Vienna

Everything in life is happening in cycles or seasons.  It started to become clear to Dave & Kate in Prague that there was a pattern to what was going on.  This period was feeling very much like a previous period they'd went through back in Paris.

Back then they'd come to the end of the money they had, they were staying in hotels and there was a lot of confusion and misunderstanding around.  Towards the end of Dresden it began to feel like this all over again.

This was more than simply a feeling.  After the storm in Paris, an apartment showed up for them which had a PC.  Perfect for emailing, of which they had a lot to do.  Now this apartment in Vienna also had a PC at a time when they really needed one.  The Truffaut apartment in Paris was in the 17th district.  This apartment was in the 17th district of Vienna.  The owner of the Truffaut was called Elizabeth, the owner of this apartment was called Elisabeth.

As they entered the apartment they were both struck by how it reminded them of the Truffaut one.  Yellow and orange colour scheme, about the same size overall, the bedroom was arranged almost identically, there was a glass coffee table in each apartment with a guest book on it... these features weren't in every apartment they had stayed in.  The 3 butterflies of Paris had also returned, this time on a mug which Kate would drink from...

Maybe more bizarre was the message graffiti'd on the light in the lift...

On the last day in this apartment they would walk a different way down the street it was on and pass this sign...

Without Brian & Agnes, Dave & Kate wouldn't even have been there.

Just like with Kaisers in Berlin, they were super close to a supermarket.  In fact, this was the closest they'd been, a Spar literally 2 mins round the corner.  They would understand why later. 

As they walked the short distance in this area they already could feel a different energy in Vienna.  It was very serene.  They were just off a busy main street with shops but there was an unusual quietness to the place and they found this everywhere they went in Vienna.  It immediately felt good to be here.

The first night in the apartment they went to bed around 3am.  As Dave was drifting off to sleep he thought he could faintly hear some music he recognised.  It sounded like a ukulele strumming.  Then he heard a familiar voice.  Was this real or a dream?  The upstairs neighbour was playing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" at 4am!

Soundtrack To The Zion Europa Express!

Way back in late summer 2009, in their Jordan Lane flat in Edinburgh, this became the 'theme song' of what was coming - a new vision.  Dave & Kate had just moved into the flat and Music began to stir again, this time to do it right:

"its gonna take plenty of money to do it right...  its gonna take time... its gonna take patience and time to do it right...".

Brian, Agnes, Will, Georgie & Brother Mark can already testify to that!

The return of Europe & Music!  This song became very significant during the summer of 2010 when Europe was turning into reality:

"...it all makes sense to me somehow..."

"...and its not what it used to be, no, we're suddenly free to let go..."

"...these are times that come, only once in your life, or twice if you're lucky..."

Another song that found them back in the 'incubation period' of Jordan Lane and which Brother Mark reminded them of in January 2011, Berlin.

The song of Movement!  In the last few weeks before leaving Edinburgh, this became THE SONG!

"...Let me tell you if you're not wrong then everything is alright..."

"...We know where we're going, we know where we're from, we're leaving Babylon, we're going to our Fatherland..." 

"...Oh people if you're ready me say get on board now... and then you praise 'fari"

"...Here you're going in the same direction"

"...And where there's a will, there's always a way..."

Back in the 1980s, when Dave was 7 years old, he used to be fascinated by maps and was especially intrigued by the Eastern Europe area and places like Berlin.  He'd listen to the radio with his friends and they'd study the atlas...  they could name the capital cities to most countries in the world.  This song was a hit at that time and for some reason it always made Dave think of Berlin and wonder what it would be like.  To suddenly hear it come on the radio in January 2011 in Berlin was like deja vu.

Dave & Kate laughed as they began to realise they were in the army Now!  They were SoulJah's on the frontline of a 7-strong army and on the look-out for new recruits.  Jah Rastafari!!!

Many a time when Dave & Kate were feeling stuck and helpless this song would appear...

