Eurofurence. One incredible week of art, fursuits, events and of course wonderfully friendly people. Europe's largest furry convention certainly impressed again last week, with over 1300 furs in attendance. This year was the convention's 18th staging, its third in the eastern German city of Magdeburg, and my second visit in a row. And so, here are a few highlights of my week in Deutschland.

The Journey
Even after packing late the previous night, I was still up at 4am on the dot, throwing the 6-hour-sleep rule out of the window before I even left my home. But such is a typical pre-Eurofurence Tuesday, and by 5am I was out of the door and on my way. Once again I took the plane to Germany, and very soon I arrived at Stansted Airport, where I met  levlion,  jym and  codewolf. A breeze through security and we were on our Germanwings flight to Hanover. At little over an hour, it's such a quick flight that after one song on my MP3 player, the seat-belt signs came back on. This year I was travelling exactly the same way as last year, so everything fitted together seamlessly. Two trains and a couple of hours later, and we were there. Lev and Jym, you were great company on the way there and back. Thank you for keeping me entertained with your tales of ring-foxes, Devices and dinosaurs!

The hotel
Once again, the four-star Maritim proved a fitting venue. Seven floors and over 600 rooms, filled with furs (with a big contingent in other hotels too!) In the vast glass-roofed lobby, there was always someone to chat with, or a pawful of fursuiters to meet and greet. The hotel had its own pool (although swimming proved to be an interesting exercise), and all the rooms we needed for our events (more below), not to mention the Piano Bar for cocktail nights!

Events
Well, where to start? The Dealer's Den was fun to look around. I was a bit lighter spending this year, but it was good to see my friends getting lots of trade in there. There were no shortage of workshops, and I went to a couple of writing panels and the voice-acting group. Artists' Lounge was fun too, a good place to admire other's artistic skills (or lament your lack of them). The Art Show offered a fascinating glimpse at the varying art styles in the Fandom, and I picked up a lovely piece as well. And the Pawpet Show was entertaining, and a better length at three hours, as opposed to last years' four. Also definitely needing a mention is the Medieval Market, taking place in the city, a superb showcase of food, craft and entertainment from the Middle Ages.

The Furwalk
Once again this was madness, but so much fun. Walking through the shops and streets of a German city, surrounded by literally hundreds of giant wolves and foxes and horses (something in the region of 600). Never would I have imagined, a few years ago, this is how I would be spending my summers! The locals once again were fantastic sports, getting up close with our critters for hugs and photos. So many people, children and adults, had smiles on their faces as our procession came past. And that's what this is all about: bringing a bit of fun into people's lives.

Food!
Goats will eat anything, and Magdeburg offered plenty of choice for the hungry hoofer. House of Steaks was a firm favourite for the first two nights, and apparently not just with our group (fully booked by the third night). There were German treats (courtesy of Kaufland), kebabs, sushi, Greek food… not to mention that perennial favourite, McDonald's. The German version can be pretty generous as I found out having ordered one burger, only to have my server re-emerge shortly afterwards with four. Hey, I wasn't complaining! (and neither was  silveranthony )

Furs
So many furs to meet, familiar faces and brand new ones too. Friends from Newcastle, friends from the London meets, the German furs, and furs from further afield. There are far too many to name individually. So this is a thank you to each and every one of you I met at the convention, spoke to, partied with, played Stylophone with, and otherwise got to know. I couldn't have hoped for a better group of people to hang out with.

Bock-Con 2012
Finally, goats! Okay, nowhere near fox numbers, but still a sizeable herd. So, a special mention to  bocki,  knuddelbock,  twice, Kiki and Rubix, for making Bock-Con 2012 such a resounding success.

For my final thought: I only have positive things to say about another brilliant week in Germany, and at Eurofurence. To the organisers, staff and all the attendees: Vielen Dank!