Our last day in Barcelona has been an adventure in itself! The day started with 3 of the guys playing cards around the little table there was in our apartment. Jeff, Matt, and Sef… Do I need to tell you who won? Yes, once again, to Jeff’s dismay, Matt won.

We then had a breakfast and went to Starbucks, where we traced our itinerary for the day. Our plan today was to go to Park Güell, that is filled with some of Gaudi’s most famous works. Google map said it would take 1h1min by foot, 3 different itineraries possible. A little long, but we’ve walked so much in the 2 previous days that we’re thinking this won’t be very different. We set out for our journey, amazed right at the start by the Palace of Catalan Music. And what a wonderful place it was! Unable to enter the place, we marvelled at it’s wonders from the outside… And that’s when the true adventure began. Turns out that Park Güell is in top of a hill overlooking the city. That means the whole hour you walk to get there is in an ascent motion. And in case you were curious, no, Google maps doesn’t take this in consideration when they tell you it’s one hour away. Because I can assure you that it took us a lot more than an hour to get there – and for all those of you who ever walked with him, you know how fast Alex walks… But we’ve finally made it!

The entrance of the park is really impressive. That part of the park itself felt enough of a sight, worth all the climbing we have done. We entered the park, admired the arcs made of stone, and walked our way through the bunch of people that was there. And suddenly, as the path turned left, we decided to turn right, attracted by this path that didn’t look like one, as nobody ever walked there. Still, we decided it was that path we’d take. A path that led to the very top of a mountain, a mountain we climbed despite our aching legs and feet.

And the view we had at the top was simply breathtaking. From that point, we had a 360• view of Barcelona. A few seconds after we reached the top, the sun started to set. A wonderful view, better than anything we could have seen in the park below us. We stayed there on top for a few hours, watching the sun completely disappear and watching the city lights go on, one by one, like souls flickering in the distance, as the sun died to a night of blooming promises.

We walked back down the mountain, something that was even harder that climbing it, as this time, there was no light to show us the way… We managed to make it down in one piece, and found ourselves in the middle of Gaudi’s most impressive work. It was dark, and there was no light at all in the park, but for the moon light that reflected on every little piece of Gaudi’s mosaic works. A truly inspiring sight. The pale moonlight gave the place a different nature, a different spirit, one that made you believe that even your craziest dreams were possible.

We walked back home, in 1 hour this time, thanks for walking down the hills this time. And because we couldn’t stop walking; it made our legs hurt too much! Also, we were on schedule, as we had been invited to a flamenco show that night. We stopped at the home to grab a bite, and established some rules for the night, that we’re no little things considering how much we walked that day! Here are the rules…

1) you fall asleep once, you get your meal chosen by someone else (most probably Alex)
2) you fall asleep twice, you need to drink the oil from the tapas plates tonight.
3) you fall asleep 3 times, you go straight to bed

Located a few steps away from our apartment, the show took place in a very old palace, built in year 200. Yes, some 1900 years ago… The place was beautiful, and possessed a vibe that is indescribable. The show transported us in a different world. The guitars, the singing, the clapping of hands and shoes on the floor, the dancing, the dresses flying… It seemed like all of a sudden, we had walked into another era. They, too, made you believe that no matter how crazy your dreams were, they would come true. Because as you see them dance, you couldn’t believe that there was nothing impossible.

We came back home and ate a little before watching a movie, this time “The Purge”, which wasn’t very good… We all went to bed pretty late as we were leaving the next morning and needed to pack and get ready…

We left Barcelona on a gray, cold and rainy day, as if the city had saved its best days for our stay there. The ride to Paris took us roughly 11 hours. We arrived there and decided we’d walk the streets before even checking in. But it was cold in Paris, and walking was painful! We wanted to go to Polidor, a restaurant frequented by some of Alex’s favorite artists, so just decided to go there earlier! What better thing to do in Paris than have cheese and wine? So this is what we decided we’d do… But couldn’t. “Mais c’est un restaurant ici, il faut manger”. So we decided we’d go somewhere else, as we weren’t up for a 3 course meal. We found a lovely place, very welcoming, where we could eat as we wanted… So that is where we went! We shared some food, some wine, and even got a free bottle… We ended the night by a game of pool – Jeff against Matt. Matt won the first, but dramatically lost the second… So Jeff had a tarte tatin at the restaurant… And should have some McDonald’s today!

It’s a brand new day here in Paris… And I am sure it has a lot in stock for us!

– Stephanie

We had the last show of our European tour last night, in Paris. It was a little bit of a surprise show, as it’s been kept secret until a few days before the show itself… When our UK promo tour was made official, we knew we needed to go to France as well. And once didn’t seem to be enough for the band members, so when we had the opportunity to do another show in Paris, it didn’t take long before we said yes!

It was really emotional for us all to play again in Paris on this tour… We shared so many emotions with everyone during the first show, developed new relationships that we could only look forward to what was to happen… And it was the last show of a tour that went by way too quick!

