This was the first week I with the new practice diary. There were many things to do. Some of them I did every day and the others I had to play some on one day and some on another. I learned a few things from this exercise. Firstly I have not been doing the exercises enough. I need to spend more time on them to get basic skills nailed down. Secondly I play the pieces a little too much. It didn't feel I spent enough time with them this week to fit everything in the twenty minute limit.
This week's lesson was at a special time because Laura had rehearsals at QPAC with one of her schools. She kindly made time between rehearsals to meet me at the studio for a lesson. And what a lesson it was because it covered everything in the practice diary.
The whole bow exercise needs more time. It's getting there but I must improve control over the bow to get a smooth sound the whole length of the bow. This means relaxing my hand when playing with the heel of the bow because gripping it means the tension is transferred to the string.
The finger stretching exercise is going well too. I have to get used to using the metronome to make sure the timing is good. I think this week I am going to try using the mute to try and hear the metronome a little more, or I might need to get a metronome app like Laura's. Also, a little more stretching won't hurt.
The heartbeat exercise is tough. The sound must be smooth for each note. I have to lead with my wrist. I have to put weight on the down stroke. I have to make an ellipse or teardrop shape with my elbow. But it's all for a good cause as I learn to use the heel of the bow. I think I will be doing this exercise for a while to come, and even after I have learned how to do it, I will keep it going.
Old Man Fiddler... Laura remembers me wondering how I was ever going to play it fast enough. Well, it's happening. And it's because of practice. I am at the point where I can run the whole song through and focus on getting the transitions between the segments I have been speeding up separately.
Row Boats is sounding good. The softer notes need more work and the string crossing has to be a little cleaner.
For Heat Haze focus is required on dynamics and timing. I can learn the music quickly enough. Getting the dynamics right for this song, and the others, is taking longer.
To finish up, I earned a sticker for Barrier Reef. This was not my finest performance of this piece, but I have reached the point of diminishing returns: spending more time on this song is not going to teach me anything new. I was a little disappointed I did not play it better to finish it off. It's a pretty piece of music - yeah I say that about most of my pieces - and one I will continue to play when I practice repertoire.
To replace Barrier Reef I have Medieval Tale, which is to be played "sadly". This reminds me of a question I saw on a violin forum. How do I play music with feeling? Fortunately for me I have a teacher who helps me with things like this. Sometimes it is hard to put into words. I think it is a question of tempo and dynamics, but there is more to it than that. I wonder how sadly I can play this song?
Apparently Sarisha has "commissioned" an Indian-themed piece from Laura that she can play when she visits her family in a few months time. I would love to hear that. I imagine it would be pretty cool.
Laura also told me the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra are playing in Brisbane. November 24th and 25th. The cheapest tickets are $99 each but for an orchestra of this magnitude, and with the music they are performing, I am sure it would be worth it.
Also that weekend the Browning Street Studio is having a concert. More details as they come to hand but I would either be going or perhaps performing.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Korpiklaani
Tonight Korpiklaani came to Brisbane.
They played at The Zoo, which is in Ann Street Fortitude Valley. The typical assortment of metal music fans were there. I saw plenty of black t-shirts, piercings and tattoos. I was surprised by how many people had Korpiklaani gear before the show. They are obviously more well known than I expected.
We were late getting in. By the time my phone was scanned for my ticket the first band was on. They were Gorefield and consisted of a lead guitar, bass guitar and drums. They were okay. There music was nothing special but I was not expecting a lot. When they were done they cleared the stage for the next act - Lagerstein.
This was special for me. The guy who used to be the lead singer (Dale Williams) used to work with me. He is quite character. I liked him. Some time back Lagerstein had a CD launch at the Hifi bar. I really wanted to go but I had other commitments that night. Many of our fellow employees went and a good time was had by all. I listened to some of their music. They play pirate metal - that is songs inspired by sailing and piracy and the drinking of rum and so on, set to heavy metal music. This was my chance to see what I missed albeit without Dale at the front.
They took a long time to set up. I don't know if that is because they had a lot of equipment or too many props. There are six or seven of them in the band. The sound check seemed to take a long time. I noticed one chap preparing an electric violin. Eventually they were ready, and after a few "Ahoy"s away they went. Now I noticed the lead singers vocal were soft. I could hear most of the other vocals but not his, so either the equipment was stuffed or the sound levels were mucked up. They were having a good time on stage and much of the crowd was getting into it. After about five songs they stopped. There was no wrap-up or thanks for coming. They just stopped at the end of the song. Okay then. As best as I can figure, they took too long to get started and that cut into their set time. If I see them again I hope they will be better organised.
