#colosaal

Guten morgen. Another blog coming your way... late. It's becoming logistically impossible to write one of these each day sorry. I'll be doing recaps when I'm able to so y'all won't miss anything. We're embarking on a stretch of 6 gigs in 6 days so I might struggle to get these out on time. I'll try my best though :)

So, after our awesome time in Oldenberg we headed off to Dusseldorf for an off day. Our first experience in Dusseldorf was singularly underwhelming. We stayed at a B&B in a neighbourhood surrounded by roadworks, one kebab place the only sustenance for miles. On further inspection of the surroundings, we discovered an overgrown park, a stagnant river and still more roadworks. This picture of Dusseldorf was to stay with us for the next year and when we heard that it was a stop off point on our way to Aschaffenberg, no one was expecting much. Well, what a bad case of 'judging a book by it's... um, back page?' Dusseldorf turned out to be a lovely city. It features a sprawling old town juxtaposed with modern suspension bridges crossing the swiftly flowing Rhine. Many fresh food markets abound with some of the most amazing flavours I've ever tried. Bier sticks made from wild boar and mountain goat, nectarines so fresh the juice runs down your arm. There's an amazing candy store with chewy lollies that have chilli in the middle. Hot!! It turned out to be such a different experience that never again will we be so flippant in judging a town based on such scant information.

There's a thriving Asian community too, where we got to indulge in one of our favourite cuisines – Korean BBQ. Really tasty but unfortunately 20 euro for a bottle of soju is unacceptable when we pay 7 bucks for one in Auckland. We also encountered our first Germany city rivalry when trying to buy a forbidden Cologne beer in a 7/11. It turns out that Cologne and Dusseldorf have a love/hate relationship akin to Auckland vs Canterbury or Auckland vs the rest of New Zealand. Long and short of it is, if you don't wanna aggravate anyone, buy Alt beer in Dusseldorf and Kolsch beer in Cologne. Travel tips by B2KDA

Aschaffenberg was next on the list. We've now played 4 consecutive years at the same venue, the Colo-saal. Rolf and Herrman, the techs, are now like old friends and we didn't get lost this time.

I think I'm right in saying that Aschaffenberg is the first place we ever played in Germany on our first tour. It certainly has a place in our hearts as one of the friendliest. A lot of familiar faces in the audience and some new ones too. If you ever visit, you'll find a small town with some beautiful scenery. Nature abounds and there's lots of old buildings to check out.

Playing at the Colo-Saal is always a buzz. It's not the hugest venue but there's always great musicians coming through from various musical backgrounds. I was overwhelmed to be plying my trade, playing bass, on the same stage that Victor Wooten had been on a few days before. I could still feel the electricity left by him and Mike Stern. This month they have had or are having us, Mike Stern and Victor Wooten, The Brecker Brothers, Ugly Kid Joe, Parkway Drive and Soulfly!!

Next stop is Wurzburg, only an 80km drive. Keep you posted with new stuff. By the way, you may be finding these blogs a bit tame. No rock and roll partying and stuff. Well, I can't make it up unfortunately, it's been pretty quiet on the partying front... a little too quiet. This will change soon I'm sure. I'll make it change dammit haha. Miss you Vuk

Stay cool till after school

Alex and B2KDA