Saturday, 9 March: mid-morning flight from Bristol to Nice; got to Jacky’s 5-ish.

She’s moving from rue des Ponchettes at the end of the month so we took some photo souvenirs:

Sunday: Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice presented an afternoon Beethoven programme at the Opera House, close by:  an energetic version of the Egmont Overture, with some solid tympani work, an expressive interpretation of the second piano concerto by Lise de la Salle and, to finish, the 6th Symphony.  In the last movement, after the storm the arrival of the last lyrical theme  was superb. Subtle and nuanced.

Jacky’s neighbour has published a book about her father in which there is a fascinating and horrifying account of the young Jacky (Cohen)’s early life in the war, when her father was deported to Auschwitz:

Tuesday: Milan –  it’s my  first visit and I’m mightily impressed. Like many other major continental European cities it manages to combine modernity and history, with important added touches of Italian style. Just looking at transport, there are high speed trains across the country, trams and hybrid taxis the city; and many central streets are traffic-free or, at least, traffic-light. If I had to think of one word to sum it up, it would be imposing, with the  wide streets, huge historic buildings, like the cathedral and castle.

Our digs are in a smart apt, 2 beds, 10 min walk from La Scala and cathedral, and opposite the Parco Sempione, the largest in the city.  

The reason for our trip is to experience a performance of Verdi’s La Traviata in La Scala, the temple of opera. The occasion didn’t disappoint – the wonderful opera house is in a tight horseshoe shape, classic with 6 layers of boxes. It was a very colourful and dramatic performance. From our seats in the front of the box we looked over the orchestra, so I could watch, especially,  the percussionists (3) and the conductor, who seemed to know the score by heart, as he didn’t have a paper one in front of him, and seemed to be miming all the words of the singers.  Massive applause, especially for Placido Domingo  – an incredible 78 years old and still performing at international level – and Angel Blue, the (black) replacement Violetta. 

Wednesday: the famous (and huge) Cathedral/Duomo. A short walk from the apartment then we take the lift to the roof where a terrace weaves around the ornate constructions and takes you onto the very rooftop,  with views across the city in all directions. The interior is vast and sombre, not overly ornate but, rather, powerful. We light a candle in memory of Dad and Ma who loved Italy and, of course, were married in Naples.

In the afternoon we walk some of the streets in the Brera fashion district, lined with upscale boutiques. 

The Parco Sempione is very close to the apartment; we take a stroll through the immense walls and fortifications of the castle and out the other side into a fun fair! 

Thursday: we have time on our hands until the train at 14:00 so we visit the city aquarium for close-up views of octopus, crab, trout, multi-coloured tropical fish and these giant eels with small heads and beady eyes and this bizarre spikey worm-like creature:

Pasta for lunch in a canteen-style restaurant which fills up quickly by 12 with local workers, plus lots of loud but well-behaved German football  supporters in town for tonight’s Frankfurt-Milan game.

Friday: back in Nice. Jacky is a big Chopin fan so I go into town to buy sheet music for the Petit Chien waltz (Opus 64 no.1, known as the Minute Waltz, in English, from the time it can take to play); my challenge for the next time we meet:

Martine and Alain come over and he dropped then me at the airport.

Saturday:  back in Luz, via EasyJet to Toulouse and delighted to see that I have timed it right this year to catch the Magnolia in bloom!

Tuesday: Michael and Kate arrive for a few days’ skiing:

Saturday: LJP gig at La Tasca: