Blog ≫ 2024 ≫ AC/DC weekender part two: pre-gig in Turnhout
I was up relatively early the day of the gig and decided to go fror a run. We did not have breakfast in our hotel, so not missing anything there. I ran out of town for about 1km, not really knowing where I was going but I knew I was running in the direction of a nature reserve that was 5km away. Would I actually have run that far knowing Iwould have to run the same back? We'll never know as I reached a bridge across a canal after about a kilomtre, and the canal hada nice wide path either side of it. So I turned off here, ran for one and a half kilometres to a sort of marina, then back again, then back to the hotel. A regular 5km. I was back before my friends had even got up. So showered and heading out for some breakfast.
We headed to a coffee shop called Breek and it was great, they had hot vegan food and good coffee. I had scrambled tofu. Would definitely liked to come here again but we would not have time.
There was a really good outdoor shop opposite our hotel that we spent ages looking around, they had a huge range of all things outdoor, lots of interesting gadgets and knives and multitools and bags and things.
We went back to Cafe de Kazerne for a few hours as we were not heading off to the gig until 5pm, but I decided this would be a not drinking day for me. Didn't think I'd miss out much, and they had a good range of alcohol free beers in Cafe de Kazerne. None as nice as the other beers, but OK.
Lots to look at in Cafe de Kazerne, the decor is really busy and unusual. We played a good few games of dominos here, instead of the A-Team game, then to the supermarket to grab some food, and then back to the hotel for final prep for the gig.
We had a coach booked from Turnhout to the gig in Dessel, it was the officially approved way of getting to the gg. We were there in loads of time but then I'd say about another sixty people joined us to wait for the coach, so we were hoping we were in the right place. There were locals and also other brits and people from other countries doing the same thing as us.
The coach was at least half an hour late, we were getting a bit nervous. Why was this one coach running at this time? The site of the gig was oen from 2pm, we were not due to be collected until 5pm, and it was late at that... at least we were moving.
The coach journey did not go smoothly after that. It was in normal times a twenty to thirty minute journey from Turnhout to Dessel, these were not normal times though. After we'd been on the road an hour or so people started looking up the route and our current location on phones. The coach seemed to have gone very wrong indeed, circling right round the venue. Maybe there was a plan all along, I'm not sure though, I think it was a combo of going wrong, bad planning, heavy traffic, and road closures. Some people did get off our bus to walk thinking they'd get there quicker, and lots of others were talking about it. We did get there eventually! But very very late. I think we might have got in with less of a security pat down than normal, as I was allowed to take my full water bottle in.
We were in the grounds just in time to hear the support band - The Pretty Reckless - say "thank you and goodnight".
Now for the main event...
Estimated 1928 cups of coffee from my espresso machine 1 probably comes to £1.01 a cup (including the coffee and servicing 1 but not the electricity). Not that I was drinking my own coffee this day, this is just an average...
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5k: Five km, about three miles in old money.
⬅️ AC/DC weekender part one: Turnhout :: Going to watch the Olympics closing ceremony ➡️