I got my one week escape.
It was stressful, nerve-racking, a lot of internal conflict, but I already miss it so, so much.
International travel. In my particular case, traveling between two EU countries that still have relatively low number of cases only meant having to have my green pass (officially called the EU digital covid certificate) and my ID as air and ground transport operators, venues, hotels, zoos and lots of other places you may visit as a tourist require you to have this pass which has a code that they scan and also verify with your ID that the pass they've scanned is actually yours. In theory.
In practice, it was a bit... well, more than a bit... different. Nobody even asked for the pass at the airport in Bucharest. Not when I left or when I returned. I was asked for it in only about half the cases in Austria and even then, almost always just for a quick glance. It was only scanned at Theater im Park, where Campino's book event took place. And not even they checked with my ID. Lots of chin diapers in airports, train stations, planes and trains. Yeah, I was surprised. Remember that for the past 17 months, I have literally not gone outside these walls to go anywhere but shopping, to the cemetery and occasionally to the bank or the post office. And twice to get vaccinated. And once to the hospital when I busted my paw.
Anyway, Vienna is still lovely. And very sunny in the summer.
I stayed at
a lovely retro style hotel. Super close to both the main train station and Theater im Park. Room had both a laptop safe (even though I only took mt tablet this time), a mini fridge and a cosmetic mirror, though the plan of doing my makeup at least once would die in its infancy. And a balcony, though it was facing the street and I gave up quite fast on leaving the balcony door open and preferred to just keep the noise of the pretty intense traffic in that area away.
I was a bit messed upon arrival. So many conflicting feelings over wanting this escape and not being sure it's the best idea when everyone is so fucking irresponsible and can't even stick to simple rules. To top it off, I started feeling a bit crappy on Saturday morning, though it went away before it was time to go to the book event. Only to come back after that, then go away again overnight and come back again on Sunday. And then thankfully went away for good.
Book event. Gorgeous open air venue in a park. It's just that I was stupid and got eaten by bugs. They did offer free insect repellent, but I thought I didn't have the time (I actually did) and skipped it. A decision I would come to regret. I was all oh, wow, when Campino came on stage. Oh, wow, I'm seeing him again in front of me on a stage. Not for an actual concert, but still... It was a really cool night. There were reading bits, interview style bits and musical bits. All really well balanced. Somehow felt like it could have gone on for longer, but... curfew
Pity, it was really good. At one point, Campino commented he's really happy he can do this because it may not be allowed anymore in a few weeks from now. Also, one of the parts he chose to read was one I found pretty... haunting? It's about him visiting his parents' grave and reflecting upon the fact that it's still not clear to him where he'll end up after death because he's not sure anymore where home is for him.
Sunday, I checked out at the hotel, left my backpack there and went to the zoo. They have
a new tiger! I got to see him and he's purrfect! Which cannot be said about the idiots throwing pebbles in his enclosure trying to get his attention... as if the cat owes them to pose for their social media!
Cheetahs have such fluffy belly fur! This is the first time I see them stretched while lying down, belly exposed. Didn't get to see the Amur leopards at all because you couldn't go into the big cat house due to covid restrictions (fml!) and I didn't see any trace of them in the outdoor enclosure. So I'm guessing they were inside (as usual, only seen them outdoors in the winter).
On the toilet door... Rette mich wer kann (whoever can, save me) under the photo of a
northern river terapin - they're critically endangered (only about 20 left in the wild) and the zoo is involved in
a conservation project.
Night train trip was better than expected, but I was still an itchy mess (because of the bug bites in the park) when I got to Innsbruck at 5am. With nothing to do, so stayed in the waiting room at the station, taking advantage of the excellent internet and being able to recharge my tablet and camera batteries. Up until 9am, when I went through the old city a bit. It's absolutely gorgeous. And sometimes funny.
Backpack felt lighter than the evening before when I was coming after an entire day of walking though the zoo and not only, but I still decided to go back to the station after a while. And on the way back came across the first of the many posters advertising the Kreator show that I would discover over the course of the following days.
Then it was time to go to the hotel to check in, so off I was again. It was a ~30 minute walk from the station and the shy sun soon disappeared and it started to pour. I got to the hotel completely soaked. I could suspect I had a nice view from my window, but it was hard to see much because of the really heavy rain. Which also meant I didn't get to go out again that day. Hotel was okay for the cheapest thing available in an otherwise gorgeous, but horribly expensive mountain resort.
The next morning, I decided to go all the way up
the mountains that were still not visible from my window. But first, I got this stuff:
Splurged and paid 40€ for a full cable car ride. There are a number of stops along the way, and from each you can go exploring and climbing the peaks accessible from that point.
