Paris Update

I am back home since Wednesday already but got a nasty surprise as soon as I came in. No water. Apparently the landlord made a mistake with paying the bills for water and used his office account instead of the normal one, without adding a reference number. So the company disconnected the water. The landlord came back to bring me a big can of water so I had something and today (Friday) finally in the afternoon I got my water back! First thing I did was take a hot bath and it felt so good!

I did not have time to write about Paris yet, but that was a really bad trip. In Belgium there were no trains or buses driving, there was a big strike throughout the country, so I did only get to Maastricht. Luckily there was a regular bus from Maastricht driving just across the border. There were some others who needed to get to Brussels like I did and we decided to get a cab in Visé where we were stranded, and the driver drove us to Brussels. Quite expensive but because we were with four people it was okay. In Brussels I was stranded once more at the airport. I took a bus to Brussels North trainstation (this bus was going, good for me) and checked if I could find a bus going to Paris. There was one but it would leave at five and take four hours to get there. So I would miss the whole Battle Beast show and I wasn't planning on doing that. So next I found a metro that drove to Brussels Midi trainstation and I am so thankful the Thalys was going to Paris from there. It had a big delay but it was going so I knew I would be in time in Paris.

The ride with the Thalys was great, I could finally relax a bit. In Paris I had to find my way to the venue, bought a ticket for the metro to Oberkampf station and got out. Once I walked there I felt like I was on holiday! After a minute I saw some well known sweaters and recognized Tero and Tapsa from the crew. Yelled at them and they stopped and told me where the venue was. Walked over to the venue and waited until I saw another familiar face. The first one was Larry Longsleeve and I asked him if I could go inside with my pass to drop off my luggage. No problem, and inside I met Guy the busdriver and Denis, a french guy who also worked with Nightwish and Amorphis and whom I met a couple of times already. They all seemed pleased to see me and that felt really good. Bought myself a Battle Beast girlie since I felt bad for not supporting them yet. Still need to get the cd though!

The Sonata guys were outside for dinner and I went outside again as well, waiting for a friend of mine who would be there that night. While waiting Battle Beast passed me and I got a warm hug from Noora. I think she liked that there was a familiar (girl) face between all those strangers. They were on their way to have some dinner as well. Soon my friend came over and we decided to have a drink at the bar next to the venue. We had some great talks and soon it was time to go inside the venue again. I saved her a spot in front and we enjoyed another amazing show. Actually two, because Battle Beast rocked again! They must be the best support Sonata ever had I think. I like that the French are a bit louder, more enthusiastic than the regular crowd I see at concerts. They are also waiting outside with many more people. I felt a bit bad they were all standing in the cold while I was inside hanging out and staying warm. Did not feel like getting out to support them though!

After a long time inside, chatting with Denis and some bandmembers of both bands we all went outside and fans came over to take pictures and ask for autographs. I thought it was weird that there was this guy who took lots of pictures of me but I assume he thought I was with the band, a crewmember or something like that. At first I thought he wanted to take pics of Marko because I was talking to him when this happened, but when I moved away the guy still took pics of me. I wonder what he must have thought.

Had a nice conversation with Marko outside, and then it was time to go. Had a nice hug, bumped my head into his head and with a little bump on my head but very happy I left with my friend to her home.

The next day we spent making nice food together for lunch and dinner and talking about everything we could think of. It was very nice and I felt so welcome! On Friday I left in the morning and again it was a very long travel day, although trains were driving again this time. In Paris I had to wait for 1,5 hours for my train but unfortunately there were no nice shops in the area so I just waited and walked around a bit.

In Brussels I had to wait for another hour because my train left without me, I could not find where they sold tickets for outside of Belgium and it took me so long I missed my train. When I was searching to buy a ticket I saw an ice cream store of Häagen-Dazs and so I got myself a cone with pralines and cream. Very delicious so it was worth waiting another hour! I arrived in Sittard around 19.10 and had only about 5 minutes at home before I had to go to class, but I made it! Did not really have energy to sew but I really needed to tell one of my best friends all the stories so I went anyway. So far it had been a great European tour!

That's it for today! Next time I will tell all about my holiday in Austria and the last two concerts of the tour. If I have nothing else important to share of course!

Tiny Update

Just wanted to let you know I am still alive but most of the time without internet. I am spending my time with a very good friend in Austria and at the moment we are at a spa in Graz, where they have free wifi, so I am using it right now to show a little sign of life.

Unfortunately by opening my mailbox I also could read some news I really did not want to hear and makes me a bit sad, nothing about anyone being sick or something, just bad news for me. Nothing to do about it though so I guess I'll have to arrange some things for next week.