Eventually Korpiklaani hit the stage. They got a great reception. The crowd totally loved them. It's no secret that I was interested mostly in two members: Tuomas Rounakari on the violin and Sami Perttula on the accordion. Tuomas looked like he could have been the fifth member of ABBA with his all-white outfit, straight blonde hair, moustache and beard. I thought Sami's crest was shorn and shaven but he had this long rat-tail thing going on and a little chin beard. He had his guns out - now either he works out, or it's carrying around and playing the accordion that does it. And it was a newer style of accordion. The one I used to play had a piano-style keyboard for the right hand. This is a new funky one with buttons instead. One of the guitarists reminded me of an old Greek priest with his big grey beard. In fact, he looked like Fil who owns the Paladar Fumior (Cuban cigar and excellent coffee place in South Brisbane) when he grows his beard. Either that or Rasputin fled to Finland instead of dying and it was one of his ancestors. Who knows. The lead singer was great. He was quite the larrikin and his showmanship was first class. In that way he reminded me of Chris Jericho - one of my favourite wrestlers who is also the frontman of Fozzy.
They belted out song after song and the crowd loved every one of them. My first Korpiklaani song was Metsamies and it was the third one they played. They also played, eventually, one of their most popular tracks - Vodka. It was great to see them interact with the crowd. The line-up kept shifting around on stage so the fans were able to get a good look at each of them. Tuomas was fantastic. He kept a good posture the whole time, even with the chaos of the band and the fans around him. And he played beautifully. He's also a pretty good polka dancer :) He had one solo but I could not see much of that because he was sitting down and there were too many taller people in front of me. But he played beautifully. I really want to play like that one day. It looked like so much fun and it sounded awesome. As good as I look in a suit - and trust me, I look good - I would be just as happy to play up on stage with a folk metal band. My options in Brisbane are probably pretty limited but I would settle for playing tunes like that for my own pleasure.
The whole show wrapped up by 11pm, which was good because I had to get two buses back to the car at West End and drive home. And I was smiling all the way home. At the start of the night I decided I would be happy with a fun night out. It was all that and more. Hopefully they will come back soon and I can take other people along. Not Mrs Sage. She would laugh. She thinks the concept of violin + accordion + metal is hilarious. You might too, but I can tell you first hand that it works.
They played at The Zoo, which is in Ann Street Fortitude Valley. The typical assortment of metal music fans were there. I saw plenty of black t-shirts, piercings and tattoos. I was surprised by how many people had Korpiklaani gear before the show. They are obviously more well known than I expected.
We were late getting in. By the time my phone was scanned for my ticket the first band was on. They were Gorefield and consisted of a lead guitar, bass guitar and drums. They were okay. There music was nothing special but I was not expecting a lot. When they were done they cleared the stage for the next act - Lagerstein.
This was special for me. The guy who used to be the lead singer (Dale Williams) used to work with me. He is quite character. I liked him. Some time back Lagerstein had a CD launch at the Hifi bar. I really wanted to go but I had other commitments that night. Many of our fellow employees went and a good time was had by all. I listened to some of their music. They play pirate metal - that is songs inspired by sailing and piracy and the drinking of rum and so on, set to heavy metal music. This was my chance to see what I missed albeit without Dale at the front.
They took a long time to set up. I don't know if that is because they had a lot of equipment or too many props. There are six or seven of them in the band. The sound check seemed to take a long time. I noticed one chap preparing an electric violin. Eventually they were ready, and after a few "Ahoy"s away they went. Now I noticed the lead singers vocal were soft. I could hear most of the other vocals but not his, so either the equipment was stuffed or the sound levels were mucked up. They were having a good time on stage and much of the crowd was getting into it. After about five songs they stopped. There was no wrap-up or thanks for coming. They just stopped at the end of the song. Okay then. As best as I can figure, they took too long to get started and that cut into their set time. If I see them again I hope they will be better organised.
