ok guys, you've waited long enough, let's get this roadtrip on the road
early start, the sun hasn't really come out yet
like a clockwork: 8 o'clock - let's go!
i've been on longer roadtrips in the past, this one seems like a piece of cake
however, it's EXTREMELY windy outside ...
... even those benches weren't strong enough to withstand those gusts of wind!
fortunately, my car is heavy enough and so i make it to weimar, city of the world-famous poets goethe and schiller
after a little more than two hours on the road, i reach my first destination
before i reveal my find, a short explanation: ever since i came across those beautiful seeburg smc1 disco jukeboxes it was on top of my wanted list. the color scheme and the design are simply unbeatable - at least almost!
however, i haven't been able to find one AND there is one thing this model is missing: the disco ball that its successor, the seeburg smc2 phoenix has! why would you call a jukebox "disco" and not include a disco ball? anyway, for the last 2 - 3 years i've been searching sporadically for a nice seeburg jukebox when suddenly one popped up on ebay. not the smc 1, but the model with the disco ball
! here's the original picture from the auction
fully working and in ok shape! i contacted the seller immediately, made my reasonable offer which was accepted and set a pickup date for saturday. the seller, a woman, was really friendly and we had a nice chitchat going on via whatsapp. the only thing i was concerned about was the fact that the machine might not fit in my car. i asked her for measures: 102 cm wide. width of my car's trunk: 102 cm
. therefore, i made a template to see whether i would be able to squeeze it in and it looked alright.
unfortunately, when the seller turned it on to demonstrate that it was working (although she had sent me some videos to my mobile before), the slide that selects the singles always got stuck in the middle. she called one of her employers who fixed the problem which was caused by an uneven setup of the entire machine.
the downside of a roadtrip without a companion is the fact that you can't take a lot of pictures, especially when you're loading the "object of your affection". let me tell you this: it was a really close call, but we got the machine in my car eventually!!!
i'll post a lot more pics when the jukebox is up in my apartment, but for now we'll leave "the scene of the crime". because i didn't want this roadtrip to be over already, i set my gps to my next location which meant crawling up some winding roads ...
... to a place which was almost 600 meters higher than from where i started the second part of my adventure. the temperature had dropped from nice comfy 12° celsius to almost zero - something that i hadn't expected. suddenly, there was snow all around me, something i hadn't seen all winter long in my hometown. of course, i was not at all prepared for that!!!
because of the nature of the umcoming "event", i had to disguise myself as best as i could
while trying to reach my second destination, i got stuck stuck in the snow with my car and barely made it out, it really was a close call. but i made it eventually!!! and here we are
this is the so-called "sprungschanzenhaus" which translates to "ski jump house", a former recreation home in eastern germany which is now a favorite location of urban explorers. i had wanted to visit it for a long time now, but never got around to doing so, but today i seized the opportunity of being in the neighbourhood
imho it's an architectural masterpiece
suddenly, i spot a couch in the middle of a field
someone must have dragged it here! pretty sure it's a cool place to hang out in summer and just enjoy the view
of course, vandalism hasn't stopped at this place either, but it's even worse than anything i have ever encountered on one of my former lost place exploration tours!
inside, the destruction continues! this place has also become an arena for paintball and geocaching
basically everything of value has been ripped out of the walls and the ceilings
the former indoor swimming pool
the corridor of doom
going down?
ok, i think i've seen enough for today and i want to return here anyway with my urban exploration buddy. besides, my feet (and my whole body) are damn cold, because i'm poorly equipped for this kind of weather. back at the car, my converse chucks are soaking wet!
i'm looking forward to a cosy warm ride home, when disaster girl strikes: MY CAR KEYS ARE GONE AND NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!!! i must have lost them while exploring the lost place
ok, let me sum it up: it has started to rain, i'm freaking cold in the middle of nowhere without my car keys. can it get worse than that? but what can i do? the only option i have at the moment is trying to retrace my steps in the hopes of finding that damn key. so i start walking back to the sprungschanzenhaus, looking closely at every single step i took. after wondering around for about half an hour and with my hopes dwindeling, i suddenly spot something in the snow
jesus christ and maria - i can't believe it: MY CAR KEYS!!! honestly guys, i almost cried!!!
i literally fly back to my car, start the engine, pump up the
jam heat and head home. no more pictures of the trip, i'm done for today and so are the stats
one country, three counties, 556 kilometers, 6 hours 50 minutes on the road - this roadtrip is OFFICIALLY OVER!hope you guys enjoyed my little adventure on the road and i hope you don't mind my lost place derailing from the arcade stuff!!! who knows, since this was a recreation home for youths back then, there might be some arcade games and parts hidden away in a locked up room deep down in the the cellar somewhere ...
