As I have written before I had arranged the trip with an extra day at the Lodge with the intention of visiting again the Calle exhibition at the Whitechapel, having a pre Christmas meal at the Cafe Rouge at Victoria station and a relay from Barcelona of Il Trovatore at the Odeon Convent Garden. My Traviata and Trovatore being mixed up beforehand but no more.
Having watched and heard the opera twice(listening again as I checked this writing) since the live relay I confirm my reaction on the night that this is the most satisfying operatic experience to-date. The opera is full of powerful and passionate arias from the four lead characters where the two female parts were outstanding in the Barcelona production but nothing can compare with the 1988 Metropolitan production with Pavarotti and Dolora Zajick. Every part of the four act opera performed with one interval between Acts 2 and 3 contains moments of moving drama and singing challenges and listening ecstasy. The reason is the almost unbroken melodiousness of the opera. Yet it nearly did not happen for me.
After a morning of plan changing after the horror of the driving conditions the night before, deciding to take the car to collect my mobile phone left at the home of a relative and then parking in central Croydon for the train to Victoria where I had a good lunch at the Cafe Rouge, I made my way to the cinema intending, according to the available information about its location to change at Green Park for the Piccadilly Line to Convent Garden station. The pavement at Convent Garden station is only reached by lift unless one is an enthusiast for the 153 spiral stairway. The was a great crush and the available lift would not move until some of those trying to cram in waited. I went back to the platform area with the intention of returning to the Leicester Square Station and walking from there but got on a train going in the opposite direction by mistake and therefore had to alight again and return back from Holborn. At Leicester Square I looked at a local map to decide on the best exit and this revealed that the Odeon was just off Cambridge Circus and therefore this was a better station than Convent Garden. My reason for going straight to the cinema was to check that that the ticket ordered by telephone automatically was available as I had received no reference number or printed out confirmation. The theatre just opened as I arrived at 2.45 to the annoyance of some customers who had arrived for the first showings due at that time. I inserted a credit card in a small seat collection machine on one wall and obtained a printed paper ticket. Getting the ticket brought me a step closer to attending the evening show but I was still concerned about the weather.
I then visited the Calle Exhibition again at the Whitechapel Gallery and will write separately in the coming days and visited Blackwell’s and Foyle’s Bookshops where I made no purchase buying a six book hard cover compilation of the Forsyte Saga from Amazon for a fraction of the shop price.
I decided to check on the trains at Victoria before returning to the cinema and was given the all clear for a later return to Croydon, then making my way to the cinema just before 6.30 finding a number of other early arrivals in the small coffee shop and bar or standing at the entrance to the theatre.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the cinema had allocated a large screen and auditorium with about 240 250 comfortable seats especially those in the centre area classified as Premium. The theatre was over half full when the curtain was raised although I had spare seats on either side which made the experience more comfortable to the point of luxury at the amazing price of under £9 including credit card charge.
As with the Metropolitan New York and Convent Garden the effect of showing the height of the stage with the width creates an oblong effect shortening the width of the Opera at Barcelona. I was able to work out the true perspective by counting the number of seats in a row in the theatre and at the opera house and this only served to emphasis the height and depth although unlike the Metropolitan we were not given a behind the scenes peek.
The Gran Thatre del Liceu was destroyed by fire in January 1994. While the auditorium was re-created the opportunity was taken to improve the backstage and to fund the development the theatre became Public.
The most performed Opera is Aida with over 440 performances with Rigoletto second with just under 400. Faust 297, Lucia di Lammermoor 274, La Favourita 263, Il Trovatore 259, Lohengrin 241 La Boheme 238, Barber di Suvugia 233, Traviata 231, Les Huguenots 228 Carmen 205. There are some surprises on this list with no Madame Butterfly or Turandot, Tosca or Paglacci, Don Carlo or Don Givanni and several others before Les Huguenots or La Favourita.
The Liceu production is comparatively simple which a fixed contemporary looking structure of ceiling high columns at either side between which performers enter and exist, and single backcloths designed to show that as a background to the story there is conflict and war between two noble houses in Southern Spain. When the separate houses are represented on stage they have their own backcloth and the soldiers wear blue or red neck scarves and shining red or blue gauntlets. The effect is that much more dramatic than the Metropolitan with its stairways and changes in structures, impressive as these always are. It is also fair to say that the war between the two aristocratic houses is minor significance in terms of the two big issues of the opera.