Eventually Korpiklaani hit the stage. They got a great reception. The crowd totally loved them. It's no secret that I was interested mostly in two members: Tuomas Rounakari on the violin and Sami Perttula on the accordion. Tuomas looked like he could have been the fifth member of ABBA with his all-white outfit, straight blonde hair, moustache and beard. I thought Sami's crest was shorn and shaven but he had this long rat-tail thing going on and a little chin beard. He had his guns out - now either he works out, or it's carrying around and playing the accordion that does it. And it was a newer style of accordion. The one I used to play had a piano-style keyboard for the right hand. This is a new funky one with buttons instead. One of the guitarists reminded me of an old Greek priest with his big grey beard. In fact, he looked like Fil who owns the Paladar Fumior (Cuban cigar and excellent coffee place in South Brisbane) when he grows his beard. Either that or Rasputin fled to Finland instead of dying and it was one of his ancestors. Who knows. The lead singer was great. He was quite the larrikin and his showmanship was first class. In that way he reminded me of Chris Jericho - one of my favourite wrestlers who is also the frontman of Fozzy.
They belted out song after song and the crowd loved every one of them. My first Korpiklaani song was Metsamies and it was the third one they played. They also played, eventually, one of their most popular tracks - Vodka. It was great to see them interact with the crowd. The line-up kept shifting around on stage so the fans were able to get a good look at each of them. Tuomas was fantastic. He kept a good posture the whole time, even with the chaos of the band and the fans around him. And he played beautifully. He's also a pretty good polka dancer :) He had one solo but I could not see much of that because he was sitting down and there were too many taller people in front of me. But he played beautifully. I really want to play like that one day. It looked like so much fun and it sounded awesome. As good as I look in a suit - and trust me, I look good - I would be just as happy to play up on stage with a folk metal band. My options in Brisbane are probably pretty limited but I would settle for playing tunes like that for my own pleasure.
The whole show wrapped up by 11pm, which was good because I had to get two buses back to the car at West End and drive home. And I was smiling all the way home. At the start of the night I decided I would be happy with a fun night out. It was all that and more. Hopefully they will come back soon and I can take other people along. Not Mrs Sage. She would laugh. She thinks the concept of violin + accordion + metal is hilarious. You might too, but I can tell you first hand that it works.
Violin Lesson #46
This week was a little bittersweet for me. This week I returned Tina's violin. Tine loaned it to me when the term of the loan violin I started with expired. I used it until I bought Patience. Before returning the violin I had it serviced at Animato. They were very good. I told them I was returning the violin, and that the lady who loaned it to me played it at my wedding.So thank-you Tina for the loan. It has helped me get where I am today. I played for Tina when she came to collect her violin. She said I had learned a lot in the eleven months I have been playing. And for that I thank Laura.
The first order of business for the lesson was the practice diary and the 40-hour challenge. This is actually a good idea because I don't actually know how long I practice. I almost never have a watch or other time-device with me when I practice. I stop when I have finished what I plan to play, or when I get called by a family member. The practice diary also helps me focus on what I have to do for the week, and there is quite a bit. Limiting myself to twenty minutes a day five days a week will be tough.
My G-Major arpeggio needs a little more work and so does the finger push-up exercise. I need to be able to stretch my fingers a little more.
This week I learned to play with the heel of the bow. Many violinists don't like to play with that part of the bow because it can often make a rasping noise. If you play quickly enough and with some control, the rasping noise goes away. I don't understand why a student would not learn to use the whole bow. Speaking of whole bow, this week I failed to practice the whole-bow exercise. It's simple enough so this week I will give it a good shot, especially with what I learned about playing with the heel.
My new piece went okay considering I really only started them on Sunday. Rocking Rowboats was good. I need to watch the dynamics, and make them more distinct. Also, when playing slow one has to use very little bow as well as less pressure. With Heat Haze I can get the correct notes and the timing was good but the sound quality needs work.
I finished off with The Old Fiddler Man. We got the piece to 106 bpm (according to Laura's metronome app). I don't give the starting note enough crunch. I think part of the reason for that is I feel I can't shift to the next string quick enough so I will focus on that this week.
I was going to play through Barrier Reef, but that is a long slow song and time was already up. In any case, Laura did not want to run over time because she is conducting tonight, and I was going back to work to prepare for Korpiklaani.
The first order of business for the lesson was the practice diary and the 40-hour challenge. This is actually a good idea because I don't actually know how long I practice. I almost never have a watch or other time-device with me when I practice. I stop when I have finished what I plan to play, or when I get called by a family member. The practice diary also helps me focus on what I have to do for the week, and there is quite a bit. Limiting myself to twenty minutes a day five days a week will be tough.
