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THURSDAY, JUNE 30TH
& FRIDAY, JULY 1ST – DAYS 1 AND 2 OF 47 DAYS OF ROAD KILL REPORTS!
Today, I leave on the
longest journey of my career. I’ve never been “on the road” for 47 days.
Actually, I’m going to sneak back to the U.S. for all of 4 days at the end of
July but somehow, I don’t think that counts.
I will be traveling all over Europe, producing festivals with anywhere from one
to eight artists at a time that are flying in from the U.S. When I say I will
be “hopping” from country-to-country, it’s a significant statement. Last week,
I broke my toe. I wish it had been something more “newsworthy” than simply
being barefoot and hitting it on the leg of a chair in my office. The doctor
said that normally he would just say tape the broken toe to the healthy toe and
let it heal. But, since I’ll be walking around all day every day, the bones
will be constantly rubbing against each other (it snapped the bone right in
half -- not a fracture) and they would never heal. So, he gave me this
“walking shoe cast” to wear when I’m just sitting around and this big, bulky
black leg cast to wear when I have to walk a lot. I haven’t had time all week
to “practice” in the big cast, so last night I tried it out. FORGET THAT. I
couldn’t even walk up the stairs in it and I knew my first flight was on a
little commuter plane. I had planned to wear the large cast and just take the
shoe cast. The large cast was too big to pack in my already overstuffed bags,
so I left it at home. Probably a big mistake.
I had already given myself 4 migraine headaches last week just trying to prepare
for this trip and last night, I worked until 4 am and had to get up at 6 am.
Obviously, I can’t jog (and of course I’ll be going to some of my favorite
places to jog) so I figured out a way to ride the stationery bike. Going to
try and rent a bike in the various countries so I can at least keep in shape.
Was packed and ready to go on time when I realized that I had not copied the
files in the “shared documents” to my jump drive. That made me about 20
minutes late in leaving and meeting the Bellamy Brothers at the airport.
Because of the length of my journey, I’m not on the same flight as the Bellamys
as we were all looking for the lowest fares. My first ticket cost over $10,000
and the second one over $7,000. Amazing! At least with the Bellamy Brothers,
I never have to worry about them being able to get checked in without me. This
year, both the Bellamy Brothers and two of David’s sons – Jesse and Noah – are
performing at the Interlaken Country and Trucker Festival in beautiful
Interlaken, Switzerland.
We all arrived in plenty of time to get checked in for our flights. There was a
group of people gathered in the business class check in line and it took me
about a half hour just to get checked in. I decided to walk on down to the gate
even though my flight didn’t leave for a couple of hours (I got there early
because the Bellamy’s flight left earlier than mine.) I couldn’t find the
flight listed on the departure screen and thought maybe it was because I was so
early. But flights departing 4 and 5 hours later were already listed so it
definitely threw up a red flag. I went to the counter and the ticket agent
calmly announced that my flight had been canceled! No explanation. I asked
why I was allowed to check in for it just 10 minutes prior. Again, no
explanation. She said she would try to get me on the flight that was boarding
and leaving in 5 minutes from that gate! Of course, my first question was
“Will I ever see my bags again???” This same thing happened to me last year on
American when I was flying to Zurich and I had to route through Miami. She
could only promise that they would TRY to get my bags on the flight. I called
David Bellamy to let him know my flight had been canceled and then called him
back to let him know I would be on an earlier flight and should still arrive at
the scheduled time.
It was one of those little commuter planes and instead of the aisle seat that I
always insist on, I was crammed into a window seat. But, with no sleep the
night before, once we were airborne, I had no problem falling asleep. We
landed in Chicago and I had a 4 hour layover. Commuter flights always land in
a different terminal and this time, there were no screens that even gave any
information about where I would be departing from. So, I’m “hopping” from
counter to counter trying to find an American Airlines agent who can tell me
where to go. I was finally directed to go “out of security and down to the
ticketing area” because I didn’t have a boarding pass. Second big mistake of
this trip. I promised myself that no matter how much money I saved on the
flight, I would never again fly airlines that didn’t offer boarding passes on
connecting flights. It means going to the ticketing area between flights to
get the pass issued. Sometimes the connections are just too tight for that and
what a hassle it is anyway. I eventually did the “planes, trains, and
automobiles” jaunt through the various terminals and accidentally ended up at
the Swiss Air counter. Got my boarding pass and headed for the Swiss Air
Lounge.
