I will start off by covering my incredible, and memorable, trip to Europe last year throughout August.
This was the second time I had traveled to Europe and while it was always going to be hard to top the 2012 trip I believe it may have done just that. There were many lows, and much more highs, but that comes with every holiday as you need to take the good with the bad.
Arriving into Vienna, which for the record is a terrible city, I spent one night there before catching a train to Ljubljana, Slovenia to attend the amazing Metal Days festival, formerly known as Metal Camp, in Tolmin.
This was the first year the festival was operating under it's new moniker and since I had never attended Metal Camp I cannot inform you on any changes that may have occurred, however I can vouch for it being one of the best, if not the best, festivals I have ever had the pleasure of attending. Not only was the line up full of some highly talented bands but the location is absolutely perfect, situated in a valley right next to a beautiful, and very refreshing, lake which proved to be the perfect spot to cool down and have a swim on the scorching hot days that followed my arrival.
The main bands I was eager to see at this festival were Hypocrisy, Wintersun, Solstafir, In Flames, Soilwork, Ensiferum, Primordial and Mayhem. All of these bands, with the exception of Mayhem, put on amazing shows. Mayhem were very disappointing and I left midway through their set.
However these were not the only bands I managed to see live, in between the beers, chatting with awesome people and swimming. There were quite a few bands I had never heard of, never got around to listening to before or never seen live, including Unleashed, Dying Fetus, Alestorm, Graveworm, Mystery (from Melbourne, Australia!) and Lock Up. It was a good chance to discover some new music and finally see a few bands I had never managed to see before.
The biggest highlight of the week was easily finally seeing one my favourite bands live; Hypocrisy! I was ecstatic when I saw they were on the line up, especially after their Australian tour for January 2013 was unfortunately cancelled.
Following Metal Days, I spent a few days in Ljubljana which is where the low point of my holiday occurred as this city was not only incredibly boring, but I ended up being very sick the day I arrived due to a mixture of lack of food, water and intense heat. And to make matters worse I received a text message that my dad's dog had died (which I loved very much and treated like my own).
After this I spent a few days back in Vienna, which was another low point in my holiday. I have no intention to ever return to Vienna as it's another incredibly boring, and overrated, city. Salzburg may be the go next time I visit Austria. But I did manage to find a decent metal bar not far from my hostel which was nice and provided a good night of beer and entertainment with a mate.
Then it was off to Czech Republic for some more drunken antics in Prague prior to Brutal Assault festival in Jaromer.
I ensured that this year I had a few days prior to Brutal Assault to spend in Prague as last year I was only there for one day and saw very little of the city. I cannot begin to describe the amazing times I spent in this city with amazing people. The cheap beer and food, the amazing sites, the bars and restaurants and most of all the gorgeous women!
Before heading off to Brutal Assault we, mates and I, made a stop at Sedlec Ossuary, a small Roman Catholic chapel who's interior has been decorated with human bones. Albeit being small it was still amazing.
Anyway, onto Brutal Assault. This was an incredible festival. Another one of the best I have attended and would go back for many years to come. The line up was amazing, although not quite as good as the previous year, which be very hard to top.
The only problem I have with this festival is the annoying coupon system they have in place which requires patrons to line up and purchase coupons before they can buy food or beer anywhere in the festival grounds.
As for the bands, it was awesome seeing Behemoth, Opeth, In Flames, Alcest, Ensiferum, Ihsahn, Leprous, Novembers Doom, Saturnus, Meshuggah, In Vain, Orphaned Land and Sylosis. Many of those bands for the very first time. And staying in a hotel as opposed to camping was probably a very wise move as well, although the bus system where you need to book a ticket for a certain departure time was frustrating, especially with buses not running as regularly as they could have been.
Behemoth and Alcest were the two highlights of another incredible festival.
Following the conclusion of Brutal Assault I headed off to Cesky Krumlov, well known for being the location for the Hostel films. However it was nothing like the films, as this small town was one of the best places I have ever been to. Not only was the castle incredible, which I spent 5 hours at on the first day, but the restaurants were amazing and cheap as was the beer. I had lunch at one medieval style tavern that cooked it's meats over an open fire. So you can order your meal and then watch it cooked before your eyes. And what made this place the best restaurant I have ever been to was that it only costed me roughly $20AUD for a pint, an entree (a trencher with garlic soup), a main course and tip. Talk about nabbing a bargain! I will definitely be returning in 2016!
Following my departure it was closing in on the end of my holiday, but not before the prestigious festival known as Summer Breeze situated in Dinkelsbuhl in Germany.
It was another 3 long days of beer, festival food and bands as I saw Lamb of God, Tristania, Whitechapel, Enslaved, Ensiferum, Soilwork, Primordial, Cult of Luna, Long Distance Calling, Solstafir and Rotten Sound, who all put on very impressive performances, albeit a few hiccups, but still memorable nonetheless.
The highlight for me at this festival would have to be Solstafir as I am becoming a big fan of their unique style which differs from anything I have heard before, which these days is rare in the metal scene. But honorable mentions to Lamb of God and Tristania, in particular the latter who I had never seen before.
Following the conclusion of Summer Breeze it was time to head off to Munich was some mates for a couple of days before flying back home and to reality.
Upon arriving into Munich I checked into my hostel, caught up for some beers and the following day headed off to Dachau, a former Nazi concentration camp which is now open to the public.
This was one of the most full on and eye opening experiences of my life. Walking through and reading the history along with hearing former inmates recount their time here was both heart wrenching and sickening. The conditions were inhumane and brutal and the treatment just as bad if not worse. And the worst came when I came upon the gas chamber which had been disguised to appear as a shower so as not to cause any confrontation from inmates when brought here. They would be informed they were going to have a shower, they would remove their clothes and step into the chamber, and once the doors had been sealed and locked, they would be executed from poisonous gas emitted from the ceiling. This raised my hatred to an all new level for Nazis.
After this it was time for a more relaxing and positive tone, as it was my final night in Europe before flying home. This was spent in the city of Munich drinking copious amounts of beer with a mixed group of people from different countries; Australia, America, Germany and Japan. It is a night I will remember for many years to come. From drinking a litre of beer in Hofbrauhaus to being nagged by strippers whilst consuming a ridiculously over priced, but delicious, beer in a strip club.
My time in Europe last year is definitely a period of my life that I will be very proud of, especially taking into consideration I originally had no intention of returning to Europe in 2013. It's times like this that we need to have in our lives, a break from the everyday grind that allows us to unwind, let loose and enjoy the finer things life has to offer. Travelling the world is one of the most exciting, memorable and rewarding things you can do and everyone should do it as much as they can, not only for the memorable nights but also for the culture as well. I met many awesome people from all over the globe (Uruguay, Norway, Finland, Germany, America, Israel, Switzerland, Canada, Japan) and made some awesome new friends that I hope to share many a beer with in the future.