Super happy I did this. The feeling you get when climbing up there... priceless!
Wednesday. Changed hotel and moved
to one in a less nice environment (further from Nordkette and not right on the Inn river, but right across from a corn field in the southern part of the city) and almost 30€ more expensive. Still, it was 10 minutes away from the venue and under 80€/ night... which again, is a good price for Innsbruck, especially considering how incredibly nice the room was - end of corridor room, two window view to both mountain ranges in the North and South of the city, laptop safe, fridge, cosmetic mirror (again, guess who said would do makeup and then was just naaah, not in the mood for this), very nicely furbished, early checkin, late checkout, 24 hour reception.
Was still tormented over going to the Kreator show, but I took a shower, changed and went... out of inertia or whatever you want to call it. I had considered wearing a mask, though who am I kidding? I have to be realistic, their concerts are an intense experience, I cannot physically last with a mask through one. But then I was so scatterbrained I just forgot it in the hotel room. I was also smart enough to think waxing my armpits for the second time within the span of ten days to get rid of whatever grew there (spoiler: not much! my baby bear fur on my arms grows really fast, but my armpit hair is lazy) and, while the left one was no harm done anyway, the right one remained sticky until I left in spite of all my attempts to... unstickify it?
The venue is in the same building with a car wash, an auto repair shop and a restaurant/ bar. Couldn't figure out where the entrance was (fuck, this is becoming a running gag), so I did what I thought was the normal thing to do - asked at the restaurant. And, without further questions, got taken right into the concert hall where Eluveitie were soundchecking?! They thought I was one of
the chicks in Eluveitie?!
I was all "wtf am I doing here?"
but nobody from security or from the Eluveitie camp seemed to notice because some of the Kreator crew and Sami were there and their only reaction to my presence was along the lines of "oh, hello, how are you?"
I wasn't going to go to Sami, but he started coming towards me, so I started taking steps in his direction and when we met in the middle, asked "excuse me, sir, would you have a moment to talk about our lord and saviour Satan?" and then offered my deepest apologies for not having a proper bible in my attempt to convert him, only my ticket, but the bible was lying forgotten in my hotel room... yes, I had that in my hand the entire time and the people at the restaurant still took me right away into the concert hall - crazy! Also, no joke, I had actually found a bible in my hotel room. And, in front of the hotel, saw a dude with a shirt with a pentagram and the text "not today, Jesus!"
Chatted a bit to him (yes, also mentioned how awkward it was to be at a concert again), then he went to the bus and I went... in the same direction, but then went out through the bus enclosure as I had decided to go to the bar and drag onto some cheap drink until people would begin to queue up at the door I had been taken into the concert hall through.
Seemed like a sane plan... little did I know...
I ordered something cheap, but keep in mind I don't go to bars, so I have no idea what hides behind drink names. It turned out to be a lemon water! Great, now I'm a stereotype too - skinny bitch dragging on a lemon water. At least it was good, even if it made me need to go upstairs to pee.
I waited at the bar. And waited... and waited... Nobody was yet at the door and there were only about 20 minutes until Eluveitie were supposed to start playing. Hm... I had a bad feeling about this, so asked a metalhead-looking dude when and where you can enter for the show. Crap, I had been waiting and watching the wrong door!!! People had already been going in for over half an hour while I was dragging on to the second overpriced lemon water!
Yes, you may laugh...
Great, my first concert in forever, I come early and somehow I pull this stupid to not even catch a spot at the barrier! I was so pissed with myself! Was already all "meh, what else is going to go wrong now?" while going in.
Turns out... nothing? For some reason, it was still rarefied inside. There was even still space at the barrier, almost fully central. Enough for one pocket-sized fan!
Eluveitie and folk metal in general are not really my style, but... live metal for the first time in over 17 months?! I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy their show and they seems like cool people, so okay.
Then Kreator. Damn... when the thought of "hey, I can see a concert this summer?!" first entered my mind... it wasn't even supposed to be them. It was supposed to be Amon Amarth, who had a show in Linz, a city I already knew and loved, closer to me than Innsbruck. Kreator only had the Bloodstock show confirmed at the time and that wasn't really doable for me. So at first, I never really considered my first concert after all these months would be them. But then Amon Amarth cancelled everything and Kreator started announcing more stuff...
In all honesty, I would have gone for any band I like even a little bit, but it ended up being them, a band I absolutely love.
The stage setup before the show - look, an old friend hanging there!
Yeah, buddy, that's exactly how I feel too...