Nice lounge but absolutely NO internet access – not wireless or dialup. I
finally convinced the lady the desk to let me log on through a phone in a little
private area. Then I got on the phone with T-mobile for 2 hours trying to fix
my email account that they had screwed up the night before. They never were
able fix it and gave me a number to call after I arrive Switzerland.
Wonderful.
Flight was only delayed but I was anticipating the worst after the problems I
had already encountered. Got on the plane and my only requests are an aisle
seat that is NOT bulkhead. I have too much “stuff” that I want to put under
the seat in front of me during the flight. Of course, I’m in the bulkhead
seat. Spent the next 20 minutes before takeoff stuffing my pockets with things
I would need during the flight. Then the people sitting across the aisle from
me arrived. They had a baby that looked to be about 9 months old and he was
screaming. He continued to scream the entire flight until we began the
landing. Just a few minutes after takeoff, when the flight attendants first got
out of their seats, there was an “explosion” and a flash of silver shot right
past my left ear and I felt moisture on my arm. My heart was racing 90 miles an
hour and I looked across the aisle at the man with the baby and he was covered
with some type of liquid. Evidently, the flight attendant had opened a bottle
of champagne with a silver metal cork screw. It had “exploded” and flew right
by my head and covered the guy with champagne. THAT was a first. I can just
hear the story now –“after all these years of being frightened to fly, Judy was
killed on an airplane, but it wasn’t from her biggest fear (crashing) – she was
hit in the head by a silver cork screw!
J
I was able to sleep
for a couple of hours because my choice of movies were “Finding Nemo”, “The
Pacifier” and “Constantine”. Landed in Zurich and called the Bellamys. They
were also just landing and were fortunately in the same terminal as me. Took a
few minutes to locate the bus driver as he was at the wrong terminal. We
stopped at a “truck stop” en route and had a great meal.. Arrived at the hotel
and had a few problems checking in because we were so early. Once we got
everyone “settled”, Opie came to my room to try and help me connect to the
internet. I plugged in one adapter that I had and BLEW UP THE ROOM! Had to
call the front desk and get them to come turn everything back on. Then we
worked for THREE hours trying to figure out the dial up connection. But, after
rewiring the room, the telephone, and my laptop, we got it done. I sure didn’t
have this much trouble last year. New computer and different internet company
at the hotel make a big difference. I never did have time to eat again until
dinner. I had to go shopping for “plugs and cables” instead of having lunch.
The Bellamys and Jesse and Noah did our “usual” radio interview tonight. Then
we came back to the hotel and were in our rooms by 10 pm. But, it is now 3 am
and I’m still in “internet hell”. I was on the phone with T-mobile for 4 hours
and they still have to call me back tomorrow. What a mess. At least my laptop
and AOL is working in the room.
I’m going to bed now! Got to rent a bike tomorrow so I can get in my cardio.
Jude
SATURDAY, JULY 2ND:
Only got to
sleep for 3 hours because I kept getting telephone calls. Went over
to sound check with the boys to make sure everything was okay. Then spent
the rest of the day shuttling back and forth for sound checks, press conference
and the show. The backstage/VIP area has been moved this year.
It’s a tented area on TOP of an old airplane hanger. It’s really
nice up there and a beautiful view of the entire festival. Only negative
is the artist has to walk through the crowd to get there. We held a press
conference up there today and had a big crowd. Only problem was, they
forgot to bring any microphones. With a local band playing out on
the festival crowds, it was impossible to hear anything!
David’s sons – Jesse and Noah – opened for them. When Howard and David
took the stage, you would have thought Elvis entered the building.
Crowd was on their feet the entire show. It was a great, great
concert and the buyer now wants an “exclusive” to bring them back every year for
five years!!!!
We went back up to the VIP area after they Bellamy’s signed autographs. As
we were leaving in our mini-bus, the vehicle got stuck in the mud and we could
not go forward or backward. The driver left and said he would get a tow
truck. About 5 minutes later, this truck pulls up and it is a truck that
they use to clean out the portapotties! You should have heard the jokes
going around inside the vehicle about that one. The truck pulled and
pulled and finally smoke was coming out of it . We were afraid it might
ignite and “blow” up but he finally got us out of the mud and on our way.
