Brodsky Quartet

Currently high over some remote part of north-west China, three movies into the Melbourne flight......that ‘Nowhere Boy’ is just fantastic. Somehow, once you accept the trauma of actually embarking on a trip like Oz it’s kind of what travelling’s all about. A bit of suffering and endurance albeit ‘lying back’ with your feet up watching telly.

Now then, back to that night in Lucerne. I have to admit to being just a wee bit smug when I think back to how we three dealt with that rather extreme situation. While most of the other passengers were standing transfixed to the screen, trying to take in the full consequences of the word ‘cancelled’ Jacky, Ian and myself had dispersed at speed in three different directions; Ian to Easyjet (the short straw!), Jacky to the train station and me to car hire. Our main concern, apart from not getting home, was our luggage. Remember,we had checked in and our bags (unusually, because we were going home) had all our music from the trip inside. We needed that music for the upcoming week’s work. Still, we decided to forge ahead, try to get home somehow and deal with the luggage situation later.

Incredibly, as I ran through the baggage area on my way to carland I noticed out of the corner of my eye a uge pile of bags just lying there in a heap; not on a belt or in a wagon, just there on the floor, abandoned. I decided to have a very quick look and, would you believe it. found all three bags after some hunting. I threw them on a trolley and continued on my way hugely relieved if somewhat perplexed as to what on earth those bags were doing there!!!

Ian called in...nothing happening with Squeasy, Jacky too, drew a blank at the train station so it was down to me. The first three companies I tried had cars but were charging €400 plus €2000 to drop in Calais......Wow! Even, considering the nightmare of staying in Zurich and probably going through hell the next day, this seemed like, really a lot of dosh! The nice, soon to be absolutely wonderful lady at National/Alamo was just pulling down the shutter as I landed on her counter, in a state begging her to have a quick look to see if she might have a car available with French plates........she, seeing the state I was in, duly complied. Never have I been so happy to accept a Citroen ( you know. One of those rather weird looking things with no dashboard other than a vastly over-sized speedometer and a push-button handbrake...too creepy). The price €385 all-in. The only French car in the building that night. I called the others, we piled into our funny little Apolleau space moblie and set sail a la vitesse. As we exited the airport we hit solid traffic sitting stationary in the rain for over an hour/ Eventually the accident debris got cleared and armed with Minstrels, M&M’s and Revels pulled into Calais just in time to see the 06.40 head north to Blighty.

We managed to get ourselves on the next freight boat (lorry driver’s b’fasts !!), hire the last car in Dover (train exhorbitant), drop Ian at home and still get home for coffee.What an escape!

One can’t help wondering, with all the emphasis on security these days; how were we able to check in bags, find them lying abandoned and then just leave the building with them without a word.....had we been somewhere a bit less laid-back maybe...!!!!!

You can imagine, going to Valencia two days later was a bit of a worry. Particularly because the old cloud was playing ‘hide-and-seek’ over the Iberian Peninsula. Incredibly, you can’t fly direct, London-Valencia these days; potentially, double-trouble.

Anyway, it all passed smoothly apart from leaving it so late that we almost didn;t get to eat....In Valencia!! Great to play with our old pal, Joan Lluna again and to be in Valencia again. We have watched that amazing city grow over the last thirty years and remain very attached to it. Maria Angeles, our mercurial Spanish agent reminded us of days gone by there; performing nine concerts in one season and over a ten year period performing all Shostakovich, all Bartok, all Schubert and pretty much, all the 2nd Viennese School. Happy days.