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Abbz Germany tour blog Well, here we are again, another tour another blog. I would firstly like to thank the people who made comments (both good and errrm bad ) about my whitterings from the Europe tour in Feb 2010. I will try to do better in future. Karl has picked up his electric quill (well its really an Apple Mac) and has so far furnished you with an up to date run down of all our on tour antics up to our German date. Due to certain circumstances it was felt I should put my take on this errrm 'eventful outing' more on that shortly. Since my last blog I have been busy digesting all four of Neil Pearts literary works, he is so good at expressing himself in print whilst telling his story I am in awe of him (and obviously his drumming skills), oh how I wish I had listened more at school! Instead of doodling band logos and pictures of guitars. One sentence from his writings that I have picked up on was 'adventures suck while you're having them' again more on this in a moment.  Having successfully completed both the Italian and Irish legs of our tour which without exception were all fantastic shows with such lovely people showing us extraordinary levels of friendship and hospitality, which we never take for granted, next would see us return to Germany,the Metal forces festival in Lorrach ,a small town near to the Swiss border. Germany was my first ever show outside the UK and will always hold a special place in my heart, so I was more than pleased to be heading back. Although our destination was Germany our pre planned route would mean flying from Gatwick (grrrrr) to Basal in Switzerland where we would be picked up and taken across the border (not smuggled before you ask) to Lorrach, that was the plan! Just to remind you 'adventures suck while you're having them'. With Gatwick (grrrr) again our port of departure, we would take two cars with 3 people in each, Brian, Karl and Ed in one and Nick, Andy and myself in the other, and meet at the airport once parked up. Already half an hour late (ok I admit it guys!) I arrived at Nicks house just before Andy steamed up in his Bmw. I should have realised from that point that things may not pan out as planned, just down from Nicks there had been a road accident nothing serious but enough to bring the traffic to a standstill. Once loaded we set off avoiding the accident and jumped on the M6 toll road, only to realise they had put the prices up again, this adventure was beginning to suck! Making good time mainly due to Andy's inability to keep to the national speed limit and an added sixth gear we exited the toll somewhat lighter in the pocket but having made up some time. With our in car conversations being our entertainment the radio was very much talking to itself but during a brief lull, a traffic report crackled over the airwaves informing any interested listener that the M40 was shut between junctions 8 and 10, at the time it didn't seem to bother us very much although we were heading for that very piece of tarmac we were a good hour and a half away from the blackspot, surely it would be cleared within that period wouldn't it? Things were continuing to suck! Our band mates were also using the same 'slab' to get to Gatwick (grrrrr) but were an hour in front of us, during several phone conversations they kept us up to date with what was happening with traffic, indeed the m40 was backing up and everyone was faced with a detour around the blackspot ending up on the M3 (I think) then the M25 and (hopefully) our departure point. We joked about missing the 6.15 flight not really thinking it would come to that although I must admit my stomach was beginning to tighten from dread (not wind).The M40 was at a complete standstill by the time we arrived at the blackspot and the realisation that we could be well and truly in the 'brown and smelly' began to dawn on us . Once we had exited the motorway we had the daunting task of navigating past Oxford and finding our way to the M3 then the M25...on a Friday afternoon! It was only down to Andy's poor eyesight (did that sign say 30mph it looked like 50) that we made pretty good time onto the M25, although it was decided that if it came to it Andy would drop us off at Gatwick(grrr) and park up on site, taking pot luck if he had enough time to catch the flight. As it was, the M25 car park decided our outcome before we had even brushed by Heathrow airport, with a sickening feeling we realised we'd missed the flight, Karl, bless him had told the check in desk that we would miss it and had left instructions on who to speak to. Andy began tapping something into his sat nav.....and after a few minutes stated that we could get the Euro train and drive down, it was only 8 hrs!!!! For a while we even considered it but still parked up at the pre booked parking lot and took the shuttle to Gatwick(grrr). Our automobile journey was at an