The departure to the Firewind-shows in Australia is getting closer. The habit I obtained back in 2011, to travel across the globe to see Greek virtuosos Firewind, is now taking me all the way down to the continent “down under”, the land of the koalas and kangaroos!

It’s a trip over 9 time zones, taking me across two (or 3, depending on how you count) continents and 16,036 km, 9,964 English miles, 8,659 nautical miles (I had to look it up)….

I’m super excited about it, because for ONCE in my life, I really don’t know what to expect! I know Europe and I know the USA well enough. No big surprises there, just slight differences, but all in all, it’s pretty much all the same place… But THIS? Everything is backwards!

And THIS time, I’m not going to travel like a backpacker to keep it as cheap as possible. Not when I have over 30 hours of travel-time to deal with.
If there’s EVER a good time to spend a little extra on a trip, this is it.  I’m travelling like a QUEEN this time.

That Emirates business-class is something I’m really looking forward to. Lie-flat bed with built in massage and your own mini-bar, and a 23/7 open bar with snacks and drinks, luxury-style entertainment system, award winning food, private driver, lounge… The works! The super-long flight will NOT suck, for a change.
And – best of all – most likely no screaming babies in that part of the plane. :))

[The bar in Business Class :) I will have a rainbow-drink with a little umbrella in it, please!]

I’ve had a great time travelling around to see Firewind the past two years.
My biggest heroes are all those classic bands, you know, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Sabbath, Ozzy… But when it comes to live shows, I’ve never been disappointed at the Firewind gigs. They can change band-members all they want, the energy is always there regardless – every single time.

Even the “big” bands have bad evenings sometimes. But I’ve never seen Firewind suck live – not even once. So, it’s safe to travel to the other side of the world to see a few shows. I know it’s going to be the thrill of a lifetime!  :)

AND, I’m really excited about meeting my Australian friend Clint from Melbourne, who will join me in Brisbane for this tour (I’m off on a wildlife-safari in Sydney the day after my arrival, so no time to socialize there, unfortunately).

[Booked this: http://www.viator.com/tours/Sydney/Blue-Mountains-Nature-and-Wildlife-Day-Tour-from-Sydney/d357-2230S15?aid=se1

He’s been following me online since my very first website back in 1997, a good friend that I’ve been talking to regularly through MSN-chat (now Skype) so it’s about time that I met the guy in person! :)

And there will be yet a few memorable Firewind-shows to add to to the list. This is “the list” so far – started counting with the Ozzy-show in NYC which is where it all began!

It looks like an insane number of shows, but I’m loving every second of it!
I get to travel, see things, experience all kinds of adventures and most of all, I get to see great rock’n’roll shows all over the world! What could be better than THAT!
24 days to go! :)))

DATE	ARTIST	VENUE	CITY	COUNTRY
December 1, 2010	OZZY	Madison Square Garden	New York City	USA
January 7, 2011	Firewind	Relentless Garage	London	UK
June 11, 2011	OZZY	Sweden Rock Festival	Solvesborg	Sweden
June 15, 2011	OZZY	Olympiahalle	Munich	Germany
June 17, 2011	OZZY	Rockhal	Esch-sur-Alzette	Luxembourg
June 25, 2011	Firewind	Graspop festival	Dessel	Belgium
July 6, 2011	Firewind	Kaftanzoglio stadium /  2310 festival	Thessaloniki	Greece
July 8, 2011	Firewind	Sonisphere festival	Knebworth	UK
August 9, 2011	OZZY	Ergo Arena	Gdansk	Poland
August 11, 2011	OZZY	Smukfest festival	Skandeborg	Denmark
September 10, 2011	Firewind	Moho Live	Manchester	UK
September 11, 2011	Firewind	Cathouse	Glasgow	Scotland/UK
September 12, 2011	Firewind	Sub 89	Reading	UK
September 16, 2011	Firewind	Rock Temple	Kerkrade	NL
September 17, 2011	Firewind	Biebob	Vosselaar	Belgium
September 18, 2011	Firewind	Underground	Köln (Cologne)	Germany
October 9, 2011	Firewind	State Theatre	S:t Petersburg	Florida / USA
October 10, 2011	Firewind	Masquerade	Atlanta	USA
October 12, 2011	Firewind	Gramercy Theatre	New York City	New York / USA
January 14, 2012	Firewind	Fuzz Club	Athens	Greece
June 2, 2012	OZZY	Malmö Stadium	Malmö	Sweden
June 4, 2012	OZZY	Westfalenhalle	Dortmund	Germany
June 22, 2012	OZZY	Graspop Festival	Dessel	Belgium
July 13, 2012	Firewind	Bang Your Head Festival	Balingen	Germany
July 18, 2012	Firewind	Mylos	Thessaloniki	Greece
September 14, 2012	Firewind	Moho	Manchester	UK
September 15, 2012	Firewind	Button Factory	Dublin	Ireland
September 28, 2012	Firewind	Knust	Hamburg	Germany
September 29, 2012	Firewind	Godset	Kolding	Denmark
October 4, 2012	Firewind	Underground	Cologne/Köln	Germany
October 5, 2012	Firewind	Hedon	Zwolle	Netherlands
October 6, 2012	Firewind	Biebob	Vosselaar	(Belgium)
December 15, 2012	Firewind	8Ball Club (10th Anniversary shows)	Thessaloniki	Greece
December 16, 2012	Firewind	8Ball Club (10th Anniversary shows)	Thessaloniki	Greece
February 3, 2013	Firewind	The Masquerade	Atlanta, GA	USA
February 6, 2013	Firewind	Gramercy Theatre	New York, NY	USA
April 27, 2013	Firewind	Rock in den Ruinen	Dortmund	Germany
June 7, 2013	Firewind	Sweden Rock Festival	Sölvesborg	Sweden
October 31, 2013	Firewind	Manning bar	Sydney	Australia
November 1, 2013	Firewind	The Hi-Fi	Brisbane	Australia
November 2, 2013	Firewind	Fowlers Live	Adelaide	Australia
November 3, 2013	Firewind	Corner Hotel	Melbourne	Australia