Sara Hammerzmith

So… Late night and early morning isn’t exactly the best combination. I do it a lot in my jobs, but damn it. It was hard waking up, although I find it quite interesting that I woke up by Madlen’s alarm, and she woke up by mine (they were a few minutes apart) rather than the other way around. We heard Sophie and Marianne getting up as well, and seriously… this morning is something of the most wonderful I’ve seen. Four broken warriors who can barely keep their eyes open, walking around like sloths trying to pull their things together before leaving to the trainstation. I guess this is what international travel and amazing concerts do to you.

So, we got to the trainstation after a few ifs and buts and a heartfelt good bye to Marianne, and decided to pick up some quick breakfast for the train. Madlen and I were gonna treat ourselves a coffee, so we normally asked Sophie to pick up small coffees for us. And the cup we got back was the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen.

I swear to you, the cup was no larger than five centimeters. In height. Like, are you guys for real? Like Madlen said, this is not a small coffee, this is a tiny coffee. Startled with our small coffees and sleepdrunken eyes, we got on the train outbound to Paris. This was the train we wound up having three different coaches in, but we figured we’d give it a go and sit together and just move in case someone comes, but it all worked out fine.

Once in Paris, we got out of the train station and walked what seemed like forever through the station and eventually reached a mall where we found a McDonalds where we could have lunch and just spend some last time quality time for now. And that is what it was. Talking. Laughing. Eating. Sophie leaved a bit earlier to catch her train, and waaay too soon did the time for me and Madlen to also go our separate ways. So many heartfelt good byes in one day is difficult.

Once at the airport,  I first walked around the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced. Like, you sort of had to walk around in a circle that spiraled to get to the trains to the correct terminal, and once at the airport they searched your handluggage before you could even enter the airport. Yay for increased security! Seriously, it’s the biggest shame on Earth that we’d need to have it like this.

I checked in my luggage, went through the screening and then I chose a nice little seat with a charger next to it and spent the next four hours waiting for my flight chatting with the girls. I accidently chose the seat next to my terminal, so I guess you could call it a score. The plane arrived, boarding… While on the plane I looked back into the back of my catalouge on my iPod and found myself half sleeping on the flight and half crying because I miss Wig Wam so much it hurts.

The plane landed a bit ahead of time, but instead I had to spend the longest wait ever for my luggage. I had a superbad feeling in my gut, because when going betwen Clermont and Frankfurt, I had just thrown stuff into the bags, and I never searched them in Clermont so I was freaked out there might be some prohibited items, and it didn’t get better from the fact I had to wait longer than I’m used to for my bags. BUT! All was good.

Got on the train towards Oslo, wandered about Oslo for a while (yes I got lost) and then I could finally crash in what was an extremely nice hotel room actually. Oh my God, Europe’s been treating me well since I came back really. Talked some more with the girls before it was time to crash.

Again, I can’t thank you enough – All of you involved in this weekend because it’s been nothing but amazing. Madlen, Sophie, Marianne, Michelle, Toni, Daniel, Cyril – new friends found on the concerts and of course – Serenity, Battle Beast and Powerwolf. Thank you all for this amazing trip.

// Sara

Exactly 6 am did my alarm ring and I laid and stared up the ceiling for a good five minutes before I dragged myself out of bed. The good thing about being on tours going TO a show, is that it motivates everything. It’s a lot easier to get out of bed (I said easier, not easy haha) and get your stuff together, because you really don’t wanna miss the train or bus. And especially not when the train ride is as long as this one, because we’d be essentially fucked if we missed it.

So, I collected my stuff, made a quick cup of tea which I downed so fast I burned my tounge. Ordinary things. I got down the hall, and despite this being around you know, 6.20 in the morning, there was a line. A fucking line for the check out. Well, good riddance on me that we decided to meet 30 minutes prior to the train, and that the railway station was just a few minutes away.

While down at the trainstation I didn’t find Madlen right away, but I figured I’d go to our track and I’d find her there, and I sort of did! She was on her way to the big hall but we just turned the other way around and got back to the track. I was sooo surprised to see that our train was already at the track, like, this doesn’t happen in Sweden. So we found our seats, got on the train, being more in a zombie mood than anything.

We planned to sleep, but it wasn’t really until we were a bit in the trip we actually tried to sleep. And then, we woke up right as we approached Saarbrücken. What a coincidence. We spent the next half an hour or so being confused to whether or not we were in France or not until the lady next to us told us we indeed were.

At this point there were barely any idea to go back to sleep, so we just let it be and really, literally, before we knew it, we were in Paris. Like, Sophie texted us that she’d be late, but that she was in the subway now, and we were both a bit confused, like “ok…” and then we approached a station, and we realized “Wait… WAIT.” Haha.

So, we got of the train with all my heavy luggage, seriously, I should really just have shipped off one of these with Michelle while I still had the chance. Anyway, almost directly we ran into our little Sophie, and it was a hugfest deluxe! Seriously, I haven’t seen this woman since Lordi’s Scare Force One release gig in 2014, so it was well overdue! The first thing we did was getting into the subway to get to a McDonalds for some lunch, and conveniently there was a McDonalds close to the subway station we’d need to change subway in… Did that sentence make any sense?

Anyway, once there, Madlen and I for starters got stuck in the elevator. Like. We tried to go up, but it would just keep opening the doors and never work. Then, out of nowhere, it went up and we were like “ok what just happened”. We found some cozy seats, and Sophie delivered the first batch of food and while she went down to get the second tray, we took the oppurtunity to place the jar of Vegemite amongst her food.

As she got back, we patiently waited to see her reaction as she’d move her food…. but she never did. She started eating her food directly of the tray, and despite me and Madlen’s extremely poor poker faces, she didn’t get it. At one point, Madlen even yelled out “OH COME ON!” and all that happened was Sophie apologizing for eating. But, after a while, she finally found the jar and gave me a look that could kill. This little thing led to Madlen doing the Vegemite Challenge, which… yeah, her reaction wasn’t the best, haha!

It was time for us to get going so we wouldn’t miss our train and so we did. It was a bit of hell to get down all the stairs with the luggage, but somehow we managed. For the train to Clermont-Ferrand, Sophie and I had gotten seats at the same place, but Madlen was in a different coach, however, we figure’d we’d get together in one coach and if someone comes, we’d ask them to switch with us.

On this train, on the other hand… We did actually get a bit of rest. All three of us, perhaps not on the same time, but we did.  I think sometime an hour or so before reaching Clermont-Ferrand we were all up and going getting excited for the show. Cyril got in touch and told he was there at this point, and as we approached the trainstation, excitment evolved.

TO BE CONTINUED

// Sara