PACK YOUR BAGS KIDS...WE ARE GOING TO EUROPE!!!

In 1991 or 1992, I was on an extensive tour of Europe with Sepultura and missing the children. They were quite a bit younger at that time, and had sacrificed a good deal of Mom-time, in order for me to start my company. I decided to surprise them with a vacation....to Europe!!. The tour was ending in London, so I decided to ask a nanny to fly them out to me.

Coming to Europe the first time is quite an experience.....like Disneyland is everywhere around you! Everything is brilliant...changing money, different cuisine, old-as-heck architecture, battlefields, castles...it's got it all! It's everything you dreamt it would be! Dana, Roxanne, Riche and Jason came to the Sepultura show, but the most fun was "the little box in the hotel room that shoots out coke!"

I have had many wonderful bus drivers in my 27 years on the road, and at this time, I had Bill Leonard, who I adore to this day! He drove us on the Sepultura tour and was headed to France to pick up another band in a couple days, so what did this Superhero driver do.....he offered that we could stay in the bus and during the day he would take us sightseeing around London!.. A private bus tour..this was great. So tour we did.....

Rox, Richie, Dana, and Jason

Dana, and Jason

Carnaby Street, the original Dr. Martens' shop, Winchester Cathedral, the Tower of London, the Crown Jewels, cathedrals and palaces swept by, under our feet. We saw tombstones of Florence Nightingale, Lawrence of Arabia, Dukes and Duchesses...... We ate shepherd's pie, fish and chips with mushy peas, and steaming cups of tea. I even managed a few pints of that lovely ale down me!

Bill took us on to Paris and left us at the Holiday Inn de Republic, in one of the main squares of Paris. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visited the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa! At night we ate French delicacies and the kids were even served shots of wine...of course, only Richie and Dana swigged the purple drank!

Dana, Jason, Rox, and Richie

at the Louvre

Early one morning, we went to the main train station in Paris, to catch a ride to the ferry, and head back to England. It was quite an experience as I had green hair then and everyone kept approaching me to buy ecstasy! I was happy when the train arrived!! It was weird to be thought of as a drug dealer, especially with the kids there, to say the least! When we finally got on the train, we could feel the conductor didn't really care much about Americans. He wasn't helpful and every American on that train ended up getting kicked off at some other tiny coastal town, far past our destination!! We all stuck together and eventually got on another boat, which crossed the English Channel just fine, and deposited us in the UK.

On the ferry

If you have a bushel basket of kids and work out of the country, sure, you can let someone else raise them...or you can be a parent. Call them every day. Let them fight over the phone. Let them complain and also, let them be happy. And when you can, bring them out and let them see what you do. You can juggle everything you want and if you want to work and have a family, both responsibilities are important. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it! Now there is FaceTime, Skype, and many other connections to make life easier. It's all the same in the end. It's how we made our family and started our Tribe.....




Class dismissed......