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Intro

Hello. My name is Isaac Shabtay, 32 years old from Ontario, Canada. I have set this blog up to document my journey following Mark Knopfler’s “Get Lucky” tour during the spring‐summer of 2010. This is in much the same way I did for Knopfler’s 2008 “Kill to Get Crimson” tour (see the “Links” section), except that this time, I will be following the entire tour—starting April 8 in Seattle, Washington, and ending July 31 in Gredos, Spain. Similarly to before, though, you are more than welcome to sit back, relax, read and comment. All comments, positive and negative, are welcome. You can also subscribe to the blog’s RSS feed (see links at the right‐hand side of the screen), so new posts become available through your favorite RSS reader. Have fun, Isaac

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Status Update: Tickets for Shows in Italy & Help, Anybody?

Hello,

Just a quick update if I may.

First, regarding the tickets for four of the five shows in Italy (see this post for more details). Thank you to all those who responded. As it stands at the moment:

Padova: concert have people interested in them so, unless I get a cancellation notice, those have run out—sorry.

Lucca: one reader mentioned he’s interested in two tickets, so two tickets are still left for the concert there all four tickets are still available.

Perugia and Rome—four front row tickets for those are still available. If you’re interested, please email me directly; if you know someone who would be interested, please forward this information to them.

The logistics of how to pick‐up the tickets at the venues have been worked out; if you’re interested in the tickets, contact me and I will provide details in private.

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Second update… actually, not really an update, more like asking for advice or help. Thanks to Elian & Arnaud, I have resolved the Montreux lodging problem—the three of us are going to share a big hotel room (guys, I call the single bed; have fun in the double bed and please spare me from the details) in Montreux. The day after, I will take the train to Locarno.

The problem I’m facing is that staying in Locarno would actually present a risk of missing the concert the next day in Würzburg. The only way to get from Locarno to Würzburg by train, on July 17, would be to leave Locarno at 7:00am and get to Würzburg at 3:30pm (that’s eight hours and a half!), switching trains 4 times with relatively short connection time. I would be OK with spending eight hours and a half in a train, but the risk of train delays / missing a connection is way too high, so I am seeking other options.

By far the easiest thing would be to fly from Milano to Frankfurt. Cheap flights, but for that, I would need a way to get from Locarno to Milano after the concert as there are no trains leaving Locarno past 9:00pm or so. I know that there probably are people driving from Milano to Locarno for the concert… if you are one, would it be OK if I catch a ride back with you? I would stay in a hotel near Milano airport and fly the next day.

Another alternative is to catch a ride with someone who’s driving anywhere north of Locarno right after the concert—for example, Basel. From Basel, trains to Würzburg are very easy—there’s an hourly train leaving Basel to Frankfurt and from there it’s a piece of cake. So if you live in Basel and are driving to Locarno and back… May I catch a ride back?

I’m hoping for some feedback… or, if you have other ideas, I’ll be more than happy to help.

Thank you!

Yours,
Isaac

2 comments:

  1. Just chiming in to say to anyone who can help Isaac out with a lift, you'll have a good time in his company, he's a lot of fun and a great guy if you haven't already determined that from this blog.

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  2. Isaac,

    My experience is somewhat limited, but having spent one month in Milan and three weeks in Switzerland, I found that Swiss trains are far more reliable than any transportation options in Italy. The Italian culture, while beautiful, does not respect time constraints in any fashion. This includes buses, trains, and planes. Italian workers are also fond of impromptu strikes which would totally ruin your travel plans. The Swiss are the ultimate time keepers and their trains were accurate to the minute when I rode them. Whatever option you end up choosing, I hope your plans work out with little stress. I also hope you enjoy Switzerland as it is my favorite place I've ever traveled.

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