The hotel kindly allowed me to check in early, but my body thought it was late afternoon, so went out to explore the city streets.

Had a 2-hour sleep in the afternoon to fool my body into adjusting to local time. Then, at 10 pm, attended a late concert of "Music for Advent", featuring soloists from the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, in the Stephansdom (St Stephen's cathedral - a landmark in the centre of the city).

At one point, while walking around the city, I found myself outside an 'Australian Pub'! Had a quick beer there, out of a sense of duty, but soon left to seek out the local brew!

Visited the Haus Der Musik, a modern museum that describes itself as an 'interactive sound museum'. Includes multimedia exhibits devoted to the most notable composers to have worked in Vienna, and some rather gimmicky interactive experiences like the 'virtual conductor', where a video of the Vienna Philharmonic in action speeds up or slows down according to how you, as the conductor, wave an electronic baton!

A little disappointing that there were few original artefacts from Mozart or Beethoven's time, but still worth a visit.
Haus Der Musik website: www.hdm.at

Climbed the tower of Stephansdom, for a good view over the city.

7.30 am, depart Vienna for London, England...

Arrived London and took the Rail link to Andover, where my sister, Cynthia ('Cyn'), picked me up to take me to her home in the village of Cholderton, Wiltshire, where she lives with her son Alexander.

As an archeologist, she is located within easy reach of the various digs she has been involved with. Also very close to Stonehenge (which she hasn't managed to dig up yet!).

Cyn is also organist at the local church. That evening she led the traditional carol singing around the village, into which I was drafted... despite starting out in subzero temperatures, we actually felt quite warmed towards the end of the night, thanks to being invited into several houses along the way for glasses of mulled wine (warm, spiced red wine)! Somehow this felt a lot more like Christmas than the beaches, beer and barbeques in 35-degree heat, that passes for Christmas in Australia!

From Cholderton, Cyn and I made some interesting excursions to Oxford, Salisbury and other nearby spots.

We spent a lot of time revisiting "old haunts" where we had lived as children, both in Wiltshire and further afield in Norfolk.

While in Oxford, we went into the Ashmolean Museum, where we chanced upon an amazing exhibit of old musical instruments, including not only a Stradivarius violin, but also a rare guitar built and signed by Stradivarius (with electronic pickups by Fender... heh-heh, just kidding!). This, to me, was far more fascinating than the hi-tech Haus Der Musik in Vienna. Unfortunately photography was not allowed, so you'll just have to believe me!

I had played this particular instrument regularly during my teen years, having had lessons while at school nearby!

Download a video (2.8Mb) of me trying to play the same organ again 35 years later!

On Christmas Day, Cyn and I shared organ duties at the local church! She played the hymns as usual, and I had a go at some opening and closing music. (It's a very small, one-manual organ with no pedals, so could get away with any easy keyboard music!)

And not to forget my sister's archeological pursuits, we also visited Danebury Iron Age hill-fort, a site that my sister has spent many years excavating and documenting.

Two days remaining in England...

Left Cholderton village for London.

With Cyn and Alexander, spent the day with Sue, a long-time friend of Cyn since her Uni days, and someone I had not seen since 1981! We all met for coffee at the British Museum, where we then had a look at some archeological exhibits that were related to Cyn's work.

"Scene from an an Italian Restaurant..."

And later, as evening closed in, we made our way on foot through the West End and across the bridge to the South Bank, where we took a ride on the Millenium Wheel, or 'London Eye'. The view over London by night, from hundreds of feet in the air was quite spectacular!

Finally we all had so say our farewells and go our separate ways. Cyn and Alexander drove home, while I had checked into a hotel near Heathrow.

I was to have one more day in London before heading for Germany.

Paid another visit to the British Museum. There was a special exhibition on, called 'Inside the Mummy' that I thought would be worth seeing.

It was. As ancient Egyptian mummies tend to decompose if unwrapped, technology now lets us see inside the preserved bodies, leaving the mummy intact. A computerised model had been created using cross section images of the mummy derived from cat scan techniques. This was used, for the exhibit, in a 3D film, wherein the different types of body tissue could then be looked at separately or together. The effect was such that, wearing 3D glasses, you appeared to actually be moving around inside the mummy's body, travelling up through the skeleton, for example!

I also went to the Handel House in London, a new museum (open since 2000) located in the house at 25 Brook St where the composer lived for many years. They've reconstructed the inside to appear as it would have in Handel's time. Unfortunately, however, there's nothing in it that Handel actually owned, and no original manuscripts! Still, it's worth the visit, for the experience of being in the very room where Messiah was composed, but it doesn't yet compare with the Mozart house in Salzburg! Best value might be to go to one of the frequent chamber music performances are held in the rooms of Handel House.

Handel House website: www.handelhouse.org

Incidentally, some old rock guitarist named Jimi Hendrix also lived at the house next door, No. 23 Brook St (but a year or two later!).

Farewell to Olde Englande! Departed for Germany, via Vienna.

I flew London -> Vienna, then train into Germany. The full route would be Vienna -> Salzburg -> Munich -> Augsburg -> Ulm. Then to Sigmaringen, south-west of Ulm, where Martina, my old friend from our schooldays, would meet me and take me to Gammertingen-Mariaberg, where she lives with her husband and two children. After the flight from London, however, I didn't have time to reach Sigmaringen that same day, so stayed in Augsburg overnight.