The opera opens with the captain of the guard for the noble house of Aragon, a baritone, explaining that in the past, the story is set in the fifteen century, a gypsy woman was seen over the child son of the Count di Luna and chased away but the child then fell ill and the court believed that the woman had cast a spell so she was apprehended and told to remove the spell and when the condition of the child did not improved she was burnt at the stake in front of her daughter, who listened to her mother’s cry, daughter, avenge me. By coincidence I was to watch a showing of the Wicker Man a few days later and which has the most vivid and effective of the martyrdom’s at the end of the film in which the victim calls for the salvation to his God. In this story the pagan response of the gypsy was to have such profound effect on all the principal characters.
Her daughter Azucena was a young girl with a child of her own in her arms and seeing the horror of her mother’s death and the entreaty to take revenge, managed to enter the castle of the Count and steal one of the brothers, a child of similar age to her own, intending to throw it into the still burning pyre on which her mother had perished. However in her emotional condition she had mixed up the two babies and thrown her own child which was also burnt alive, bringing up the son of the Count as her own. However throughout the rest of her life she remains uncertain of what she did, except that she was responsible for the burning to death of a baby.
There are different views on this aspect of the story with some writing claming that the libretto was written with a view that knowing what she had done she would use her son one day against his House, although the Count dies and his other son the Count is not sure if it was his brothers bones in the ashes or the boy was raised by the gypsies.
After this long singing soliloquy of a prologue accompanied by a chorus of the guard, the advises the audience that the opera is to begin.
Most writers admit the melodramatic story has its flaws and none more so that than what happens to the infant that lived and was raised by the gypsy woman, Manrico, who as soon as he is able to, despite a close relationship with his mother, leaves her to become a Troubadour, and somehow as well as a soldier who takes up the cause of a rival Noble House and becomes,, for the purposes of the opera, a leading if not leading assistant on behalf of the House against the Count di Luna. What is worse he has fought and sung his way into the heart of the Duchess Lenora, who the Count coverts with overwhelming passion. When the Count di Luna learns that the man is singing below the balcony of Leonora he orders his men to apprehend Manrico at the first opportunity.
Having been alerted to his presence one night the Duke approaches and suddenly finds Leonora in his arms who in the fog mistakes him for Manrico who also appears and the three are together on stage with musical as well as dramatic fireworks. In the stage directions the men fight a duel but this aspect is omitted in both version of the opera I have seen.
The Act ends and with a brief musical introduction the next act begins with a gypsy encampment. The gypsies are working on sword making and the audience is treated to one of the well loved choruses in opera, The Anvil Chorus. The focus of the Act is the gypsy woman, sung by Luciana D‘Intinio in the relay and Dolera Krijick in the Met Opera video available on the internet and audio CD. While Luciana is regarded as one of the leading Mezzo soprano’s of the present generation, now aged born 1959, specialising in Verdi with Il Trovatore and Aida, plus the Requiem, her major roles, she has no Wikipedia entry. I thought her performance was outstanding and along with that of Lenora the two women made the evening a memorable one. Interestingly she has performed both - Il Trovatore and Aida at the Met. The Act provides the opportunity to recount the past to her son so having had the perspective oft he Captain of the Guard we now have that of the daughter. She has been hiding in the land of the House of Biscay but came out to find her son and to nurse him back to health after finding him injured from the recent battle between the forces of Biscay and Aragon. Understandably the account of the past raises doubt about the parentage of Manrico and when he raises these Azucena pulls back and claims that she explained things badly because of her emotional state reliving the trauma.
It is his ‘mother’s’ turn to question Manrico because we learn that in the duel at the end of Act 1 he had got the better of the Count di Luna who had led the forces of Aragon in the recent battle. The gypsy woman wants to know why Manrico did not kill the Count when he had the opportunity and he explains that a voice from heaven prevented him doing so, thus suggesting a subconscious kinship link between the two.
A messenger arrives from the Prince of Biscay to order Manrico to take charge of the forces defending the city of Castellor and we also learn that Leonora believing him dead has entered a convent to take the veil.
The scene switches to the Count who has also heard that Leonora has entered the convent and he sets out to kidnap her before she take the Holy Orders. Critics claim that his baritone solo is one of the most beautiful solos in Italian opera. The performance of Roberto Frontali as the count is excellent and in my judgement compares to that of Sherrill Miles at the Met, although the latter is regarded alongside Domingo and Pavarotti with whom he has featured in many performances and on CD’s
However before he can implement his plan Marico arrives with greater forces and Leonora amazed that he is alive leaves the convent to join him and there is a moving end to this part of the opera before the only interval as the three express their feelings with the support of the chorus of nuns and military supporters.
