First two gigs in Switzerland and France

The past few days have been an adventuresome whirlwind right from the moment Brittan and I touched down and got into the rental car. Making our way to Luzern, Switzerland, I guessed at an exit from the highway as our directions were in German and we had not yet acquired a navigation system. Emerging from a tunnel, the buildings and landmarks became familiar to me from my trip here in the Summer of 2009. We followed the lake shore and immediately spotted Hotel Schweizerhof, a very old and opulent hotel overlooking Lake Luzern. We took an illegal left turn into the hotel parking lot (judging by the looks of the drivers and an old man shaking his finger and yelling obscenities at us) then dragged our over-packed suitcases up the stairs and into the lobby. I immediately felt a bit ragged and under dressed as everyone and everything was so polished and well put together. We were given a junior suite with a view of the lake. It was plenty big and very nice! 

I had the entire day and the next to rest up and prepare for my opening night show in the Hotel Schweizerhof Lounge. Excited to see the city, we freshened up and headed out to take a walk.

Luzern is a very pretty city, even in the very cold weather and overcast sky, it's authentic and old world beauty is everywhere. It is VERY expensive here. Two cappuccino's and a water ran us 26CHF. The soft chairs and view of the river were nice though :)

We wandered about the next day, visiting the open market and window shopping. Roger Salem, who is responsible for booking this tour, met up with us at the hotel before my show. It was great to finally meet him in person. He is so nice and packed with enthusiasm. He even brought all of his recording gear!

The gig at the lounge felt as if I were getting my sea legs back. I felt internally stiff and unsettled. The atmosphere lent itself to the stiffness. As lovely and as fancy as it was, it felt like more of a place you would go to hear lounge jazz or piano. I certainly caught people's attention, and maybe a bit off guard, as I tend to put it all out there. The room was very large and marble covered, so the acoustics were quite reverberant. It went over well according to Britt and Roger. There were no real screw up's but I was hoping I would feel more confident inside. All in all, it was a good place to start and certainly a soft landing!

I have been learning to drive a stick shift with the patient help of Brittan, who has driven one her whole life. We drove about 6 hours to Lournand, France, for my second show at Le Pont de Cotte. It was a contrast as it's nestled in the countryside, and much more laid back. The space was beautiful inside and out. My performance felt so much better, and the audience appreciated the music. We stayed and ate and laughed, and tried to learn some French from our very gratious host Henri and his lovely friends.

The next show is back in Switzerland tomorrow in Zug.

I'm starting to get into the swing of things and i look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Old pedestrian Bridge in Luzern

Brittan at the market

Ancient city wall/tower  Luzern

yum yum bunny cakes!

b+w , Luzern

Schweizerhof Lounge, opening night

Settling into a groove at "Le Pont de Cotte" FR

Henri on the left and J.P. on the right. These guys helped to put the whole thing together and I'm thankful!

Lournand, France (i wish i had this driveway!)

xoxoxo  Katrin