My G-Major arpeggio needs a little more work and so does the finger push-up exercise. I need to be able to stretch my fingers a little more.
This week I learned to play with the heel of the bow. Many violinists don't like to play with that part of the bow because it can often make a rasping noise. If you play quickly enough and with some control, the rasping noise goes away. I don't understand why a student would not learn to use the whole bow. Speaking of whole bow, this week I failed to practice the whole-bow exercise. It's simple enough so this week I will give it a good shot, especially with what I learned about playing with the heel.
My new piece went okay considering I really only started them on Sunday. Rocking Rowboats was good. I need to watch the dynamics, and make them more distinct. Also, when playing slow one has to use very little bow as well as less pressure. With Heat Haze I can get the correct notes and the timing was good but the sound quality needs work.
I finished off with The Old Fiddler Man. We got the piece to 106 bpm (according to Laura's metronome app). I don't give the starting note enough crunch. I think part of the reason for that is I feel I can't shift to the next string quick enough so I will focus on that this week.
I was going to play through Barrier Reef, but that is a long slow song and time was already up. In any case, Laura did not want to run over time because she is conducting tonight, and I was going back to work to prepare for Korpiklaani.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Violin Lesson #45
If it is true that time flies when you are having fun then that would explain why my lessons seem to be over before they start :)
This week the lesson went really well despite what I felt was a lack of practice. Work is still very hectic so I am not even getting the time in the park as much as I did before. Still, it is a matter of priorities, so I do my practice when I can, and try to focus on what I have to do when I actually get time.
I started off with scales and arpeggios. My scales were good. I can now play D-, A- and G-Major scales competently. I still need to work on my G-Major arpeggio. I can't seem to get that consistently (unless you count the times I do it outside of class). I am sure a little more practice will take care of it. My finger push-up exercises still need some more work too.
Today I learned about playing with the whole bow. There are wrist adjustments to be made when playing at the frog end of the bow (where I hold the bow, essentially). This is definitely something that is going to take a fair amount of practice.
I scored an owl sticker for Space Walk! I try hard with that piece because I do like playing on the E string. This was not perfect mind you, but close to it and I will keep playing it when I get time. Now I can move on to Rocking Rowboats from the same book.
I played the French folk song and German folk song. I played the French one with a little flair and not strictly as the music was written. There's nothing wrong with that... at the appropriate time. When I am playing for myself or others, it's okay. If I do that during an exam (and I do plan to take exams) then they will deduct marks. In my defense it did sound pretty good :) The German song was okay except for the timing. Some parts were faster than others. When I slowed down a little and kept to a single temp it sounded a lot better and was a little easier to play. To replace those pieces I have been given Heat Haze. This is one of the pieces Sarisha was playing when I sat in on her lesson. It's a rather pretty piece of music.
And that's about it. There is plenty to keep me occupied, which is just the way I like it.
Oh, and on the way out I borrowed the ABRSM syllabus, just to see what was expected.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Violin Lessons #43,#44
It has been quite a while since I posted about two lessons in the one blog. This time I blame the family trip to Sydney for my daughter to go and see One Direction. I meant to write a post about the holiday but I have been too slack.
My daughter came with me to lesson #43. I was on leave that Tuesday but I made time to come in to the studio. My G-Major scale and arpeggio is improving and I am making good progress with the pieces I am working on. I should just tattoo "more bow" on the back of my right hand because that is what I need to get better sound. I was happy to hear I am getting better because there will be precious little violin time between this lesson and the next.
A brief note about the holiday (in case I don't post a separate entry)
We flew to Sydney on Thursday. That day we went to Madame Tussaud's and the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium (the attractions are very close to each other). On Friday we went to Wild Life Sydney and took the Manly ferry to Manly Sea Life Sanctuary. Saturday we had time for the Sydney Tower Eye in the morning. This was also the day of the Fleet Review so there was plenty going on in the harbour. We even saw Prince Harry's motorcade drive by us. In the afternoon we went out to Olympic Park for the One Direction concert at Allphones Arena. We didn't get back to the hotel until a quarter after midnight. Sunday was our last day. We spent the morning on a harbour cruise to get a good look at the war ships and tall ships. After that we went back to the airport to discover our flight was 50 minutes late. Then I drove back home from the Gold Coast in time to watch the Dami Factor and the end of the NRL grand final.
