Graz, Austria

On November 27, A&I caught the train out to Stansted Airport and then flew to Graz, Austria for 3 nights.  It was a country neither of had been to, and a cheap flight from England.

We stayed in Hotel Weitzer in the middle of old town.

In the cold weather we braved the funicular up to Schlossberg and its clock tower, wandering up and down along the River Mur, and the Kuntzhaus, a cool modern art museum.  The old town had its Christmas markets in full force for people to enjoy during the evening.  

Our dining out consisted one night of going to a restaurant without a reservation.  The owner let us dine as long as we were out in 30 minutes.  We were in Austria, so I had to have schnitzel and spaetzle.  We chowed down in the allotted time, and were rewarded with a shot of schnapps before we headed back into the cold.

Graz is a great city, that will need to be explored more another time.

A, Hotel Weitzer, Graz, Austria

River Mur, Graz, Austria

Funicular to Schlossberg, Graz, Austria

Schlossbergplatz, Graz, Austria

Clock Tower, Graz, Austria

Graz, Austria

Kuntzhaus, Graz, Austria

Arsenal vs Blackburn @ Highbury, London

We spent the morning with the Upcrofts in Portobello Market, walking distance from their place.  WE found a pub later where we met Saffa, Gretchen, Kerns for a drink.  Then A, Rob, Kern & I caught the train out to Highbury to see Arsenal v Blackburn.

Kern had bought tickets off a workmate.  I couldn't believe we were 7 rows from the pitch, behind the goal, at the Arsenal end.  It was amazing.  We saw Fabregas and Henry give Arsenal a 2-0 lead before the break.  Before the game Robbie was warned not to say anything positive about   Blackburn, despite the fact there were 2 Aussies on the field, Lucas Neil and Brett Emerton, we were not at home at the local footy, and the English take their support seriously.  SO when he said he wished Blackburn scored to make it more interesting, we did the right thing...and turned our backs on him like he was a stranger.  He later said the guy behind him looked ready to kill.  He was warned.  Eventually we were rewarded with a beautiful Van Persie goal at our end in the 90th minute.  Arsenal 3-0 winners.  All 4 of us got to leave the stadium in 1 piece.

Arsenal 3 (Fabregas 4, Henry 45, Van Persie 90) defeated Blackburn 0

Crowd: 38,192

Arsenal

Jans Lehmann, Lauren, Kolo Toure, Kevin Campbell, Pascal Cygan, Robert Pires (Matthew Flamini 77), Cesc Fabregas, Gilberto Silva, Jose Antonio Reyes (Freddie Ljungberg 72), Dennis Bergkamp (Robin Van Persie 82), Thierry Henry.

Blackburn:

Brad Friedel, Lucas Neill, Ryan Nelsen, Andy Todd, Michael Gray, Brett Emerton (David Thompson 61), Steven Reid, Robbie Savage, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Shefki Kuqi (Paul Dickov 79), Craig Bellamy.

Bob, Me, ABH & Kern @ Highbury

7 Rows Behind The Goal @ Highbury

Kern, Bob, Me & ABH @ Highbury

We ended up in a pub near Highbury station, where we were joined by Tawnie, Linda & K&J.  From there we caught the tube to Angel where we had dinner at Carluccio's.  A quaint Italian restaurant, where we took up a huge table in the middle of everything.  All in all a fantastic day.

Jon Stewart @ Caesars Colosseum

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

Laugh a minute show, and better than Dennis Miller's the night before.

Was offered Dave Chapelle show tickets for a show in the same venue straight after Jon Stewart, and I turned them down.  Regret that now.

Dennis Miller @ Caesars Colosseum

Jamiroquai @ House Of Blues

What I remember (in 2024)

Went with A.

House of Blues was jam packed.  We stood up near the bar, watching the sardine like crowd on the main floor.

I knew the first 3 songs and Little L.  After a while, it started getting samey for me.

The Crap Facts

This is my 239th concert.

This is my 15th concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 35th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 35th concert in Nevada.

This is my 40th concert in the USA.

Jamiroquai are the 283rd band I've seen.