THURSDAY, JULY12TH AND FRIDAY THE 13TH (MAYBE THAT EXPLAINS IT!!!) – NASHVILLE TO NORWAY:
(Okay, Frank, I seem to be back in my “groove’. )
Day started out fine…quick check-in at the Nashville Airport and flight landed Detroit on time. My airplane from Detroit to Amsterdam was already at the gate even though I had a 3 hour layover in Detroit. I took that as a good sign. Went into the Lounge and worked until time to board. We were all standing in line to board when the guy with purchases from duty free came back out of the jetway and said, “You’re going to be standing in that line a LONG time—at least an hour”!
The gate attendants finally made the announcement that they were missing one of the pilots. Supposedly his flight from Portland, Maine was “delayed” and they had to make a decision as to whether they would hold the flight for almost 2 hours or try to find another pilot. They decided to hold the flight which caused a mass panic because 90% of the passengers had flights they would misconnect for. Good job, Delta!
I called the Delta Diamond line and had them re-book me on the same flight as Tanya’s group from Amsterdam to Bergen. Just meant I would be waiting for them in Amsterdam instead of waiting for them in Bergen.
Once the pilot’s flight was in the air from Portland, they started boarding our aircraft – which mean we sat on the aircraft for about an hour and a half. Good news is, it is one of the “newly renovated” planes. Cubicles have a lot more storage space and a “sliding door” that encloses the passenger. It was “okay” but nothing outstanding. Seat was just as uncomfortable as the other airplanes.
We took off and I immediately began having problems with WiFi. It would connect for a few minutes and then drop. I slept for about 2 ½ hours and tried to connect again. I had emails saying there was “weather” in Minneapolis and Tanya’s group had been diverted to Milwaukee! As soon as we landed, my text messages started pouring in. Delta flew them from Milwaukee to Minneapolis once the weather cleared and put them on a later flight to Amsterdam…which meant missing their connection to Bergen. The last text message and email I received before Tanya’s group flew out and before Lindsey went to bed did not confirm anything other than they thought 4 people would arrive Bergen at 4:50 pm and the other 7 would not arrive until 9:50 pm! It is a 5 hour bus/ferry ride from Bergen to the hotel, so it’s going to be brutal.
I went to the KLM Lounge and got online and tried to look at their reservations but since I didn’t have their confirmation numbers, I couldn’t see their new flight reservations. I had the phone number for Tanya’s travel agent and it was a local Nashville number. Usually there is an “after hours emergency number” but not for this one. I called the number and obviously woke up her travel agent at 2 am! She forwarded me the new flight reservations with the confirmation numbers. I immediately went to the
“Help Desk” in the lounge and begged them to put everyone on the earlier flight into Bergen. Unfortunately the flight was oversold. The agent said to tell everyone to go to the gate as soon as they arrived and at least ask the gate agent if there were any cancellations.
I have been complaining about the KLM Lounge in Amsterdam all year because there is basically no “food” other than some slices of meat and cheese. As I was leaving the Lounge today, I saw people eating soup and salad. Since passengers are not permitted to bring in outside food, I knew they had to have gotten it in the Lounge. I walked around and found a huge, completely separate room in the Lounge with a bar and hot food counter. Duh!
My flight from Amsterdam to Bergen departed at noon and landed at 1:50 pm. Much to my surprise – my bag was on my flight!!! I called the bus driver and he came inside and took my bag to the bus. I started checking Tanya’s flights and at 2 pm, Joey and Cory started texting me. They had landed and updated me when they arrived at the gate for the flight to Bergen. Unfortunately, the miracle I was praying for did not happen and only 4 people got on the 3 pm flight. The other 7 won’t depart until 9:50 pm. No idea if their bags/equipment will make it but sure hope so.
As I was working in the Bergen airport, I noticed that today is Friday the 13th!!! Tanya’s flight landed on time and guess what…NONE of the luggage/equipment was on the flight! Joey was texting me as he filed the claim and I finally got someone to allow me to go back inside Customs so I could help him. We found out their bags were never put on the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam! His Delta Bag Tracking App showed that the bags were put on a flight today (Friday) but routed Minneapolis to CHICAGO and then to Amsterdam and on to Bergen. The items showed arrival Amsterdam at 6 am tomorrow morning and supposed to arrive Amsterdam at 8:13 am Saturday morning. Gunnar had to arrange to have someone pick everything up (IF it comes in) and drive it the 5 hours to the hotel. Otherwise, they would not receive it until Sunday and we are driving back to Bergen on Sunday!!! Such a nightmare. We tried to have KLM re-route it from Amsterdam to Sandane airport which is only 15 minutes from the hotel but, of course, that was impossible!!!