My lesson today was very relaxing given the busy day I had at work. It really is so good to be able to have something like this, or playing in the park, to improve my day. Even before I started I was enjoying myself. Ava was playing Shark Attack and she sounded very good.
Today I started with Space Walk before moving on to The Old Fiddler Man. I get so many helpful tips about playing music. Last week Laura told me how to fade out a note. This week there was instructions on how to play notes very softly, how to play "French" (light and airy) and how to play "German" (strong and loud). I am starting to think that, on top of learning the basic skills and practicing scales and other exercises, it will be tips like these that will help me stand out from other violinists.
I finished up with Barrier Reef which I played for the first time. There is something I like more than earning stickers, and that is to hear Laura play accompaniment on the violin (even if I do have to concentrate a little harder on what I am doing - not because I can't play while Laura plays, but because I want to listen to what she plays as well as what I am playing).
To sum up, I need more work on my main pieces as well as some more time with the scales and a little bit of the "repertoire" pieces. Did I mention yet how much fun I am having?
:)
My daughter came with me to lesson #43. I was on leave that Tuesday but I made time to come in to the studio. My G-Major scale and arpeggio is improving and I am making good progress with the pieces I am working on. I should just tattoo "more bow" on the back of my right hand because that is what I need to get better sound. I was happy to hear I am getting better because there will be precious little violin time between this lesson and the next.
A brief note about the holiday (in case I don't post a separate entry)
We flew to Sydney on Thursday. That day we went to Madame Tussaud's and the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium (the attractions are very close to each other). On Friday we went to Wild Life Sydney and took the Manly ferry to Manly Sea Life Sanctuary. Saturday we had time for the Sydney Tower Eye in the morning. This was also the day of the Fleet Review so there was plenty going on in the harbour. We even saw Prince Harry's motorcade drive by us. In the afternoon we went out to Olympic Park for the One Direction concert at Allphones Arena. We didn't get back to the hotel until a quarter after midnight. Sunday was our last day. We spent the morning on a harbour cruise to get a good look at the war ships and tall ships. After that we went back to the airport to discover our flight was 50 minutes late. Then I drove back home from the Gold Coast in time to watch the Dami Factor and the end of the NRL grand final.
My lesson today was very relaxing given the busy day I had at work. It really is so good to be able to have something like this, or playing in the park, to improve my day. Even before I started I was enjoying myself. Ava was playing Shark Attack and she sounded very good.
Today I started with Space Walk before moving on to The Old Fiddler Man. I get so many helpful tips about playing music. Last week Laura told me how to fade out a note. This week there was instructions on how to play notes very softly, how to play "French" (light and airy) and how to play "German" (strong and loud). I am starting to think that, on top of learning the basic skills and practicing scales and other exercises, it will be tips like these that will help me stand out from other violinists.
I finished up with Barrier Reef which I played for the first time. There is something I like more than earning stickers, and that is to hear Laura play accompaniment on the violin (even if I do have to concentrate a little harder on what I am doing - not because I can't play while Laura plays, but because I want to listen to what she plays as well as what I am playing).
To sum up, I need more work on my main pieces as well as some more time with the scales and a little bit of the "repertoire" pieces. Did I mention yet how much fun I am having?
:)
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Sydney Trip Day 1
Thursday
We left home early after feeding the menagerie to drive to the Gold Coast. It was a lot cheaper (and as it turns out easier in the long run) to drive to the Gold Coast airport and fly Jetstar to Sydney.Even paying for parking and petrol we still came out ahead.
From Sydney airport we took the train to Wynyard Station. We stayed at The Menzies which is right across the road from the station. The train was cheaper for four of us than a taxi and a lot easier to deal with. The Menzies is also within walking distance to most things we wanted to do, and for the rest we had easy rail access. The Menzies is not the flashiest hotel, and the four of us in a single room tried even my patience at times, but it was still worth it. Given that this weekend there was the Fleet Review AND One Direction AND the NRL grand final AND the Labour Day long week-end AND the last week of school holidays, we were happy to get any room.
It was raining when we left the hotel and we did not yet have our bearings so we took a cab. The driver did not know where Madam Tussaud's was but he did know Darling Harbour. However, where he dropped us off was the opposite end of Pyrmont Bridge to the attractions we wanted. We eventually got to the wax museum to pick up our passes for the various attractions we had pre-booked.
