Travel Diary 06/22 Part Six – Final

10.06.
18:05 10.06. No, this is not a mistake, I actually had to write this date twice. Why? Because I’ve been waiting for this day for over a year. 10.06. It’s finally here. After going through an emotional rolercoaster while bying this ticket last May the day has finally come. Billie Eilish. The world tour that sold out in 10 minutes and I got a ticket. Still can’t believe it. And not only that. Just recently they added the “Overheated” event where they would speak about the climate crisis. And I got a ticket in the second row!! Just a few meters from Billie. But this one is bigger than Billie. This is about our planet. There were many amzing activists speaking at the event and they really gave me a lot to think about. I’ve already been doing some stuff like seperating my waste properly and becoming a vegetarian. But there is so much more I can do. There’s so much more we can do. But I think this deserves more research and it’s own post.

During lunch break I gave Billie’s mom a letter for Billie and I really hope that she gave it to her. In there I expressed my gratitude for Billie’s music, style and actions. They also gave out a vegan lunch which tasted absolutely amazing and really made me want to dive more into that kind of food.
At the end of the show I saw Billie, Finneas and their mom once again very close and I have to say they are just as human like you and I. They seemed very down to earth.
After the event I went for lunch which is where I’m sitting now and soon the doors to the actual concert are going to open. With a good night sleep and a full belly I can’t wait to see this truly wonderful artist live on stage.

23:42 I’m sitting in my Uber on the way back to my hostel. Just in a few hours I have to get up one last time to catch my flight back home. What can I say? I have no words but how wonderful this experience was. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending of my trip.
I didn’t have a special place at the concert but that didn’t matter. It was about being there. The feeling there. The atmosphere. Feeling the energy. It’s insane how one single person can entertain about 20.000 people. As I’m trying to write this I simply have no words. I just can’t describe how it was to be there. During the concert there were two times where I had wet eyes. That’s how deep this was. It really got under my skin. One time it was when the song “Your power” was being performed. The other time is just for me.
I had a seating ticket but there was a time when I just couldn’t sit anymore. This was too big for me to sit. So I just went to the spot where we came in to stand there . The security guy didn’t like it at first but when I moved very close to a seating place next to some stairs he was fine. I thanked him after the concert and told him that I really needed to stand.
I really can’t write any more about this experience because I can’t express how I feel. I just feel.

11.06.
11:13 I just boarded my flight to Vienna and can’t believe that my holiday has come to an end. My flight was meant to start at 10:35 but has severe delays. This is nothing new to me, in fact I would estimate that about 90% of my flights are delayed. It would usually be small delays that are caught up until arrival but there have been big ones too. I’m glad I booked my bus ticket in Vienna with enough time in between arrival of the flight and departure of the bus.
I had to wake up pretty early once more and did not have a lot of sleep as I came home late after last night’s concert. I still can’t find the words for the experience I made. And not only the concert which was the perfect ending for my trip but also the whole holiday itself including the great people I have met. It’s amazing how wherever I go I get to know great people. Just take this morning for example. When it was time for me to check out of the hostel the reception wasn’t open yet and I couldn’t find any staff. I went back to my room to see if there was a note there what to do with the keycard at an early checkout but there was no information. Two other girls noticed and helped me find out the number of the hostel and one girl even lend me her phone to call the staff as I did not have an English phone and due to Brexit it would have been very expensive to call from my Austrian phone. Both of them didn’t even hesitate to help me, I didn’t have to ask for their help. They just offered. I couldn’t reach anyone from the hostel so one girl went down with me to doublcheck if the door to the reception was truly closed (I mean she was sleeping before and I basically woke her up through my noise). The door was locked and as I had to leave I asked her if she would mind to give the staff my keycard later. And of course she said yes. And this is no unique story. Whenever I needed help on a journey there would always be people that helped me. I am so grateful for how many nice people there are on the planet. It gives me hope!

12:02 We’re high up in the sky and it’s interesting how this is the first flight of this trip where I did not feel anxious. I did not feel sick beforehand and did not have to vomit. I have no clue what is different. I still know all the thoughts I had at the other flights and obviously I’m thinking about death on this one too. Also a woman in a row behind me panicked a little and was breathing very fast and short. But it did not make me nervous. I really can’t say why this time is different. I have no idea. The only difference to the other flights is that I have a window seat on this one. And I have to admit the moment where the plane descends a little when departing was way more comfortable looking out the window and seeing that it actually isn’t descending, it just feels like it. But on the other flights I felt sick before the flight already. So why is this one different? I really don’t know. Maybe I came to peace with dying after seeing Billie live. That was a joke.
Anyway on one hand I’m looking forward to coming home, seeing my cats and not having to live out of a suitcase anymore. On the other hand I want to move away from home as fast as possible because I can’t stand it anymore. Don’t get me wrong – I really love my apartment and my cats of course but I just can’t take the energy-draining people surrounding me anymore. I really want to move to a city again and meet new people. I’m thinking about Barcelona. But there’s some stuff I have to sort out first. So I need to be patient a little longer. But I’ll definitely start preparing 🙂