The 'theme song' to the crushing of ego and return to the Natural State...

The money song... 

First heard back in Barcelona and has been a companion to Dave & Kate ever since...

Wiener Straße, Prager Straße & Budapester Straße

As they sat on the bus on their way to Prague they began to realise yet again that it was all there, presented for them, even when they felt totally lost.

That second day when they found themselves walking along Wiener Straße to the Hauptbahnhof they did wonder if this was a sign that Vienna was next.  What didn't quite fit was they had arrived in Dresden at the Neustadt station as this was nearer their hotel.  It made sense to leave from this station to wherever they went next.  But they only saw themselves leaving by train...

They hadn't anticipated going anywhere by bus.  Now they actually had left from the very train station Wiener Straße ran along.  In fact, the square directly in front of the station is called Wiener Platz.

Not only that but the main shopping street perpendicular to the station and leading up to it, which they walked along everyday, is called Prager Straße.

Close by is Budapester Straße.  Was Budapest on the horizon?  They couldn't see anywhere else in the frame after Vienna.  Before they were gone Dave left a message for the maid service at the hotel...

Look To The East!

Dave usually received royalty payments from the music around this time of year.  For the last few years they had been coming in.  Perhaps both of them were counting on it too much this time.  On Tuesday, a few days into their stay, he discovered the payment he'd received was much lower than usual and certainly not enough to get them anywhere after this week.

Straight after leaving MacBeams they stopped off at a nearby bäkerei.  Bob Marley's 'Buffalo Soldier' was playing as they entered.

It was a blow but never affected them too much.  They had been through this scenario enough times now to not be phased by it.  More than anything they were simply curious to see what would happen now.

The following day on turning up at the MacBeam internet cafe Kate received an email from Will.  Some money had come his way unexpectedly and he had passed it onto Dave & Kate.  It would keep this Europe thing alive for another week.

By now Dave & Kate were sure it was either Vienna or Dresden next.  Vienna felt more powerful, they knew they must get there soon but for some reason it seemed like they had to go to Dresden first.  They had never been before and knew little of the place.  By the end of the week they had a train ticket for Dresden and a hotel there booked for 7 nights.

Berlin had done its work on them.  On the Saturday, their last full day in Berlin, they spent some time at the internet point using up their remaining credit.  Kate felt a strong urge to start looking up and enquiring about apartments in Vienna for 1 month's stay after Dresden.  They only had enough money to see them through the week in Dresden.  As she was going downstairs to exit the internet place wondering why the hell she was looking into apartments in Vienna when they had no money this sign jumped out at her...

That night Dave and Kate felt very powerful energies working through them.  It felt as if there was an exchange of energy between them and Berlin, that these energies were being brought out and established for the future and what is to take place there.

The next morning as they left the apartment and walked down to the nearby Ostkreuz train station, Dave turned and looked straight at some graffiti.  It simply said "I love you".  While they were waiting on their train at Ostkreuz and Dave was mentioning this to Kate, she turned and saw the following message...

So the struggle from West to East was overcome.  The map below shows the journey through the city.  The letter 'A' being their starting point of Citadines, the letter 'H' being their final apartment and the letter 'I' being the Ostkreuz train station they left Berlin from.  The red line shows where The Wall once stood.

(Click image to see in detail)

11/01/11

On Tuesday 11th January 2011, the signs were abundant.

The song 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' came on the radio 3 times in the space of 2 or 3 hours, on two different radio stations.  Dave & Kate had been listening to the radio on and off in the space of that time and it seemed each time they turned it on or changed stations, the song would be there.

Later on, another old friend in the form of song made an appearance - 'I Need A Dollar' - followed by 'Lean On Me'.

Shortly after that, Kate found a small orange butterfly sticker in the bottom of her toiletry bag (with no idea where it came from).  When she came through to the living room to show Dave, he had a huge grin on his face as Bob Marley's 'Is This Love' was playing on the radio.

