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Apr 30, 2012 By Morgan Kibby

[Postmarked: March 8, 2012]

God. Getting onto that plane in Singapore was hard. Luckily we all had rows to ourselves, it being a pretty empty flight, and we all slept soundly and arrived in London a lot less cranky than expected. Our first show of the European leg at Shepherd's Bush Empire was full and surprisingly fun. I haven't seen London get excited for anything we've done before, but this night was apparently an exception. From then on however, things went a bit downhill: The last two weeks have admittedly been a bit rough, and like so many of my other tour stumbles, this one also starts in Poland. 

Oh sweet, bleak Poland, your trees were barren, your roads were dangerous, you could have smelled the impending…doom, I suppose?  We were about two hours outside of Warsaw and the bus got stuck in a ditch. I was in my bunk and could hear the first tell-tale signs of spinning wheels and crunching tail-lights. I promptly did what I thought was best for morale once we were positive we were stuck, and wedged the white wine in the snow to chill and took some portraits of the first ladies of M83 (Anthony's girlfriend Kim and Jordan's girlfriend Allie). Warsaw was cancelled. It was apparent that it was that point of the tour: survival mode. I won't bore you with details, but weeks back to back of slogging through snow, everyone taking turns getting the flu, cold mornings where no one is there to give you a simple hug…it gets old. And that really is the hardest part: you're surrounded by people constantly, but damn…sometimes it feels like I've never been lonelier.

Poznan, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki….  

After leaving Poland, we were welcomed into Scandinavia with open arms by our hosts: well fed, warmed, cajoled, but through it all you could smell the tired, the creaky bones, the crankiness, the inevitable isolation. Luckily my friend Erik was in Sweden and dropped in for the show in Copenhagen to give some cheer, but I ended up misty as he left, once again despondent and in a panic for my own bed and a moment to just be by myself. 

Two bright respites this week however were the 12-hour ferry rides from Stockholm to Turku and a brilliant little church I found with Loic in Helsinki. The ferry cut through the meadows of ocean ice like sheets of candy, breaking them in a million shards and quietly steaming ahead while some drank wine and listened to music and others dozed and valiantly tried to smoke cigarettes in the freezing wind of the sun-deck. It was peaceful. The church was also an unexpected safe haven from the daily grind: carved out of the rock of a hill, the mid-century design was comforting and so full of love. Raised Jewish and now happily agnostic, I've always found it odd how drawn I am to churches; this one was no exception. 

We're off again in Berlin today. A group of us are headed for a mythical bar with a labyrinth…hoping to have some spiritual spark and if not, just some fun.  Keeping my eye firmly on Spain where hopefully things will at least be warmer and full of a little more pep.

 

+ Watching the Ice +

 

+ Chili Crab in Singapore +

+ Champagne at the Ritz A.K.A. Sometimes Life is Hard +

+ Breakfast Essentials in London +

+ Allie and Kimmy +

+ Polish Survival +

+ Kimmy the Unicorn +

+Todd and the Broken Bus +

+ Beauty in Stockholm +

+ Berlin Meal +

+ Copenhagen Visit with Erik +

+ Boredom Tattoos Part 2 +

+ Getting Ready in Stockholm +

+ Ferry to Finland +

+ Sundeck on the Viking Line +

+ The Ice +

+ Allie in the Polish Snow +

+ Church Candles in Helsinki +

+ Organ Bliss +

+ Teresa and Catherine on the Ferry +

+ Berlin Part 2 +

+ Kimmy's "Thank You" drawing for her stay on the bus +

(www.ilovem83.com)

(thewhitesea.wordpress.com)