#or Deutsche Bahn of thoughts

[soapdispensersalesman]

I love how anime will have all these random episodes and specials where characters are just chilling and having fun and no dramaturgical conflict takes place. Not even talking about filler episodes, just straight up bonuses like that Steins;Gate episode where the girls are baking.

Was watching this year's Halloween special of Family Guy and felt a little bad that at Stewie's plot as it would've been nice to see it play out without the conflict knowing they'd most likely never take this character in this direction never again. (I don't want to spoil the episode but you'll probably know who I'm referring to after watching)

It was a nice lesson for Stewie although one that feels like we've seen before and will be learned again plenty of times.

I get people who make fan art of their favourite characters doing things, especially those on deviantART who have realised their free will and let their imagination go loose (sometimes a bit too loose but I try my best not to judge)

Anyways yeah I was thinking about how most (comedy) shows will never give the characters the satisfaction they need because of dramaturgical conflict ans character development which can be beautiful sometimes but it can also be beautiful that we as fans can make our own fan art, fanfiction and other forms of fanon where we can give our favourite characters the good ending :U

[official-german-puns]

Heute war ich seit langem mal wieder in einer richtigen Großstadt. Echt krass wie stickig/stinkig die Luft da ist. Und die ganzen Menschen überall. Dass es Leute gibt, die freiwillig dort leben wollen.

[minlicious]

odyssey au but it’s just odysseus and his crew trying to get from denmark to bavaria via train

[candlesandcrisis]

me: i have a connection to catch Deutsche Bahn: that’s crazy bestie, good luck tho. 🫶

[nicht-ganz-allein-sunny]

Da sich die Spielzeitpause für mich langsam dem Ende neigt (was einzig und allein daran liegt das Weimar und Leipzig anscheined das Konzept einer Sommerpause sehr interessant auslegen) finde ich, ich sollte mal einen Blick auf die Vorstellungen werfen die in der Spielzeit 2024/2025 anstehen. Das will ich eh schon seit Mai machen, na huppala.

Die unten folgenden Theater sind von für mich am wenigsten relevant zu am meisten relevant geordnet - und ja, das hat meistens mit der Entfernung zu tun.

Schauspielhaus Bochum & Meininger Staatstheater:

Bisher war ich in keinem dieser zwei Theater und ich will ehrlich sein: Wenn ich nicht irgendwie durch Zufall dort eh in der Gegend lande, wird sich das vermutlich auch nicht so schnell ändern. Beide Theater zeichnen sich dadurch aus das sie Hamlet-Inszenierungen hatten/haben die ich eigentlich sehen wollte, aber da ist bisher nie was drauß geworden.

Bochum nimmt in der Spielzeit 24/25 Erich Kästners FABIAN aka DER GANG VOR DIE HUNDE und FRANKENSTEIN nach Mary Shelly mit ins Programm und in Meiningen könnten Shakespeares SOMMERNACHTSTRAUM sowie eine Bühnenadaption von DER GROSSSE GATSBY nach F. Scott Fitzgerald (don't say it don't say it don't say it) für mich relevant sein. (Hey, remember when F. Scott Fitzgerald showed his dick to Ernest Hemingway)

Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf (D'Haus)

Auch nur so weit oben auf der Liste weil es FUCKING WEIT WEG ist und außerdem verdammt teuer. Like fr. Was geht dort mit den Preisen ab.

Als ich in der letzten Spielzeit völlig verstört aber doch ziemlich begeistert aus der Düsseldorfer Macbeth Inszenierung kam hab ich erstmal eine minutenlange, detailgenaue Zusammenfassungen via Sprachnachricht an einen Nicht-Theaterkumpel geschickt. Seine Reaktion? "Wenn Macbeth schon so abgefucked ist, wie müsste ich mir dann King Lear vorstellen?" und ich war so: OH BOI ICH HAB NEWS FÜR DICH.

Evgeny Titov inszeniert nach MACBETH und RICHARD III. (was ich mir btw auch noch anschauen will) nun noch KING LEAR - und ich muss es sehen! Allein um meinem Kumpel im Zweifelsfall berichten zu können was zum fick da abgeht.

MOBY DICK nach Hermann Melville klingt mit seiner Besetzung und der Regie von Robert Wilson auch total toll - aber ich glaube nicht da ich dafür durchs ganze Land fahren werde. (Wenn die Düsseldorfer-Theater-Bubble mich doch irgendwie dazu überreden kann: Immer her damit!)

