23 August 2007

As we were taking guitars we decided to drive (not trusting cherished instruments to the mercies of baggage handling and aeroplane hold storage). It was a long drive so we set off at the crack of dawn, called in at Sound Technology (Taylor distributors) in Letchworth, got delayed en-route to the Channel Tunnel, and had fun negotiating road works (and diversion signs in French) while finding our stopover hotel in Metz.

The next day's drive to Switzerland was less hassle, but our windscreen did manage to be hit by a flying roadside chipping (no one hurt, and the screen didn't break). After parking the car in Lauterbrunnen (no cars allowed in Wengen) we dragged our gear onto the train for the half hour journey to Wengen. Wengen is wonderful ... we were taken from the station to our hotel in an electric buggy/taxi, checked in to our rooms (yes, a mini-suite with bedroom, separate lounge and bathroom), and were amazed at the view from our window. We met up with everyone in the lounge for coffee and then our first taste of the gourmet cuisine and fine wine that was to be a feature of our stay.

Allan's workshops are enjoyable on all fronts - warm and friendly atmosphere, open and genuine critique of each other's songs, tips and techniques for writing, performing, exploration of open tunings and guitar styles (Jimmy is still persevering with rolling clawhammer!), tales from the road, a mini in-house concert on the last evening, in fact everything one could ask for. We thoroughly recommend them to everyone.

During the Wengen workshop we also had the opportunity to see some of the fantastic surroundings, travelling by cable-car/ski-lift and narrow gauge railway for lunch in truly impressive locations. Evenings were also music-filled with a visit to a local event with live music and impromptu after dinner singing and playing, socialising and good 'craic'.

The days passed all to quickly and - with hugs and promises to keep in touch and meet up again - the participants dispersed, journeying back to their homes.

jiva detoured via Brauneberg, in Germany, where Allan's 2006 workshop had been held. We met up with Ulli and Claudia Boegershausen (who organised last years workshop and were the perfect hosts), enjoyed a fine meal and sampled more of the local wine! A lovely evening... thank you.

The following morning we packed a dozen cases of the local wine into our car and headed off, heavily laden, for Calais. During the journey it became apparent that Val had been bitten by some insect/creature in Brauneberg (the same thing happened last year), and a small blotch on her arm began swelling and spreading. As soon as we found our hotel we walked into the centre of Calais to see if we could do something about the bite which was by now weeping - trust us to find a pharmacy where they couldn't speak English, and our French is embarrassingly poor... but the word 'insect' seemed to do the trick.

The following morning we managed to catch an earlier Channel Tunnel train than we'd booked, and got back to England in good time for the long trek north. But, of course, it was Bank Holiday weekend and the traffic was horrendous. We picked up Jimmy's guitar from Sound Technology and struggled on home through traffic jams and roadworks at seemingly every roundabout. After dumping our gear at home we drove to the local (10 miles away) hospital Accident and Emergency to get Val's bites seen to. After an entertaining three hours in the A & E reception with the usual crowd of Friday night revellers with black eyes, bruises and blood we finally got back home, turning in at about half past one in the morning.

Exhausted... but happy and filled with fond memories of the wonderful time we'd shared.

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