The video heap grows... News from AlionLive!

No AlionLive without beer! On the bike ride on the 11th of June at the Kurpark in Mölln.

The announced time of silence is over, because there is some news to report, and I also forgot to tell about one or two things during the, somewhat busy, recent days ... Well, who do I want to fool here? These are just excuses, because I am just having a great time on spending those hilarious amounts of Youtube-Money ;).

On the cable car from Funchal to Monte on May 1rst.

Ok, first one or two folks pointed me at the fact, that I forgot to tell, that Malina and I visited Madeira this year already again. Yes, again. And why was nothing to read about this here? Because I did not have time, or because it's embarrassing that now there is again a Madeira series stockpiled, while the 2014 series is not even remotely finished yet. Yes, we were back in Madeira 2 weeks ago, from the 30th of April to the 14th of May. We brought back a lot of nice new video material, although this trip was a little different than the previous ones. We put more emphasis this time on living the good life, than to set up hiking records. Nevertheless, some beautiful and long hikes were done and we tried many new things. I'll post no detailed daily schedule this time, because I want to surprise you ;). When will the new series be available? No clue. To avoid confusion, I'll not upload two Madeira series in parallel. So, let's say, the series will be uploaded once "Frühling auf Madeira" is complete. Because there's a minimum of 9 parts to come ... I bow my head in shame ;).

On the Pico Arieiro on May 7th. The biggest hike of our 2015 trip.

As if that was not enough, I set off for a 5-day bike ride a week ago towards and around the Schaalsee and filmed about 2 1/2 hours of new video material. The guy is crazy? I never denied it ;). This will become a very nice series again and all friends of bike rides in northern Germany can look forward to beautiful early summer impressions and much nonsense in front of the camera. When will this series start? Simple answer: Very soon! Yes, this series can run parallel to the Madeira 2014 series, without a risk of confusing people. This will of cause delay all the other stuff again, but it also gives me some welcome variety of work. So the series "Bike Ride Hamburg - Schaalsee" is coming soon and, by the way, it will be again in German with English subtitles.

At the Priestersee on the bike ride on June 8th.

So, I guess I did not forget anything. Then let's get to... Stooop! What about "Fear & Loathing in Camara de Lobos"? What about the album of the Willma Poppen Project? The album is progressing well (and I mean really) and the video is 2/3 finished. I came up (not enough work) with some nice gimmicks that will make this video even funnier than it is already. So I can't set any specific dates but ... soon :).

Current state of the cover for the new Willma Poppen album.

Ok, that's it now really. Let's get to to work!

AlionLive takes a short break!

 Image: Wikipedia User S Sepp - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic

Don't worry, not for a long time. Soon we will continue. But as you, the friends of AlionLive, are dear to me, I don't want that you are surprised that there will be nothing new for... well, I do not know how long it will take. I have uploaded quite a few videos recently, and thus, with the exception of the very busy viewers, all others should still have a lot to view.

Why the break? The reason for this is nothing bad, but for you rather something positive. For me it means stress. I have put myself into a small self-made but, however necessary, catch-22. As the attentive readers of this blog may know, the next part of the series "Spring in Madeira" is a special one. It is the Party episode "Fear & Loathing in Camara de Lobos". This part is, from the amount of material alone, quite a challenge. With 40-50 minutes length it is a double length part, which will be uploaded in one piece. I simply do not have the heart to cut this epic work (*giggle*) into two 20-minute parts. Due to the party mood I have plenty to cut here in a very sensible fashion. Not everything happening is suited for the public. No, I have not done anything, that would be too embarrassing, but I still don't want this to be published as it is ;). I also talked a lot and therefore a lot of my "favorite work" needs to be done: Writing subtitles *yawn*.

