Train to uni and walk home, with her bag in the new basket of my bike!
We had decided to go to Malvern Hills on Saturday nad of course not looked at the weather forecast. English Drizzle on Saturday, but this could not stop us, especially because we want to walk the West Hishland Way in the summer and it might be raining all the time and we would need to carry tents and food too! So walk to uni, missed first train and had to wait (look around at uni). Next train took us to Malvern Link. it was foggy! Going up and up and up, finally a small electronic device told us that we wer eon 400 metres. But the highest peak is 425! After much looking around, we thought there was something behind the fog that might be a peak. Going towards it, there were people coming from there, so maybe correct direction! Finally on top, we could see great views of fog everywhere. Every direction we looked, it was white. All our pictures have white background. Despite the fog, we had a good lunch up there and good Estonian conversation. Decided to go to Great Malvern Station, we had to find it! OK, lets go down from somewhere. Map told us that we were slightly off the direction, but it was important to get down. Some zigzags and disappearing fog, we found a sigh for a car park, thinking that maybe there is also a road going to the station. There was! We found a village and decided to check for train time before heading to a cafe for a warm drink. Station was a bit far fro the main street and because there was a sign near the station "New cafe, 100 yards", we decided to sit there. What the two metric Estonians did not find was the cafe. We thought 100 yards must be a small distance, nobody would write a sign "Cafe, very far". So my phone told me that there is another one 600 metres away. Metres is good! WEnt there but it was closed, but we found another one!
Back at uni 4.30pm, we walked home, washed and ate and went to city centre. This means, walked to uni nad took train! We went to see Matthew Bourne' Cinderella.
When I was at school, once at the (spoken) exam of music history, I was asked to talk about theatre music. I talked about ballet, operetta, opera, musical in much detail. At the end the teacher said I have forgotten something very important. It was the orchestra! Yes, theatre music is both what happens on the stage and what happens in the hole under the stage!
In this production, there was no orchestra, the reason for being more surround sound and special effects. Fair enough, it was a dance preformance, but I found it really hard to enjoy Prokofjev's music as much as I would have enjoyed it if there had been an orchestra. Only a week ago I was at a jazz concert based on Mahler's music and there were special effects, in the form of including a DJ. If I could choose whether to have a cinema-like special sound with bombing effect of the bomb sounds played on a percussion, I think I would prefer the latter, if there was an orchestra. In the digital age, things can be done more and possibly better with technical tricks, but would I go to see a ballet if in addition to pre-recorded music there was also 3D recording of the dance, possibly with special additional effects, much like water splashing in the 3D cinema in the sea life centre. No. This would not be called ballet, it would be cinema. Even with super-special effects. The more real experience is what distingushes cinema from traditional theatre.
I knew there was no orchestra in Sadler's Wells, OK, it is a more dance-centered place with little space, but was hoping there would be an orchestra in Birmingham Hippodrome. At least I had not read any reviews mentioning no orchestra in here (but many about Sadler's Wells).
Apart from this, there is nothing I could complain about. Setting the fairytale in the middle of Second World War in London definitely went well with the music, especially as it was composed during the war. Some great dances and dancers, especially the godfather (as godmother in traditional Cinderella), the stepmother who looked like Cruella de Vil and the whole character of the whole family, especially the head movement! How much can body language tell! Or course I enjoyed beautiful dances of the Cinderella! The whole setting was very English-like, with tube station and Paddington station. Dancing was so amazing that at times I forgot there is no orchestra.
To P's surprise, not many people give their coats to the cloakroom when going to the theatre. Not long queue, maybe only 100 coats there (numbers were from 100 to 200). Compared to Estonian hundreds, because everybody gives them away and changes shoes. There are even special shoe bags. P went to theatre wearing wellies, because it was muddy and wanted to change. She gave her wellies to the cloakroom and they were the only ones there!
After this, we walked in the city centre, Victoria Square in light and canals and took the train back home and walked form the station. Hot chocolate with E and time to rest for next day!
Sunday was a day of walking again, this time home-uni-canal-city centre-my sister at Five Ways-city centre (because we had to see the bull made of candies in Selfridges, only thing)-my sister-Moor Street. In my sister's we made some food and talked Estonian to her and her flatmate and then from Moor Street, P took a train at 6. I ran to New street for 5.45 to get to church. My train was late and I was late, running and running and my phone battery died too, so had no idea of what time it was. Finally got there.
Student Plus and home.
Muscle pain is showing, we did 30 miles in 2 days, surprisingly most of it on the second day, because first was up and down and not much gain in distance. Now done some stratching, tomorrow will be interesting, but hopefully my cycling muscles are well-rested. Actually all the ache might not only be form the weekend but also from Thursday's skating, but all muscle ache is way better than other pain!
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