Eim wenig neidisch bin ich im übrigen auf MAN MUSS SICH MEPHISTO ALS EINEN GLÜCKLICHEN MENSCHEN VORSTELLEN als Kommentar/auf Basis von Klaus Mann's "Mephisto". Das bringt uns im übrigen gleich zum nächsten Theater:

Wuppertaler Bühnen

Wuppertal ist einer dieser Orte die ich nicht ernst nehmen kann - denn durch Wuppertal fließt die fucking Wupper. Was für mich klingt wie ein Shitpost ist aber leider ein geografischer Fakt. Als ich meine Theatergänger-Laufbahn antrat hätte ich nie gedacht das ich jemals plane für Theater nach Wuppertal zu fahren. To be fair, ich hätte auch nicht gedacht jemals für irgendwelches Theater irgendwohin zu fahren - yet here we are.

Was hat das Wuppertaler Theater denn so zu bieten? MEPHISTO. Mephisto von Klaus Mann. Fucking Mephisto.

Jede Person die Mal mehr als 2 Stunden mit mir verbracht hat weiß das ich ein bisschen obsessed mit diesem Roman bin der definitiv meine Gehirnchemie verändert hat. Außerdem habe ich bereits mehrere Leute dazu gezwungen das Buch zu lesen und sie damit ein bisschen in eine emotionale Krise gestürzt. Huppala. Von daher: Muss ich sehen. Auch wenn ich dafür nach fucking Wuppertal zur fucking Wupper muss.

Theater Dortmund (der Einwurf das es doch bitte 'Schauspielhaus Dortmund' heißt ignoriere ich an dieser Stelle gekonnt. Das is n Verband von Theater, Oper und Ballett. Das gehört so. Ist bei Chemnitz auch so, mein Gott. Ihr müsst aber auch alles so machen wie Chemnitz)

Das Heimtheater von Tryn! Voraussichtlich werde ich dort auch mehr als einmal landen, das Stück aus der Spielzeit 24/25 was ich aber definitiv sehen will ist wohl DANTONS TOD UND KANTS BEITRAG inszeniert von Kieran Joel, der auch schon "DAS KAPITAL - DAS MUSICAL" inszeniert hat. (Das muss ich wohl auch noch sehen, mindestens zwei Leute haben mir mittlerweile gesagt dass das verdammt gut sei.) Das ganze klingt irgendwo völlig absurd und Meta - keine Ahnung was dort zu erwarten ist.

Theater Magdeburg

Das Magdeburger Theater hat genau das was Chemnitz auch gerne hätte: Einen etwas obskureren Spielplan, der aber durchweg mit interessant klingenden Stücken gespickt ist. Was davon ich genau sehen will kann ich bisher nicht mal sagen, aber ich weiß aber das ich definitiv irgendwann dort landen werde. Allein weil ich mal wieder das verpfuschte Einhornskelett km Stadtmuseum sehen will.

(Und für TIMON VON ATHEN aus der letzten Spielzeit muss ich auch noch dort hin, aber pssst)

Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar

Auf diesem Account schon mehrfach benannt: HAMLET. Im fucking Sommertheater. Das ist definitiv ne choice und ne halbe. Obs ne gute ist werde ich in spätestens 2 Tagen im übrigen rausfinden. Der Content der mir dazu auf Instagram reingespült wurde sah zumindest interessant aus. Bleibe aber noch skeptisch.

Auch Weimar bringt 24/25 Kästners GANG VOR DIE HUNDE - in Regie von Jan Gehler! Der hat in der letzten Spielzeit den Thomas Freyer Text AJAX bei uns inszeniert, was ja definitiv eines meiner Spielzeithighlights war. Das plus die Tatsache das Der Gang vor die Hunde zu meinen Lieblingsromamen zählt sorgt dafür das ich mich defintiv drauf freue.

Ansonsten würden mich hier noch bei Gelegenheit Shakespeare's WAS IHR WOLLT und FAUST I von JoWo Goethe interessieren. (Bei jedem anderen Theater wäre mir Faust wohl egal - aber ich finde von Weimar kann man ne vernünftige Adaption erwarten)

Schauspiel Leipzig

Nach ewigem Kampf habe ich herausgefunden wie man auf der katastrophalen Website vom Leipziger Theater navigiert! So wirklich gelohnt hat sich das aber auch nicht, denn außer Shakespeare's RICHARD III und NOSFERATU/DRACULA lächelte mich dort eher nichts an. Nosferatu ist hier im übrigen das Sommertheaterstück. Um an dieser Stelle einmal @blueshelledbastard zu zitieren: "Sommertheater???? In der Sonne??? Which is bad??? For vampires????". Wild.