I enjoyed a coffee from the Theatre and the Danish pastry carried around since leaving the Travel Lodge the day back in my seat, and marvelling at how the day had worked out so far. Whatever happened on the journey back, I was enjoying myself with skin tingling singing.
The Third Act opens with the Count laying siege to Castellor where Manrico has taken Leonora with him. There is a commotion and the Count finds that the Captain of his guard has apprehended a gipsy woman who proclaims she is a wanderer looking for her lost son. She is recognised as the woman who took his brother and cast him to the flames and protesting her innocence she calls out to her son by name. Understandably the Count realises that he has double reason to hold the woman prisoner and to burn her at the stake when she has served her purpose. While in the relay production the woman is played by a singer of similar years, this was Krijick’s first role at the Met and she had to age herself by a grey wig and makeup. He voice had not matured to extent of the recent AIDA performance but is nevertheless magnificent. The emotion she coveys is extraordinary and sets as one of the all time greats. As with AIDA I hope she reprise her role in Il Travatore in some relayed production in the future.
In Castellor Manrico and Leonora are about to be married when news comes of the capture of his mother and breaks off from the ceremony to try and rescue her. I was not impressed by the performance of Marco Berti as Manrico, something shared by Jose M Irurzun who attended a number of performances to hear the performances of all the International singers taking the roles with in effect three different casts, although there was some cross overs. I also noted that other critics had felt that his singing and characterization has not lived up to expectations in others roles around the world..
In the fourth act we learn that his attempt to save his mother failed and he has been captured and thrown into a cell in a prison tower with his mother. Leonora learns of his situation and puts into operation a desperate plan to save his life at the expense of her own. She carries with her a poison ring which indicates what is to take place when she offers herself to the Count in exchange for Marico.
She alerts Manrico of her presence by what has become one of the most familiar most familiar melodies in all of opera, the Miserere.
The plan works in that the Count agrees to free Manrico in exchange for Leonora but Manrico does no accept his release and works out the price Leonora appears to have paid, something he does not understand or forgive until the poison works quicker than anticipated and she dies in his arms. The Count is so angered at being duped that he orders the immediate execution of Manrico and too late he learns from Azucena that he has killed his long lost brother. Everyone loses. Before there is some moving sing from all four leads with Aucena’s cry, Mother you are avenged.
In the relay Leonora is played by Florenza Cedolins one of the outstanding new generation of Italian sopranos who first performed only in 1992 and four years later won the Pavarotti Vocal Competition with a prize which included singing Tosca with him in Philadelphia. She was invited to sing The Requiem Mass for Pope John Paul II. I thought her performance on the night was also exceptional and matching that of D’Intinio. For the Met Eva Marton sings Leonora. The Hungarian born singer only four year younger that myself was of matching maturity with Pavarotti when they and together in 1988 and brings her then musical and singing experience to the role. She possesses great power in her voice which led to singing Wagner which was her Met debut in 1976. She performed Il Trovatore at La Scala in 1978 ten years before the Met performance with Pavarotti. In later years she made Turandot a major role, retiring in 2008
Enrico Caruso stated at the turn of the last century that the opera required four the greatest voices of any generation to match the strength and brilliance of Verdi’s creation. While the relay could be said to have two performances worthy of the opera, the Met production has four and is why I am listening again as I write, the third time since my return. My next interest will be Carmen from the Met on January 16th. Before then I will experience a video which has been added to the Met Player performances available.
After the pre Christmas relay and the music filling my senses I had a brilliant journey back to the Travel Lodge. reached Victoria Station in time to get on a one stop train to East Croydon as it prepared to leave the platform, but I managed to find a seat albeit next to a new European who appeared to have been drinking heavily although there was also evidence of some office partying among others returning to Sussex, Brighton and other south coast homes.
My car was one of only a few left in the car park and I had a brief moment of anxiety as the machine fully consumed the credit card which it read automatically without my needing to insert a pin number. The roads were clear and quiet and was back in my room well before 11.30 having spent several minutes sorting out the room key card which had lost its potency and to be recharged although it led to my having a short conversations about the conditions with the duty receptionist. It had been an exceptional and memorable day and I went to bed unconcerned about the journey to the Midlands the following morning although he weather forecast continued to be filled with warnings about more snow, fog and dangerous road conditions.