They had just enough money left after this apartment to secure one more apartment in Berlin for a week or two.  They were sure after this there time in Berlin had come to its natural end for now.  With little effort, the right apartment appeared on the following day, 12th January, with just under a week to go and again, it was slightly further east.  The title of it had the word 'Kunst' in it - German for art.  They got it for 7 nights.

Human Hibernation

In the run-up to Christmas Dave & Kate spent even more time inside, often only popping out to Kaisers nearby for food.  They were finding they were sleeping long into the afternoon and it was as if everything was shutting down.  At other times the same energy would leave them unable to sleep all night, especially hitting Dave hard as they entered the New Year.  This would lead them into a period of napping, sleeping for 3 - 4 hours at night and then taking 20 - 30 min naps throughout the day.

On Christmas Day they took the long walk to check out the Christmas markets at Alexanderplatz and came across some wallets for a good price.  They had been considering getting new ones for some time and this was the time.  On returning to the flat, Dave switched the radio on and was stopped in his tracks by the song playing:

"Right now I feel - just like a leaf on a breeze
Who knows where it's blowin'
Who knows where it's goin'
I find myself somewhere I - I never thought I'd be 

Following a star - has led to where you are
It feels so strong now - this can't be wrong now

Nothing I have ever known - has made me feel this way
Nothing I have ever seen - has made me want to stay
Here I am - ready for you
I'm torn an', I'm fallin' - I hear my home callin'
Hey - I've never felt something so strong - oh no
It's like nothing I've ever known
It's like nothing I've ever known

Right now I feel - just like a leaf on a breeze
Who knows where it's blowin'
Who knows where I'm goin'"

It felt like arriving in Barcelona all over again - another Bryan Adams song - only this time it was for these times. 

On Monday 27th December 2010, Dave & Kate took a walk into the Kreuzberg area and passing over the River Spree, Dave realised it was the perfect place to discard of his old wallet.

Friedrichshain

The new apartment they had secured, from December 21st 2010 until January 16th 2011, was just down the road from Pariser Hof and further east into the the bohemian heart of Friedrichshain.  It had narrowed down to two possible apartments they could have chosen - one back west in the Mitte area and this one.  The Mitte one was unavailable for a few nights over New Year and so they'd have to move out, get a hotel, then move back in.  Plus it was more expensive.  There was no choice really.  Further east it was.

Before leaving Pariser Hof they put together the puzzle.  There were 7 pieces missing...

On arriving at the apartment (building number 11 as they were going into the year 2011) they discovered yet again Kaisers was just round the corner but more significantly, the apartment turned out to be on the ground floor and facing into the courtyard.  This wasn't clear from the description and although new to Dave & Kate (they had never stayed in ground floor flats), something was very right about it.  Although slightly bigger than Pariser Hof, this was the sparsest apartment they'd stayed in yet.  The TV had no English channels and the reception was erratic anyway.  There was little light in from the windows.  This would also be their longest stay in an apartment so far.  Could they hack it?

The nice German guy who checked them in asked where they were from.  When Dave replied "Scotland", there was a few moments pause before the guy simply said "Paul Gascoigne".  Dave nodded and laughed.

Once he left Dave & Kate stood around and surveyed the apartment for a few minutes.  They didn't say anything, they felt like a couple of cats dropped into a new house, acquanting themselves with this unfamiliar environment.  It felt bare but right.

They knew this had been coming.  Months earlier when they spoke of Berlin over the winter, the term that kept coming up was "hibernation".  They were about to hibernate for the winter and this was the perfect apartment to do that.

Paris - The First 7 Nights (part II)

With two days to go until they were due to check-out the Ibis, they were running low on money and nothing was showing up.

Kate had been trying her luck at the Spanish lotto and now the French one but no luck.  Logically, it looked like they were soon going back to Edinburgh.  But there was no room for that in the vision they saw.

