Gamescom Cologne 2016

I had the opportunity to visit Gamescom in Cologne this year, and it was awesome! There was a wide range of things to look out for - announcement of new and upcoming games, freebies, play-testing, cosplay and shopping for exclusive merchandise. Entrance tickets were sold-out online, but one could still purchase an entry ticket at the counter for 10 Euros, or an afternoon ticket (after 2pm) for 7 Euros.

Main entrance to Gamescom in Koeln Messe

Established game companies occupied huge areas in the exhibition halls, focusing mostly on branding and allowing players to try out their games, whereas medium-sized game companies tended to entice the crowd with the occasional freebies. There was also a designated section for indie games.

I was impressed by the sheer size of the "Blizzard corner", so I took many pictures of it. Here are some of them:

Some pictures of other major booths in Gamescom:

I was really hoping to see a dedicated MOBA booth for DOTA2 and League of Legends but unfortunately there was none. However there were Valve and Riot merchandise booths....almost bought a Techies printed T-shirt for 25 Euros but I chose not to ;)

There were also special booths for gaming-related companies like Twitch, Oculus and Teamspeak:

Overall, it was a great event - one that I would recommend to all gamers out there to visit one in a lifetime :)

Rhein in Flammen (Rhine in Flames)

Spring and summer are the best seasons to organize outdoor events, since the skies are mostly clear and weather is usually temperate. Hence every year between May and September, several cities along the Rhine river celebrate "Rhein in Flammen" (Rhine in Flames). On specific dates, a town will be selected to host the event, in which there will be fireworks display after sunset, typically after 10pm. Additionally, there are special cruises on those days which begin earlier in another nearby town, and passengers are treated to multiple rounds of fireworks throughout the journey along the Rhine to the destination host town in which the fireworks display will reach its peak.

Participating towns for Rhine in Flames are:

1) Bonn
2) Rüdesheim, Bingen
3) Spay, Koblenz
4) Oberwesel
5) St. Goar, St. Goarhausen

The exact dates for each location are stated in the official website: http://www.rhein-in-flammen.com/

This year I decided to witness the fireworks in Koblenz, a town located between Frankfurt and Cologne. It is accessible directly via regional trains from both cities. It is highly-advisable to come to the event area early, because by doing so I could find myself a good viewing spot; directly facing the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress from which the fireworks were launched. There were also stalls which sell local beer so one could opt to guzzle some beer while watching the fireworks! A (more pricey) alternative is to book a cruise so that you will be guaranteed a good view of the whole fireworks display from the cruise ship.

Here are some pictures of "Rhine in Flames":

Spectacular, isn't it? The fireworks display was also in sync with the rhythm of the background music, which made the overall experience totally awesome. Best of all - the event is FREE for everyone! I am looking forward to the next "Rhine in Flames" event next year, perhaps in a different town.