Theater Chemnitz:

Die Kulturhauptstadt 2025! Die haben doch bestimmt n richtig gutes, interessantes Programm? Wenn schon keine vernünftige Zugverbindung??? Oder? Oder????

Naja. Das Theater Chemnitz, dessen Schauspielsparte im übrigen weiterhin interiemsmäßig im angewrackten Fabrikhallen-Spinnbau festhängt, schafft es mich irgendwie bisher nur mit einem Stück interessieren: DAS BILDNISS DES DORIAN GRAY von Oscar Wilde.

Hier verhält es sich wie mit Klaus' Manns Mephisto: Ich kann meine Schnauze nicht über dieses Buch halten (und besitze eine ridiculous große Menge an verschiedenen Versionen davon), deshalb bin ich dafür natürlich sofort zu haben. Irgendwie ist das aber schon wieder Sommertheater?? Uff. Naja. Im Gegenteil zum Theater Altenburg/Gera traue ich Chemnitz wenigstens zu das sie dieses Stück tatsächlich auf dir Beine stellen. Ansonsten hab ich aber auch keine Ansprüche auf das absolut absurd katastrophale Kulturhauptjahr 2025, das im übrigen eigentlich für alle nur noch ein einziges, großes Meme ist.

Staatsschauspiel Dresden

Kommen wir jetzt zu meinem Stammtheater, zu dem ich natürlich am meisten zu sagen habe:

Die Spielzeiteröffnung macht, nach dem Jugendtheaterstück, Lessings NATHAN DER WEISE, in einer Besetzung die irgendwo zwischen "Das war zu erwarten" und "Huh? Ich bin nicht abgeneigt, aber huh??" liegt. Nathan der Weise ist eines dieser Stücke die bei mir sofort unter den Begriff 'Schullektüre' fallen, aber in Kombination mit der einen Tag später anlaufenden Romanadaption NULLERJAHRE im aktuellen politischen Klima und der eine Woche vor Spielzeitstart stattfindenden sächsichen Landtagswahl wird das bestimmt.... interessant.

Außerdem können wir uns auf drei übers Jahr verteilte Shakespeare Produktionen, in mal mehr oder weniger bei mir beliebten Regie, freuen - DAS WINTERMÄRCHEN, WAS IHR WOLLT und EIN SOMMERNACHTSTRAUM. Letzteres wird wohl das Sommertheaterstück und oh boi bin ich auf die Besetzung davon gespannt - denn die kann ich mir beim besten Willen nicht vorstellen. Schon die letzte Sommernachtstraum Adaption im Staatsschauspiel hatte einen absolut wilden Cast btw.

Mit IM SPIEGELSAAL haben wir auch ne neue Bühnenadaption von einem Grafic Novel von Liv Strömquist auf dem Programm. Inszeniert wird das ganze, wie auch schon das immernoch regelmäßig ausverkaufte ICH FÜHLS NICHT, von Katrin Plötner - also gehe ich davon aus das da was hübsches bei raus kommt.

Daniela Löffner inszeniert Gerhard Hauptmanns Drama DIE RATTEN und Monique Hamelmann inszeniert PRIMA FACIE (das hab ich jetzt im übrigen auch schon extrem vielen Theatern im aktuellen Spielplan gesehen - huh?) - von beiden Regisseurinnen würde ich mir an diesem Punkt im übrigen alles ohne weitere Nachfrage anschauen.

Wo wir schon so schön beim Regisseur-Namedropping sind: FUCKING FRANK CASTORF INSZENIERT WIEDER BEI UNS - und zwar DANTONS TOD von Büchner. Die WALLENSTEIN-Inszenierung aus der Spielzeit 21/22 (?) war eine der... speziellsten Dinge die ich je gesehen habe (und verdient deshalb im übrigen bei Gelegenheit mal einen Blogpost für sich), weshalb ich ziemlich excited auf das bin was auch immer zur Hölle in diesem Stück abgehen wird. Vielleicht sollte ich vorher kiffen tho.

Auch ansonsten bin ich definitiv mit dem angekündigten Dresdner Repertoire der Spielzeit 2024/25 zufrieden - es werden auf jeden Fall ein paar ereignisreiche Monate. Das zeichnet sich zumindest bereits jetzt in der Planung für die Monate September und Oktober ab. Oh je.

