Forgot the camera today, just a few shots from the nearly flat GoPro. We made it to the festival feeling like we had already partied two days straight, go figure. We dragged ourselves to a dessert tasting by world renown Chef Roger Van Damme, Roger introduced the dessert personally to each table. Set to music and looking like DJ decks the molecular gastronomy delight was a complete sensory overload.
Back to the music where the huge selection of world class DJs and producers on at any one of the 16 stages at any time was once again overwhelming. We gravitated back to the main stage where the enormous music and crowd was matched by the scope of the sets and theater. Fireworks, smoke, streamers and confetti galore. Words cannot do the performance justice. Just to say, watching Steve Aoki bring the crowd to a rapturous culmination of the whole three day extravaganza was a highlight of the holiday.
Phewww.
A collection of highlights from over 45 minutes of crap GoPro video footage taken today.
Chaos and Cannons at the main stage.
Smile you're on Fish eye view.
Selfie's are difficult with a GoPro
Hard to see but a good example of international conflict.
We roused ourselves at a healthy 10am in time to get dressed, have some breakfast and make the midday bus back to Tomorrowland. Feeling a little exhausted we pulled out our waterproof picnic blanket and sat on the grassy hill in front of the main stage and chilled, trying to recover from the previous day.We realised we where the only people out of 180000 that had thought to bring a picnic blanket. Hmm maybe we are getting old.
A delicious steak at the steakhouse at 4pm roused us with, if it's even possible, a better view than Maison Bru. Then back to the party with a wild and unmatched vengeance. We met up with Uri and Uric again and rocked on till 12.
So impressed by the sets, sound and organisation. So many stages all very different and unique; some built over the water, some up high and some hidden partially underground. Even though it had poured the previous night it wasn't muddy as they had managed to cover most of the ground in planks and plastic tiles. It was awesome to just enjoy the festival and not have to worry about missing a DJ or queuing for toilets and drinks for hours.
Having to tear ourselves away from the last act an hour early was hard but the bus and exhaustion called. An hour and twenty minute walk only to have to wait forty five minutes for our driver to leave, whence he quickly became lost and our thirty five minute drive home stretched on to four thirty am. Agggghhhh. It was still an unbelievable day.
Anne-Marie under the bubbles
A couple of the awesome characters that help make Tomorrowland what it is
Our seats at the steak house, Cheers
Reuben has to work on his outfits obviously
Some Luxembourgers we befriended
Uric and Uri in better shape than last night
Sneaky
Uri is tall
Uric earns a hug
Just horsing around
It rained again
Such a cool crowd
Anne-Marie photobombs a Swiss couple
The Tomorrowland fairies where something to behold
The end of the night was a bit like this, loud, bright and a bit shaky.
The bus (soon to be nemesis) picked is up at a cheerful 12 midday and dropped is safely at the main entrance of Tomorrowland to pick up our missing tickets. Two hours of standing in the sun with close to a thousand other sweaty frustrated wannabe festival goers and we where in.
Huge, just huge, we spent around six hours exploring stages, admiring sets and making friends. Everything and everyone was beautiful. We had lunch at Maison Bru a restaurant run by a famous chef from Brussels that overlooks the main stage.
Two guys from Brussels Uri and Uric provided boundless entertainment as the skies opened around nine pm. We staggered to the bus (about an hours walk) by the required midnight cut off to get back to our hotel. Sunburnt, drunk and already exhausted we crashed.
Anne-Marie relaxes while Reuben organises a chauffeur to pick up our lost tickets.
Anne-Marie at the Carl Cox arena, what a lady
Anne-Marie at the B2B stage, mushrooms and light everywhere
The view of the main stage from Maison Bru, Festilicious!
A close up of the crowd. It's a plague of Aussies, No seriously there where thousands of us. By the end of the festival I was saying I was a Kiwi to avoid people going "Not another one". The cook islanders threw a lot of people as well with their flag.
After the rain Reuben with his new friends Uri and Uric crazy awesome guys
One last dance before heading home at the little Radio Modern stage out on the water. Too much fun was had today.
Today our tomorrow land journey began. After a relaxing morning wandering central Basel and another three course lunch everything went to plan, bike storage, ticket printing, airport shuttles and arrival at our five star hotel in Brussels. Now if only they can find our festival tickets.
Mmmm dessert
The tommorowland reception desk at the Brussels airport, Chaos
Tomorrowland staff, happy to please
The tomorrowland baggage carousel
Six busses from the Tomorrowland global journey bus service
One of the many interesting characters we are to sure to meet over the next four days
Reuben on to his 4th pair of sunnies for the trip
PS. This hotel may have the fastest internet I have ever enjoyed. May be time to upload some more GoPro movies.
Konstanz was lovely, reminded us of Melbourne with it's friendly cafe culture, restaurants and cyclists everywhere. The thunderstorm the night before had washed the hay-fever apocalypse of pollen from the air (Reuben feels like this) and the streets where fresh and alive. We cycled around taking in the scenery, the lake, fresco'd buildings and Swiss/Germanic Architecture. After lunch we headed by train back to Basel ready for a good nights rest before we Fly to Belgium tomorrow for TOMORROWLAND!
Reuben with his early morning coffee (Espresso is reliable and good, go figure)
Anticipating another 36 degree scorcher we set off without breakfast at ten to seven making the most of the cool, still, low traffic morning. We made great progress up the Swiss side of the river until Anne-Marie's Kebab power ran out after 63km and a stop was required. Reuben convinced her to continue the last 3km to Rheinfall, the largest waterfall by volume in Europe. Lunch at Schlossli Worth, an amazing restaurant in the middle of the river right in front of the falls was an awesome experience. After lunch we caught the ferry upriver the rest of the way to Konstanz, drinking local beer and avoiding the final 45km in 35 degree heat.
Anne-Marie next to rows of different types of lettuce
The view of Rhinefall and the Restaurant
Anne-Marie samples the wine
Our ferry looks like the Bay in the day ferry there are so many bikes
All along the river the locals use it like Australian's do a beach. Thousands of people swimming and sunbathing
Nearly to Konstanz, all the bikes have moved or got off.
Cleaned and abandoned the whale with much celebration, someone else can navigate it's enormous wallowing fat arse through Europe's tiny back streets for a change. Back on the bikes! After some serious bush bashing on the Swiss side of the river we located cycle route R2 (to be our close companion for the next two days). Criss-crossing the Rhine on our meandering way up river we soaked up the scenery and mid summer heat (Reuben is the loveliest shade of brown right now). The German side punctuated by frequent swimming pools, weird little private gardens with no house and by dedicated cycle ways right on the river. The Swiss side by very quiet undulating country roads and fields of vegetables everywhere. Eventually we pulled up in Waldshut, Germany and ate Greek food as a thunderstorm rolled in catching everyone unawares.
Reuben takes a quick snap as we ride along
A quick selfie on the Rhine
The longest covered bridge on the Rhine
And an ice-cream next to the Rhine in the 35 degree heat.