I’m back at the hotel and it’s 2 am. I AM going to bed NOW.
Jude
SUNDAY, JULY 3RD:
We (Susan, David, Jesse, Noah, and I) were going up to Schilthorn today for
lunch. That is where the James Bond Movie was filmed and is one beautiful area
of Switzerland that I have not visited. I got up and dressed for “COLD” weather
because it is way up at the top of an Alp. Then Susan knocked on my door and
said David had decided he just wanted to go to Grindelwald for lunch. Fine by
me, but I had to “undress” because it’s warm in Grindelwald.
We took the train up and that’s always a beautiful trip. I’ve been there many,
many times and we have some dear friends that own a beautiful hotel where I will
be spending one night in a couple of weeks. We walked around the town (I
hopped/limped) and then had coffee with our friend at his hotel. Then Susan
and I decided it would be such a shame for Noah NOT to see Jungfrau (the highest
point accessible in all of Europe). Jesse doesn’t like heights, so he and
David rode the train as far as Kleine Scheidegg with us and then they got off
and had lunch. We continued up the Alp on a COG railway train. I can’t even
remember how many times I’ve been up to Jungraujoch or how many different groups
I’ve taken up there. We had a limited window of time to see the sights
because we had waited so late in the day to get started.
The train up wasn’t crowded at all because most of the tourists were already at
the top. We jumped off and started sightseeing in a dead run (okay, mine was a
“dead” hop!) I took them into the Ice Caves first. The inside of the glacier
has been hollowed out and you actually walk around inside a tunnel that is
completely ice – walls, ceiling, and floor. I was a bit apprehensive about
walking on the ice in my “cast” but actually found it easier because I could
just slide my feet along and never had to pick them up. Looked pretty stupid
but I’m sure everyone in the tunnel already thought I was stupid for being in
there in a cast in the first place. The one thing we had forgotten is how COLD
it is up there. Since we only dressed for Grindelwald, we were freezing. Susan
had taken David’s fleece vest and thankfully she let me wear that. After the
Ice Caves, we went out onto the snow covered glacier. Now, last year, this is
where Jolie and I were when it was struck by lightening! This year, there was a
helicopter on the glacier and it was blowing snow everywhere. Turns out it was
a Medivac chopper and they were rushing someone off the mountain. After about
10 steps in the snow and hanging onto the rope for dear life, I figured out it
wasn’t a smart move for me to go any farther in a cast. So, I waited inside
(where it was WARM) while Susan and Noah ventured out.
After the Glacier Walk, we had lunch at the restaurant and I got the same thing
I ALWAYS get up there – Bratwurst! Then we rushed through another tunnel (only
not made of ice this time) to a tower on the other side of the Alp. There is an
observation deck on the very top and it’s awesome. There were some clouds
covering the view but they moved out and we were able to see most of the
scenery.
We headed back down the mountain on the next to the last train of the day.
Decided to go down the opposite side of the Alp through Lauterbrunnen instead of
back through Grindelwald. This route is much steeper but the scenery is just as
breathtaking – but much more rugged than the greenery of the Grindelwald side.
We were sitting on the train waiting to depart the first station when the train
next to us pulled out and I noticed that it said “Lauterbrunnen” on it! Had a
panic attack that we were on the wrong train. But, we were on the right train
and we didn’t have any problems.
We had to change trains in Lauterbrunnen and Susan and I had to go to the
restroom during the brief stop. There were hundred of Japanese tourists (always
is) everywhere and we had to wait a long time for the bathroom. Susan went to
buy some water and when I came out of the restroom, there was a Japanese girl
running to the train. I thought we were about to miss it and grabbed Susan and
made her get on without buying the water. Then was SAT there for about 15
minutes before the train pulled out!
This strange little man who had obviously been hiking and was on most of the
trip down with us sat across from us. He did almost miss the train and seemed
to be very stressed once he got in his seat. His arm started jumping up and
down and when he finally got that under control, his face started doing these
wild contortions. I didn’t know whether to control my laughter or try to help
him. But, he stopped before I could make a decision. He looked exactly like
Mr. Bean when he makes his faces.
We all had dinner one last time in the hotel restaurant and now I’ve been
working on email for 4 hours. My mobile phone is still messed up and I still
can’t get my email. So frustrating. I’m going to be visiting “T-Mobile” when I
get home.
