Another Flight-Free Trip to the Continent: Innsbruck & Radovlica
For Fretwork’s latest adventures in Europe, a trip to Innsbruck and Radovljica in Slovenia, Jon Rees valiantly stepped in for Emily, who was unable to join us this time, and what a pleasure it was!
Our trip mascot, Richard’s son Cosimo, was our other addition, ensuring there was never a dull moment.
The trusty Teslas got us through the eurotunnel without TOO much delay (an hour an a half seems paltry in these days of interminable Brexit queues), we powered up and set off for Alsace, our overnight stop. I cannot pretend that two long days of travel isn’t quite testing, but, like childbirth, the pain is quickly forgotten. We had good company, good podcasts, good crossword clues and, once we finally arrived in Innsbruck the following day, good food and very good beer. The plus points of having brought our own transport meant we could drive up to the lake above the city the next morning and have a fantastic, and strangely warm, swim.
Our concert that evening, of Purcell, Locke and William Young, a British Innsbruckian of the time, was in a stunning frescoed room in the Schloss Ambras. The intricate wooden ceiling helped to create an extraordinary accoustic, carrying the sound of the viols clearly to all corners.
The following day, after only two charging stops, we reached Radovljica and proceeded to enjoy a day and a half’s holiday, again aided by our electric cars. We swam in the crystal clear waters of Lake Bohinj:
(Spot Fretwork), marvelled at how litter-free it was, despite (or maybe because of) there being no bins, ate a picnic under a tree and, later, some delicious Slovenian food as we watched the sun set.
Our concert the next day in the old Town hall was in a spacious, gracious room overlooking the mountains. We kept the windows open for the cool air, meaning I got attacked by a humungous fly mid piece, which was unpleasant and off putting. No visual record of that, so here is one of us receiving applause (rapturous, naturally) at the end.
After the concert, we all parted ways, some more glamorously than others: While Richard was sending us tempting photos of Italian deli counters and Palladian villas on his way to Italy with Cosimo, Jo was revisiting with fond nostalgia the many Burger King charging points we had passed as she made her way back to France to join the family holiday. Jon, Sam and I hopped onto a sleeper train that very night and spent the hours of oblivion in varying degrees of comfort (and oblivion):
Sam’s bed
Jon’s bed
After catching 3 more trains and, in Sam’s case, Covid, we ended our tour back in the UK in time for tea, slightly the worse for wear.