Damit beende ich meinen kleinen Bericht über meine Erwartungshaltung an die Spielzeit 24/25. Empfehlungen für Stücke in sämtlichen Himmelsrichtungen nehme ich im übrigen gerne an!

[here-am-i-sitting-in-a-tin-can]

christ it reeks of piss in here

help me

[morgenlich]

was chatting with my dad today about how you're not really supposed to bring luggage on metra* and he was like eh well they don't do security screenings or anything and that. certainly made me remember i've only ever done long distance train rides in europe lmao

*they have a line that runs to and from o'hare (and currently also a shuttle service on account of [gestures at fucking everything that's going on in chicago this month]) which i assume is different? the upper levels of the trains do have overhead luggage racks but.

[bopinion]

2024 / 14

Aperçu of the Week:

"If everyone wanted to help each other, everyone would be helped."

(Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian poet and psychologist in the 19th century)

Bad News of the Week:

The whole world fears for the well-being of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza. Except Israel. The whole world is worried about the local conflict escalating into a full scale Middle East war. Except Israel. Lately, when someone asks me if I've heard "that" from Israel, I have to answer "what do you mean?". Because, as sarcastic as it sounds, there is something to tear your hair out about almost every day.

Take the example of the civilian population in Gaza. The circumstances that led to the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen employees clearly show that the Israeli military deliberately makes no distinction as to who or what it bombs. According to the motto: anyone who is not with us is against us. The fact that there are, of course, many more differentiated positions does not matter.

Take the example of the Middle East conflict. There is open talk of military operations across the country's northern border, i.e. on Lebanese territory. Regardless of the fact that Hezbollah can do whatever it wants in this failed state, Lebanon is a sovereign state. Incidentally, it currently has the highest proportion of refugees in the total population of any country in the world. But so was Syria when Israel effectively annexed the Golan Heights in the "Six-Day War" in 1967 (!). This is still the status quo after almost 60 years. The fact that this is almost universally not recognized by the international community does not matter.

As a German, I'm asked more and more often how Germany justifies being Israel's largest arms supplier after the USA, when these weapons are obviously not only used for defense (which Israel of course sees differently). The justification is simple: historical guilt. And this apparently prevents us from seeing what we don't want to see. Yes, the world would be easier to understand if we could divide it into black and white. That might still be possible with Israel and Iran. But not with Israel and Palestine.

PS: Next week I'll complain about something else - I promise!

Good News of the Week:

Following the successful agreement between the unions and our national train company Deutsche Bahn, there has now been arbitration achieved at the airports and our national air carrier Lufthansa. It should be noted that both will cost a lot of money. Both the generous wage increases and the compensation for reduced working hours through additional staff are expensive. And they will not be covered by coffee money, but by hefty price increases for the customers who (have to) use these means of transportation - in other words, all of us. At least I don't know anyone outside the vacation season who travels for fun but has to get between A and B somehow. Beam me up, Scotty!

Nevertheless, it is good to see that there is now a reasonably solid planning security again. And I'm not just talking about the usual commuters to work, of which I am one. But the logistics themselves. Of people and goods. After all, what I've seen in my environment alone in terms of missed meetings and broken supply chains is also a cost factor. If projects cannot be continued and production comes to a standstill, that costs money. Money from all of us. And very few of us have been asked if we agree. Not to be misunderstood: I don't want to question the great good of the right to strike. However, I am of the opinion that the proportionality of the means must not be lost sight of.

Personal happy moment of the week:

It was a summer weekend at the weekend - with temperatures of almost 30 degrees Celsius in southern Germany. We took advantage of this to kick off the cycling season. Of course, we started with a harmless route that we already knew, and of course to a nice country inn that we also already knew. And we were not disappointed. That will comfort us when the temperatures now drop back down to 2 degrees and it rains. Just a normal April. Good too. And nature is happy.

As I write this...

...I am delighted that we may soon have a fiber connection at home. It makes perfect sense for a household with adults working from the home office and teenagers on the internet. Especially if we usually stream music during the day and a series or movie in the evening. I find this astonishing because we live in a village with a maximum of 200 inhabitants. I hardly think that's profitable. It's more likely to be categorized as an infrastructural measure that a municipality implements for its population. It's nice that in this country we don't always just look at the money.

Post Scriptum

Employers' President Rainer Dulger is stunned by the German government's planned "Pension Package II", because it "now wants to massively increase pension spending once again, even though we are facing the biggest ageing spurt ever seen in Germany". Sounds logical. Especially because the pension system has long been financed not only by the contributions of the working population, but increasingly by subsidies from the tax pot. If fewer and fewer people are working and paying tax, while society is (over)ageing at the same time, this creates a gap. Who should pay for this? Especially when the burden of taxes and contributions is already so high - and not just by international standards?

On the other hand, many pensioners are already living at the limits of what is feasible in view of the constantly rising cost of living. In many cases, it is no longer possible to speak of "living", but rather of "existing". That is sad. Unfortunately, it is no bad joke that some people buy dog food without being able to afford a dog. It must be the task of every society to care for its weak, young and old when they can not do so themselves. Especially if they have done the best they can. But a woman, for example, who has raised several children and then cared for her sick parents is not taken into account by the system. After all, she has never paid into the system - at least not in monetary terms. Old-age poverty is an ugly word. But it is increasingly becoming the bitter reality.

[aimeegbbs]

starting to think i'm cursed because on my last two business trips one train was 2 hours delayed and then the other train got cancelled. and now my flight is delayed by 8.5 fucking hours as if i didn't leave the house at 1 am to catch a flight at 6 that will now only leave in the afternoon... don't think i have it in me to travel anymore

[forwhatitsworthifatall]

this goes out to deutsche bahn

ranzschuppen

[phaoi]

god I wish I had booked my train for earlier in the day 😭

[pagegirlintraining]

Since my spouse @enjoythesilentworld and I clearly like edging people, here’s another snippet from the thing we’re writing.

“Simon?”

“Fuck, you scared me.”

The face looking down on him now that Wille had taken to crouching next to his head looked adorably apologetic.

“I just wanted to check if you were able to sleep at all,” he told Simon, and the furrow between his brows held about as much concern as it did exhaustion.

“Like anyone other than Sylvia over there could, with this ruckus.”

Wille’s head whipped briefly around to the sleeping body that was subject to Simon’s glare, then he returned to frown at Simon.

“She said her name was Betty.”

“I don’t care what her fucking name is, Wille. She’s sleeping and we’re not, and we’ve got this whole-ass train ride tomorrow, and if the Deutsche Bahn is anything like what the memes say then-“

“That’s what I thought.” For some reason, Wille was smiling at him, and it looked almost unbearably fond. Before Simon knew what was happening, he bent down to press a kiss to Simon’s forehead, then pushed himself back to a stand. “I’ll be right back.”

[georgiaswarr]

my train stopped right as the song i was listening to said ‘drive my train of thought down the tracks to zero’……. deutsche bahn never misses i guess

[umunschaas]

how did the deutsche bahn ruin three days of your life? :3

Oh dear... I'll try to not make this too lenghty :'D

For those who read this and don't know; deutsche Bahn is the company who owns pretty much all of the german railway network and runs most of the trains on it too. Said trains are late more often than not. Which is a big point in what happened, plus some perhaps unwise decisions on my side.

So this was a few years back when I was still studying, during covid and had an internship in a library that was maybe an hour of a trainride away from the place where I lived during that time. During the internship, my grandma died and of course I had to leave for her funeral then. the problem was that I'd have to head west to east across germany for that. Which during that time took up to 8 hours (nowadays it's 6 if one is very lucky). So, I went to my boss and asked him if I could get a day off for that. Of course he said yes (because you'd have to be a real dick to keep someone from going to their grandma's funeral). Then, he asked how long the train ride would be and when I answered with the 8 hours, he asked me if I didn't want two days off then.

I said no. That was a mistake on my part, I can admit that. But I was raised like that. Not actively dying = Go to school/work.

Anyway, the day before the funeral I got up at 7 and went to my internship, because I figured that I could do some hours and then leave from the train station there around midday/afternoon. So I left the library, got on the Tram aaaand sat in something wet. Which I didn't even realize at first because it was hot outside, plus I had lots of stress, which I'm both not good at handling, so I was sweating a bit and my thoughts were trying to do breathing exercises. Eventually I did notice. Fuck my life. Air didn't smell like the Berlin subway though and after some subtle looking around I made out the culprit as an empty water bottle (hey there's Pfand on that!), so that was a little relief. And that my shorts were black, so no one would see it either.

So. I arrived at the train station on time, dried my sad butt while waiting in the sun - which even worked remarkably well. Train arrived on time too. First thing I did after getting on, was squeezing me and my backpack into one of those claustrophobia-inducing toilets and did some acrobatics to make sure I really only got water on my pants. Which yes, even dry smelled like nothing. Still wished I could have changed them, because dirt-phobia or whatever problem my head has. Hit my head really nice on the way out and after finally finding a seat on that as usual over-filled train, I decided to change my mask (remember; covid) because I've been wearing it for some time already. I took it off, one of the bands snapped, I thought nothing of it. Put a new one on and regretted. Due to some production error, one of the bands was shorter and constantly chafing over my ear. Guess I had to endure.