Having watched and heard the opera twice(listening again as I checked this writing) since the live relay I confirm my reaction on the night that this is the most satisfying operatic experience to-date. The opera is full of powerful and passionate arias from the four lead characters where the two female parts were outstanding in the Barcelona production but nothing can compare with the 1988 Metropolitan production with Pavarotti and Dolora Zajick. Every part of the four act opera performed with one interval between Acts 2 and 3 contains moments of moving drama and singing challenges and listening ecstasy. The reason is the almost unbroken melodiousness of the opera. Yet it nearly did not happen for me.
After a morning of plan changing after the horror of the driving conditions the night before, deciding to take the car to collect my mobile phone left at the home of a relative and then parking in central Croydon for the train to Victoria where I had a good lunch at the Cafe Rouge, I made my way to the cinema intending, according to the available information about its location to change at Green Park for the Piccadilly Line to Convent Garden station. The pavement at Convent Garden station is only reached by lift unless one is an enthusiast for the 153 spiral stairway. The was a great crush and the available lift would not move until some of those trying to cram in waited. I went back to the platform area with the intention of returning to the Leicester Square Station and walking from there but got on a train going in the opposite direction by mistake and therefore had to alight again and return back from Holborn. At Leicester Square I looked at a local map to decide on the best exit and this revealed that the Odeon was just off Cambridge Circus and therefore this was a better station than Convent Garden. My reason for going straight to the cinema was to check that that the ticket ordered by telephone automatically was available as I had received no reference number or printed out confirmation. The theatre just opened as I arrived at 2.45 to the annoyance of some customers who had arrived for the first showings due at that time. I inserted a credit card in a small seat collection machine on one wall and obtained a printed paper ticket. Getting the ticket brought me a step closer to attending the evening show but I was still concerned about the weather.
I then visited the Calle Exhibition again at the Whitechapel Gallery and will write separately in the coming days and visited Blackwell’s and Foyle’s Bookshops where I made no purchase buying a six book hard cover compilation of the Forsyte Saga from Amazon for a fraction of the shop price.
I decided to check on the trains at Victoria before returning to the cinema and was given the all clear for a later return to Croydon, then making my way to the cinema just before 6.30 finding a number of other early arrivals in the small coffee shop and bar or standing at the entrance to the theatre.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the cinema had allocated a large screen and auditorium with about 240 250 comfortable seats especially those in the centre area classified as Premium. The theatre was over half full when the curtain was raised although I had spare seats on either side which made the experience more comfortable to the point of luxury at the amazing price of under £9 including credit card charge.
As with the Metropolitan New York and Convent Garden the effect of showing the height of the stage with the width creates an oblong effect shortening the width of the Opera at Barcelona. I was able to work out the true perspective by counting the number of seats in a row in the theatre and at the opera house and this only served to emphasis the height and depth although unlike the Metropolitan we were not given a behind the scenes peek.
The Gran Thatre del Liceu was destroyed by fire in January 1994. While the auditorium was re-created the opportunity was taken to improve the backstage and to fund the development the theatre became Public.
The most performed Opera is Aida with over 440 performances with Rigoletto second with just under 400. Faust 297, Lucia di Lammermoor 274, La Favourita 263, Il Trovatore 259, Lohengrin 241 La Boheme 238, Barber di Suvugia 233, Traviata 231, Les Huguenots 228 Carmen 205. There are some surprises on this list with no Madame Butterfly or Turandot, Tosca or Paglacci, Don Carlo or Don Givanni and several others before Les Huguenots or La Favourita.
The Liceu production is comparatively simple which a fixed contemporary looking structure of ceiling high columns at either side between which performers enter and exist, and single backcloths designed to show that as a background to the story there is conflict and war between two noble houses in Southern Spain. When the separate houses are represented on stage they have their own backcloth and the soldiers wear blue or red neck scarves and shining red or blue gauntlets. The effect is that much more dramatic than the Metropolitan with its stairways and changes in structures, impressive as these always are. It is also fair to say that the war between the two aristocratic houses is minor significance in terms of the two big issues of the opera.
