Depeche Mode in London, the 3rd!

I was so happy as I arrived in Greenwich, London after a depressive day & night in Lille.

My hotel "King William" was very comfortable  and had a nice pub.

All the people there was extremly friendly, so I went in a very good mood to Picadilly Circus to shop in one of my favourite food store some mustard.

If you don't know "Fortnum & Masons", go, visit it next time in London.

Then I met a good friend of mine from Cologne. He was working in London at this time and it was funny to be together in London.

We had a good meal and walked trough Soho to Covent Garden, to the Somerset House, along the river Thames and back to Soho with some stops in several pubs to grease our dusty throats, hicc!

I discovered some new places, never been at seven dials, a wonderful small place with a pillar in the middle of a junction of seven roads! Beautiful!

I love London!!!

Next morning after very good vegetarian breakfast in the pub of my hotel I started to my last episode of river Thames traverse but in this case it is not the right word because I went through the walking tunnel.

So far I crossed the river wirh the tube ( under water/ on water ), walked and drove over many of bridges, with a ferry, by airplane and cable car. Now walking under the water, cruel.

Next time I have to swim.

The entry of the tunnel is at Cutty Sark, an old british clipper ship from 1869 what is now preserved as a museum ship located in Greenwich!

I got a little bit claustrophobic feeling in the tunnel and was happy as I reached the north side of London.

Then I got the chance to visit the reopened Tate Gallery with a bigger exhibition of british art then before and a wonderful new spiral stair in the front hall.

They have so many sculptures of Henry Moore, a british sculptor which I love!

I walked through a few of my favourite streets of London  for example the "Belgrave road" where I

Had a hotelroom as I was the first time in London to see Depeche Mode in January 1988.

Then it was a washed-up neighbourhood with very cheap hotels, but I didn't have enough money for a better hotel.

The owners of the hotel came from East Europe and their English was maybe still worse than my English. They had many plates with references in bad English: " pleese, closs the door " or " do not cook on the carpit". But I Stayed then for a week and had a good time there. They called me " good girl" because I helped a little bit to clean the breakfast room every morning.

Now it is a glamorous place with redecorated houses. Not bad neighbourhood anymore.

I had a good lunch in another favourite street: " the Wardour street" in Soho.

Time to go back to Greenwich and I made a long bus trip from Holborn to Greenwich with line 188.

Good interesting and cheap sightseeing tour.

Two hours later I arrived in the O2 arena, drank a beer in one of the many bars there and joined in with music from Depeche Mode.

In the arena I upgraded myself to places directly beside the stage at the left side and spent a wonderful evening with many nice guys from Italy, South Africa, New Zealand and London.

It was a good concert, Martin sang " Leave in silence" but I missed Dave's laugh from the summertour.

The spark was only at about " Just can't get enough"! But that's my opinion, it is normal to have ups and downs if you see so many concerts like me!

The evening ended with a big party at the Union Square bar in the O2 with my new friends.

Special thanks to Jacqueline and Jenny, was so nice to meet you. Lucky me!

Bed, sleep, long trip to the airport, flight, back at home and today after 12 fucking years Depeche Mode will play in my hometown tonight!

Homematch, yeah!!!

" seven dials"

"CuttySark"

Under river Thames

Tate Gallery

Sculpture of Henry Moore

Depeche Mode 19.11.13 Leave in silence

http://youtu.be/BLrlW1FRM40

Depeche Mode in Lille or the heating was broken

I stood up very early at Sunday morning to reach the train to Lille, North France where Depeche Mode should play at Sunday evening in the Grandstade de Lille!

As I drank my coffee I looked into facebook and was shocked by the post of depechemode.de:

" the Depeche Mode show tonight on Lille was cancelled because a broken heating system in the stadium"!

Unbelievable, but the official site of Depeche Mode confirmed that.

But no choice: I had to go to Lille for one night because I booked a ticket for the Eurostar from Lille to London where DM will play on tuesday.

There aren't many words to say about this trip.

I made the trip alone, because my travelmate Sylvia cancelled Lille, too, because she was ill and I had a lonely evening in Lille with french beer and french tv.

Enjoy some pictures of Lille.

The town is more modern than the first time I was here in Feruary 1988 as I saw here Depeche Mode on the Music for the Masses Tour.

This time no strike for me, but shit happens and you could be worse off than me.

So I looking forward to London, one of my favourite towns in the world!!

Adieu Lille!

Depeche Mode in Dublin or " This is not Boys say go!"

Friday morning I woke up with bad headache, but which wonder, haha.
After a very good vegetarian irish breakfast and some cups of coffee everything was fine and we went by bus to Dublin, O'Connell street with the fantastic spire.

The first thing we did in Dublin was a counterattack, we drank a beer. I had a "Blemish", not so dark like Guinness but very tasty, too.

Then we checked in  our wonderful hotel beside the Point/O2 arena, where Depeche Mode played on Saturday. We was in the same hotel like the stage crew again.

