of fat. Although I like some of it a lot. I love Spanish tortilla for example. But they also quite a lot of sea food and that was really not something I liked. But anyway I didn’t starve.
  And one strange food to mention is Chocolate con Churros. This is a breakfast dish typical for Madrid. And this – how else could it be – is quite fat as well and in my opinion it’s definitely enough if you have tasted it once.
• The people of Madrid are crazy about lottery. There are lots of guys standing around on Puerta del Sol selling lottery tickets and people are queuing in front of the lottery booths nearly like at the Prado. Just make a search on Flickr and you can see some impressions of that.
• Madrid people seem to have a lot of gold or at least the owners of those “Compro Oro” stores must believe that. These are shops where people can go an sell their gold and there are so many of those on Puerta del Sol and in Calle de la Montera alone that’s really strange.
• Policia Muicipal Madrid seems to be fine with the fact that in Calle de la Montera, which is right in the city centre and where my Hostel was there are prostitutes standing/waiting all day long. And the funny thing is that there is quite a big police station in that street as well.
• Metro Madrid is quite ridiculous. Well OK, they got a big network with many lines but the trains are going so very slow most of the time… really strange. And it’s also funny when you have to change from one metro line to another (for example at “Alonoso Martínez”). You have to go through corridors and up and down stairs that you get the feeling you’ve just mastered a labyrinth when you finally reach the right platform. And all those corridors and stairs were covered in litter at the time I was in Madrid because the cleaners of Metro Madrid were on strike.
• And of course you have to be so aware pick-pockets in Madrid, especially on the Metro and on days like the New Years Eve when there are a lot of people in the streets. Because of our group at least one camera and one wallet were stolen. On New Years Eve some of the thieves were to be noticed quite easily if you paid a bit of attention. So never put any of you valuables in you back pockets when you’re walking round Madrid. Better put it in zipped pockets of you trousers or jacket.
  Well I think I’m really a bit spoiled about those last two points but I really like living in a save and well-functioning city like Vienna.
• According to the tourist guide I bought before I went on this trip, Madrid is by far the noisiest of all European capitals and after having been there I do believe that. And you know what, the window of my room in the hostel was pointing to Gran Vía, one of the biggest streets in the centre of Madrid. So sleep well…

So that was it with my impressions from Madrid. I really have to say that I’d love to see you all again someday…

Well, now it’s the end of another year and I’m glad I can say, it was a good one. It started with the end of the Erasmus semester (I think I don’t have to say any more about that). There were the trips with my camera to a lot of mountainbike races. There was St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin. There were a lot of great concerts. There was my last full semester in Kapfenberg (I really enjoyed this one, wasn’t that hard) and afterwards my move to Vienna where I spent the last half year and where still am.

I hope you all had good Christmas holidays and I wish you all the best for 2008.

I will be in Madrid for the next few days and come back in 2008 giving you more updates here on the blog. I’m also planning some sort of 2007 retrospect thing… watch out for this.

See you soon,
Thomas

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope that you are having a good time these days.

Best wishes,
Thomas

P.S.: Here is a photo I took last sunday on our “Winter Photo Session 2007″. This year we have the best Christmas-weather in years. Finally white Christmas again.

Last Thursday I got a text from B. inviting me to their “Einweihungsfeier” (I actually didn’t find a proper word for this in English). So yesterday night was the party in their flat in the 7^th district. Although I didn’t really know any of the people there it was a really good party.
Btw., it’s funny how you can make a drinking game out of a game that was actually designed for 4-year-old children. And yes, what was that in that preserving jar? Whatever…

Ah yes, one more thing to mention: I moved again here in Vienna last weekend… the last time for a while now, hopefully.

Yes it’s true, for a few weeks now already Fürstenfeld got it’s very own dirtpark. I don’t know how I could ever forget to mention this here on my weblog before. Anyway, you can see some pictures on www.myspace.com/dirtparkfuerstenfeld.
Guys you really did some good work there!

Stadthallenbad, Vienna

Icicles on traffic lights

So yesterday I was at the Texta gig at the opening of Winter im MQ 2007. Although I had seen Texta only about four weeks ago in Graz it was a great concert because it was outdoors in the main yard of the Museumsquartier and it was snowing all the time during the concert (and it still is).
And what was really funny was the fact that DJ Dan and his turntables were in this half metal/half plastic silver and orange box about 20 meters away from the stage because of the snow and he wasn’t even able to see the stage. But they did a great show and afterwards they wanted to start a small snowball fight but in the end it was only the crowd throwing snowballs at them while they were doing two more songs.

By the way I’m on flickr now as well. See my photos at www.flickr.com/photos/mighty_mt

So seems like the people from the Museumsquartier chose the perfect day for the opening of their winter seasion. For all of you who are currently not in Vienna: It’s been snowing here nearly all day long, that’s why.
Like the Summer Sounds this summer they will have the Winter Sounds with DJs spinning the decks every weekend from now on up until Christmas. And there will also be a curling rink and lot’s of other stuff.

As I mentioned before there’s the opening day today with DJ Phekt on the decks and a Texta live on stage. And I just saw that there is DJ Parker from Bristol/UK on Saturday. And I can’t go there… damn. But maybe I will be there this evening to see Texta once again.

Btw., I really like the flyer/poster. Some graphics designer guy has done great work here.