Hello to all yes i know it's been some time since my last post but been up to it. So has Caz with her being back at school. On this tour not getting the internet that much and if i do its so slow it take's a long time to put some photos up so have not done much and not been back at Caz's that much.
Ok the new tour started some weeks ago and its just a short one. I said some time back it was not going to be a Disney show, but for the same company, they have 3 circus's in the the U S A they sent one over here to see if it would work. Italy, Spain and Germany but Germany has been cancelled. Ok we started in Rome, it was a circus without a big tent as we were playing in the same arenas we use normally, so it was not much different than what we normally do. There were some lions and elephants on here as well as the normal things that go with a circus.
Got a chance to stroke and touch the lions as two of them where so layed back but you had to watch for the tail going up as they let a squirt of scent out about 3metres and it stunk. I was lucky i did not get hit. Ok we had Rome and Milan in Italy then over to Spain Sevilla, Malaga and at the mo we have just gone in to Madrid for 2 weeks and then Zaragoza so this show will be over by mid Dec and after i dont know yet which other tour i will be going on.
Here are some photos heading for Italy. The start photos are south of Bourg-en-bresse at a town called Nantua. As we head into this tunnel we were climbing up the hills and then into the tunnel!
Then out on the other side we were about 500ft up on a road that is attached to the mountain and the road in the next photo is just attached to the side of the next mountains.
As you can see.
This is looking over the side down to the town of Nantua.
looking at the valley and road i am heading on.
Before the high road was built we had to use the low road. In the next photo was a very good truck stop in its day. It was a shell station with and good restaurant; on it now, it's just a place to eat if you want a rest from the motorway.
more of Nantua.
Looking at the lake of Nantua. In this photo i was heading back to Macon after dropping one trl in Rome as i was to meet Stip at the Bp truck stop at Macon to pick up the next one, going back to Rome i did this trip to Macon 2 times that week.
This is heading back into the Nantua tunnel heading north towards Macon. As you can see the road is attached to the mountain face.
Ok. Now heading south again we have to take the route from Nantua to just on the French side of the border with Switzerland at Geneve; stayed in France then passed Cluses heading for Chamonix Mont Blanc.
This is heading back into the Nantua tunnel heading north towards Macon. As you can see the road is attached to the mountain face.
Ok. Now heading south again we have to take the route from Nantua to just on the French side of the border with Switzerland at Geneve; stayed in France then passed Cluses heading for Chamonix Mont Blanc.
In this photo it looks like the Mt Blanc but its the foot hill's to the alp's where the Mt Blanc is.
And again.
Still heading for them hill's.
Getting closer.
And again.
Still heading for them hill's.
Getting closer.
Ok, we are not their yet. Maybe just around the next corner??
Someone moved the Mt Blanc?
No...... not that one, maybe the next one. This is just before Cluses.
Someone moved the Mt Blanc?
ARE!!!!! we're getting somewhere now.
Ok in the next one we are at the start of the climb up. The road bridge you see is the start of it. At the moment i am waiting in the holding area taking a break. When there is to much traffic they hold all trucks here and let some go at a time.
Still in the holding area looking over at the alp's.
Ok going up the road bridge, looking at the road heading down.
Ok done it again photo's in the wrong place but what the !!!!! NO i may not be loosing it the next photos are of me heading back to Rome on the second trip from Macon. There's me thinking i lost it (No caz i have not) Who says!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As it says MT BLANC here we come again.
She's looking good.
The photo before and the one after, is after we have got off the road bridge on the start of the Mt blanc.
The next photo of the monument is of a lady, don't now if this is true but was told its in memory of a lady which saved alot of kids in the war or something like that. Sorry don't know much more, and dont know how true it is but she's a long way up the mountain.
Ok getting closer and looking cold up there.
Ok in the next, heading up the steps of the Mt Blanc heading for the tunnel. This is looking down one of the snow shutes.
This is in memory of the people who died building the tunnel in the first place and when there was a big fire a couple of years ago when the tunnel was closed for quite some time. I think about 2 years or more.
Still heading up. Don't know why i took this but must admit it looks a very good photo.
A glacier, it's there all year round. 
And again.
Ok got to the toll booth. Thats the start of the tunnel into MT blanc. I have take a video of going up, through and down the other side but forgot to put it on here will do another post and load them up for you to see.