I need to get up very early again tomorrow so will leave it at that and probably share some more news with you once I am back home.

European Tour Part 2

Haven't been online for a while, but that's just because my life was so amazing this last week. On Thursday I traveled back to my home, after sleeping about three hours. Totally exhausted but happy! I took a long hot bath and then prepared for the show. You know, putting on the high heels so I can see what happens on stage, putting on some make-up and deciding on clothes. The last part was not that hard as my friend and I planned to wear the Live in Finland shirt I made this summer. That was scoring pretty much from the beginning, got some nice comments from some of the band- and crewmembers.

After the show I waited for two of my friends who run the fanclub and had backstage passes. Well they came back pretty soon, apparently I was on the guestlist as well so I had no problems getting there as well. Would be nice next time if someone tells me before I start feeling sad they forgot about me haha. The sad feeling was gone pretty quickly and we had some nice talks again. Also the band signed some fanclub magazines so they are up for the next fanclub competition I guess.

Next day was the show in Tilburg. I had three people staying at my place because I live closest to the venue and we had a nice brunch at Bagels&Beans. Before that I did some yoga with one of my friends and the other two watched. I need to keep up with exercising of course! Then had a quick-ish shower and prepared for the show, packed my bag and off we went to Tilburg. The hotel was easy to find, nice room, we had all the girls upstairs and started doing make-up. Went to the venue at five to pick up the AAA-passes for the show and had a very unhealthy dinner at Mc Donalds.

We went into the venue with our special passes so we could dump our coats and then got appointed our own dressing room(!) I felt like a VIP, getting our own dressing room, being given drinks and told where everything was by the band. The world is turning upside down.

The show was great and I was so happy to see so many friends around! I am sad one of my friends could not get to the front due to some old guy who was very mean about her trying to get in front of him, although he was much taller and could have seen everything just as well. My sister was way more in the back because she was late(r) but we waved and texted instead.

The Battle Beast show was good, I love this support act. The singer had a bad throat but managed to still sing great, although with a bit less volume. I like her a lot, she is so sweet. We had a few talks later on. Sonata played well again and made lots of jokes, especially during Talullah, which I normally dislike but being played like this it is awesome. Tommy and Marko were joking all the time and they looked quite relaxed.

After the show we went downstairs again to say goodbye, but I got offered a ride on the tourbus and went with them to Bochum instead! Never thought something like this would ever happen to me, I must be the luckiest girl on the planet!  I had a blast with them although not much sleep, and we spent the off day together as well hanging out and having dinner. In the evening we went to the Europe concert in the Matrix in Bochum and had some fun afterwards upstairs in the RockPalast, the bar where they play the best rock and metal in this club.

Next day I was even more tired but managed to work a bit on my thesis while the band was sleeping backstage. I spent my afternoon in the area where food was served and took a walk later with a Dutch girl I met over there. One of my friends came over from the Netherlands and we hung out the rest of the day before the show began.

This show was good as well, although I could tell most of them had a hangover. It got better in the end and even after so many shows I still love the setlist. Stayed until five in the morning at venue to have some nice conversation and then drove home with this Dutch girl. She dropped me off at my place and I really hope she made it home safely afterwards. I can't get in contact with her so I am not sure, but I really hope so, she was so sweet to me when I needed some support.

On Monday morning I arrived home around 7.30 and went straight to bed. Slept until about 12 and did my yoga. Then went to bed again at 19.00 and slept for seven hours straight! This did not happen for me for months so I was really glad. No waking up many times and not feeling well-rested. I woke up around 2.30 in the night and watched the other part of Outer Limits I started the evening before. Then fell asleep again 30 minutes later and slept another seven hours. Now I am well-rested and doing my laundry because tomorrow I will be going to Paris for another show. One of my friends is going there with her daughter and asked if I wanted to come along as well. Even my dad encouraged me to do it, so I bought a trainticket this afternoon and hope I will have as much fun as before. I am thinking of going to Disneyland the day after the show, simply because it is close by and I did not go there for a long time. Will see how I feel or if it is better to travel home instead.

Now I only need to iron some clothes, dry some of them still and then pack everything, this time only for two days. On Friday I have my regular sewing class and on Saturday I am off to Germany once more to go to my ex-boyfriend's birthday party. I think it will be fun to see him and his friends again, and I am sure it will be a hell of a party, as usual!