We have moved sound check from noon to 3 pm and praying all the equipment comes in and can get to the venue by then.
We left the airport on a really nice tour bus at 6:30 pm local time. I was able to hook up my T-Mobile Hot Spot and work because the WiFi wasn’t working on the bus. The driver said he didn’t usually drive the bus we were on and tried but was unable to fix it. It was about an hour and a half drive to the ferry and then only a 20 minute ferry crossing. Then another 2 hour drive to the hotel after the ferry crossing. As we were driving, we got updates from the 7 guys left in Amsterdam. Their flight was delayed due to “mechanical issues” and the airline had to put them on another flight – KLM, of course. The finally left at 11 pm instead of 10 pm.
We arrived at the hotel at 11:30 pm – five hour bus ride as expected and Gunnar was waiting for us and had everything organized. Tanya and the girls went into the restaurant to eat some of the most amazing lasagna I’ve ever tasted and Gunnar and I went over “contingency plans” for the sound check and performance. He thinks he has found all the equipment they need just in case we don’t receive any of the items tomorrow morning.
It is impossible to get any updates from the airlines or baggage claim services. The website is not updated with the current location of the missing items and no one EVER and I mean NEVER answers the telephone. The lady in Bergen said that they are all just much too busy to ever answer questions on the telephone. GREAT customer service.
From what we could tell on the Delta Apps on the guys’ phones, none of the items were placed on the flight with them from Minneapolis on Thursday. On Friday, hopefully all the items were placed on a flight that went to Chicago and changed to a KLM flight to Amsterdam and was supposed to arrive at 6 am on Saturday morning. Then the items would be placed on a KLM flight to Bergen arriving at 10 am. If everything comes in, it would still take 5 hours to drive everything to Breim/Sandane so we would not have equipment until around 4:30 or 5:00 pm for sound check. But, at least we would have everything for the concert. I’m just not really convinced Delta/KLM can actually accomplish getting 15 pieces transferred without losing something else.
After midnight, we got the message that none of the equipment or luggage arrived on the flight with the 7 guys. They filed claims and departed on the 5 hour drive to the hotel. The ferry only runs every 2 hours at night but they probably didn’t have to wait long as the next one was at 3 am…about the time they would be arriving there. I told Cory to text me when they were about 15 minutes from the hotel and I would meet them in the lobby.
I worked for about an hour, showered and got in bed by 3 am. Feel sure I’ll get a text message around 5:30 am and need to get up. Throughout this entire ordeal, Tanya and her group and all the people with the festival have been great, patient and upbeat. Makes it easier to deal with problems when working with good people.
Jude
SATURDAY, JULY 14TH – TANYA TUCKER PERFORMANCE AT NORSK COUNTRY TREFF IN BREIM, NORWAY:
As I suspected, the guys arrived at 5:30 am. I met them in the lobby and gave them all their keys, etc. Sat in the dining room with a few of them while they had a sandwich. Also learned that ONE of the guy’s suitcases was on the flights with them last night. So now we are only missing 15 pieces instead of 16. I let Gunnar know so he could let the person picking up everything for us know.
I went back to bed and slept for 3 more hours then started the day. Got in an “in-room” workout because I didn’t bring my running shoes. Didn’t think I was going to have time to run this short visit but wishing I had brought them now.
I heard from the person at the airport and he gave us the great news that all 15 pieces had arrived. I was shocked! It will take him about 4 ½ hours in a van to drive here but we should have all the equipment just in time for a quick sound check. Whew!!!
I purchased a fan years ago and have left it at this hotel. Every year when I come back, they put it in my room. This year I forgot to remind them and they couldn’t find it. While the hotel is air conditioned, like most European hotels, it is controlled by the front desk. It is HOT in the rooms. I left the windows open but there is too much noise from outside and too many bugs to do that again tonight.