Train stopped to let a freight-train pass, as they like to do. Some signal had an issue, so we stood there for quite a while. I arrived at the station where I would have to change trains. At 10pm. But. Around that time there are no trains leaving from there anymore. So, I shot my father a message if he maybe could pick me up. Had to wait until he arrived of course, which was around 45 minutes, while trying to avoid at any drunks. Curiously, I wasn't offered any drugs. My father picked me up, drove me home, I threw my shorts in the wash, cried in the shower from exhaustion, ate something and fell into bed half-death. Must have been around 2 am. Which would be okay normally, but certainly not after that day.

Aaaand then I had to get up at 7am. The funeral happened - which; my grandma was not unkind, but certainly a bit difficult sometimes, so I didn't expect to cry and didn't take any tissues with me. Turns out that growing up seeing someone almost every day still leaves an impression and sad music kills me, so I had a very gross sleeve in the end (I have no words for how disgusted I was with myself, because what if germs?! thanks brain). Left the coffee/tea thingie afterwards "early" to change my clothes and catch my train.

The train was LATE. And then it stopped in the middle of nowhere and got even more LATE. So when I got off at the train station where I would have changed on another train, I could only watch the backlights of that disappearing. Lovely. So I sat there waiting for over an hour for the next, watching doves waddle about, eyeing my gluten-free cookies. The next train showed up, I got on and didn't dare to hope arriving before midnight. Which was the right thing to do, because I'd have been really disappointed. Because that train stopped in the middle of nowhere too. No apparent reason, no announcement like they do make sometimes in such cases. No freight train passing either. I arrived at the train station where I'd have to change trains again, past midnight. Walked to the platform to wait for my next. Which would also be the last one. Without it I would have had to hang around there 3 hours. The platform's display showed no train to depart at all, but I decided to wait, because the app said otherwise. Again, staring at the darkness beyond the rails and absolutely not looking at anyone (not just drunks at that station) and trying not to break down crying from exhaustion, overload and technically coming from a funeral. Eventually a train arrived. And while none of its outside displays showed its destination, I decided to get on anyway. The inside displays showed nothing either. And I've never been on such an empty train before. Stuck to a window to squint for familiar station names, which thankfully started to show up at some point. Got off the train eventually, barely caught what would have been the last bus for the next two hours, arrived in my student shoe box at 3, cried, showered and ate and was finally in bed at 4 am.

Yes, I got up at 7 in the morning and went to my internship.

I never had such bad luck with the trains again - which might also be, because they added some connections - but I really truly learned to hate the deutsche Bahn in that three days.

[redwidow616]

Okay here goes, I finally have time to write my eras tour essay:

Just a little psa this got a lot longer than I expected, especially the pre-show part, so just be aware of that and ofc you don't have to read it @prisongang

Pre-show:

As some of you might know the stupid ass european football cup was in germany this year, which meant I had to go to a different city for eras, that was kinda annoying because I had to spent even more money on train tickets and a hostel, but I made it and everything was fine so it's good, also props to the Deutsche Bahn for neither of my trains being delayed l. Okay so I arrived at the train station and there were soooooooo many swifties there, it was crazy, looking back I probably should have started trading bracelets then but I'm still kinda shy so I didn't. In Hamburg I arrived at my hostel, checked in, got ready and then immediately left to go to the stadium. In the station from where i took a train there, there were also so so so many swifties and I even got some compliments on my outfit 🤗. When we all got off the train we still had to walk for like half an hour until there was really anything there, but it was okay, I also saw a lot of parents there which I thought was also really cool. Now comes a kind of confession because I still feel weird about saying this, but I had a VIP ticket (pls do NOT ask me how much it was or I'll just disappear into the earth from shame) and the VIP entry started at 3 pm and for me that was when the line I was in started moving, admittedly pretty fast. I was there around 2:30 maybe a little later but the line was already really long, I couldn't even really see the stadium. As it started moving I could also see other people sitting and waiting in the regular line (it was by far not as crazy as in München, but they were still there probably hours before they could get in), there was also a merch stand somewhere but I didn't go there and I actually didn't get merch at all, the opportunity just didn't really arise but don't worry I'm bot sad about it. As the line was moving and we could finally see the stadium it started raining a little, but since the line was moving so fast it wasn't really that bad. Then I was finally in the stadium around 4 pm so I still had two hours to go till paramore and I used those for doing nothing and just sitting on the floor so I could jeep my spot. Even for being in the VIP section I think I was very close to the stage, I was like 4th or 5th row at first and later it shifted a bit so I was pretty much 3rd row by the end. In front of me were some girls who all seemed to have just net there and were talking a little and I even talked to one of them who was from my city and my age which was really nice. While we were waiting it rained multiple times, and after like one and a half hours I couldn't sit anymore and I stood up so the whole floor was wet and I just stood but it was fine cus paramore came on not long after. Also while we were waiting the screen played some of taylors music videos and behind the scenes clips to those videos.