My Little Tour...Kick-off

Yesterday I went to Cologne to see my first show of the European Sonata Arctica show. A great evening with a good show and lots of good laughs afterwards. Not so nice to have to walk back to the hotel with sore feet and muscles but with all nice memories in my head from the evening I made if safe back to the hotel. Slept like a baby until six when the neighbors started to make noise while getting up. So this was a short night. Luckily tonight I have a ride to and from Antwerp and I can sleep in my own bed :). Time is going so fast right now and soon it will be all over again. Typically me to think of the bad things instead focusing on the good stuff that is yet to come...in half an hour I will be home and take a nice long and hot bath and then off to Antwerp for another exciting evening! Yay, life is good at the moment!!

To Party Or Not To Party?!

Yesterday a friend of mine came over whom I did not see for months already, so it was about time! I picked her up from the trainstation and we went into the city for some Bagels&Beans. I always pick the same thing over there, it's always a tuna bagel or a Tuscany bagel, but I decided to mix it up last Thursday and the BLT one was so tasty I had to try it again. It was goooood!

After that we went to the supermarket for some grocery shopping, but decided in the end we would get food at the snack bar close by. Oh well, at least I don't have to go shopping tomorrow!

At my place we drank lots of tea, gossiped and chatted a lot and it was great to have her here again. We'll see each other soon again, this Friday at the Sonata show in Tilburg. We also talked about my birhtday, which is in exactly one month, and about throwing a party. I guess I have to do that, because I would love to have some friends over, even if organizing it is kind of stressful.

The last two years have been amazing, to be surrounded by so many friends on this day. However, my birthday is in the middle of the week, so the party will be after my b-day and I guess I will be all alone on the day itself. That will be a lonely and sad moment for me, I will miss having a boyfriend, but maybe I can treat myself to something nice. No dirty thoughts here, just thinking maybe I can go to Maastricht by train and treat myself to the best Chinese food I've ever tasted. And maybe, just maybe, I'll go shopping at Bizzare shop in Maastricht as well, buy myself some new New Rocks...Many idea to make myself feel better, but who knows what will happen on the actual day. A nice video chat with a certain person would be lovely as well (keep on dreaming...).

Today I finished the Blinded No More shirt I was making last week. Due to some errors I made I did not have enough rings to complete it so I had to wait until Thursday until I could buy new ones at the market. I was lucky they still had two packages. Some of them are already falling out, I guess too many layers of fabric are involved, but I will see how it ends up looking after washing it a few times. For now I think it looks almost perfect. I could have made the jersey/lace part a bit wider but that's something I only noticed when it was done and I refuse to start hammering new rings in a new piece of fabric. I have a similar shirt I can customize in the same way. But not now.

I already started making a new shirt, also from jersey in petrol color (which I love) and it is just a simple longsleeve with overlapping front parts and a V-neck. I think I can finish it tomorrow or otherwise Tuesday. Still so many things to be done before I leave for Cologne on Wednesday morning. I hope I have some time left to bake brownies for my friends who are staying over. And of course I need to clean the whole house, mostly upstairs where the two will sleep. At least today I did some ironing so there is not much laundry left to be done for this week.

Almost time for bed now, I think I will watch American Horror Story in bed because I've been looking forward to the new episode for a few days but was too tired every time to watch it in the end. It needs to be completely dark to watch it, so I want to watch it in bed with the lights out. If I am too tired I will fall asleep so that would be a waste as well...I am difficult, yes, but at least now I still have this episode to look forward too! Good night everyone! Nuku hyvin!

No Kamelot, No Blackguard...It Sucks!

Instead of being in Eindhoven right now for the Kamelot show (and Blackguard!) I am sitting here feeling sorry for myself. I think I am getting the flu or something, so I thought it was better to stay at home and rest a lot and go to sleep very early today than standing in the cold outside waiting for the venue to open the doors and then late at night being cold again at the trainstation. I feel bad for cancelling on my friend and I hope he found someone else to take with him, but I think it is really the best decision to stay at home right now.

I thought about going to class like I always do on Friday, but first of all, I just cancelled on my friend, I would feel so guilty for going to class instead of meeting up with him, and second, my body hurts and sitting on the couch I even needed something to rest my head on because it feels too heavy to hold it up by my muscles. I am hoping tomorrow I feel better because I had one of my friends come over and I didn't see her for months. I know she is looking forward to it a lot as well, so I don't want to cancel on her. But if I need to, I will. Being sick and a bit moody because of that is not good company for her.

I am undecided what to watch right now. Somehow when my head is fuzzy like this I don't want to spoil all the good tv shows because I will miss half of it anyway, so I have to decide on watching something easy and something that I am not looking forward to for a week. Will have to think about it a bit more and then lie down in bed and watch it. I will go to sleep very early today and hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up well-rested and healthy early in the morning so I still have time to clean up at least the living room. For now, good night and have a great weekend!