And then it started... damn, the Violent Revolution straight into Extreme Aggressions punch is such a good show start. The perfect beginning for 90 minutes of pure bliss! I laughed, I cried happy tears, I loved every moment of it. 100 hours later, I'm still sore from headbanging. I went completely nuts and somehow still felt like it was too short, even though it was the longest set I've seen them play since Rostock more than 3 years ago. I could have gone for another half an hour, even though my legs still felt heavy from the mountain experience the day before.
For all the times I've seen them, I had never taken a photo
during their shows. Until this Wednesday, when I snapped a few photos of Mille during his little speech before Flag of Hate.
All good things come to an end though... and so did the show. Left with a setlist and yet another Sami pick. And I just had to go back and wait for them to thank them. Before the show, I had mentally debated whether meeting them in these times was a good idea and had come to the conclusion that no, it wasn't. I was to go straight to the hotel right after the concert and not seek to meet them. It was the right thing to do, the smart thing to do. If there's a possibility of me having caught this shit and passing it on, it would be an awful thing to do to them. They still have two shows left to play this August and shouldn't be forced to cancel because of a stupid fangirl. But I loved the show too much to be able to stick to it.
Heard about half of Pump being played from the hall while waiting for them in the back.
Ventor was the first to come out and... was in a chatty mood? Or just too polite to tell fans he's tired and would like to go to the bus and crash into bed? At one point, in order to just stop the insistent requests for songs from the '90s, I offered a solution: "know how you can make everyone happy? it's easy, just play till morning!"
Ventor: "yeah, play till morning..."
Me: "... make a 50 song setlist..."
Ventor: "50?! I'm 55! I'm going to die!!!"
Me: "So am I..."
Honest truth, by the way. I know my limits. I could have gone for another half an hour, maybe an hour given the desire accumulated over these 17+ months. But till morning? Lol, no...
Then a hoodie underneath which there probably was one pocket-sized singer came out. Was he trying to hide from the fans or was he just cold? In all seriousness, it was night, Innsbruck is high up in the mountains and Mille's Italian blood does not like the cold! He's the one guy I've ever seen wearing an oversized sweater for an entire show 1m away from the flame columns...
Ventor: "run now if you want to catch him!"
Hmm... but others did, so I did too. Plus, Ventor came with us as well.
Couldn't help joking a bit. Guess that's why Mille reacts a bit different to me than he does to other fans. Like he's trying really hard not to be caught off-guard when whatever I say takes a turn... Like he's always thinking "oookay, where is this going to, you little devil?"
But seriously, Mille, this was fantastic!
It was good to get to talk to him a bit. Well, the hear him talk about these shows part more than everything. Really puts things into perspective. I'm not the only one who was unsure about how things would turn out and has turned catastrophic scenarios on all sides inside her head before all of this. I'm the only one I could see having a breakdown over it, that's all.
Then Fred came and, after he signed stuff for everyone else, I had the surprise he wants to know my opinion. Now that I've seen the band live with him, what do I think, how is it compared to before? A sort of I'm the new guy, you're the crazy fan, what do you think? "Honest opinion, I can take it..." Well, honest opinion is I just don't think about it in those terms. During those 90 minutes, it never occurred to me to make comparisons. If you really love a show and it really does something for you, then there, in the moment, that's the best show ever. And that makes it possible to have multiple personal bests and that's a good thing.
But wait a moment, he knows me?! This is the first show with him that I see. And yeah, he's active on social media and so am I, so we've interacted a few times on twitter, but I do not even have my mug in my twitter avatar and yet he knew it was me because he knew I was also supposed to come to Dynamo, which got postponed.
Hope he didn't take it the wrong way that I only gave him the setlist to sign and not an album that he did not play on... dunno, feels bit stupid to me to ask someone to sign an album they didn't play on.
Then Sami showed up and I completed my collection of signatures for the evening.
And left shivering. It was already seriously cold at that point.
The next day, I hiked up to Alpenzoo (the highest zoo in Europe and one that's dedicated exclusively to animals found in the Alps... as the name might suggest).
Then walked a bit more through the city. And then took another night train to Vienna. Where I almost lost my mind trying to get my boarding pass printed (Ryanair only allow free checkin at most 24 hours before the flight, at which point I had already checked out of Alphotel and they also charge 55€ if you don't have it printed) - first couldn't transfer it from tablet to a stick, then couldn't find a print shop where people weren't on holiday, then my stick didn't work at the first printshop where they were actually printing, then it took me forever to find a network my tablet could connect to... and it all costed almost 3€, which is a lot for one page, but hey, sure beats having to pay 55€!
Then got a free seat upgrade for only the second time ever and this time it wasn't because my flight was overbooked and I was kicked off it, it was simply because they had plenty of empty rows in front.
Feels like I somehow avoided total disaster with this trip. I was really afraid everything wold go horribly wrong, but overall, it turned out pretty damn good...