But the main reason for the break is much more serious: The listeners of my music project "Willma Poppen" are already waiting for so long eagerly for the new album... far too long. Since the party part absolutely perfect fits with the "Willma Poppen" sound and I do not want to use the old debut album as the soundtrack again, it makes 100% sense to use this special video for featuring the new album. But: A lot of work needs to be done at the album still. And that's the nice catch-22 that I have maneuvered myself into. The new video can therefore only be uploaded if:

1. the album has been completed (not only the approximately 8 tracks for the video)
2. the album is available on iTunes etc. So it must be uploaded and be given the nod by the distributor and the retailers.
3. the video material is edited (including intro and outro, subtitles *yawn* and all the other stuff)

So, and this is the state of affairs. Let's see how fast I get that finished. The good thing at this is, that I can't, nor I want, to invent more excuses for further delays regarding the release of the "Willma Poppen" album. So let's go! There is much work to do!

Spring in Madeira - From the Caldeirao Verde to Queimadas - The end of day 10

This is the fourth and final part of the mega hike. Now that I have watched the whole thing several times while editing, I am somewhat proud of our performance. To surpass this is going to be somewhat difficult, but we'll see what we do on this year's trip.

The Plot
Well rested after a reasonably long rest at the Caldeirão do Inferno, we went surprisingly rested on our hike to Queimadas. We had long abandoned any hope to somehow still reach a bus. This was not just slightly having an impact on our mood. However, here you will experience a little twist: Where I was the one in the previous part, who was rather worried and Malina had to cheer me up, Malina was now recognizable frustrated by the length of the remaining distance. Thus, it was now up to me to take care of encouragement and to calm things down. We hike across steep stairs, along a spectacular Levadas, and of course through more and darker TUNNELS. We stopped only briefly at the Caldeirão Verde and there was no time to visit it in detail. After a long time we finally arrived in Queimadas. And as already announced, we encountered a nice surprise in terms of our return to Funchal. What exactly? No, I will not tell that here ;).

This is the whole route, retraced in Google Earth.

Soundtrack
Again, the soundtrack consists of songs from Cimelium's album "Mesopotamia" ...with one exception: I couldn't resist to integrate the preliminary version of the track "Queimadas" from the album "Madeira by "Cimelium, which is still in production. Do you still need the link to the album "Mesopotamia"? Okay, better safe than sorry. This time I link again to iTunes. And also the link to the homepage of the album with other sources should not miss. And here is the soundtrack in detail:

• 00:00 Lilith (Mesopotamia)
• 06:06 Dagon (Mesopotamia)
• 16:57 Queimadas (Madeira)
• 22:00 Enki (Mesopotamia)

The height profile of the hike. NOTE: Some important information about this is in the video.

What's next?
After such a long hike we had truly earned a day off. This was spent in Camara de Lobos and here we, to put it crudely, drank alot. In this video there will be a musical premiere of historic proportions ;).

And now have fun with the video!

Spring in Madeira - Caldeirão do Inferno - New Video

I am sorry to say that the camera, during this third of four parts, unfortunately is even shakier and inaccurate, than you already know it, because of increasing fatigue. However, there are beautiful views of nature around the Caldeirão do Inferno.

The Plot
After we had passed the long and dark Pico Ruivo tunnel, we made a (for myself) surprising decision. Time was running out. If we went straight back through the tunnel, we would have reached the bus back to Funchal probably. But Malina was simply not up for hiking again through the tunnel and suddenly wanted to see the Caldeirão do Inferno. The Lady's wish is my command, and so I agreed, with not just a bit of a doubt. The past, quite strenuous, hike was reflected by increased fatigue. And so we crossed a fairly large number of additional tunnels to be rewarded with a magnificent spectacle of nature: the Caldeirão do Inferno. This is a deep valley surrounded by impressive cliffs, from which water is flowing everywhere. Here we had the first real rest of the day and drank at last the only beer we had brought. Then we went, surprisingly well rested, on the rest of the hike, towards the Caldeirão Verde and Queimadas. And with us leaving the Caldeirão do Inferno this part ends.

