Germany and France so far

As I am fortunate enough to be flying Business Class, I have to say the flights went well. First to Singapore and then to Munich and finally Hamburg. My friend Sue was there to greet me with her smiley face, to help me with my luggage and to whip me away in a taxi to the 2 bedroom apartment her daughter owns. Her daughter is in Lisbon, recording a new opera by Peggy Glanville-Hicks. This year is the 100th anniversary of Peggy's birth. She wrote the opera Sappho, but it wasn't produced before she died. Sue's daughter, Jennifer Condon, has gained permission from the Peggy Glanville-Hicks Trust, to finalise the work and have it produced. It is being recorded in Lisbon as I write, with a stellar cast, including Deborah Polaski in the leading role. Go to www.Sappho.com if you are interested in learning more. The Hamburg I saw is centered around a lake and canals. Sue and I did a cruise on the lake and then a cruise out on the harbour where the port is busy with its commercial activity. It is a very leafy city, with all the streets lined with trees. Everything is very green. Right outside our apartment was an ice cream stall and a strawberry stall. Needless to say I ate far too much ice cream and strawberries. The Rathouse (Town Hall) in Hamburg has more rooms than Buckingham Palace according to the tourist guide spruiking on the double decker tourist bus we took. Sue very cleverly found somewhere for me to have acupuncture. So a bus ride on the excellent public transport system took us to the university hospital where we found the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A gorgeous young doctor in a white coat who spoke excellent English was the practitioner and I had two sessions of acupuncture. We also went by train to Berlin and stayed for two nights. Once again we did the tourist things on the sightseeing bus and a train ride to Potsdam. For those of you who have been reading this blog for a few years, you may remember the young Opera singer, Emma Moore from Wollongong who won aria competitions which have excellent prize money. The prize money is to be used to allow the winner to study opera further. Emma is now studying opera singing in Berlin and came with us to Potsdam for the day. So, back to Hamburg from Berlin and then on a plane to Paris and a train to Bordeaux, where I was met by my friend, Wilna, who drove back to her chateau in Lalinde where I am now staying until Monday. See www.chateaulalinde.com for a peek at my current accommodation. Chatting over meals or cuppas is what Wilna and I do when we get together. There is no need for sightseeing as I have visited many times before. We have also cleaned up the garden around the swimming pool, trimmed and tidied all the window boxes - and there are many - cleaned out the fridge and power hosed the pool tiles and the sandstone front of the chateau. Wilna has been busy and I've been her assistant. Today - Saturday 14 July - is France's national day. Unfortunately it is cold and raining which will spoil a lot of the celebrations. Tonight we plan to go to a neighbouring village for a meal and to see the fireworks. Keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will behave. It is 11am in France on 14 July