The opera opens with the captain of the guard for the noble house of Aragon, a baritone, explaining that in the past, the story is set in the fifteen century, a gypsy woman was seen over the child son of the Count di Luna and chased away but the child then fell ill and the court believed that the woman had cast a spell so she was apprehended and told to remove the spell and when the condition of the child did not improved she was burnt at the stake in front of her daughter, who listened to her mother’s cry, daughter, avenge me. By coincidence I was to watch a showing of the Wicker Man a few days later and which has the most vivid and effective of the martyrdom’s at the end of the film in which the victim calls for the salvation to his God. In this story the pagan response of the gypsy was to have such profound effect on all the principal characters.
Her daughter Azucena was a young girl with a child of her own in her arms and seeing the horror of her mother’s death and the entreaty to take revenge, managed to enter the castle of the Count and steal one of the brothers, a child of similar age to her own, intending to throw it into the still burning pyre on which her mother had perished. However in her emotional condition she had mixed up the two babies and thrown her own child which was also burnt alive, bringing up the son of the Count as her own. However throughout the rest of her life she remains uncertain of what she did, except that she was responsible for the burning to death of a baby.
There are different views on this aspect of the story with some writing claming that the libretto was written with a view that knowing what she had done she would use her son one day against his House, although the Count dies and his other son the Count is not sure if it was his brothers bones in the ashes or the boy was raised by the gypsies.
After this long singing soliloquy of a prologue accompanied by a chorus of the guard, the advises the audience that the opera is to begin.
Most writers admit the melodramatic story has its flaws and none more so that than what happens to the infant that lived and was raised by the gypsy woman, Manrico, who as soon as he is able to, despite a close relationship with his mother, leaves her to become a Troubadour, and somehow as well as a soldier who takes up the cause of a rival Noble House and becomes,, for the purposes of the opera, a leading if not leading assistant on behalf of the House against the Count di Luna. What is worse he has fought and sung his way into the heart of the Duchess Lenora, who the Count coverts with overwhelming passion. When the Count di Luna learns that the man is singing below the balcony of Leonora he orders his men to apprehend Manrico at the first opportunity.
Having been alerted to his presence one night the Duke approaches and suddenly finds Leonora in his arms who in the fog mistakes him for Manrico who also appears and the three are together on stage with musical as well as dramatic fireworks. In the stage directions the men fight a duel but this aspect is omitted in both version of the opera I have seen.
The Act ends and with a brief musical introduction the next act begins with a gypsy encampment. The gypsies are working on sword making and the audience is treated to one of the well loved choruses in opera, The Anvil Chorus. The focus of the Act is the gypsy woman, sung by Luciana D‘Intinio in the relay and Dolera Krijick in the Met Opera video available on the internet and audio CD. While Luciana is regarded as one of the leading Mezzo soprano’s of the present generation, now aged born 1959, specialising in Verdi with Il Trovatore and Aida, plus the Requiem, her major roles, she has no Wikipedia entry. I thought her performance was outstanding and along with that of Lenora the two women made the evening a memorable one. Interestingly she has performed both - Il Trovatore and Aida at the Met. The Act provides the opportunity to recount the past to her son so having had the perspective oft he Captain of the Guard we now have that of the daughter. She has been hiding in the land of the House of Biscay but came out to find her son and to nurse him back to health after finding him injured from the recent battle between the forces of Biscay and Aragon. Understandably the account of the past raises doubt about the parentage of Manrico and when he raises these Azucena pulls back and claims that she explained things badly because of her emotional state reliving the trauma.
It is his ‘mother’s’ turn to question Manrico because we learn that in the duel at the end of Act 1 he had got the better of the Count di Luna who had led the forces of Aragon in the recent battle. The gypsy woman wants to know why Manrico did not kill the Count when he had the opportunity and he explains that a voice from heaven prevented him doing so, thus suggesting a subconscious kinship link between the two.
A messenger arrives from the Prince of Biscay to order Manrico to take charge of the forces defending the city of Castellor and we also learn that Leonora believing him dead has entered a convent to take the veil.
The scene switches to the Count who has also heard that Leonora has entered the convent and he sets out to kidnap her before she take the Holy Orders. Critics claim that his baritone solo is one of the most beautiful solos in Italian opera. The performance of Roberto Frontali as the count is excellent and in my judgement compares to that of Sherrill Miles at the Met, although the latter is regarded alongside Domingo and Pavarotti with whom he has featured in many performances and on CD’s
However before he can implement his plan Marico arrives with greater forces and Leonora amazed that he is alive leaves the convent to join him and there is a moving end to this part of the opera before the only interval as the three express their feelings with the support of the chorus of nuns and military supporters.