The front desk told me that they found a fan but it didn’t work. I told them I would just buy another one. John had sent me a text at 10 am saying Tanya had found a shop she loves and was making lots of purchases. I walked over to the “markets” and bought water and fruit and found a shop with fans. Gunnar and his band were performing outside in the town square and I saw a little of their show.
When I got back to the hotel, the desk informed me that they had found my fan and put it in my room. I’m just going to leave this new fan in the box and tell them to keep it for me. Gunnar was going to talk to the front desk and ask them to please turn the air conditioning lower and cool off our rooms. I hope they will!
First thing on the official schedule is the service at the beautiful little church. All the artists sing one or two songs. The church is located on a Fjord and when the front doors are opened, the view is a cemetery, lake, and mountains. Usually someone plays bagpipes in the cemetery after the performance.
We were late leaving the hotel for the church so when we arrived, we had to rush her onstage. But she was amazing as we anticipated. She was very friendly with the attendees and of course, her vocals are as superb as ever. She sang two songs – one of them being “Amazing Grace” and then joined in the group finale of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”. We were out of the church within 30 minutes and headed for sound check.
I had received word that all the luggage and equipment was at the venue. He had picked up all 15 bags but when we arrived, one of the guys said that his personal bag was not there. We could not figure out what happened! One of the festival staff called a friend of his who lives near the Bergen Airport and had them go to the airport. The bag is there! Late this afternoon, we figured out that one of the guys was missing one of his bag tags so there really should have been 16 bags to pick up! The missing bag has all his clothes and his pedal board in it. Tanya called the store where she shopped this morning and had them stay open late and took him shopping there. He will pick his bag up at the airport tomorrow when we drive back to Bergen to spend the night.
Sound check went fine and the equipment and production company is their usual awesome self. I had our driver stop by the “falls” on the way back to the hotel for a really quick photo with the guys. Everyone ate dinner as soon as we arrived back at the hotel. The food was better than ever – fish soup, some type of incredible cabbage, steamed white fish (no idea what kind but it didn’t taste fishy, so I loved it) and lots of other choices.
I only had one hour to change for the show and head back over to the festival site. The promoter said they have sold a record number of tickets this year and the camping sites are completely sold out. I’m not surprised and very happy for them. For the first time in decades, they will announce next year’s U.S. headliner tonight – Emmylou Harris!!!!
We were so late leaving the hotel that we had to move the VIP Meet and Greet from before the show to after the show. The show started about 15 minutes late but what a great show it was. The audience was the biggest I’ve ever seen and sang along with all her songs. She’s definitely an “entertainer”…not just a singer/artist. We did the quick VIP Meet and Greet after the show and then headed back to the hotel. It was almost 1 am when we arrived at the hotel and I’m trying to finish up this report and grab a few hours of sleep. We depart to Bergen tomorrow at 10 am and will stay at the Clarion Hotel connected to the airport on Sunday night. Everyone flies home on Monday.
Jude
SUNDAY, JULY 15TH –BREIM TO BERGEN:
Got 4 hours sleep, showered, packed and went downstairs for breakfast. Several of the guys were already up and eating and Tanya came in a few minutes after I arrived. I finished eating and went back up to my room to bring down some things to find a “drama” unfolding. Evidently Presley and some of the others had gone into someone’s room to listen to their music. She knew it was a tall Norwegian with Silver Hair but didn’t know his name. She also remembered going into Gunnar’s room for a while to listen to music. The “problem” was she took her boots off and left them in one of the rooms. She was in tears about losing her favorite pair of boots.
Gunnar did not come down to breakfast and since there are no phones in the guest rooms at this hotel, I called his cell (which went straight to voice mail) and also sent him several text messages. No response. I went upstairs and banged on his door and got no response. One of our musicians was coming out of his room, so I had him bang on his door while I shouted his name. He finally heard us and opened the door in a “sleep daze” in his underwear. Never a good idea to see someone you work with in their underwear as it leaves a lasting impression. Sorry Gunnar!
I told him the problem and he stumbled around inside his room for a while and found the boots. Crisis averted.
The bus was actually late arriving (did someone tell the driver about “Tanya Time”???) but we were boarded and on the road by around 10:30 pm. Our only commitment today is to drive to Bergen so no problem being late leaving. About 2 minutes from the hotel, I thought I had left my cell phone but quickly found it in my pants pocket! Then about 5 minutes later, there was a “noise” and I looked up and one of the musicians was rushing down the bus aisle with his hand over his mouth. He didn’t make it to the front before throwing up. Everyone felt so sorry for him! Not sure what made him sick. We pulled over and did “damage control” and set off again. I gave him a Zofran and insisted that he take it!