end.................................................................................... Once at Gatwick (grrrrr) as instructed by Karl we headed for the easy jet check in desk even though the 'in plenty of time' section of the band we're only just boarding the plane. The easy jet rep had some good news and some bad....I could feel another 'its sucks' moment coming on! We could indeed catch a later flight to Switzerland if we crossed her palm with Euros but instead of landing in Basal we would have to go to Geneva and find transport to Basal, beggers can't be choosers so that's what we did, landing in Geneva at around 11 pm. Having been to the Swiss capital before with my long suffering significant other half Karen I had a fair idea of what and how to get from the airport to town. We arrived 20 minutes later knowing that : 1, we couldn't catch a train to Basal till Saturday, 2, we couldn't hire a car and drive before the morning 3, we were on our own walking the streets of Geneva with my beloved and much prized Les Paul at midnight, a hotel was the only option. After a little mooching we decided on a very grand place (and expensive....sorry guys) only because they had room for us and it was near the train station which was our planned means of transport for the following day. Once booked in it was well after 1am but we needed at least a little snack and maybe a beer. For anyone who has been to Geneva before they will know how beautiful it is but also as with most cities has a much darker side with lots of 'shady characters' hanging around offering anyone who glances their way anything from illicit substances to errrm lets say 'ladies of the night', all in French, I'm quite proud of the qualification I gained in French at school, indeed I can faithfully describe the fact that I have a red pencil box and Madeleine is indeed in the garden with her school desk next to a horse.... but explaining to the local mafia that we didn't need their 'wares' must have been taught on the days I decided to 'bunk off' ! we had a beer and pizza and went to bed. The following morning we we're greeted by a liberal dusting of snow, making it seem even more pretty although we really needed brekkie more than snow and as the hotel was more than expensive we opted for a cup of tea and a bun at the train station. I called home and informed my wife that we were ok and were about to board a train for a 3 hr journey through the Swiss countryside to Basal, we would one day look back on this adventure and smile but at the time 'it sucked' Once on the train we settled down to watching the by now heavy snow covered scenery pass by and locals getting on a and off as the pre recorded announcement stated where we were and what stop would be next....all in French,not one reference to Madeleine or red pencil boxes (I must have missed the lesson about transport as well) one moment of confusion was when the train stopped for a few minutes and then headed back the way it came! Thankfully our fellow travellers who could all speak English reassured us that we were still heading for Basal phew! And more importantly Madeleine was safe and well with her horse! We arrived at Basal station where we would be met and driven over the German border, we were wet from snow, tired from the journey and hungry and within a few hours we would be on stage doing what we do, its all about perspectives I guess. Once picked up,the journey seemed to go quite fast and Switzerland morphed into southern Germany also with snow.Lorrach was as picturesque as any seasonal town I have ever seen and the snow made it even more pretty. Once at the Hotel we were firstly greeted by Blitzkrieg old friends of ours and a sound bunch of northerners, the 3 of us were the butt of many jokes from them, all light hearted and not too serious. That would change somewhat when we hooked up with our band mates who quite rightly deserved an explanation. Around a very tense dinner table we dissected what had gone wrong, If I had been earlier to Nicks, If the M40 had been open etc......I had made mistakes and felt sorry to the pit of my stomach, I had let the team down. Nothing to be done but to learn from it and move on... we had a show to do which is what we were there for. What a show, the venue was quite compact and my hired amp seemed to have a mind of its own (what the f### is a 'hair dial' ? whats wrong with bass,mid and treble?) from the moment we went on, all the trials and tribulations were all forgotten and we rocked ! I felt this part of the tour had somehow made us more of a tight knit group, and I must say that without Andy both Nick and I wouldn't have had a chance...thanks mate. I'm glad to inform everyone that the journey home was less fraught and barring Nick losing his phone went without a hitch........indeed the adventure had sucked whilst we were having it but looking back now I don't think I'd have changed it. PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMBILES................and Madeleine's horse. Abbz |