Tuesday November 30

Mark:

Off we go into the unknown. Both of us leave at exactly the same time. Kinda. The landlord picks me up at 11:30 as arranged and off to the airport with my meticulously packed bags filled with leads and microphones and other bits of performing equipment. And I just knew it. I knew I would get totally stopped by security and examined. First bag, the guy says, we’ve stopped this one. ‘Oh, I knew this would happen.’ ‘You did?’ ‘Yes. Absolutely.’ ‘So you know we found a knife in your bag?’ ‘Oh. Oh!!’ I remember now. And I’m trying to take the bag off the guy, saying I know where it is and it’s OK, and he’s saying, it’s not OK and no you don’t have it. We have it. Oh dear. I’m trying to tell him it’s OK and he’s giving me the total, ‘stay back’ treatment. He digs in and finds a carrier bag and I tell him it’s OK, just rip the thing open. He gives me a look that says, ‘Quiet you. You’re in trouble here boy,’ but then does indeed rip the bag open. The next look on his face, I’m not sure if it’s relief or disappointment. I really want to think it’s disappointment. As he pulls out the table knife I’d forgotten about that I’d packed to make sandwiches on the way. That I’d forgotten to do. ‘Oh,’ he says. Yep. That’s disappointment written all over his face by the way. ‘It’s a table knife.’ Yep. He’s not getting his James Bond moment with me, or whatever he thought he was going to get. ‘That’s OK,’ he says, and puts it back. I’m free to go. Almost. Now I get called over by someone else who’s just checked the other bag, this one which is full to capacity with all the leads, microphones and everything else. ‘I’m going to have to unpack this bag to check it,’ she says. And proceeds to break my heart as she rips it all apart. ‘How the hell did you manage to get all this in here?’ she asks. ‘I have no idea but I’m about to have to start to manage it all over again.’ Which is how I end up on the airport floor surrounded by musical detritus and empty bags which I’m now trying to remake. Yes, I get it done and I’m in. Plane time. Off to Berlin.

And this is where we’re leaving at exactly the same time. My takeoff time is 3pm. Just as that happens, Maja is setting off on her drive to the Swedish coast to get the ferry that will take her to Gdansk in Poland from where she will begin her epic drive to Berlin at sometime around midday tomorrow. My job now is to get on the ground, get us set up at the hostel, and then tomorrow, go hunting for a free parking space, or at least some parking space, so that Maja has somewhere to actually drive to when she arrives in the city.

As for my own arrival, I land, find the airport train station, and within two minutes, a train is leaving for Warshauer Platz, the exact station for our hostel. Major result. Out of the station and I’m checked in and in our room within 15 minutes. I’ve not written about it but the past few days have been an absolute flurry of house and packing activity as I’ve organised everything and cleaned everything so that it could all be left for a while. It’s been quite the project. Multiples bigger than I possibly imagined, and with the arrival now, possibly after all the nervous energy accompanying such a trip and the preparations for it, I’m seriously exhausted. But anyway, Maja had already asked me not to go out and experience Berlin without her. This is something we’re going to do together and I’m in no shape for a mad night out anyway. I settle in for my own private movie night.

Maja:

It’s traveling time. Finally. I have had a wonderful time with my parents and dog, which was very personally necessary for me, but now it is time to go start my next adventure. And I don’t know when I’ll be back. It is with conflicting feelings that I pack my bags and load them into the car. I’m driving an hour to the ferry that goes from Nynäshamn to Gdansk. Well there I check in and have a room for myself. Isn’t it amazing to be able to travel by sleeping? I’m fascinated by that concept. It’s just so much better than flight when you just have to stress, and you can bring your car. Once on board the ship I locate the piano bar where my phone can receive internet, so I sit there and use the time to update the Diaries. It’s wonderful to sit here and listen to the piano while writing. I haven’t really been able to get to it as much as I wanted, and I’ve only just been able to somewhat start using my hand again. It’s so much easier to write with two hands.