The wax museum was awesome. It was very busy so there was a lot of hustle and bustle and you had to be quick to get your photos. My kids were great with the ipad and ipod and iphone. I had pictures taken with the Dalai Lama, Albert Einstein, Bert Newton and Bruce Willis. The kids went nuts and took photos with heaps of the figures. I was slightly disappointed there were no violinists or classical composers. But they did have Oprah...
The SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium was close by so we visited that next. Our family loves any attraction with animals (except the circuses that still exploit them - don't get me started). We had heapsof fun walking around all of the displays. I was curious to know if they had sun fish or barracudas but I didn't get to ask anyone. Sharks are amazing animals and so are the dugongs. I think they were my favourite during the walk through the underwater tunnel. They made great use of the space they had. We felt like we were walking around for ages. After we had enough we walked back to the hotel since we now knew where we were.
Today was our anniversary. Twenty years of marriage. Huzzah! We thought we would treat ourselves to room service. That was not the best idea. Two of the four meals had something "wrong" with them. My wife ordered a cheese and salami panini but without the salami - it came without the salami but it did come with mustard. My son ordered fish and chips and ended up with fish and salad. My daughter had the safe bet of chicken nuggets and chips while I ordered and enjoyed a barley risotto with root vegetables. To console herself my wife had a packet of nuts from the mini-bar :)
It had been a long day so we settled down to bed. Four of us in two double-beds in the one room. My daughter likes her own room because she can't hear anyone snoring or making noises. Unfortunately she had to put up with her brother and father in the same room, and both of them can be noisy at night. Fortunately I fell asleep quite quickly but was kept awake much of the night as m wife tried to get my daughter to go to sleep. Suffice it to say it was not the best night's sleep after a very long and active day.
We left home early after feeding the menagerie to drive to the Gold Coast. It was a lot cheaper (and as it turns out easier in the long run) to drive to the Gold Coast airport and fly Jetstar to Sydney.Even paying for parking and petrol we still came out ahead.
From Sydney airport we took the train to Wynyard Station. We stayed at The Menzies which is right across the road from the station. The train was cheaper for four of us than a taxi and a lot easier to deal with. The Menzies is also within walking distance to most things we wanted to do, and for the rest we had easy rail access. The Menzies is not the flashiest hotel, and the four of us in a single room tried even my patience at times, but it was still worth it. Given that this weekend there was the Fleet Review AND One Direction AND the NRL grand final AND the Labour Day long week-end AND the last week of school holidays, we were happy to get any room.
It was raining when we left the hotel and we did not yet have our bearings so we took a cab. The driver did not know where Madam Tussaud's was but he did know Darling Harbour. However, where he dropped us off was the opposite end of Pyrmont Bridge to the attractions we wanted. We eventually got to the wax museum to pick up our passes for the various attractions we had pre-booked.
The wax museum was awesome. It was very busy so there was a lot of hustle and bustle and you had to be quick to get your photos. My kids were great with the ipad and ipod and iphone. I had pictures taken with the Dalai Lama, Albert Einstein, Bert Newton and Bruce Willis. The kids went nuts and took photos with heaps of the figures. I was slightly disappointed there were no violinists or classical composers. But they did have Oprah...
The SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium was close by so we visited that next. Our family loves any attraction with animals (except the circuses that still exploit them - don't get me started). We had heapsof fun walking around all of the displays. I was curious to know if they had sun fish or barracudas but I didn't get to ask anyone. Sharks are amazing animals and so are the dugongs. I think they were my favourite during the walk through the underwater tunnel. They made great use of the space they had. We felt like we were walking around for ages. After we had enough we walked back to the hotel since we now knew where we were.
Today was our anniversary. Twenty years of marriage. Huzzah! We thought we would treat ourselves to room service. That was not the best idea. Two of the four meals had something "wrong" with them. My wife ordered a cheese and salami panini but without the salami - it came without the salami but it did come with mustard. My son ordered fish and chips and ended up with fish and salad. My daughter had the safe bet of chicken nuggets and chips while I ordered and enjoyed a barley risotto with root vegetables. To console herself my wife had a packet of nuts from the mini-bar :)
It had been a long day so we settled down to bed. Four of us in two double-beds in the one room. My daughter likes her own room because she can't hear anyone snoring or making noises. Unfortunately she had to put up with her brother and father in the same room, and both of them can be noisy at night. Fortunately I fell asleep quite quickly but was kept awake much of the night as m wife tried to get my daughter to go to sleep. Suffice it to say it was not the best night's sleep after a very long and active day.
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