After a half day in the train we arrived in Gdansk.
Gdansk is located at the Baltic Sea. It is an old Hanseatic city, it reminds a bit of Lubeck or Riga, but it also has its own style.
But we had a hotel in Sopot, a small town near by Gdansk, Sopot is a seaside resort in the Polish Pomeranian administrative district. The Pier in Sopot, 511.5 m long, called Great Pier, Polish name Molo, is so beautiful. It is the longest wood pier in Europe. I spent a long time outside at the Baltic Sea and on the pier. I love the Baltic sea, because my grandparents and parents came from small towns at the Baltic Sea in Pomerania.
We had a very good dinner in a restaurant that serves mainly Pierogi. People are queuing every day to get a seat in " Mandu".
Later we walked through the beautiful Gdansk and after a beer ( I wrote a beer.....have a look how big it was!), we went by taxi back to our hotel.
We discovered that our favorite band stayed in the same hotel as us.
All hotels in Poland are not so expensive and so it happened, the next morning I met Andy Fletcher by chance in the small fitness room of the hotel. I tried to be cool, because I didn't want to hurt his privacy. So I ran on the treadmill 40 minutes. He was on a bicycle and made then a stretching workout. He greeted me as we both stood at the water cooler and left then the room. He is a very friendly man.
Later we had a very good breakfast. Peter Gordeno came in bathing slippers into the room in which well-dressed Polish families took their Sunday breakfast. He did not behave well, he touched the bread with his hands when he cut it, though it is covered with a napkin. Then he stuffed it there at the bar in the mouth, then took the napkin that lay there to cut bread, wiped his mouth and threw the napkin back on the buffet. Who is he? Louis Quatorze?
We saw Christian Eigner and Jonathan Kessler, too. Both wore caps and Mr. Kessler even old slippers. They really did not look very maintained and appealing.
I spent the afternoon in the lobby, wrote the blogs for Krakow and Lodz, drank a few beer. So I saw a short moment Martin Gore, as he left the hotel for lunch in a vegan restaurant.
We had lunch in the hotel and later after a few warm-up beer in our room, we walked to the Ergo Arena. The arena has a capacity of 15000 people. Funny enough through the arena runs the city boundary between Gdansk and Sopot. It was very nice to be in Gdansk with my friend Isa, because she is born in Gdynia. Together with the port city of Gdynia and the seaside resort Sopot Gdansk forms the so-called "Trójmiasto" (tri-city).
The arena has four pillars consisting of the staircases project into the arena. All are landmarks of Gdansk and Sopot. The god Neptune is depicted on a pillar - from the old Neptune Fountain in Gdańsk's Old Town.
It was a wild performance in Gdansk, the best show of this great three concerts in Poland.
From the first note it was clear that it would be a special concert. All fans were so excited, nobody even sat for a moment, everybody sang along, danced.
Mr. Gahan as Neptune, when he puts his foot on the speaker at the first song, looks like he's setting foot on the bow of a ship, and we sky-rocket him like nymphs from an ancient Roman legend.
We made a great party together. Last concert for Isa on this winter tour, another Goodbye for a while. She was really happy about this great last concert for her in Europe this winter in her hometown Gdansk.
Mr. Gahan, who failed the word Lodz two evenings before, greeted the Gdansk in the best manner: Good evening, Gdanskkkkkkkkk, he said. He liked the city name so much, he said it several times at this evening.
But the people of Gdansk really deserved it, one of the best audiences of the tour.
After Home they sang such a long time, Mr. Gahan said, "that was beautiful", he was really impressed. After the break we gave full throttle, the Polish fans too. And so it became a monster party. We danced and hopped like flying fishes, to stay in the picture.
When Dave came at "Everything counts" on the catwalk, we tried to jump so high that he might see us (which did not succeed). As if we were jumping out of the sea of the crowd.
Martin sang " I want you now" again. Otherwise no changes.
But now I do not want any changes anymore, I want to have it the way it is.
Not necessary to write how we celebrate the last two songs. Every concert I'm surprised by myself. I gave my last spare, everything I have in me, always for the last two songs. The best psychotherapy in the world. After that, everything is fine, I can not feel better.
Good Night, Depeche Mode for nearly two weeks.
We went back to our hotel and had a few drinks at the bar. Later Andy came and had a beer and Peter Gordeno and Christian Eigner, too. But Andy went into his room soon after he said goodbye to the small group of fans sitting at the bar.
We slept only 1 and a half hour before we had to go to the airport. The earliest fly back as possible.
As I arrived at home, I was so unbelievable tired, I slept a few hours.
Now only two days until the last concert of the European winter leg in Moscow.
I'm so happy, that I will fly to Moscow. 4 years ago I saw there the last concert of the tour, I was so unbelievable sad after this last concert not knowing if I would ever see Depeche Mode and especially Dave again.
The mood between the band was not the best four years ago and it remained a bad taste after the last concert.
But now the mood among each other is very good and many concerts lay in front of me.
I'm excited again to see them on Sunday in Moscow.
I spent two really hard weeks with a new job and a water damage in my apartment.
It's time to meet my own personal psychotherapist again!
