Jody Rides Santa’S Sleigh

[Jody Kruskal]

Gatwick Pastimes

https://youtu.be/vbPf2kYN_-g

Late November. I had just finished my 2015 tour of English folk clubs. An easy drive to Gatwick, returned the car, checked my bags, bought my duty free whisky and waited, waited, waited for the flight information to come up on the big board. Which gate was I to go to for my flight back home to New York? Finally, an announcement... a four hour delay! What to do, to pass the time?

There was a giant Santa’s sleigh in the middle of the giant atrium, so I took my seat and played concertina for a few happy hours as travelers hurried by. A nice gentleman from Iceland kindly agreed to take my phone and make a video, and here it is.

You can hear me playing the Hungarian Railway Polka by Swedish fiddler Magnus Bäckström which seemed appropriate somehow. Read all about the tune on my music blog here: http://jodykruskal.com/tune_of_the_month/march_2008.html

[John Wild]

Marvellous!

[Roger Hare]

Jolly good! Thank you. Gatwick needs something to cheer it up a bit!

 

Serious question - do you usually travel with your instrument as hand baggage? I ask because I

might want to take a concertina to Norway later this year (from Gatwick as it happens).

 

What's the general thought on flying with 'tinas? Hold or cabin baggage?

 

Roger

[Jody Kruskal]

I've used both hold and cabin baggage and never had a problem, though I do prefer to take them on the plane myself. You never know... when a concertina is required, it should be handy.

[Jim Besser]

 

Gatwick Pastimes

 

https://youtu.be/vbPf2kYN_-g

 

Late November. I had just finished my 2015 tour of English folk clubs. An easy drive to Gatwick, returned the car, checked my bags, bought my duty free whisky and waited, waited, waited for the flight information to come up on the big board. Which gate was I to go to for my flight back home to New York? Finally, an announcement... a four hour delay! What to do, to pass the time?

 

There was a giant Santa’s sleigh in the middle of the giant atrium, so I took my seat and played concertina for a few happy hours as travelers hurried by. A nice gentleman from Iceland kindly agreed to take my phone and make a video, and here it is.

 

You can hear me playing the Hungarian Railway Polka by Swedish fiddler Magnus Bäckström which seemed appropriate somehow. Read all about the tune on my music blog here: http://jodykruskal.com/tune_of_the_month/march_2008.html

 

 

Well done! Cool tune, too.

[JimLucas]

What's the general thought on flying with 'tinas? Hold or cabin baggage?

 

Cabin, always!

 

In view of problems experienced by myself and others, even though they didn't involve concertinas, I refuse to trust any concertina to baggage handlers. E.g.,

• I had a tin of candy in a hard suitcase that was crushed to half its original 4-inch height.
• A friend flying to Paris for a meeting arrived early in the morning, but her bag didn't. (Luckily, she had a couple of extra hours and her employer had sufficiently deep pockets that she was able to quickly buy some new clothes. Nice that it was Paris. But that's not a likely scenario with regard to either us or concertinas.)
• I'm trying to remember who told me (or was it reported here some years ago?) about looking out the window of the plane and seeing the forklift truck put its fork through his hardshell accordion case.
• And then there's Tom Paxton's song, "Thank You, Republic Airlines".

So I just don't think it's worth taking a chance. Other things can go in the hold (including my emergency repair kit, since tiny screwdrivers are considered dangerous weapons), but not my concertinas. Besides, some airlines -- including my current favorite, Norwegian -- allow you to take on board one small personal item in addition to the standard carry-on. That could be a camera, purse, or laptop computer, but a standard concertina also qualifies. It's an option I've used several times.

[JimLucas]

Gatwick Pastimes

 

https://youtu.be/vbPf2kYN_-g

 

While I don't see presents, I do see presence.

 

Great stuff!

[Steve Wilson]

Ho,ho! I wish I could ride in Santa's sleigh. What fun.

[David Barnert]

What's the general thought on flying with 'tinas? Hold or cabin baggage?

 

I always carry mine on. I've seen it suggested to prop the air valve open so the reduced cabin pressure doesn't strain the bellows. I never remember to do this and haven't seen a problem.

 

I've also seen the following suggestions re: taking a concertina through the airport security checkpoint:

 

1) If they ask what it is, answer the question as honestly as you can without using the word "concertina," which is on the list of items that must be confiscated (referring to concertina wire).

 

2) Place it upright on the x-ray scanner (instrument ends at sides or front & back, not top & bottom). Otherwise, the radial arrangement of the levers will suggest the appearance of a cluster bomb.