I think there is no place with more spectacular and vertigo-causing views anywhere in Madeira than near the Caldeirão do Inferno

 Soundtrack
Just as the previous two parts, also this is one accompanied by Cimeliums album "Mesopotamia". And also this time I find the music choice more than suitable. Here is the track list:

• 00:00 Babylon
• 05:54 Akkadia
• 11:38 Sumeria
• 17:34 Lilith

And now again only the purchase link for the album is missing. One can buy the album anywhere else, but I simply prefer iTunes. This link goes directly to the album. Also, the link to the homepage of the album on alionmind.com should not be missing here. There you'll find more sources.

All hail our mighty hiking boots ;)

 What's next?
Well rested, we go on our very long hike to Queimadas. We visit, very briefly, the Caldeirão Verde. Time was not only running out, but we were long overdue.

And now have fun with the video!

Hiking along the Levada do Pico Ruivo to the Pico Ruivo tunnel - New Video

There's really is not much to say about the second of four parts for day 10. With 16 minutes it is slightly shorter than the other parts and this is so because the the cut did just fit.

The Plot
We hike nicely for a long time along the Levada do Pico Ruivo. We pass many small and smaller tunnels. The hike offers us breathtaking views and I do quite a lot of nonsense. This is due to the fact that I was actually a little annoyed by the unexpectedly long distance, and had to cheer myself up. Initially my jokes, with which I more or less convincing tried to fool the audience with with false Pico Ruivo tunnels, were still funny. But with each false Pico Ruivo tunnel it became less funny. At the end we had to find that the Pico Ruivo tunnel was divided in two by a ravine. The first part was indeed somewhat long and very dark, but it was not the 2.5 km monster that awaited us. Speaking of darkness: The darkness was additionally supported by the fact that my beloved flashlight suddenly had a power shortage, despite previously inserted new batteries. This part ends before the long section of the tunnel.

Always on duty, here in one of the many small tunnels.

 Soundtrack
As the last part, this one is also accompanied by Cimeliums album "Mesopotamia". I think the choice of music fits very well with the images. The soundtrack of this part in detail:

• 00:00 Ishtar
• 05:06 Enlil
• 10:14 Assyria
• 15:25 Babylon

What is missing is the obligatory link to the album. This time, I recommend buying it at the GooglePlay store, which can be wonderfully accessed via this link. More buy links can of cause be found on the homepage of the album on alionmind.com.

The entrance to the first part of the Pico Ruivo tunnel.

 What's next?
Because of the darkness in the tunnel it made no sense to film. And so the next part starts right after the tunnel, where we were rewarded for the long hike with amazing natural spectacles. The absolute highlight here is the Caldeirão do Inferno, where we can finally drink our Coral Tonica. No AlionLive without beer!

And now have fun with the video!

Hiking from Cruzinhas to the hydroelectric plant and the Levada do Pico Ruivo

On day 10 we started the longest hike of this journey and longest to date at all. We knew that this would be not a short hike, but then were somewhat surpised how long it took to reach the Pico Ruivo tunnel. Yes, Madeira is in this respect, because of the mountains, always good for a surprise. But it should get even better: We came to a daring decision, which again extended the hike considerably. Since the video and photo material was accordingly extensive, and I've recently introduced the "20 minutes +/- 5 per episode' rule, there will be a total of 4 parts for day 10.

Each hike starts somewhere. And this was our start for the day, near Cruzinhas.