I enjoyed a coffee from the Theatre and the Danish pastry carried around since leaving the Travel Lodge the day back in my seat, and marvelling at how the day had worked out so far. Whatever happened on the journey back, I was enjoying myself with skin tingling singing.
The Third Act opens with the Count laying siege to Castellor where Manrico has taken Leonora with him. There is a commotion and the Count finds that the Captain of his guard has apprehended a gipsy woman who proclaims she is a wanderer looking for her lost son. She is recognised as the woman who took his brother and cast him to the flames and protesting her innocence she calls out to her son by name. Understandably the Count realises that he has double reason to hold the woman prisoner and to burn her at the stake when she has served her purpose. While in the relay production the woman is played by a singer of similar years, this was Krijick’s first role at the Met and she had to age herself by a grey wig and makeup. He voice had not matured to extent of the recent AIDA performance but is nevertheless magnificent. The emotion she coveys is extraordinary and sets as one of the all time greats. As with AIDA I hope she reprise her role in Il Travatore in some relayed production in the future.
In Castellor Manrico and Leonora are about to be married when news comes of the capture of his mother and breaks off from the ceremony to try and rescue her. I was not impressed by the performance of Marco Berti as Manrico, something shared by Jose M Irurzun who attended a number of performances to hear the performances of all the International singers taking the roles with in effect three different casts, although there was some cross overs. I also noted that other critics had felt that his singing and characterization has not lived up to expectations in others roles around the world..
In the fourth act we learn that his attempt to save his mother failed and he has been captured and thrown into a cell in a prison tower with his mother. Leonora learns of his situation and puts into operation a desperate plan to save his life at the expense of her own. She carries with her a poison ring which indicates what is to take place when she offers herself to the Count in exchange for Marico.
She alerts Manrico of her presence by what has become one of the most familiar most familiar melodies in all of opera, the Miserere.
The plan works in that the Count agrees to free Manrico in exchange for Leonora but Manrico does no accept his release and works out the price Leonora appears to have paid, something he does not understand or forgive until the poison works quicker than anticipated and she dies in his arms. The Count is so angered at being duped that he orders the immediate execution of Manrico and too late he learns from Azucena that he has killed his long lost brother. Everyone loses. Before there is some moving sing from all four leads with Aucena’s cry, Mother you are avenged.
In the relay Leonora is played by Florenza Cedolins one of the outstanding new generation of Italian sopranos who first performed only in 1992 and four years later won the Pavarotti Vocal Competition with a prize which included singing Tosca with him in Philadelphia. She was invited to sing The Requiem Mass for Pope John Paul II. I thought her performance on the night was also exceptional and matching that of D’Intinio. For the Met Eva Marton sings Leonora. The Hungarian born singer only four year younger that myself was of matching maturity with Pavarotti when they and together in 1988 and brings her then musical and singing experience to the role. She possesses great power in her voice which led to singing Wagner which was her Met debut in 1976. She performed Il Trovatore at La Scala in 1978 ten years before the Met performance with Pavarotti. In later years she made Turandot a major role, retiring in 2008
Enrico Caruso stated at the turn of the last century that the opera required four the greatest voices of any generation to match the strength and brilliance of Verdi’s creation. While the relay could be said to have two performances worthy of the opera, the Met production has four and is why I am listening again as I write, the third time since my return. My next interest will be Carmen from the Met on January 16th. Before then I will experience a video which has been added to the Met Player performances available.
After the pre Christmas relay and the music filling my senses I had a brilliant journey back to the Travel Lodge. reached Victoria Station in time to get on a one stop train to East Croydon as it prepared to leave the platform, but I managed to find a seat albeit next to a new European who appeared to have been drinking heavily although there was also evidence of some office partying among others returning to Sussex, Brighton and other south coast homes.
My car was one of only a few left in the car park and I had a brief moment of anxiety as the machine fully consumed the credit card which it read automatically without my needing to insert a pin number. The roads were clear and quiet and was back in my room well before 11.30 having spent several minutes sorting out the room key card which had lost its potency and to be recharged although it led to my having a short conversations about the conditions with the duty receptionist. It had been an exceptional and memorable day and I went to bed unconcerned about the journey to the Midlands the following morning although he weather forecast continued to be filled with warnings about more snow, fog and dangerous road conditions.
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