Looking back as i entered the tunnel.
There is a video in which i forgot to put on here as well. Ok now i am in Italy heading down the new motorway. Well it is for me as the last time i came up here was maybe 9 year's ago and then it was up the old road. Well heading for Aosta now and for the ones who don't know it's where we had to get our paperwork stamped and looked at. If you were doing custom's here it was the end of the day for you. The rest had their permits stamped and page 3 of the T2 taken out and then on your way to where you will get cleared.
The next 6 photos are heading down the valley to Aosta.
This Italian truck came by me doing i think about 105kms and there was a speed limt of 80kms. He could'nt have been looking in his mirrors because there was a cop right behind him all the way until we got to nr Aosta where he pulled him. I have had one of their fines when i was working for an Italian company it was about £250. Not a lot as i was driving an Italian truck but if i was driving another country's truck you would have been looking at about 3times that.
The next ones are of coming to the interporter (customs) in Aosta it has changed a lot of course there was no motoway before, just a shit road, but now you fly passed it on the motorway or if you like or have to do customs you take the exit straight in there. There's alot of new stuff like a supermarket and factory shop's and more, but not for me, me hauling ass to Rome.
The photo above is of the old warehouse from the olden days (god i'm sounding old). There still their and then the one below is what they have done to the interporter(customs). They still got the wooded shack and as we called it "idiot 1" then there was "idiot 2" which is where the papers get checked and stamped then another "idiot 3" going out the other side who checked your papers again.
Ok heading down the Valley from Aosta. 
This next one is a lot further down the road it is of Genova on the coast. Going through there is about 156 tunnels. As you come out of one there is another one to go in. I was heading for Pisa then heading inland again for Prato nr Florence and from there down the A1 into Rome.
This still in Genova.
Ok out of Genova tunnels heading south for La Spezia.
Got to Rome on Saturday morning after one trip from the yard in Rotterdam and two trips to Macon and back to Rome where they were doing the rehearsals. They did not need much of there stuff, only 3trls were unloaded out of the 7 we had for them. Sunday we had to load out we had to do nothing as the trl's where already in the right place. As on Monday morning we were headiing around to the arena we normally use. It all kicked off at midnight as we had to move all trls plus the FCP one so in total 10 trls. Load in for the new arena was for 6am. We were in Rome for 1 week then up to Milan for a week. Well, that was Italy over with and we headed for the port of Livorno to Barcelona. The show had a week off but we did not as we had to take all the trl's to Sevilla. We had a bit of help as my mate Robert was not a well man, he had put his back out big time and had trapped a nerve in the bottom of his back, so he went to where the animals and performers were resting for a week off. Where as i was going to Sevilla with another one of our driver's. In the end we had 3 of our's helping us as they were waiting for a show coming in from Mallorca. Sevilla was not a good week for me as had to fly home for my mums funeral. Ok back on the Sunday for the move to Malaga. Left for Malaga on Sunday night then back to Sevilla to wait for the Spainsh drivers on Monday then back to Malaga for the load in on Tuesday morning. We were going to Valencia after Malaga but that was cancelled so we had a week to move to Madrid. We were up and down all week. Had the weekend off back in Malaga and left there on Monday morning for the last time. Load in for Madrid was for Tuesday morning.
Ok in the next one we are at the start of the climb up. The road bridge you see is the start of it. At the moment i am waiting in the holding area taking a break. When there is to much traffic they hold all trucks here and let some go at a time.
Still in the holding area looking over at the alp's.
Ok going up the road bridge, looking at the road heading down.Ok done it again photo's in the wrong place but what the !!!!! NO i may not be loosing it the next photos are of me heading back to Rome on the second trip from Macon. There's me thinking i lost it (No caz i have not) Who says!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!As it says MT BLANC here we come again.
She's looking good.
The photo before and the one after, is after we have got off the road bridge on the start of the Mt blanc.
The next photo of the monument is of a lady, don't now if this is true but was told its in memory of a lady which saved alot of kids in the war or something like that. Sorry don't know much more, and dont know how true it is but she's a long way up the mountain.
Ok getting closer and looking cold up there.
Ok in the next, heading up the steps of the Mt Blanc heading for the tunnel. This is looking down one of the snow shutes.
