So I have been talking to another guy from this dating site for quite a while now and we decided a while ago to meet up. We share quite a few interests and he is into Renaissance costumes and reenactments, which is cool. He was out of the country during Castlefest or he would have been there too. He even takes classes for sword and axe fighting. The real ones; metal not plastic or wood. So yeah, a far cry from the usual stereotypical and brainless idiots that contact me. Worth a shot, right?

There was another event coming up, Mystic Fair 2009 in Rotterdam, which wasn’t far from where he lived, so we figured we’d meet up there. Now after I looked up on how to get there I got terribly confused so I suggested to meet him near his stop and travel the last bit together. I haven’t used the underground in decades and with this new chip card system in place I wasn’t even sure if I was gonna get it right!

Now, as this was a gothic / fantasy / renaissance fair I dressed up to fit the occasion. This time in full goth mode. Black, dark, and dreary; makeup and all. Yes, another date in goth, I swear it was a coincidence! ^.^

As there was some road maintenance going on I texted him a few times to let him know when to expect me. There wasn’t that much of a delay though so I got there relatively early. Once I got off and walked toward the exist I saw him standing. First impression: “Oh shit, he’s like 4 times as big as me!”. I know I’m short, but damn! We kinda helped each other figure out the damn new chip card system and after we got that sorted we were on our way to the fair.

This was advertised as the biggest Dutch indoor festival so I had high expectations. Imagine our surprise that when we got in sight of the Ahoy building that we saw absolutely no one. Not a single soul. We were wondering if we misread the date but saw some people in costume opening doors so maybe it was just early.

He got into costume that he brought along (old renaissance garb) and we entered the building. We were met with somewhat mischievous imps but they did show us where the actual fair was supposed to be. I wasn’t prepared. It was dead. Your average neighborhood flea market would be considered crowded compared to this turnout. Ah well, maybe it’ll get better later in the day.

We picked a direction and started checking out all the neat stuff but it didn’t take long for us both to realize this place really was more of a high priced flea market with stores trying to pawn off their items to the people passing by. Some booths were nice but most of them was just sad, really. I did find a cool looking Victoria Francés bag that I later went back for and bought. Though I was really hoping to find one of those bat backpacks or one with spikes. Maybe next time.

We stopped to eat and drink some, which was also an opportunity to talk some more. I asked him about his crazy love for old melee weapons which he apparently has been into for many years. I saw him testing out a few big ass swords during the day, it is quite impressive. I picked up a tiny dagger and said that was more my style.

It was really nice to see how laid back and easygoing he was, even before we met while texting and such. He’s a very relaxed guy who doesn’t doesn’t stress out over trivial things that many do, including myself at times. It was very pleasant.

There was a second hall that was part of the fair though there were less booths in there. It did have the music stage though, and that would also be the spot where we would spend quite a few hours. Apart from a few cheesy bands that kind of sucked there were two that really stood out.

The first being the industrial metal band DEADCELL, and yes that is written in all caps. I had never seen this type of music before, or at least not as well done as them. Emphasis on the word seen as they use visual imagery as part of their act. The entire band consisted of only 4 people. With the guy singing in a voice that was perfectly haunting. A female lead guitarist clothed in a seemingly PVC outfit beating out riffs like a machine.. literally!

Then there was the DJ who ran a digital drum track and played sound bites, and I believe also controlled the video projection. Quite an odd band makeup I thought. And then, during another song, a girl walked on stage and also clothed in semi-fetish getup, who started miming! She would take part in several other songs as well in different outfits. It was awesome! It has to be seen to be believed. Their songs are very volatile and anti establishment, but not angry. Meant to be mind opening, not cause aggression. We were definitely going to look them up when we got home.

The second band that we really enjoyed was the metal band The Dreamside. Again I had never heard of them before but their music was very good and had a female lead singer who would also occasionally don a mask. They even incorporated a fire act in there near the end. Loved it!

Also saw part of A New Dawn, which was a gothic metal band akin to Evanescence, Epica and the likes but failed horribly. Their band had too many redundant members and while two female vocalists can be quite a nice thing with one of them I had the feeling she’d rather be somewhere else. (Edit: Apparently I was right because last I heard she quit the band.)

I got my picture taken a few times, no idea if they are on a website somewhere, but some of them were taken by professional photographers so who knows! One person asked who I was supposed to represent. Uhm, myself? My date goes to these things a lot and apparently knew some of the press photographers there as well, so I met some and got to talk to them a bit, especially one who was very nice.

So in the end the fair itself turned out to be sucking but at least the music was good, had good view of the stage as the place was nearly deserted, so we we still spent many hours there and didn’t spend a lot of money. Good times after all.

The best part was yet to come though, as we left the building and proceeded to the subway we talked some more and he was willing to escort me to my train so I wouldn’t get lost. It had just left so had to wait a bit which he also volunteered to do with me. It was an odd experience to meet someone so relaxed because I’m more used to the “Ok, see ya!” kinda people.

Once the train arrived I grabbed my stuff and as I started to get on and was going to say goodbye to him he leaned forward and kissed me, on the cheek! It took me a second or two to regain my composure, I am sure I was blushing because it was very tender and dear. I loved it! So cute! It was also the very first time a guy kissed me that wasn’t family or something. I got on the train and waved as the train departed and I admit I couldn’t stop thinking about all day.

All the photos I took can be seen at my Picasa as always. ^.^