Day 7 & 8. Rain, cockneys & Watergate..

Woke up feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep last night and ate the watermelon that was leftover from our feast. Around midday Wally and Jo (back from his hotel excursion) walked along to the train station to meet the infamous Chris Bramley (Brammers) who has flown over for Melt Festival for the second year in a row. Me and Mundo went missioning across town to pick up a Melt ticket for him unfortunately for us soon after we set off it started pissing down. Dressed in vests and shorts wasn't ideal and we got a little wet as we trudged around the west end looking for the ticket office. We soldiered on and stopped at a pizzeria in Mitte which only had a menu in German so it was pot luck when ordering our lunch. Our luck must have changed for the better after our wet start as I had ordered the pepperoni and it set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, I was in good spirits. We browsed a lot of clothing shops that neither of us could really afford but it kept us out of the persistent rain showers never the less.

We got back to the campsite around tea time and the rain still had not let up so we all got our heads down for an hour or so. When I awoke Mundo was there with a bottle of vodka in hand so we got to work drinking that before heading out on the town with no real plan. I knew Watergate was open that night so we eventually ended up around there in the east of the town soaking up the sights and sounds of Friedrichshain once again. We met up with Wally and Brammers and joined the hour long que to get into the club. It was a really good night with Martini Brothers and Martin Lansky on deck duties until well into the next day. We met a load of characters from London town who loved the party and the early mornings almost as much as we did..

The view from Watergate across the River

Martin Lansky and friends.

We really should have consulted each other on outfits before heading out!

'You Geordie boys are mennntaaall!'

Post Watergate crew... where can we get beer????!

Martin Lansky @ Watergate

Thursday was a total write off, think I only left the tent twice once to eat a kebab and the other to go to the toilet! Much needed sleep and rest was had.

Day 6. Camping shops, Turkish scran and BBQ time

The campsite life has gotten too much for Jo this morning so he has checked out and found a hotel  across town to rest his weary head. Mundo has a loan of Jo's bike for the day so me, him and Wally set out at about 11am for the day. Mundo hadn't come too prepared for the campsite so we found a camping shop to get him hooked up. Germany's prices are pretty similar to those at home for nearly everything except it seems tents and sleeping bags. Not wanting to shell out too much Mundo asked for the cheapest sleeping bag in the store, a snip he thought at €20.  The shop assistant did tell us that it was designed for a small child or hobbit but holding it aloft to size it up Mundo was sure he could fit into it. 

We rode around town and found a few spots then decided to head along to the Turkish market to get some tasty treats. It took some doing finding the damn thing but once we got there we were rewarded with plenty of stalls with tasty Turkish treats; fresh fruit, olives, pastries, fresh fish all at cheap prices.. smiles all round.  

We decided to have a BBQ back at the campsite that night so I bought a bag of prawns to cook while Mundo and Wally opted for the whole Red Snapper. We hit up Aldi on the way home for the rest of the shit; beer, bread and bratwursts. 

Back at the campsite the lads were keenly inspecting their fish when they realised that the little buggers had not been gutted, an amusing 10 minutes followed as the most cack handed pair of fish mongers in town went to work with a plastic camping knife more akin to buttering bread. The snappers inards were soon draped all over the bin. The BBQ was a success after the shakey start and we stood eating and drinking for the remainder of the evening. 

When we turned in for the night it was time for Mundo to test out his new kids sleeping bag, not surprisingly it barely covered his arse!

Consequence Aside

Consequence Aside was the brain child of James Newrick and featured his own work as well as pieces by Olly Olsen, The Count, Lewis, Cookie, H Man, Rupert, Tom Whittle & Rhys McFleece. It went off really well and most of the Newcastle riding fraternity were in attendance and the drink was flowing throughout the evening. All of the work was really impressive too. Deeky the photos to find out more.

The next generation..

Richie ripping round the vert extension at speed

This is my younger brother Richie who is 13 years old. Since the park has opened he has been there every day and has been riding loads. In that short space of time he has progressed so fast and his confidence on a bike has grown. His bike is also different everytime I see it as he's constantly swapping parts with his mates.. the lad loves it. I'm gonna have to put some hours in otherwise he will be teaching me tricks by the end of the year!

Shredder

Marty dodging counless kids, police, stones and of course rain to blast some nice airs at Whitley Bay.