Recital: Jakub Józef Orlinski & Opera: Don Giovanni
On the 11th - I departed on holiday! to the classical music festival in Aix-en-Provence, in the company of my companion for the Swiss trip. We flew to Marseille. Checking the evening before, I saw there'd been an awful wildfire in the area, which even closed the airport - happily, we missed that.
We could finally check in for our flight the day before - and with our flight leaving from Heathrow, I was on the Elizabeth Line again. Unfortunately, that day, I was in the office, and needed my passport number, but hadn't brought it with me! So, by the time I could check in, we couldn't get seats together.
By the time I was packing, she was already there.. and I had a last-minute panic when the zip on my case caught on an item of clothing! that I didn't want to rip. Mercifully, after a couple of minutes tugging, it freed itself - the traffic was appalling again, so I walked to London Bridge, and after a blissfully air-conditioned ride (although I didn't get a seat) on the Elizabeth Line, I did actually make it in time for the flight. Happily, by the time I checked in at the gate, they were so full they were checking cabin bags into the hold! As I told the attendant, please, feel free.. I located my companion, we were soon boarded, and we had a pleasant trip. Despite my inability to catch the steward's attention, as she passed with the trolley, from which I would have ordered something if she'd been interested. Interestingly, I never did get a satisfaction survey from British Airways..
Anyway, in Marseille, we took a bus from the airport, and had a short - but very hot - walk to the Mirabeau student flats. A temperature of 35 degrees was to be standard during our stay - so we were relived to discover that yes, our apartment was air-conditioned. When we'd settled in, I headed off to explore eateries in the area - my companion wasn't inclined to eat at that point. One of the closest was Le Darius - approaching, I saw it was attractive enough, plenty of outside umbrellas. I asked for a table, got a lovely, friendly waitress who spoke English, and ordered a grill - some kind of meat dish tends to be top of their daily specials. The grill included, beef, duck, and pork - tasty, with sautéed potatoes. Accompanied by a nice, local wine. By the time I'd finished that, my companion appeared, wanting to source a local supermarket - so, no time for dessert. We were out of luck that evening for supermarkets, though - couldn't find one.
Our first two nights were at the Grand Théatre de Provence - that night, we were attending a concert by Jakub Józef Orlinski. And I have to say, my companion chose well for accommodation - we were right across the road from it! Now, street-level entrance is at the top level of the theatre, and only the infirm are allowed to enter that way - the rest of us have to climb down two storeys to the ground floor, then climb all the way up again. We asked about the lift, but were told it was slow. I can't really recommend the building design.
The bar extends over both levels - we got a drink, and took a seat in the lobby:
In due course, we schlepped all the way up to our seats:
I have to say, it was an excellent concert, primarily filled with compositions from Orlinski's native Poland. He is a beautiful singer, and it was a lovely evening - after which, we repaired again to Le Darius, where we had the same waiter, and ordered a bottle of the same wine to finish off the night! I also had a chocolate fondant, which, to be honest, I wasn't mad about.
Last Saturday started rather badly - I don't know what it us about European accommodation, but I find their mattresses very hard! Anyway, that evening, we were at the opera Don Giovanni, in the same location as the previous night. That left us a day to explore the town though - after finding a supermarket nearby, and sourcing essentials, we needed a respite from the heat, and we ended up in La Rotonde for drinks - so named because it's right beside the roundabout:
Carrying on through the town, we came on the Église du Sant Esprit:
..and some very open-plan confessionals:
..and so back to the streets:
Took me a moment to see the serpent!
And then we saw models of a ceiling that was never used:
and took a welcome seat, while we watched a video about the artist.
And so, a weary trek home.
That night, we were at Don Giovanni, in the same theatre as the night before. There was minor confusion, because some people had mistaken the row and were actually in our seats.. soon sorted. We were a level lower, but the view was pretty much the same - and by 'eck, it was a cracking production! Drama abounded - as the guy beside me remarked, however, he was uncomfortable with the suggestion of paedophilia, introduced with the appearance on stage of a young girl, obviously there for that purpose - having no lines. Still, a helluva yarn. And that night, I slept on my quilt, for softness.
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