Ok, yes, I'm behind the eightball on this one. I just realised how crap Easyjet truly are.

Firstly I've been passed onto 4 different people in Easyjet just because I want to push one of my hotel bookings forward by a day. I don't even mind if they just cancel the first day of my booking and then credit me money to pay for the other day, but that just seems to hard for them. The last person I got passed onto was a 'security adviser' for the company who has no idea why I'd be referred to them.
I might just ring the hotel in Berlin directly and ask them to cancel my first night and add one more day to the end of the booking.

And then, despite the fact that Easyjet say their flight schedule for summer 2009 for Berlin is LIVE, any search I do says that flights are not available post 2 November 2008. What did I do? I just booked on AirBaltic instead. It is possibly more expensive, but at least they have flights. Cost me about $90 for the one way flight from Riga to Berlin. Air Baltic from what I can see so far are pretty decent. I got a SIM card from them months ago for a local Baltic mobile number so I can use it next year on my travels (no roaming fees, its all pre-paid card stuff and can be topped up online, the rates seem extremely reasonable and I've got 10 Euros credit on it already. That SIM card turned up in the mail within a week, so I call that service. Plus they sell Brainstorm gear on their flights and website as the 'official sponsor of the band'.

And then I contacted the hostel I am staying at in Riga and asked them to add another night to my booking there. Cost another $8 in reservation fees. Damn Euro is so bad right now.

All this to see Depeche Mode in Latvia (one day after I was originally scheduled to leave Riga). I guess its a good reason not to book everything holiday-wise so much in advance. But I wouldn't want to risk Eurovision either.

Know what I'm thinking about right now?

Cheating on my holiday plans a little and flying from Berlin to Krakow, rather than catching the overnight train. The difference in cost is that the train is $50 cheaper. The plane will obviously get me there about 8 hours quicker and gives me another day to fool around in Berlin. hmmmmm.

I love Berlin.

And my penpal Tanja emailed today to say she's now living in Hamburg, so I might even be able to make a day trip to see her.

I am also very annoyed at Easyjet, as it appears they have scrapped the flights between Riga and Berlin. I may have to catch AirBaltic instead, at a cost of $90 more.

Haha. I just read that the Eurovision shows will start at 11pm local Moscow time because most of Europe is behind by 2 hours and they want it prime time. So I'll be crawling out of the shows sometime around 2-3am on the Sunday morning.

woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

And with the latest news announced about the Eurovision voting changes, LTV (Latvia) have announced they will be participating next year.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAY!

My Eurovision is made.

Now I feel I may need to write a lengthy email to the Prata Vetra boys about how the release of their next English-speaking album (which comes out next April/May) would be best served in terms of promotion with a return performance at Eurovision. It's been nearly 9 years since 'My Star', and Renars hasn't hosted for 4 years. Far too long ago.

Plus I've heard the rumour again that Verka Seruduchka might represent the UK. Would be bloody brilliant.

ohmigod! ohmigod! OHMIGOD!

Eurovision has been confirmed for next year as per what I was told as a 'strong rumour'. Therefore the risks I took booking everything in advance has paid off.

Moscow - Olimpisky Arena - 12,14,16 May 2009

And jury voting is back in part next year for the final, so that the whole neighbours voting for each other might be somewhat reduced. Best decision ever! And with that announcement about juries, fingers crossed that Austria and Monaco have chosen to return as well. hurrah!
Just hope that tension dies down in regards to the Georgia situation and the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) compete for certain too.

Great thing is, I've got absolutely confirmed accommodation now, an apartment all by myself about 15 mins walk from the actual arena. And I'm all set for my tickets too (just waiting on the final cost for that - I should know in November and then will have to pay before the new year... anticipating $700-800 for the 'package' - tickets to both semis and the final, and also for my OGAE fanclub card to use at the Euroclub - I had to submit a photo of myself for that). Euroclub is the 'party central' venue for the period of Eurovision. I've heard that acts hang out there, do performances there, host parties/discos... fun fun fun.

The organisers have said that they will do their best to lessen the cost of the ticketing package because they understand that Moscow is an expensive city to visit. And they will find more cheap decent accommodation availability considering there is so little available and what is around costs a mint. They also have said they are going to put up road signs and directions before the shows in Roman letters (ie. what English uses) to make it easier for the tourists.