We were all physically tired, though we were all in high spirits, and the band members all started getting sick – you should hear Alex’s voice today, it’s almost gone!!! But we were so excited about this show that tiredness and sickness didn’t really matter to anyone.

And it’s been an incredible show. It was true, it was real, and it was really emotional. Many had seen the first concert we did a few days before, many were seeing us perform for the very first time. And I think that what we all felt, from the band members on stage to the crowd on the floor, is indescribable. It’s truly been beyond words… And those moments shared with you all after the show all became truly precious memories for us all… On our way back to London, and today again when we all gathered together, it was you we were talking about. Not of the show itself. But you. And how much you all impacted and empowered us last night.

And we all promised ourselves one thing – it won’t take long before we are back.

– Stephanie

We had our first day off of the tour today… I mean, a real one, without any rehearsal of any sort this time!

And as we were in Paris and that most of us had never seen the city before, we all decided it was time for us to play tourists a bit! It may seem weird because we travel all around the world on tour, but we usually don’t have time to visit much! I can only tell you that we were all excited and looking forward to it!

We started our trip with Le Cimetière Père-Lachaise. We did a much obliged stop at Jim Morrison’s grave, but also walked around to see Balzac’s and Molière’s – two writers Alex loves very much. And we got kicked out. It was late, closing time was coming by, and the security guard wasn’t exactly too keen about having visitors in the cemetery at that time. One “parisian” discussion later, we walked away… lol!

We then headed to Montmartre, where we walked around the very tiny streets lined with shops and bistrots. Wonderful sights, a truly wonderful place!!! Then we followed by the Quartier Latin. We had a few stops in mind, but did very little of them. First one was the bookstore Shakespeare and Company. A wonderful place, really. You do feel like you are brought back somewhere else in time and place. It doesn’t feel like Paris. It doesn’t feel like today. It’s suddenly only you and the words. The place used to be very popular amongst the Beat Poets, who Alex really loves. We then went on to see the restaurant Polidor, and walked a little around the neighborhood before going back to our hotel… 🙂

A wonderful day… Filled with simple moments and laughter… A perfect day, for whatever it means 🙂

– Stephanie

Today, we became Parisians. We had croissants and pains au chocolat with an allongé for breakfast. But we still kept a little side of North America within us; we also had Starbucks.

That is something that you need to understand. Every time we book a hotel or do a gig, I need to scout the surrounding area; places for photoshoots, places to eat, places to hang out between soundcheck and concert… But the very first thing I lookup is Starbucks! So I know exactly where to go. It’s an obliged stop every time! And let’s be honest, we were rejoiced to see that Starbucks beverage sizes were the same all around the world…

In order in the last picture… a medium size drink from Starbucks… Followed by a French x-large and large… So yeah, you could imagine our coffee addiction was far from fulfilled… lol!!!

Then we headed to the venue – that is when we encountered traffic, and officially became Parisians. We honked at the other cars, for no apparent reason, just like everyone else. We stopped being courteous on the road. So yeah, we’ve been faithful to Paris’ driving reputation. 🙂 What was supposed to take us 20 minutes took us 1.5 hours… Really wondering now what our drive to Berlin will be like tomorrow (or more realistically, in a few hours from now…)

And then was the soundcheck, and then the show. And it was incredible! After seeing only sets of 30 minutes every night in the UK, it felt incredibly good to hear them play for over 2 hours and a half today in Paris… And what a show it was!!!!! It was really special, from the very start to the very end… The songs flowed one after the other, traveling from the stage to the back of the room, sung by everyone that was there… 🙂 The band ended their set – and came back by general demand!! They played 2 songs, and the show ended on the floor, in the middle of everyone else. Electric guitars, bass, drum kit… People played on the drums with Moose’s sticks (and one got badly hurt by a broken stick – sorry David, hope your eye will heal soon!!!!)

And then it was time to meet with our fans, friends and family… They’ve been waiting for us for a long, long time, and we could feel they were just as happy as were to see them again!!!!! We’ve been kicked out of the venue, so we could go to the restaurant part of the building… And we’ve been kicked out of the restaurant not long after… But we couldn’t help it… People drove hours to come and see us, from the very South of France to the North, others from as far as Netherlands, Belgium and UK… And you guys have all been amazing!

Tonight was incredible. We couldn’t have had a better welcome back in France… And we’ll be back soon, very soon… on May 29th… We’re hitting Paris again, at Le Sentier des Halles…Free concert… everybody’s welcome! More details will be given soon!!!!

– Stephanie

We are about to leave for Paris… Had our last day in London, and spent it rehearsing from early this morning to now… We’re always welcoming the unexpected, but today, it came in a grand way… We were rehearsing at the same time and place as Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds… Yes, the man himself! Some of the band members had the opportunity of talking with them, and took a picture to commemorate that first encounter… Do I need to say it somehow felt surreal? Alex was really happy to be able to meet him, though, as Nick Cave is a pure and genuine artist, like we so rarely find nowadays, the only artist that truly matters… Definitely

We’re leaving now, got to go!!! We’ll be taking the ferry, and we’re all looking forward to it!!! Paris, à bientôt!

-Stephanie