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International Drainer Meet 2013

3/1/2013

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The IDM is always a fun time, to catch up with explorers from around the world old and new and of course to visit new drains! An early flight to Bergamo the morning before the event was the plan, hire a car, see some sights before driving to Brescia to see the rest of the group. 
On arrival, we met our first hurdle a €1000 deposit for the hire car, now being under 23 is a bit of a pain it seems, so we quickly changed the driver to Keitei for only a €250 deposit and we were on our way! Now the normal sites were seen, turbines and derps, alarms and gas holders a nice eclectic mix of urban exploration! 

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After arrival in Brescia, and at the bar where i had first met Andrea, Nina and Marco in 2010 now decked out with Brescia underground paraphernalia.
 Soon the party was moved underground, there is nothing like the sound of a thumbing sound system in an underground tunnel to get your heart beat racing. This years IDM out did anything ive ever seen before, from a Dj booth, lights, and campari on tap, everything concreted my opinion that the Italians are some of the most hospitable people ive ever met. With a mixture of campari, wine, no food in 24 hours and an hours sleep on the plane my camera was soon forgotten and the more important activity of catching up with old friends was at the forefront of my mind

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With the inevitable end to the night, and morning group pizza, we left Brescia as even more snow began to fall. With the prospect of another night sleeping rough or in the car, we booked into "flower hostel Milano" kids, NEVER go here. This hostel was simply a building site owned by gypsy mafia (well, something similar). 
Glad to get back out on the streets we headed for the restaurant where we were meeting Luca for our last supper of authentic Italian cuisine and after for the most amazing Gelato i have ever had!
We said our goodbyes to Luca and the rest of our party that were leaving that night, and to the other that were leaving early the next morning and with my passport and wallet under my sack, we bed down for the night.

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The entire of the next day was taken up with botched attempts at daylight train yards and a very long, very slow journey south in yet more snow. 
Now the mountains in North Tuscany might not be hugely tall but I've never seen so much snow in real life before! With breaks in driving taken up with me perfecting my post holing technique for further mountain adventures it was a blessing to be greeted in Florence by a clear sky and full moon, perfect for drains! Drains and here then it was time for the age old explorer tradition of getting drunk and kipping in the car outside explores, this time, Non-plus-ultra was the failed objective....

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With a quick call back home and some help from Gina Soden and Doug Forrest we mad our way in the mist and sun through the woods into this magical building, magical is simply the only way to describe it! We spent a couple of hours walking around in awe at the architecture, but as time was getting on, and our flight time nearing we decided to grab some food and make one last pit stop before going home!
Villa Sbertoli was such a let down after Non plus ultra, fantastic in its own right but still not to be partnered with something so unique.

The International Drainer Meet 2013 was such a huge event, amazing to see so many faces old and new, with thanks to all of the Brescia underground particularly Andrea and Giacomo and Luca for being as awesome as ever and organizing an amazing couple of days for everyone! See everyone next year?!

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~Which way to the sewers?

2/19/2013

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Hohenzollern Bridge

12/3/2012

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The Hohenzollern Bridge, is the most heavily used railway bridge in Germany. 

Id spotted pictures of this bad boy covered in padlocks on the internet, Love locks are a romantic symbol of true love. Obviously a bridge of love means that its an open invitation for someone with a love for climbing bridges.. to come climb it.

After 5 days of serious drain fever, an awful lot of driving and everyone else so excited for exploring with their perfectly healthy bodys ( -Ells 250 fag a trip smoking habbit) i really wasn't feeling this climb! So after a small slip and almost loosing my grip just to get to the point where this photo was taken i decided enough was enough and the rest of the group ran up over the arch to be greeted with beautiful veiws of the "Hohe Domkirche St.
Petrus
" (one for another day)
Another relaxing place to site and watch the barges of the rhine driv
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"Wtf, Nobody gets caught in drains"

1/22/2012

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So another night out  was organised, since Thewinchester accidentally
sourced the access to the legendary junction ORLY on our last trip we had vowed to
go back to explore some of the rest of that particular system. Meeting winch, Marc,
Mr Bradley Garrett , Nckt and Keïteï in a lovely London suburb we started this little adventure....
 ....While i hung back to take pictures of  London’s longest drain ladder the otheres decended.
A short while later i joined the others at the bottom and we began to
walk down stream, with sporadic squawks, screams, French and train horn sound
effects we talked the same old talk of ethics and politics surrounding exploring
various parts of the modern worlds infrastructure. Shortly after admiring the
local water boards efforts of patching up part of the drain, we noticed a very
orange light, that really really looked like some sort of cast from a street
light, being the ever nosey and intrepid explorers we all were we began the
leisurely walk towards said light,  continuing with the sound  effects....

 ....At roughly 200 yards from this light and in deepening water,
Marc spotted the cause for such a curious sight in a drain... London’s finest sewer
flushers who, upon hearing our sound track were stepping down from their
platform and promptly started shouting at us. As shouts were being throw back and
forth in a mixture of French,  English and seagull a quick turn the
fuck around and GTFO. What ensued was a about an hour of running and walking
back up the pipe with nckt's wellies filling with fresh #sewerage  and
everyone getting a nice coating  ( Drainor Tip no.1 never go draining with your wallet in your back pocket) 

This being the only picture from our underground adventure…
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…After checking every manhole shaft for a glimpse  of the ever elusive easy lift
on our way back up to ORLY, we decided it would be  a good idea not to
exit at the same point we had entered so onwards we went in yet more deepening water,
which was filled with floaters of a different kind, rats.  Several hundred meters of
pipe was filled with mid to high calve deep water with an extremely high
concentration on the Bloaters #kingratty. The decision was made to turn back due to
stirring up to much sediment and the lack of exit points, so the trudge back to
our starting point began…

 …when we had finally exited we sat around splattered in mud and fresh in a church car park
before making our way to the cars to watch Marc try and slice Brad open with only the aid of his cars sunroof... 

...Onto the next event of the evening or shall I say... the next 5 days of drain blight. #snappled.


 
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    A.SHAW

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