The Plot

We started very early in the morning, after a long bus ride, in Cruzinhas, near Faial. From there we hiked the unexpectedly long gravel road to the hydroelectric power plant of Nogueira and even catched a glance at the Balcoes, from where we had already examined the route the day before. The sight of the height difference gave us a general idea of ​​the ascent to the Levada do Pico Ruivo. Behind the hydroelectric plant, quite well hidden, is the path to the ascension. As we already known from Madeira, we hiked in snake lines on the really hard ascent to the Levada. I must say here, because people told me different, that this route does not pose any danger. Arrived at the Levada we had a wonderful view. Since the trail was quite wide, this route was, contrary to some warnings from friends, quite harmless. However, the hike to the Pico Ruivo tunnel was, as already mentioned, unexpectedly long. There were also a lot of tunnels on that route. So we thought a few times that we had already reached our destination, and it wasn't the case. And so this part ends in the middle of the Levada do Pico Ruivo.

The hydroelectric power plant of Nogueira. From here we always went uphill.

The Soundtrack

Since the new Cimelium album "Madeira" still awaits completion, I have decided to use the album "Mesopotamia" for the videos of day 10 again. This album has served well already in several Madeira videos. In this video, the following songs are used:

• 00:00 Innana
• 05:58 Dumuzi
• 10:58 Marduk
• 16:03 Ishtar

What is missing is the mandatory purchase link for the album if one or the other likes the music. The easiest and most profitable way for me ;) is to buy the album on iTunes. Links to other sources can be found on the official website of the album.

On this hike, we saw the mountains of Madeira yet from a different angle again.

Thank you "Can"

I met Can on the Portugal forum and he was so kind to provide me with a KML file with the GPS coordinates of the trail to the Pico Ruivo tunnel. This not only helped to find the entrance to the gravel road to the hydroelectric plant, but also to deal with the ascent to the Levada. A very big thank you for this! Can has a nice blog on which he presents his wonderful travel photos to the world. Check it out!

Gues who's this ;) This is the closing picture of this part.

What is next?

In the next part we complete the other (approximately) half of the hike along the Levada and finally reach the Pico Ruivo tunnel. Here we walk even through the first section of it, where it is interrupted by a ravine.

And now have fun with the video!

First Hike 2015 - North-East Hamburg!

The first hiking video of this year is very short but crisp. What? This guy constantly uploads Madeira videos! Yes, that's true, but the material is from spring 2014, and so it is almost one year old. This video, however, is brand new. Why does Sonny write a whole blog post for a 7 minute video? Because I can and because there is actually something to say about it.

The occasion of this little 35 km hike was the first day of this year with really nice spring weather. In addition, I decided to acquire a head lamp for some travel (mystical undertone), to avoid having to stumble with the fat Maglite flashlight through slippery tunnels again. That flashlight has indeed let me down during the last time in Madeira. The relevant video of the 2014 Series is not yet available, but will be the second to next one. And since Malina's head lamp, a Petzl Tikka, performed very well, I wanted one of those too. The only shop nearby that sells something nice like that is the Globetrotter in Barmbek. So it made sense to do the first hike of the year to there, of course only through green areas and this is more than just possible in our nice green Hamburg.

Another reason why it was a good idea to do a hike again was that I feared that my old bones were so rusty after the long winter, that I would badly fail during a upcoming travel (mystical undertone). This fear, however, has proven to be 100% unfounded. Legs and feet were quite tired after the hike, but the next day everything was alright again. Works!

Another reason for the hike was provided by the fortunate circumstance that I call my own a beautiful new camera and wanted to test it in detail. First reactions on the video embedded below say, that the purchase was definitely worth it. I agree. The video looks much sharper and generally better. The capacity of the built-in battery seems to be as specified by the manufacturer and is therefore suitable for very long hikes. I didn't like cameras with built-in batteries, because these batteries usually had a rather laughable capacity. I will do a detailed review of the camera soon, because I have some surprises in store for you, I don't want to spoil (again mystical undertone).

The soundtrack consists of two pre-release versions (unfinnished) from the soon released album "Madeira" of my music project "Cimelium":

00:00 - Poiso
04:41 - Santo da Serra 

Finally, I can only say that this little hike in all aspects fulfilled its purpose and has provided the desired results, including the tiny little video that I hereby present to you. Have fun!