Paramore:

I'm not really a fan of them, I know some of their more famous songs but it was still really fun screaming along to the songs I knew or even the choruses of songs i didn't really know, after they were done we still had to wait like half an hour for taylor and it started raining again and honestly at that point I was not that excited about it, even though I know that people say rain shows are the best but at that moment I didn't really feel that way, but that would change soon..

Lover:

So the clock appeared a few minutes before and of course everyone was screaming and stuff and when it was done the dancers with the seashells? (idk what to call them u know what I mean) came out and I was soooooo close to them it was crazy, I also took a video of that whole part until right after taylor came up on stage and then I was just gone, I screamed the lyrics and danced and just didn't care about the rain anymore, even though it got worse and worse but the people are right it is so much fun to dance in the rain with taylor, really as soon as the show actually started I forgot that I didn't want it to rain because it really is that amazing of an experience. I loved this ehole act so much, I was really close to the door where the dancers came out and where they go at the end and so I was also very close to the Lover house and really close to taylor dring the man and yntcd which was so amazing and so fun, during Lover she wasn't that close anymore but I still took a video of the lover bridge cus I love that song and that album in general so much, I did miss the archer a little bit but I wouldn't say it missing diminished the experience it just would have been nice to have

Fearless:

First of all the transition was crazy, because NO ONE FUCKING TOLD ME THERE WOULD BE REAL SPARKS COMING DOWN FROM TOP OF THE SCREEN THINGY??? I took a video of this too cus I was so surprised and it looked really pretty, during fearless the song i was so so lucky because taylor and the band were practically standing right in front of me, i was so close to here i still can't believe i got that lucky for one of the songs i love so much, and i also have a video of the intro and I had so much fun and danced and screamed my lungs out sm during love story and ybwm, and ofc I got the outfit i hoped for which i was really happy about but during this era the rain got really really bad and while it was still so much fun i was a little scared for my phone so i didn't take any more videos or photos than the ones in the beginning

Red:

During the beginning of this i was also so lucky because the dancer who did the thing with the chest was on the base of the stage so still really close to me and I could see her so clearly. This was probably one of the most fun parts because i didn't really have anything i wanted to take a video of except a short one during atw so i was really in the moment and had so much fun just dancing care free and singing. When taylor gave the hat to that girl it was so so cute because she was so excited and i could also see that really well on the big screen and she gave taylor a friendship bracelet, which she wore for the rest of the set and it wa just so adorable and relatable how she was freaking out, i don't think I've seen any other child be this emotional over getting the 22 hat. There was also confetti flying around during this set but everything was wet so you couldn't really pick it up

Speak Now:

The Intro to this was also so beautiful, i saw it the first night of the european leg on a life stream which was cutting out so i didn't see everything but I knew I had to take a video of it and I did. The dress taylor wore was also so beautiful and again like during fearless she walked right past me and was so so close I couldn't believe it, i have my best pictures of the evening probably from this era and at least one where it looks like she is looking directly at me if you zoom in, which I am so excited about and ofc Enchanted was so beautiful to experience life, i loved it so much, it was breath taking

Reputation:

Again taylor was so close to me at some points during this set and during lwymmd were the dancers are in glass boxes i had such a great view and during the transition from dbm to lwymmd I think Paul was standing pretty close to where I was and was throwing guitar picks into the crowd which was also so exciting even though i didn't catch any. And of course 123 lgb was a religious experience

FolkMore:

I did miss the seven poem intro, because i saw it once on a lifestream and thought it's inclusion in that way was so beautiful, but of course the snake transition makes a lot of sense. Like with the lover house, the folklore cabin was also really close to me but what was a bit of a fail was that when taylor layed down on the roof during cardigan i couldn't see her anymore from where i was standing but i could see her on the screen so it was okay. Betty was also really special to me, idek why but i was so happy seeing it live, btw the rain had already long stopped at this point so i could film and take photos again without worrying. Champagne problems was also so close to me even though taylor was kinda hidden behind her piano but being that close to her during such an emotional song was still amazing and afterwards we were so loud for so long. I am also so happy about having seen my tears ricochet live, cus it was one of the first taylor songs i loved, it means so much to me and i love it's performance on this tour. Marjorie was also very emotional for me, vecause it reminds me of my own grandma who died a little over to years ago when i was just starting to become a swiftie and all the lyrics really resonate with me, I also took a video of the bridge and i think i can hear myself choking up a little during it and i always cry when i rewatch this video. I did miss tolerate it too a bit, mainly because I also would have a had an amazing view of it from where i was, but also because i love the lyrics and i love evermore. Willow was really beautiful too, i love that performance so much especially the little instrumental part in between the verses

1989:

Like with red i probably had the most careless fun during this era, because i didn't take any fotos or videos and just danced and had fun and it was incredible, i loved it, it really was the most fun I've probably ever had, all the chants were a lot of fun too and there was also the surprise that THERE WAS FIRE ON STAGE AGAIN!! during bad blood fire comes up from the stage multiple times in columns and the first time i had my back to it so i could only feel the warmth but after that i saw it and it was sooo crazy, but also added a lot to the performance i think

TTPD:

This is probably the era I've seen most often, especially icdiwabh cus it's right before surprise songs, but it was still amazing, because it was also finally properly dark during this set, which made taking fotos a luttle harder cus everything was white, but i still have a very good one from fortnite. So high school was so much idc if people don't like it, i love it (sorry poppy, maybe it's cus i still was in high school until recently), but it's fine, like i said i had so much fun during it and during waolom, because that performance is also just crazy. During tsmwel taylor was really close to me again and that set in general is just amazing with all it's theatrical aspects

Surprise Songs:

Of course I have some favourites, which i would've been absolutely ecstatic about, but the songs I got are still better than anything I could've imagined. First ofc teardrops on my guitar and i am so happy i got a debut song, no matter which one, I love debut and since it has no set I'm so happy about getting a surprise songs from it. It being mashed up with the last time made me lose my mind, because i love that song so much and I still can't believe i heard it live, it was one of my first favourites from red, and I was singing along to it so loud, i am so happy about getting this. And we were happy x happiness. Idek what to say these are two songs she's never played live before, how lucky am i?? I got fearless vault, no matter which one i am so happy about this!! And mashed up with happiness that makes it even more unbelievable , i was staring at the huge screen the whole time, absolutely mesmerised (cus i couldn't see taylor because if the slope of the stage) i kinda wish i would've taken a video, but I'm also really happy i was just present and really watched and listened to it (in general i think my favourite videos from that evening are the shaky one cus when i watch them i know that i wasn't looking at my phone while taking them, i was looking at the real thing), so yeah that was crazy

Midnights:

Especially during anti hero i could see taylor so well again cus she was directly in front of the screen, practically walking along bext to me and i have some really amazing pictures of this. Also during lavender haze she was right in front of me sometimes. Midnight rain was also so incredible, i love this song so much, have done so forever, it's so relatable to me and I'm so happy to have a video of it. I loved all the outfits for this et too so much, and at the end of karma everything looked so amzing with the confetti and all the colourfull jackets and just everything (sadly the floor was still wet so i couldn't take any confetti :()

Afterwards:

After the show i finally got to trading bracelets, i gave the girl from my city, from the beginning two and traded more with other people, but we were ushered out of the stadium pretty quickly and sadly I lost that girl without knowing hef name or having her number, as we got out it was just a sea of swifties out there in the dark, but it was so chill considering how many people there were and the police was also taking care, cus there was a tunnel which could've probably been a risk (#loveparade) and they made sure there wouldn't be too many people in there so everyone was safe and i actually made it to my hostel in probably under two hours which was a lot better than i expected and at some point while we were waiting someone ofc played taylor music.

So it was probably the most incredible experience of my life, everyone ther was just amazing and still can't believe it really happened, cus it seems like a dream. I miss it so much and i just want to go again and again. I would love to just go one time to take videos and fotos of everything and one time to just enjoy it and jot worry about that stuff, but I am still so happy that i got to be there and got to experience it.

tagging the prison gang so u guys know i finally write my essay @anixknowsnothin @noproof-youjustknow @pardonmydelays @mymuses-acquiredlikebruises @measuredmotion

[here-am-i-sitting-in-a-tin-can]

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