This is in memory of the people who died building the tunnel in the first place and when there was a big fire a couple of years ago when the tunnel was closed for quite some time. I think about 2 years or more.
Still heading up. Don't know why i took this but must admit it looks a very good photo.
A glacier, it's there all year round.
And again.
Ok got to the toll booth. Thats the start of the tunnel into MT blanc. I have take a video of going up, through and down the other side but forgot to put it on here will do another post and load them up for you to see.
Looking back as i entered the tunnel.
There is a video in which i forgot to put on here as well. Ok now i am in Italy heading down the new motorway. Well it is for me as the last time i came up here was maybe 9 year's ago and then it was up the old road. Well heading for Aosta now and for the ones who don't know it's where we had to get our paperwork stamped and looked at. If you were doing custom's here it was the end of the day for you. The rest had their permits stamped and page 3 of the T2 taken out and then on your way to where you will get cleared.
The next 6 photos are heading down the valley to Aosta.
This Italian truck came by me doing i think about 105kms and there was a speed limt of 80kms. He could'nt have been looking in his mirrors because there was a cop right behind him all the way until we got to nr Aosta where he pulled him. I have had one of their fines when i was working for an Italian company it was about £250. Not a lot as i was driving an Italian truck but if i was driving another country's truck you would have been looking at about 3times that.
The next ones are of coming to the interporter (customs) in Aosta it has changed a lot of course there was no motoway before, just a shit road, but now you fly passed it on the motorway or if you like or have to do customs you take the exit straight in there. There's alot of new stuff like a supermarket and factory shop's and more, but not for me, me hauling ass to Rome.
The photo above is of the old warehouse from the olden days (god i'm sounding old). There still their and then the one below is what they have done to the interporter(customs). They still got the wooded shack and as we called it "idiot 1" then there was "idiot 2" which is where the papers get checked and stamped then another "idiot 3" going out the other side who checked your papers again.
Ok heading down the Valley from Aosta.
This next one is a lot further down the road it is of Genova on the coast. Going through there is about 156 tunnels. As you come out of one there is another one to go in. I was heading for Pisa then heading inland again for Prato nr Florence and from there down the A1 into Rome.
This still in Genova.
Ok out of Genova tunnels heading south for La Spezia.
Got to Rome on Saturday morning after one trip from the yard in Rotterdam and two trips to Macon and back to Rome where they were doing the rehearsals. They did not need much of there stuff, only 3trls were unloaded out of the 7 we had for them. Sunday we had to load out we had to do nothing as the trl's where already in the right place. As on Monday morning we were headiing around to the arena we normally use. It all kicked off at midnight as we had to move all trls plus the FCP one so in total 10 trls. Load in for the new arena was for 6am. We were in Rome for 1 week then up to Milan for a week. Well, that was Italy over with and we headed for the port of Livorno to Barcelona. The show had a week off but we did not as we had to take all the trl's to Sevilla. We had a bit of help as my mate Robert was not a well man, he had put his back out big time and had trapped a nerve in the bottom of his back, so he went to where the animals and performers were resting for a week off. Where as i was going to Sevilla with another one of our driver's. In the end we had 3 of our's helping us as they were waiting for a show coming in from Mallorca. Sevilla was not a good week for me as had to fly home for my mums funeral. Ok back on the Sunday for the move to Malaga. Left for Malaga on Sunday night then back to Sevilla to wait for the Spainsh drivers on Monday then back to Malaga for the load in on Tuesday morning. We were going to Valencia after Malaga but that was cancelled so we had a week to move to Madrid. We were up and down all week. Had the weekend off back in Malaga and left there on Monday morning for the last time. Load in for Madrid was for Tuesday morning.
Show loaded in by about 11am and then got a call saying i was flying back to the UK as we were in Madrid till the 6th Dec. I had to help with the move of a show from Liverpool to Paris on Sunday the 29th Nov, when I arrived in Paris I then had to drive this spare truck to Budapest and leave it there, then fly back to Madrid in time for my show move. So at the mo i am at Caz's place doing the blogg.
I hope not to be so long on the next up date but who know's where i will be after my show end's. Maybe heading north to Sweden or somewhere in France don't know yet and will not know till i am doing it but then there is another show about. We will have to wait and see which one it will be.
So Boy's and Girl's, till the next post keep it sunny side up and be happy.......
