SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH, 2023 – PERFORMANCE IN OSLO:
Everyone was in the lobby at 8:15 this morning but our bus was not there. Finally at around 8:20, I walked outside and there was a man standing there with a uniform on. Turns out it was our bus driver and he had been waiting there since 8 am but was parked in back of the hotel near the venue. He wanted us to bring our bags down to the bus because he already had the bays open but the sidewalk was iced over and it was too far to walk through the hotel/venue. He brought the bus around and we loaded it quickly and departed for the 45 minute drive.
It was raining and the roads were a real mess. All the roads were covered in ice and snow and he had to travel slower than usual. I was sitting up front talking to him and mentioned The Bellamy Brothers. He said had heard of them and they were famous. He asked if “all the brothers” are still alive and said he really didn’t like their music. Said they sang what he considered “folk” music. Of course, Howard and David were sitting in front, too, listening to our conversation.
He slowed way down because he said a moose was going to cross the road. Evidently, there are cameras located all along the road and the moose know the “designated” areas where they can cross safely.
There are also tall red poles along both sides of the road spaced about 10 feet apart. He said those are so the snow plows will know where the roads are located and can clear them when it snows. Evidently, they get so much snow in a short period of time that the snow plows can’t see where the roads are located. They know to plow between the rows of red poles.
We went over huge suspension bridge. The wind socks were blowing straight out and there was a digital sign at the beginning of the bridge. He said when the wind gets up to 40 or more, they shut the bridge down. We were able to cross. The roads turned into solid ice just a few miles before we reached the airport.
We arrived on time and everything was automated. We were able to print our bag tags and boarding passes and then scan the boarding pass. The bags then went on a conveyor belt to be placed on the plane. It sounds very modern and it was. Only, I could have walked up with anyone’s confirmation number, checked myself in and flown as that person because no one every checked our passports! David and I both had suitcases that were a few pounds overweight so we removed things, put them in Stephanie’s extra bag and she checked it instead of carrying it on.
The flight is similar to a Southwest Airlines jet only we did have assigned seats. It was pretty full and Howard and David had an empty seat between them. I wasn’t so lucky. I had guys from a Volleyball team sitting with me and in front of me. They said they spent $6,000 on their flights and they lost their game!
It was very turbulent taking off but a smooth flight otherwise. We landed a little early and it took an extremely long time for the checked bags to arrive. But, everything made it. I went to change money for David, Jim and I while they were loading the bus. Only they have a new rule and there is a limit to how much can be exchanged. I had to get Jim to come inside and exchange part of it with me!
Bus ride into Oslo was about 45 minutes. The hotel only had David’s room ready for check-in but Howard was going to have to wait. David gave Howard his room and about 2 minutes later, Howard’s room was ready. I was able to get the rooms for everyone and we dropped bags and headed to the venue for sound check. It’s a beautiful venue and larger than all the ones we have played so far. The sweet lady who helped us in 2019 is still there and has been communicating with me. Her name is Monica and she is from Poland originally.
When we checked into the hotel, we learned that there is no restaurant in the hotel and none very close by. We decided to order dinner for everyone at a local Pizzeria that she said is excellent and she picked it up for us just before the show was over. Tonight was our bus driver’s (Frode) birthday. Kjell came to the show again and brought his wife (Ruth) with him.
The lighting on the stage for the show was phenomenal. I stayed out front for most of the show and then went backstage and talked to Monica for a few minutes before it ended.
She was right about the food – it was definitely freshly prepared and the guys all said the best food they have had on the entire trip. We were back at the hotel at around 10 pm. Everyone gets to “sleep in” tomorrow since lobby call isn’t until 12:30 pm. We have a 3:30 pm flight to Bodo and then the rest of the night off. Then we have performances in Bodo, Bergen, Haugesund, Stavanger and Kristiansand and fly home one week from today! Jude