Sorry, been pretty swamped but here's the quick version up to our gig at the Limelight on Saturday:
Flight was hectic: nine of us trying to get on the flight with our luggage less than half a pound below the maximum weight (we checked at another airlines scales). For some odd reason, the Virgin Atlantic scales showed some of the bags being overweight! I watched as the scales went from 25.5 kilos up to 28 kilos, all by themselves, after sitting on the scales motionless for over two minutes.
Anyway, we got it all figured out and got on the plane. The flight was okay, except Joanne fainted halfway through - a combination of exhaustion, a glass of wine, the altitude, and whatever. The crew was very professional and told us that they get at least one person fainting per flight. Maybe that has something to do with VA?
Got through customs at Heathrow, our working papers all checked out (Thanks to Ben Ruth from CMEA!). The cell phones didn't work with the SIM cards we bought, but eventually we got it all working. The station wagon (called an "estate" here) we reserved wasn't available, and the car they gave us was too small to fit all the suitcases! Fortunately, a lovely lady named Catherine Highlander was able to set us up with a minivan that seats 7, and it all worked out great. It runs on regular gas, not diesel, so the mileage isn't as good, but it's still pretty thrifty.
Our agent Derek, and his lovely wife Ali, have been perfect hosts. Half the band has invaded their home and we're camped out in various rooms. The rest of the crew is at the Holiday Inn about a mile away, and have already made lifetime friends with the bartenders.
Next catch-up post: the gig at the Limelight Theater.
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