Devastated as my first Taylor Swift concert in Vienna is canceled after 15-hour flight.

• Taylor Swift’s three upcoming shows in Vienna have been canceled after Austrian police announced they had thwarted a planned terrorist attack.
• Bianca Capazorio flew over 15 hours from South Africa to attend the concert — it would have been her first.
• She had spent over a year planning the trip.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bianca Capazorio, a 41-year-old Swiftie based in Cape Town, South Africa. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her expenses.

I became a Swiftie the way a lot of Swifties become Swifties – through heartbreak.

The first album that introduced me to Taylor Swift was “Red.” The song “All Too Well” came out during a time when I was experiencing a massive breakup.

Her lyrics resonated with me deeply.

But as much as I was a fan, I never had the opportunity to attend a concert before. Taylor Swift has never performed in South Africa, where I’m from.

So when she announced the Eras Tour, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Not only would I get to see her perform so many old songs, but I’d also get to hear her new material.

My friend and I decided to try to get tickets for the European concerts.

We aimed for the first European country where we could secure tickets.

Several ticket sales went live on the same day, and I took the day off work to try to get them.

As it turned out, my day off wasn’t necessary. My friend secured tickets for the Vienna show the day before in less than five minutes, landing us great seats in the front standing section.

We were surprised at how quick and easy it was.

We had set a budget of between 5,000 and 6,000 South African Rand (about $270 to $326) for a ticket. In the end, each ticket cost about $197.

My flight ticket cost 14,828 Rand, around $800. Since it was a long-haul flight – about 15 hours including a three-hour layover in Dubai – my friends and I decided to make a trip out of it and travel around Austria for two weeks.

One of my friends made her own outfit while another had one custom-made. I bought a sparkly blue tassel dress similar to what Taylor wore during her “Fearless” era.

The three of us also made a bunch of friendship bracelets to trade at the show.

We heard the news last night.

My friend and I were out at dinner when our other friend, who stayed at the hotel, called us about online chatter suggesting the concert might be canceled.

Barracuda Music, an Austrian event organizer, had posted a notice. We hoped it was fake news, but when we saw Taylor Nation, Taylor’s official social media account, reposting it, our hearts sank.

I was devastated after a year of planning and anticipation.

Additionally, it felt like our only chance to see this show with the tour ending soon.

However, I accept that the decision was probably not taken lightly. It’s better to be a bit heartbroken today than risk being in the stadium if something happened.

We’ve been doing some touristy activities over the past few days and have encountered many Swifties around Vienna. We managed to trade a few bracelets, so we’ve at least had that experience.

Hopefully, we’ll get to meet more Swifties while exploring the city in the upcoming days.

My friend, who booked the tickets, received an email from the ticketing agency confirming a full refund within 10 days.

Our tickets were for the first show tonight. Although we haven’t made any specific plans yet, we decided to do something fun today instead of moping around in such a beautiful country.

Source: Business Insider