Back To Winter
.
Day 1: Frankfurt to Reykjavik
I donīt know
exactly why but I seem to be ĻprogrammedĻ to exist on about 5 hours sleep lately!
Itīs not that I wouldnīt like to sleep more, itīs just that I donīt and
apparently canīt
.. a bit like a kid on Christmas morning
.
But I feel
good today and am ready for my adventure to Iceland.
Eric didnīt
tell me about the weather there so I looked it up and itīs cold, the average
high temperature running around + 4 degrees (about 36 degrees Fahrenheit).
HA, HA, HA, YOUNG ERIC'S NOT DUMB
IF HE'D HAVE TOLD ME IT WAS THAT COLD,
I MIGHT NOT HAVE COME
It might be
April and it might be Spring but 4 degrees is winter to me. And that is the
reason my suitcase is so heavy!! So far I have got away with it though (airline
limits vary between 15 and 20 kilos) although the lady at the Icelandair
check-in took the opportunity to wag her finger at me.
And she put
me in a lousy seat as a sort of punishment. Row 13 on their 757 is in front of
an emergency exit so the seats donīt recline.
Have you
noticed that in some places there is no row 13 or floor 13 in the elevator. I
used to be superstitious but, when I looked at my boarding card, I realised Iīm
not anymore
.hmm!
The flight was
fine, the food was lousy and the flight attendants were not very happy. I
wondered why but Iīll never know.
I slept for
about 45 minutes on the plane and studied the Icelandic coast line as we
approached it. Lots of mountains, some snow and a terrain that looks like the
pictures we see of the moon.
I studied the
people too. Just like Live Fire, they sound a lot like the Muppets when they
talk but overall I couldnīt form a conclusion. Maybe I will understand them
better when I see where and how they live!
Eric and I are
doing these shows with some Icelandic musicians and two of them met me at the
airport. I met the others later but I absolutely canīt tell you their names, at
least not in writing.
I donīt meant
to insult them and I may try to write them down later but to me they are
impossible to pronounce. I love learning languages, always have, but the
Scandinavian languages (and I count Icelandic among them as the island was
founded by a Norwegian) are impossible to me.
The island is
volcanic and appears quite desolate. Reykjavik looms out of the wasteland and
suddenly I am in their version of civilisation. Itīs nice and itīs quite unique.
A major city with a kind of ĻvillageĻ feel to it. Iīll learn much more over the
next few days.
Rehearsals
went well. The band are good players with excellent voices and they had done
their homework. Eric and I were grateful for that.
Tomorrow we
will do two shows in the same evening which is a bit wierd but they are both
sold-out already so thatīs good.
Today was a
good day. Manchester United beat Barcelona and I found out that Blood On The
Highway is ĻCD of the weekĻ at the big radio station in Berlin.
Now I have
to see if I can get a bit more than 5 hours sleep!