For a good diner we went back to the city: we ate classical Fish and Chips at " Beshoff's", the oldest fish snack bar in Dublin, great meal. I'm vegetarian but I didn't succeed to disclaim this one time, arghhhh.

After the meal we was so tired, that we drove back to our hotel and went to bed very early.

This was a good decision, so we were up very early in the next morning and walked through sunny Dublin for catching a breakfast and take a train to the peninsula Howth.

We spent half of the day there and enjoined the wonderful heavens and the landscape. Great.

Back in the city we were ready for a hot mexican burrito and after that for a Smithwick in the Temple Bar, the great irish pub in the quarter Temple Bar.

Now, the concert was waiting at the O2 Arena.

It was an awesome concert. The crowd revelled from the beginning and Dave loved that, because he didn't have to do so much.
Later after Martin sang"But not tonight " we got the chance to go in the second row. The irish people were so friendly, no scramble, the let us go forward and the girls in the second row screamed very loud with us, as Dave danced on the loudspeaker box. This was such a great moment, not far away from collapsing. Funny.
But again, no word to Andy. I like to know what happens between Dave and Andy because they are in animus. Curious.

At the beginning of "Just can't get enough" Dave said: " This is not boys say go!"
In many concerts the older boys, which are longtime or should I say long life fans?, shout " Boys say go, boys say go!", because they want to hear it again one only time.
Depeche Mode didn't play it since unbelievable years. Maybe Dave wanted to issue a statement, don't know why he said that, but now the boys are in troubles together because each of them want to be the
initiator for " Boys say go!"
I heard that shouting a bunch of times this evening from different corners, so, we all are fans, many of us a longtime, so lets party together!!!!
Dave and Andy should be a deterrent example. Adult men brawl. For what?

We women dancing and screaming to "Just can't get enough", lol.

After the concert I spoke with some friends, those who didn't like the Belfast concert and the most of them are now happy again although it was the same short setlist.

We felt very happy into bed.

The last few hours in Dublin we spent in jail.....
We visited the Kilmainham Gaol and learned a lot about irish history.
The jail is closed since 1924 and in the younger times the jail was used as a setting for many films
like " In the name of the father".

Last action in Dublin: we drank a Guinness in the Temple bar quarter and took a bus to the airport.

Good bye Dublin, mar sin leibh!!!!

Depeche Mode Belfast the full version

Wednesday my friend Martin and I took a flight from Dusseldorf to Dublin. 

We met some friends at the gate. In Dublin some more friends arrived at the airport from other cities like Frankfurt.

We catched all together a bus to Belfast and after a short break in our wonderful small hotel Tara Lodge we started a walk through the city means a good diner and some beers in different irish pubs.

We started the next morning with a typical irish breakfast, vegetarian style with scrambled eggs, mushrooms...

We visited the beautiful city hall and walked then through the both quarters Shankill and Falls (

The Protestants and Catholists) and was very astonished about the walls ( peacewalls) between theese quarters. At the Northumberlandstreet are a big gate to close the gap between the wall.

Unimaginable for us how it was to live with the " troubles" between the Catholics and the Prods.

We didn't see many people there on the streets, it was a little bit surreal atmosphere.

But Belfast seems to manage it very well, the people are very friendly and hospitably and there are many new buildings, the future has begun.

Specially the arena beside the Odyssey arena where Depeche Mode played on Thursday is a new and modern area with the Titanic museeum.

We came on time to the concert, the arena was small, maybe for 7000 people and we found a place near the stage.

Yeah, and then " Welcome to my world"!

The concert was great, Dave did a good job.

The set is now shorter, no " barrel of the gun", no " secret to my end" and no "Goodbye".

" Behind the wheel" for " Soothe my soul"!

But anyway it was a very good concert, Dave danced the whole time and the crowd liked this.

" Just can't get enough" ended without no communication between Dave and Andy.

No " Mr. Andy Fletch Fletcher".

After the concert we met many friends which were very disappointed about the shorter and same setlist. Two friends said, they want to sell their ticket for the upcoming concerts, ups!?

For me it was a great concert, we had so much fun with our funny travelgroup, thanks Patrick, Thomas, Dirk, Andre, Sylvia, Arkadi and Martin! It was "Deluxe"! 

We had some beers at the aftershow party and danced to good music of the Eighties.

Met many friendly irish people!!

Yesterday at noon we took the bus to Dublin. 

For Dinner we had " Fish and Chips" with vinegar. Delicious!!!

So " Good morning Dublin, we are ready for you!"

Depeche Mode in Belfast or with mixed feelings

After a couple of weeks with no concerts the European winterleg of the Depeche Mode tour is now started.

We are in Belfast  since two days and yesterday we saw the concert in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast!

In one hour we will take the bus to Dublin, where we'll see the concert at Saturday.

There are many things to say about the trip to Belfast because it is an amazing city,

but I'll do it later because now I have to pack my stuff.

But for the beginning here are some pictures to get an impression!