Oooooh, its all happening. I can't believe I'm actually going to be in Moscow in 8 months time for all this!

I spent a lot of last night downloading the new album (and filmclips) by Prata Vetra.
They are called Brainstorm in English but have now officially reverted to their Latvian name due to the fact there's also a German heavy metal band called it.

Anyway, I *love* them.
They came 3rd in Eurovision 2000, and since then I've bought their albums, downloaded their clips where I can and watched whatever little stuff on tv they have had on here (namely 2 other Eurovision appearances - hosting 2003 Eurovision, and co-hosting the 50 Years of Eurovision special). Renars Kaupers - the lead singer, is just such a cutie.

For me, Eurovision is about stuff like Prata Vetra. Finding hidden musical gems in a small part of the world. Usually its surrounded by trash, but finding one great artist every 4 years or so keeps me watching. Like Swedish band The Ark in Eurovision 2007. Glam pop just like T-Rex... since been included in a number of film soundtracks (eg. Shortbus) I like.

So... their new album... Its entirely in Latvian. Don't understand a word of it.
I still love it. It rocks in much the same way as the likes of Kaiser Chiefs. Prata Vetra has always sounded quite Britpop like and thats why I love them.

I enjoy the music itself, much like how I enjoy certain German songs I've got on my Ipod. I understand some of the lyrics, but I get caught up in the melodies more. There's also the fact that when I hear those songs, it brings back memories of Berlin for me. Stuff like 'MfG' by Die Fanta Fier (I danced to it in nightclubs with my penpal), 'Wir Sind Wir' by Paul Van Dyjk (heard it on the plane as we were coming in to land at Berlin, and then playing all through the shops for the next 7 days) and Herbert Groenmeyer 'Mensch' in particular - it was no 1 on the charts when I was last there so I saw the clip for it on MTV at least 8 times in 2 days. I since have discovered the clip itself was by Anton Corbijn (the movie Control, as well as almost every Depeche Mode clip ever) and Herbert Groenmeyer is an actor in some very fine German films like Das Boot.

I believe the new Prata Vetra album will be released in English sometime early next year. I look forward to it, and god I hope my trip to Latvia coincides with a concert to celebrate its release. In the meantime, I've just ordered a DVD of their 2004 concerts in Latvian, so I'll enjoy it and try to understand what I have to look forward to.

I have now paid for my whole airfare AND booked (and paid for) all my accommodation for the WHOLE overseas trip next year. I paid off the flight and Moscow B&B today which took care of things. I've got beds in Helsinki, Moscow, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga, Berlin, Krakow, Edinburgh and London. woohoo!
(and I must highly recommend hostelbookers.com - I got a lot of great/cheap B&Bs booked from there - no 8 bed dorms for me!)

That officially means I've paid for almost half of my entire trip and I'm well ahead of schedule. I have 9 months to save another $5500... I reckon I can do it easily.

Of course, I have something like $50 to survive on for a week now, but geez it feels good knowing I somehow managed to save up $4500 in the past 3 months for this dream holiday.

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I booked a place to stay in Moscow last week (a B&B that was 4 stops from the Eurovision venue, 2 stops from the Kremlin - lets call them Kita Inn), and now they've emailed to say they have moved me to another B&B (mind you, still close by) but are upping the accommodation rate because of EUROVISION! So people there know its on then, and it just makes it doubly hard to find somewhere to stay.

I have no choice really, I'm accepting the higher cost, otherwise I'm gonna have to stay in a hostel in a room with 9 other people for a whole week. No thanks.

In better news, I have booked hotels to stay in at London and Berlin. 25 pounds in central London is unheard of. Even hostels cost more now. EasyHotel is South Kensington has saved the day.
And the Berlin hotel? Well, my favourite hotel EVER has a earlybird fee of 22 pounds a night on right now. Prior to seeing that, I was planning on staying at one of the very good Berlin hostels on offer. Its close to central Berlin (about 10 mins walk from the main train station), it has the best bed and pillows I've ever slept on, and it has a huge hall filled with buffet breakfast every morning - seriously never seen so much food on offer, with every type of breakfast food. When I stayed there I only ate food from the breakfast - I ate 3 serves of food then made rolls with the food for later.

OlivaerApart Hotel in Berlin - highly recommended to you all.