Berlin to Mannheim

Another day, another ICE; 5 hours traveling this time, passing through some pretty bits of snow clad Bavaria and ending up a grey old Mannheim where the luxury of having 3 nights in one hotel was slightly tempered by a tiny room up in the attic and to which the lift doesn’t go! It goes as far a level 5 and we’re on level 6 ...

Fortunately this train was much more comfortable than the last one, and the addition of managing to grab a private compartment with some like minded fellow chorus members meant, unusually for me, that I managed to get an hour or two of sleep on public transport to compensate for the paltry 3 hours I’d had following concert 4 in the Berlin Konzerthaus. I really must make sure that the time I go to be tonight has a 1 in it ...

We arrived in Berlin round about 1400 and had just 2 hours free before we had to head out again for the rehearsal. The Spartan / hospital like hotel was abandoned in favour of a stomp over to the Brandenburg Gate. It was a careful stomp however, as the pavements were caked in icy compacted snow. Its a great kind of cold though - crisp and dry - and as I watched my breath curling before me, took in the frozen river and spotted the sign which announced a temperature of -4 degrees, I was very glad of my thermal vest, jumper, fleece and cosy coat with furry hood which I had up over my new chocolate brown corduroy cap!

The concert was another good on, in spite of coming after a long and tiring day of traveling. In particular, the audience was really lovely and gave us our best reception yet. We came off stage and had to head immediately back to the coaches to be transported to the British Embassy for a reception. Getting into the Embassy was all a bit shambolic really; it is all far too boring to relate, but was faff nonetheless! Hey ho, once we got into the reception it was very pleasant; everyone was very friendly; champagne, wine and beer was flowing amply and the floating nibbles went down a treat with the ravenous musos and chorus. Coaches arrived an hour later to take us back to the hotel so we could re-pack our cases and load them onto the bus again for overnight transport to Mannheim. As you might expect, the route to and from the coach took us right past the hotel bar ... Well it would have been rude not to have had a quick nightcap with the orchestra before bed. I think I may need to work on my definition of ‘a quick nightcap’ because before I knew it, it was 0345! Ah well, we get a day off soon ...