Everyday didn't seem like reality and maybe that's because I have taken so long to write the rest of this. How many times we were hung over is a different story, or not actually. No it is this story. I wasn't hung over that over but when the next train home is at half 4 in the morning you know you are enjoying yourself.
Monday.
After the exhibition we left and got some food. That was always on the agenda and after traveling for 5000 days, or so it seemed we needed food. Of course we didn't get anything to eat until we arrived at Yaam. Pete and Martin met up with a man who wanted business. Martin was acting casual and wanted to be in on this and communicate with the people here. Martin always wanted to understand. We each put some money in and made the deal for some special. I ate my food. When buying the plate of rice,sauce and chicken I didn't know what to get so I asked what he recommended. In this situation I would always offer what I liked the best working in the food are etc too, although it was always on the back of my mind that this chef was giving me the worst shit from a bucket that he could think of. At least it was tasty shit. We rolled up a nice one and enjoyed it as the other gents drank a few beers and discussed the badges they were given. When you buy a beer you have to give an extra euro, this is returned to you when you give back the bottle and badge, in other terms you can buy these badges for a euro, or that was our outlook on it. I dont know if the barman was too happy with us keeping the badges, maybe he thought we were lazy fucking tourists who lost anything they we responsible with? I was facing Martin with Pete to my right the others were in deep discussion and Lee just went to get some of the food I had wolfed down. There were a few business men around, a few idiots and plenty of Germans. It was a monday so nothing was really going on. These business men seemed to have some sort of system though, with shifty moves and stern glances they communicated to each other, obviously wanting to sell more of the product. Martin was not happy now as behind me two business men were discussing something while getting a lot of eye contact from another. He seemed to be freaking out on the inside but now trying to ruin our vibe. I was oblivious to it all. We got the dart and travelled home. We slept and prepared for the next day. The pub crawl. The Mayhem.
Tuesday.
Everyday we would promise ourselves that we would get up in time to go and see enough of the city, to see the sites and follow a group of friendly people that would tell us what we would like and be entertained by. We never made it to the tour. Alan was the man with the plan. With his quick phrases he would wind us up and spring us in the direction of 'fun' and somewhere to have a laugh... have the laughs like. Pete and Joel drooled at sites and scenes painted by Blu. Huge pieces fitted onto walls. The artwork you could tell was manmade. It wasn't perfect but the imperfections just made it all the more impressive. He tried and didn't fail. It was one man speaking for countless thousands. Countless by man but not machine? We were merging with the place and wanted to leave pieces of ourselves behind, either leave something back in Ireland or Berlin. Joel left his signature and we were happy for him, I was impressed and this only pushed Martin into giving it all a try, I promised him my spray paint, I still havn't delivered. The large buildings did not seem industrial like. We sat by the river and smoked and discussed the plans for the evening. A group of locals were having a BBQ in the run down area surrounded by grass and street art. The sun was slowly setting, we had only been awake for 5 hours. We sang songs on the way back and shouted out for SHOTS. The Irish would drink the feckers under the table, any table, even a table tennis table. Table table. We arrived late to the meeting point but met at the second pub. 'You guys here for the pubcrawl?' a chubby rugged Australian asked us. Yeah show us to the troughs and fill my bucket with whiskey I'm paying you to lose my mind. The seven Irish were banded together under the umbrella of Piss Off and we met other Irish people there. I felt a need to talk to her, why I dont know, I dont want to talk to a lot of Irish people and I'm not even that proud of being Irish so why bring it up? Four French girls were not that impressed with me at all. I insisted in trying to talk French to them even though their level of English was above my French, I felt like I was insulting them. I probably was. Then we met Emma and her sister. I should have known straight away when she said that it was her second pubcrawl in a row that she was going to be a boring shallow person. Alcohol gives me a strut and a swagger and in a new place where I can reinvent my place just doesn't go down too well. Three of us already had girls and they would have been proud of the lads if they were with us the whole time, apart from the one night when we all got into an orgy. What? Emma and her sister are from England and their friend Emma is also from there. They met up in a hostel straight away we were jealous of as our Hostel friends seemed like ghosts that were up at 8 and away forever. We hit a gothic bar and the other pubcrawlers were making a mess out of all of it. Plenty Americans to be had, I don't know how they put up with carrying such a reputation everywhere, but not all Americans, only the non famous ones. Shots were had and drinks plunged into. We moved on and in hope of new and better sites. Catching the end of an experimental drone band we had a few more beers in the King Kong Klub. I sat with the americans and Emma's sister trying to understand it all. Glee is important over there too it seems. The table tennis club was next on the list where I drank a shot too little, I still remember it all. Alan invested in a paddle but lost and lost, the regulars seemed to put up with it all somehow. I swooned the second Emma and then with Alan as my wingman tried to talk a few Canadians into getting a few drinks, the locals had already grabbed their attention. Disappointment rose but I did not mind. Joel was on fire that night. Joel had a history with trouble and the law and had cleaned himself up a lot, but tonight he was on holidays. There was no grater meaning to it all, we were just getting fucked up. Really fucked up. After the absinthe I convinced the older sister Emma to have some fun. We spoke and she said things about friends and companions. I think I had something to prove to myself more than anything. I wanted to disregard all beliefs I had and try life the night of an asshole. I burned myself out too short leaving me be the underdog. I was flirting with another girl on the tram taking photos of her and filling her head with nonsense, it really is nonsense whenever anyone says something so shallow to you that they have to communicate it in words. Louis got in trouble for smoking on the tram but was sincerely sorry. When you know you shouldnt do something but you really want to even though you feel shit about it then you're caught? Damn guilt. We arrived in the dead of night in the bombed out train centre. Now having been with both the Emmas and feeling like all eyes glanced towards me were pure fucking hatred I just needed to sit down and have a beer, or throw up. Dancing was on and the tunes were pure bliss. Sigs ran free across any canvas and the night air was full of youth. The blurry slumber was a few hours away and Kris had disappeared with the younger sister. The devil. We cracked down on him for having a good time when we were ready for bed. From East to West it was early days.
No comments:
Post a Comment