Where I finally post about German and Ringcon! (part two)
(part one)
I ran up to get changed then we hit the Cultus Ferox concert. Think of it like... medieval celtic punk ish. Actually they're kind of hard to explain so here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwX6Yu2R9NU&feature=related
Weirdly, although a number of people were shooting video there doesn't seem to be anything from RingCon up. We danced through the whole thing. The energy during the show was like the energy during a Great Big Sea show. You couldn't sit down! And we found Ju again! (we'd lost her briefly after Jason when I went upstairs to ditch my heels)
Sunday at one I had the Blood Ties panel on the main stage with Dylan and Kyle. Besides being really talented, these guys are two of the nicest people I've ever met and I'm so glad I had a chance to publicly say how much I appreciated the work they did on Mike and Henry while they were there to hear it.
Then there was more signing. Oh, and WerkZeugs (Website!) also do t-shirts with phrases from books on them. I bought one from Ju's first book that says, "Moody and a little bit scandalous." and told them I'd love it if they could do some from the Blood books. So, maybe next year at RingCon there'll be t-shirts.
I had a rockstar moment when we did photos with BloodTies.de people -- one big group photo and then singles with pretty much everyone. I don't usually like having my picture taken but this was so much fun and we laughed a lot!
Somewhere in here I said goodbye to Kiki who had a long trip back to Bulgaria. (Actually now I think of it, that may have happened Saturday night.)
The closing ceremony was also a ceremony and well attended. Everyone got to say thank you and again, everyone, not only the actors, got to feel appreciated and essential to the convention.
Then the guests and con con went to dinner at a castle and Dylan & Kyle's agent Julie and I (we'd met before and she's a really fun person) went wandering and taking photos. We ran into one of the staff upstairs and got a personal tour of the tower and then later lead a parade (unintentionally) down to the basements where we sent Dylan and Jed (one of the Kiwis) into dark rooms ahead of us then lit it up with our camera flashes.
upstairs from the dining room
Jed and Dylan.
Later, there was time spent in the bar (if you wanted to play spot the New Zealanders or Canadians, you looked for people holding beer) and an agreement with one of the Kiwis that we'd both upgrade to an iPhone if he got a part in the Hobbit. (What? Did you miss the part about this happening in the bar?)(NA cons do not party like German cons, or this German con at least) Ju, who had to drive back to Frankfurt the next day, had sensibly gone upstairs when we got back from dinner. At eleven.
I had a marvelous time at RingCon. I was thrilled to have been invited, taken very good care of, and overwhelmed by the interest in my work. Derek and the concom did a fantastic job and everyone seemed to be having a great time. If any of you are reading this, thank you.
Monday, on the way back to Frankfurt, Ju suggested that since we had lots of time before my flight, we stop at Limberg and tour the cathedral. SO COOL!
Limberg
The cathedral. To do it justice you really need a photo from the autobahn. But I'm not sure that's survivable.
Did I mention the Frankfurt airport is HUGE? Yes? Good. We had a nice lunch, said goodbye, (And believe me, Ju was a big part of why I had such a good time! She's was an amazing host and it was so much fun getting to spend time with her on her own turf!) and I went off to find my gate. Again, easy peasy security.
My flight was full of two seniors tours who'd just got back from Venice and the Holy Land. Things to remember when I'm old: the whole plane doesn't care about your trip so turn your damned hearing aid up and stop shouting!
Got a little work done but mostly watched Prince of Persia and Robin Hood (still haven't seen the last ten minutes) and was fed by Air Canada.
Landed. Bus. Train. Home. Tweeted the highlights of this part.
Next stop: Edmonton