Made it the rest of the way, and was picked up by Martina as planned. A memorable reunion! I had not seen Martina since she was a medical student in the 70s!

So then on to their residence, where I met Heiner (Martina's husband, also a doctor) and their son Urban for the first time, and daughter Sarah once again. (Sarah had stayed with us previously on a trip to Australia in 2004.)

That evening, Martina, Sarah and I drove to the university town of Tuebingen (where Sarah was studying) to see a movie "Rhythm is it!", a documentary about a group of disaffected schoolchildren being coached to take part in a dance production accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. A most unusual cinema: you buy the tickets over the counter of a bar, then proceed into the adjacent screening room, carrying a beer with you if you want!

We went for some walks around the local area. The hilly scenery around Mariaberg is beautiful, and there was snow on the ground while I was there. A nice way to fully catch up on what we'd each been doing for the last 30 years! Martina had also gone on to qualify in psychiatry as well as in medicine. She showed me the psychiatry practice she has recently set up in a nearby town. I suggested she might want me as a patient, but she wisely declined!

We went out again that evening, to a live performance at the Theater Lindenhof in Melchingen, playing a hilarious slapstick comedy, Das Ende vom Anfang ("The End of the Beginning" by Sean O'Casey, translated into German). Another very interesting theatre - this time a converted barn! Very rustic!

Martina went to Ulm for a gathering with her father and four sisters at their father's apartment. Meanwhile, in Mariaberg, I played some jazz duets with Heiner, who plays clarinet. (This would be the first of three very different styles of duets in as many days...!)

(Martina plays flute, and we used to play some memorable flute and piano duets in our teenage years. But sadly, on this short trip, Martina and I somehow didn't find the time to fit a duet... Well, perhaps it's best saved for a future occasion, after I've had a chance to do some more serious practice on the classical side!)

I rejoined Martina, with her father and sisters in Ulm - another big reunion!

The youngest sister, Henriette ("Henny"), whom I had last seen when she was a very young girl wielding a 1/8th-size violin, is now a very gifted violinist with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. I ended up playing an impromptu duet with her!

Download video evidence (2,439 Kb) of the duet with Henny!

The family watched the old 8mm films that I had taken of them in the early 70s, and which I had now tranferred onto DVD. Many memories - a big hit!

Later that evening, Martina and Uta had to leave for home. Reluctant farewells, Martina declaring her intention to visit Australia one day, me threatening to return to Germany soon if she didn't! I stayed in a hotel room in Ulm that night, ready to continue on to Leipzig the next day.

The next morning I spent a little more time with Ulrike, Eva, Henny and father Christoph.

Download "spot-the-right-note" video (1 Mb) of an improvised piano duet with Ulrike!

Then, in the afternoon, I took the train to Leipzig... the start of my "Bach Pilgrimage". A the same time, Henny, my new partner in violin-piano duets, took a train to Berlin, where she lives.

Arrived Leipzig 8 pm, found a Holiday Inn near the station, and checked in for 3 nights.

On the trail of Johann S.!

As Kantor for Leipzig, Bach provided the music for both the Nikolaikirche and the Thomaskirche (Churches of St Nicholas and St Thomas), the latter being attached to the Thomasschule (school) where he tutored the boys and directed the choir. The Thomasschule was knocked down in 1902, but I visited both churches.

For a Bach afficionado, it is a very special feeling to stand inside the Thomaskirche, knowing you're in the the very place where the great man created the most sublime choral music, including the St Matthew Passion and the many Cantatas. And at the same time to stand next to the place where his remains are now interred, appropriately between the choir stalls.

I also visited the Bach Museum, which houses an interesting collection of instruments, paintings and other artefacts from Bach's time, plus facsimiles of his handwritten scores (the originals are stored safely in the Bach-Archiv in the same building).

Links:
Thomaskirche - http://www.thomaskirche.org
Bach-Archiv - http://www.bach-leipzig.de

A day trip to Berlin. Only 1.5 hours from Leipzig by the fast Intercity Express train, which can travel at a speed of 200 kms per hour.

Met up again with Henny for a few hours and she showed me around some of the main landmarks by foot and by tram. We also had a look through the Film Museum in the Potsdamer Platz - some interesting and entertaining aspects of German culture and history are recorded there in the film archives.

I really need to come back to Berlin for at least a week to "do" the city properly!

Last day in Germany... consoling myself with the thought that at least I still have one more full day in Europe! I booked a train ticket to Vienna via Prague, where I'd have 2 hours to get a quick glimpse of that city.

It turned out that 2 hours was just enough time for me to walk through the old part of town.

I had no idea before how beautiful Prague's architecture is - much of it appears to have survived from the baroque era. Definitely another city worth revisiting for a longer period.

After arriving in Vienna, I checked into a hotel near the station, handy to get the bus connection to the airport the next morning. I strolled out for a last couple of Biers and a Wurst.

Reluctantly boarded the flight to Sydney.

But there was one nice little bit of serendipity on the plane: listening to the Classical music audio channel, what should come on but a recording of the Bach Keyboard Concerto in D, featuring Andreas Schiff with none other than the Chamber Orchestra of Europe... the orchestra Henny performs with regularly. She was probably on the recording!

Arrive Sydney.

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