Now here's my report on what happened since I last wrote...
I am not yet fully recovered after my stroke, and I very much doubt I will come back to the same shape I was beforehand (lost too much weight, har, har!). Even though I am back to driving myself, my former zest for long-distance driving has disappeared, and I am medically unfit to fly. Walking is possible, even though I need a crutch to avoid toppling over and am more comfortable with two.
Bearing all this in mind, I decided to go to Sicily by train. Fortunately, there is a connection from Munich to Cefalu requiring only one change of trains... and I reserve tickets accordingly, including the disabilit services of the train companies involved.
And it went like oiled clockwork. I arrived at Munich main station by taxi to find a porter with an electric cart already waiting for me. He brought me and my luggage (one biggish case for the ordinary needs of ten days of travel, and a Ritter Junior gig bag containing my Courtois Balanced Bb, my Courtois Roger Delmotte D, four mutes - straight, cup, bucket and Harmon - a music folder and all the necessary titbits) directly to my train for Bologna, helped me in, carried my luggage to my reserved seat and stowed it there. Very comfortable train ride to Bologna, where two guys with a wheelchair and ramp greeted me at my seat, brought me and my stuff to the exit and to a special waiting lounge. There, I was able to safely leave my accoutrements while roaming about the station. In good time, another two guys colleted me from that lounge, brought me to my sleeper train to Cefalu and settled me into my compartment... Italy has very nice long-distance night trains.
This was my temporary home for the 17-hour journey to Sicily.
Next morning, I was served breakfast in my compartment...
At the rather rural station of Cefalu, I was met - in the train - by the next team, escorted into a wheelchair and removed from the train with an hydraulic lift and had my welcome meal with the members of the orchestra...
The next nine days were filled with rehearsals of three wonderful pieces - William Grant Still's Wood Notes, Brahms' Double Concerto and Kurt Weill's Second Symphony. Tough going; but fortunately, we were well guided by conductor Cayenna Ponchione, and the whole thing culminated in a really nice concert in the sold-out Teatro Cicero in Cefalu...
And the return journe worked like a treat even though the Italian railways were supposed to be on strike (but by law, night trains and disabled services are not allowed to be hit by strike action)...
A view of the Mediterranean, from my compartment...