When we got on the ferry, another person got sick. Pretty sure we know “why” everyone was nauseous. The bus driver was terrible. He couldn’t take the curvy roads in a smooth way and was constantly slamming on the brakes.
We got checked in painlessly thanks to the wonderful staff at Breim. Took about an hour and then most of us headed to the airport (next door) to take the train into the city. It’s a 45 minute trip with 26 stops! But scenic.
We somehow split up into two groups and I wandered around with Cory. We stopped for coffee and then I helped him with a little Norwegian shopping for his girlfriend. Walked past a beautiful old church that I wanted him to see but it was already closed. Most of the shops were closing at 7 pm because that’s when the last cruise ship pulled out. Cory got a beer and we sat down in an outdoor area and just “people watched” for a few minutes.
We heard from the other group as we were getting ready to go back to the train. Tanya had decided to take the tram to the top of the mountain, so everyone went with her. I don’t think they will make it back to the hotel before the restaurant closes for the night but I’m sure they will find some great food in Bergen instead.
I ordered a bowl of soup from room service, showered, and then worked a while. My hair dryer quit working right in the middle of drying my hair. I think it over-heated and I couldn’t find a fuse box to check. I tried it again after about 10 minutes and it was working again.
Going to bed now – at 11:30 pm – because I have to get up at 3:45 am and leave for the airport by 5 am. Brutal! And, I’m the only one on this early morning flight. ☹
Jude
MONDAY, JULY 16TH – FLYING HOME:
Well, 3:45 am came much too soon. Felt like I had only slept for one hour. After my quick stretching session, I was dressed and at the airport to check in by 5:05 am. No problem tagging my bag all the way through to Nashville either. The new Bergen Airport is really nice!
Flight to Amsterdam was uneventful and I had about a one hour layover after clearing Passport Control and Delta Security Check. The great news is – the electronic kiosks that accept USA passports are now open for Passport Control. Made the process so much quicker.
Have been getting updates since I landed from Tanya’s group. They have two separate flights today and are having problems getting boarding passes issued all the way through to Nashville and getting the luggage checked all the way through. Hopefully everything will work out!
When I arrived at the gate area, the agent was calling people to the counter who had been selected for extra security scanning. There are usually 5-10 people pulled aside but today, there were more than 30 people! Made me think there must be a “threat” that we haven’t been told about. We boarded about 30 minutes later than scheduled but still managed to take off on time. I was able to sleep about 2 hours, work, eat, and watch one movie.
We actually landed about 45 minutes early into Atlanta. When we walked into the Immigration area, it was totally deserted…no one there but the agents. The agent who checked my Global Entry Receipt said we are the first group to land in this new terminal! That can sometimes be a disaster (like when Detroit opened their new terminal and I was returning with Chely Wright’s group from Korea and the Bellamys were flying through there as well!). The new terminal is beautiful and very efficient. My bag was in the first 15-20 that came off the belt. The best thing is, there is now a TSA pre-check lane for our security check after Customs!
From the time I walked off the aircraft, went through Global Entry, visited the restroom, picked up my bag, re-checked my bag, had my boarding pass re-issued and went through TSA Pre-check, it only took 14 minutes. This is one for the record book!
Because we landed early, I had almost 2 hours in the Delta Lounge to catch up on emails.
I definitely praised Delta too soon. Just got a notice that my flight to Nashville is delayed by about an hour! I went to the agent in the lounge and asked “why”. She typed on the computer for a few minutes (half-heartedly) and then said, “Weather. If you don’t get out of Atlanta before 3 pm every day, thunderstorms roll in”. So, I looked at the board showing departures for ALL flights and guess what – only our flight is delayed. Makes no sense at all!
We FINALLY boarded at about 5:45 pm and departed at 6:15 pm. Arrived Nashville at 6:00 pm.
This was such a short trip but a great one. I got to see so many of my friends in Norway and loved working with Tanya again. I’m going to be home now except for a couple of weekend trips coming right up. Will be nice not to go overseas again for a couple of months!
Jude