Tomorrow we really ARE going up to Schilthorn for lunch. I am still
disappointed that we won’t be performing anywhere for the troops on the 4th
of July but we just couldn’t work it out this year.
Jude
MONDAY, JULY 4TH:
Woke up to
learn that severe thunderstorms and rain was predicted from noon through the
rest of the day. Since it takes 2 hours just to reach Schilthorn, we decided
not to risk being trapped up there because of the weather. Susan and I were so
disappointed. That’s one place I really want to see!
So, Susan, Jesse, Noah and I rented bikes and rode around Interlaken. I rode
for about an hour and a half – down by the river, out by the festival site, to
the outskirts of town both ways – wherever I could go. HAD to get in the only
“cardio” I’m allowed and I managed to do all of this without breaking anything
else! J
Several of us took
the Funicular (train on a cable that is pulled STRAIGHT up the mountain) up one
of the mountains behind the hotel and had lunch at the top. What a spectacular
view we had of Interlaken. Even saw the tent where the festival was held!
Jesse went and never looked out. But I was proud of him for overcoming his fear
and at least going up with us. We both got a little nervous before we boarded
the train for the trip up because this guy was “welding” something in the
station. I asked my usually dozen questions before boarding (How many accidents
have there been on this thing? How long have you worked here? Does the weather
have anything to do with the operation?, etc., etc.)
It started storming right after we made it to the top. With my past history of
lightning strikes (once at Jungfrau last August and once on the flight from
Japan last April), no one wanted to get in the funicular with me. But w made
it down without any problems.
Worked on the internet for several hours while we waited for it to quit raining
so we could take the bikes back. Finally had to ride back over to the train
station in the POURING rain to turn them in. I rode extremely fast – right out
in the middle of traffic – but still got soaked.
Had dinner tonight with the promoter who is such a dear friend. We had a great
meal at a little country restaurant and lots of GIRL TALK. She’s an amazing
woman and we have a lot in common as we are both “workaholics”!
Tomorrow several of us are going into Zurich to have lunch and shop. It will be
our last day in Switzerland for this “leg” of the tour. Off to Norway on
Wednesday.
Jude
TUESDAY, JULY
5TH:
David, Susan, Jesse, Noah and I had to get up early to take the train into
Zurich. It’s a beautiful 2-3 hour ride depending upon the number of stops. We
made sure we got in a non-smoking car but about 5 minutes later realized we were
in First Class. So we walked back through the car until we found the 2nd
class section. I don’t like to ride backwards, so I found a row that allowed
me to face forward and we departed the station. Since I had only slept about 3
hours the night before, I fell asleep almost immediately. I woke up an hour
later and the compartment was filled with cigarette smoke and I was riding
backwards! Evidently in our “scramble” to get out of first class, we sat in
the smoking section and the train also changed directions when it stopped in
Bern. There weren’t any seats left elsewhere, so I just suffered through the
smoke.
We had lunch at David’s favorite restaurant in Zurich – Contra Punto. It’s an
Italian restaurant and the food is fabulous. We had homemade pasta with fresh
truffles. Then we walked around for a few minutes and went to the Spruegli
Candy Shop – the best in Switzerland. I had the “truffle du jour”. It’s a
truffle that is made with fresh cream each day and you have to eat it within 24
hours because of its freshness. It is to die for!
This is the year of the “bear” in Switzerland and the entire city is covered
with “bears” from every nation and every concept you can think of. There was a
“sushi bear” that was covered in rice and wrapped around the waist with
seaweed. There was a “gummy” bear that was covered with real gummy bears. The
“teddy” bear actually had on a “teddy”. I wish I had taken photos of everyone
of them. Will get some photos when I come be in a couple of weeks.
Took the train back to Interlaken and had a wonderful “fondue” dinner with our
promoters. They were extremely pleased with the Bellamys show and the
attendance at the festival was an all-time record. They have now asked for an
“exclusive” with the Bellamys for the next 5 years which means they could not
perform anywhere else in Switzerland for 5 years except at the Interlaken
Festival. We’re “negotiating”. The meal was incredible – steak with various
dipping sauces and bread cubes with their famous cheese. Didn’t get back to the
hotel until late and had to pack and answer about 300 emails (really!). Stayed
up until 3 am and then had to get up at 5 am to take the bus to the Zurich
airport.
Jude
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