True story of a Scorpions Fan

[Bellatrix]

Dear Scorpions, I’m writing on behalf of one of your biggest fans .
His name is Robert Lekaj , he is Albanian but he lives in Italy.I met him in Italy and we were staying in the same house...so imagine walking every morning hearing at the maximum volume "Here i aaaaaaaaaam, will you send me an angel" ...anyway so this is how i star to learn more about you guys. We become friends with the time and this year he tried to come to Romania for your concert on 9th of June- Bucharest and the story goes like this:
He lives in Lecce so he had the flight from the city of Bari. They didn't let him pass at the airport, because he didn't have his passport with him ( thinking that Italy and Romania are both in EU he didn't think it was necessary) so he didn’t left. After that he goes back to Lecce and starts searching for flights (this was the day before the concert -8th June)-He finds one the next morning(6 AM Rome- Bucharest) so he buy a ticket, and then buys also a train ticket Lecce-Roma-10hours by train. Anyway, he arrives in Rome, they let him pass (he had his passport this time:) )and after a long waiting at 11.45 AM he lands in Bucharest.
Now..you may be thinking that this was the end, and a happy ending to...also Robert was thinking that in less than 8 hour he will have he's dream come true(as he was always referring to this concert).....
...but it wasn't like this. They didn't let him pass at Bucharest. They kept him in the Airport Terminal because he didn't declare that he was in transit for Romania. Asked: what is the purpose of your visit, Robert answered: I'm here to see the SCORPIONS and there everything ended...
Because he is Albanian( non EU) living in Italy(no Italian nationality for EU) he is allowed to visit only country that are in the Schengen Space( Albania is in Schengen, Romania is not) so what he should have done is that: instead of saying has come to see Scorpions( that equals visiting), he should have answered hat he is only in transition(only changing a flight), because they would have let him stay for 3 days( that is the law)
So we didn't get the chance not even to see him, we were waiting at the gate, and after 5 hours- talking with the police, the frontier police the Embassy ( Romanian and Albanian) they put him in a flight with escort [:o] to Milan, like he was a criminal...
After 2 days of no sleep, a LOT of money spent with all the tickets and flights, and No Scorpions [:^(] He return to Italy. He didn't have the strength to talk...he was disappointed and down. We arrive to the concert, one of the best from SCORPIONS and we call him so he could listen what should have been the greatest night of his life.
I thought you might want to know that are still a lot of people that love you guys, and admire you a lot, like my dear friend ROBERT.
I would ask you for your autograph for him, but i don't have hope that you would get this massage, imagine the autograph [:P]...so i'm saying you Good bye & thank you for being so special to my friend and making him happy
A friend, of your biggest fan in my opinion
Elena

[Invitado]

Hi Elena ! ..and welcome to the forum ...

I`m so sorry to hear this , poor Robert , his ilusion smashed down in pieces in that airport

I do not understand some laws, that was soooo stupid. ...anyway , you were such amazing friends for calling and let him listen.

there is some time still to go , who knows ? maybe he can go to another one with some strategy taken for this kind of inconvenients.

[Bellatrix]

Hi, 10x for your words.

[Nadin]

Hi, Elena, and welcome to the forum!
Oh, what a sad story u wrote... . I can imagine what Robert felt in Buharest airport...so much money spent, almost all route is passed and ... only big disappointment
U know, these visas and border crossing problems are so familiar to me - as I'm working in a travel company, and we, russians, also need to get visas to all european countries, both schengen and not schengen area, and for these visas we have to collect many papers and documents, including different financial guaranties... and sometimes the demands of the Consulates are so ridiculous.. but we have to obey them, as well as we have to obey all the laws, no matter how stupid they may seem... (sometimes my clients get refusal of a visa just the day before their tour will start, so they loose much money and of course it's a very unpleasant situation.)
Unfortunately, as we say, the ignorance of the law doesn't excuse you from responsibility, so I can also understand the stuff of the airport - they were just doing their job, and they couldn't take your friend at his word, this is obvious. Though, I can imagine how Robert felt leaving Romania as if he was a criminal ( amm.. well, in the terms of law he was, actually.. he did broke the law, but of course not intentionally, but how the guards could be sure in it?...). - ok these were only my reasonings, nothing more...
Still, of course he got in very unpleasant situation His dream was broken...and I am very sorry about it.
But, fortunately, there's no need in visa to be real friends, as u and Robert are, and to call him and let him at least to listen to the show! And of course there' re no borders here, on this forum, where people all over the world, united by love to Scorpions, become friends and communicating without any visas and border problems!