Stonehaven (near Aberdeen), the North Sea... a piece of heaven!Warning : this is just a post-beginning, i'll write more tomorrow and hopefully get things up to date :-) And i'll get back on the comments re the Met Tosca, of course :-)
----------------------
Luck comes in strange ways…. I’m lucky to be back in London, sleeping in my own bed tonight! Oh, no I didn’t miss out on all the volcano fun, how could i? Given my track record volcano-cancellation was just what my weird travel log was missing… just one more involuntary adventure … (remember this?)
At least I was stuck on the island ( and not off the island), in Scotland and took the beautiful journey down south. But since lady luck seems to think I need some spice in my life the day started at 7am, work until 2pm, train at 3pm (after prayers and begging to find a seat … )…. For 8 hours! Five of which were spent in the charming company of a group of underage drunks 2 seats in front of me and a stag party, just as drunk, 3 seats behind me. The stag-boys were dressed up elegantly in fishnets, miniskirts and strappy tops, all dolled up with make up and stilettos… Not even the oomph of JK’s truly jaw-dropping “Vittoriaaaaaa!!!!!!” in my ears could drown out the rowdiness.. And I lost track after 6 bottles of booze each because I got too distracted by listening to ”Dolci maaaaniiii” . Lucky me they never suspected that I enjoyed myself by listening to Tosca over and over again… they might not have departed so “peacefully”…. At least I can’t complain that my 130GBP ticket (which was sold to me as first class, but turned out to be my usual cattle class..) didn’t come with entertainment for the journey.
Finally at the edge of London some 3 hours and a train-sandwich-dinner later another surprise… Fire alarm at King’s Cross! So we took a break in the darkness of the city, because after all we were in really no hurry to get home. …One hour later on the underground thinking that I may yet make it home I hear: This train is held at a red signal, please wait for further announcements…Wait we did, I wasn’t too keen on jogging home with suitcase and backpack in tow ;-)) Then there we go, miracle happens and we move again!! But miracles don’t last long, 2 more stops down the line: This train is held at a red signal… and you know the drill. The two other passengers in the wagon gave me the looks when I suddenly started giggling uncontrollably!
So you see, “things” always happen when I travel :-) I’ll never know why. The good thing is after a volcano nothing will phase me :-) And as they say, Ende gut, Alles gut!
This was just the end of a couple of months where various viruses found an unusually strong attraction to me and where I tried to duck them to still be able to enjoy some music. And enjoy I did!!! A Konigskinder in Zurich, 2x Goerne with Schubert at the Wigmore, Hamlet from the Met in HD, the amazing Mariss Jansons with SOBR and Shostakovich, the Gambler and the Turco at the ROH :-)
More on these and on Stonehaven once I wake up from the dead tomorrow morning….
One thing I can tell you, I think I finally found spring!! And it smells of the sea and has cold hands when it caresses your hair and face :-)
Crossing fingers for all the stranded travellers to find their way back to their homes as quickly as possible!
Good night!
