Oxegen!

A few weeks ago I went to to oxegen. Armed with funky pink wellies, muesli bars and a roll of toiletpaper, we set out to Punchestown racecourse. It's a two day festival, but since Karen refused to go camping, we drove up and down from Dublin. And since I didn't drive anyway (these idiots are still on the wrong side of the road, mind you!), I didn't mind getting into the passenger's seat of the car at night and being dropped home and picked up again in the morning.

On the first day it rained until about 6 pm. The rain was actually heavy enough for us to decide not to go and see anything that was not playing in a tent. Streams of water made their way through the public inside the tents anyway. Thank god for my wellies, otherwise I would have had very cold and wet feet. Fortunately the wethaer cleared up later on though. Highlights of the day: deathcab for cutie, Gomez, the Who and Eels.

The sunday was very sunny. yeah! Time to see a lot of bands. Highlights were the Zutons, the Feeling, Clap your hands and say yeah, Sigur Ros, Arctic Monkeys and the Charlatans. The Chilli Peppers were shite. Endless guitar solos get very old really fast. I know that, you know that. In fact, everybody knows that. So why don't they?

Oh and I saw Jerry Flannery. Irish Rugby player for Munster and Ireland. Of course all the people I was with play tennis and for them the only event on grass that actually matters is Wimbledon. So when I saw him first on saturday I had to explain all the Irish people around me who the man was (how postmodern....;0p). Then on Sunday I saw him again and even got a picture. yeah!

So, that's that for today.

For the rest, the weather is really nice. 20 - 25 degrees and actually a bit chilly sometimes. Of course my flatmates think they're melting on the spot. Not used to anything, these people over here.....

See my Tabblo>

some more pics of Inis Mor

Inis Mor's main mode of transport


While cycling.
Kirstyanne: What's with all these stone walls?
mariekschen: don't know, must be to indicate property borders or something
Kirstyanne: but there's just so many. Seems like they just built them to keep busy or something.
mariekschen: probably. I mean, you can't really grow anything in this place anyway.


some nice cliffs and me on the very edge of Europe


Deep sea diving from a distance


More cool cliffs


So, did the Vikings play squash too?

Oh no!

No Tour de France on telly here! And this one was finally going to be interesting. No Lance Armstrong and his slaves to make it too predictable and a huge doping scandal to top it all off. I had found my peace with the fact that I would have to do without Mart Smeets and his Tourjournaal every night. But no finish in Valkenburg on Tuesday at all for me now.

Instead, Wimbledon is on three channels and I for one can't really be bothered with tennis.

What am I going to do with myself this summer? Have to find a whole new thesis routine now. No more working through the night, wake up when the cyclists start, and start studying when they're done.

It's not fair, I tell you.