Paris had ground them hard, they'd been all over the city and didn't feel an affinity with any part.  Still whenever the question of what to do next came up, it seemed they weren't to leave yet.

That night at the internet cafe up Jah came up on top and delivered them a very nicely priced hotel in the 8th district of Paris, much closer to the centre.  They got 2 nights and so they took a chance that something would show up in that time to keep alive this Europe thing.

Fawlty Towers

Their stay at the Ibis was a bit like Fawlty Towers. 

In the 7 nights they were there, they stayed in 4 different rooms.  The first one, a non-smoking room, had a stench of cigarette smoke coming through the air vents and so they asked to move.  They were moved to a room with dampness in it and asked to be moved again.  The 3rd room was fine as far as they were concerned but arriving home one night their keycard wouldn't let them in.  They went to the desk and were informed work was going to be carried out on the room in the morning and there would be no hot water (water problems again!).  By this time the hotel was almost full and there was a bit of drama and tension as the hotel staff tried to find them a suitable room to move to (2 vacant rooms were stinking of smoke again). 

The little French-Morrocan guy at reception was sweating as they sent him into a panic trying to find a suitable room.  His buddy in the background would just offer a wry smile at proceedings.  Dave & Kate were given a free breakfast the following morning for all the trouble. 

Then there was the typically French Jean-Pierre, who remained snooty and aloof whenever they dealt with him.  All these characters amused Dave & Kate and it seemed they amused, bemused, confused and caused havoc wherever they went and whoever they dealt with.  This amused them further.  The Upsetters upsetting the Babylon System without effort.

One guy working at the Ibis hotel was different.  He was a tall, slender, black man and each time he encountered Dave he would just break into a big grin and start nodding his head.  Few words were ever spoken between them but something seemed to be understood.

Paris - The First 7 Nights

As far as Dave & Kate could see, they were in Paris for 7 nights and then who knows after that... if something kept them there longer they would remain, otherwise they were certain they'd move on - or back to Edinburgh if money ran out - as they had no desire to be there any longer than necessary.

Each morning they'd be up and out of their hotel around 10 or 11am and breakfast would be a baguette to share and a pain au chocolat each, which they'd buy from a local patisserie and eat as they made the long walk into the centre of Paris.  They never knew where they were going, they would just walk and see where they ended up.  It was usually different ways of arriving somewhere along the River Seine.

These walks would last up to 10 hours a day with very few breaks.  First of all, their hotel was so far from the centre that they couldn't go back throughout the day.  Secondly, they were running out of cash and forgot how expensive Paris can be and how difficult to get cheap food. 

So during these walks, they'd stop off for a seat at various spots around the city, try the different pastries for lunch when they could afford them and then usually without fail find themselves sitting in a Subway for their main meal (it was better than McDonalds!).  They would also use Brioche Doree.  In between all of this they would try to locate internet cafes to arrange their next move after the Ibis stay was over. 

Paris seemed to be having them walking all over the city, draining them of money and wearing them out and yet the aliveness remained throughout.  They never felt hard done by and enjoyed all of it with no regrets.  They visited Montmartre, the artistic area near Sacre Coeur and were unimpressed by it.  They went by all the main tourist attractions without feeling like tourists.  At the Eiffel Tower, they sat on a bench and while all the tourists were doing what tourists do, Dave & Kate found themselves watching a rat scuttling about in the bushes behind them. 

They had been to these places before and so this time they also found themselves discovering parts of Paris the tourists don't usually see.  This all happened by default of them having to wander around to find basic essentials, not through their own will.  They were literally like leaves being blown around this city and it certainly was grinding them down.

Winter was also approaching and they still had their summer clothes with them.  Even there, life took care of it's own as it never produced really bad weather during the days while they were forced to be out all day.

Every night they would get the metro back to the hotel, usually about 10 or 11pm, or sometimes if they had a fresh burst of energy come upon them, they'd walk all the way back.