EPTTo begin with:
Me and some other players from the game "Ragnarok Online" were invited by the publisher Gravity Europe to participate in a show play on the ESWC main stage. We were to PvP against each other to show how the game works, even though that's not a bit how the game works.
I heard about this chance when I was in Japan for 1 month. They told us that we get to sleep in a hotel for one night (Saturday to Sunday) and receive 100€ traveling expenses.
Since the even was hold in Paris and all of the invited players lived in Germany we had to stay the night from Friday to Saturday in a hotel too and we needed to find a way to come to Paris.
When searching for a flight in Japan I found a cheap one which was around 150€ and since I had a train ticket from my university I was able to get to the airport for free.
Everything was scheduled after the flights and trains we were using and someone was to come and pick us up.
So far so good... The fatal Friday finally arrived. I was sitting in my university course and still wanted to complete it, since I had enough time when taking the train (at least I thought so). I was calculating with barely any time at the airport (like 1 hour or so). I even checked the ticket in before.
When the course was over I went to the train station to take my train. I asked an employee when the train I looked up in the internet will arrive and depart. He told me that it will be around 45 mins until then.
So I sat down eating bread and stuff, surfing with my mobile phone I just bought 1 week before (yes, this will be important later) and waiting for the train.
The train arrived and the first 45 minutes went by without anything. But then it happened...
They announced that the train will be 15 minutes later in Frankfurt. 30 minutes later, they changed the delay to 20, 25, 30...
At this point I was very nervous what would happen when I came too late. I looked it up in the internet, on the AirFrance website it said I have 30 minutes before the flight departs to check in.
"Hmm, 30 minutes. That's close. But I already checked in, so no problem!"
Nevertheless I was racing through the airport when I arrived. I asked an employee of the airline where to go. He was asking which flight I was taking, Paris of course.
"You can't get into that flight anymore, you are over the time"
"But I already checked in! Can't I go directl..."
"No, you can't ask the people over there to get another flight for today!"
"Shit... Ok, let's check"
So I went to the place he showed me asking what to do... They told me that there aren't any flights to Paris for today. But I needed to be there on Saturday at 12:00, what should I do?
I asked if it would be possible to get a new flight to Paris and still be able to fly back with my old flight. "Sure you can do that!" they said...
Helplessly searching for a flight I finally found one (thanks to that woman at the airport!!) in the evening. I would arrive at about 22:00 in Paris. While checking everything with my teammates I was happy to find a flight this easy. It cost around 100€ again, but how many times in your life you can play at the ESWC main stage??
Finally arriving in Paris in the evening I was ready to call my teammate with my NEW mobile phone. Sadly it didn't work, so I was standing at the Paris airport with no experience in French, totally alone, angry and exhausted and my phone wasn't working...
I later found out that my phones roaming will enable after 1 month, sad thing I didn't have my old phone with me...
Furiously I was trying to call everyone and find a solution for my problem. Since I wasn't able to I decided to check in a hotel and try it from time to time there.
After about 1 hour of trying to call my mate I was able to reach her. She was talking about a hotel named "Etap" and how easy it is to find it.
I remembered something like this somewhere near the airport, so I went out and checked...
There it was "Etap", just take a bus in front of the airport and you are there, at least I thought so...
Whilst trying to convince the hotelman that I need to get out of that hotel because some friends are in another one just a few busminutes from here I was finally able to get my money refunded (also thanks here to the guy!).
So I waited for the bus and met a German couple who were lost like I was. At least they had each other... The bus didn't come so we decided to take a taxi, since we were going in the same direction.
At about 24:00 I arrived at the so called "Etap" hotel, calling my friends to tell them I will go to bed and meet them the next day.
The next day I was waiting for about 30 minutes in front of the hotel without anyone coming. I was confused so I called my mate again, asking where they are...
"We are in front of the hotel, can't you see us?"
"Nope.. Wrong hotel again?"
So yep, I was in the wrong hotel again. They weren't checked in the "Etap" near the airport, it was about the other side of Paris. So I was asking how to meet them and how to get there.
The community manager of Gravity Europe called an employee of the hotel to the phone to show me where to go on the map.
I thought I will finally get there soon. So I took the train, arrived at the station. Just to wait another 45 minutes for some guy to pick me up (seriously? You knew I will arrive there the whole morning!). I was so exhausted and angry, you can't believe...
So approximately 24 hours later than I should've arrived I finally was able to talk with everyone. This day was a blast! We had fun at the ESWC, the main stage was awesome and we went partying in the evening, where I was so drunk... It's unbelievable =D
So on Sunday it was time to go home. With good mood and fun I was saying goodbye to everyone and drove to the airport. At the airport I went to the checkin, when suddenly the guy told me to go to the ticket counter.
"Uhm.. Okay? Is there something wrong with my ticket?"
"No, everything is alright. Just go there and everything will be alright"
Still with a good mood I went to the ticket counter where the devil itself was serving me...
She told me that I couldn't use my ticket I bought before, because I didn't use the first part of the ticket (Frankfurt-Paris).
"So, how did you get to Paris in the first place if you didn't fly with your ticket?"
"I don't know... Maybe I USED A F**CKING MEAN OF TRANSPORTATION?!"
"Oh, ok. I didn't think about that."
So for about one hour she was trying to make clear to me how reasonable everything about the ticket is and how I can't use it.
At that time all of the anger that I didn't release in the drinking session on Saturday came out there. In the beginning I tried to be nice, but her attitude towards me seemed so low, just because I was young. It was just ridiculous...
In the end I bought a friggin expensive ticket just to get home. Up to that point I payed about 400€ for 2 days in Paris.
When I finally arrived home I was calling my buddy if he can pick me up from the train station and that I will arrive in about 2 hours. Everything was fine until I saw that the train companies website didn't give a shit if it's Sunday or Saturday.
Problem was that my train wasn't driving on Sunday...
I just took my bags, nearly crying in front of everyone at the train station. Drove to the next big city and sat down in a McDonalds to get over the night and take a train home at 5:00 the next day.
I met a nice girl from England who was traveling through Europe, we talked a lot and the guy from McDonalds was soooooooo greatfull to give me coffee for free despite he shouldn't have. (Seriously, I loved you for that. My whole weekend was shit and you were so nice. I wanted to hug you!)
Finally again, after about 24 hours without sleep I was in my hometown again. With the above story to tell.
And tbh, you are the first ones that I told every little detail. Because it's just too long =D
I hope you had some fun reading.
Cya Zumm
