Lübeck a night at the theatre

Lübecker weekend

Friday

It was the middle of summer and the weather is supposed to be scorching, someone hadn’t read the script, though dry it can no way be called above normal, in fact it was well below normal.
Never the less we from the NE of England are made of tough material, blue lips, shuddering and pouring rain and still enjoying oneself (did we really), I suppose we did, the ride on the Tyneside circular line was just as big an excitement as was the going to Cullercoats bay, visiting Uncle Joe Stoneman (not a real uncle but an old shipmate and workmate of “Wor Dads”) who had a coble and fished out of that little fishing harbour (the source of our crabs, lobsters and when running, salmon and sea trout).
I got to our hotel and was a little early so sat in the hotel lobby taking a little “snuff” while waiting for Linda, I will add I am a Sir Terry Pratchett fan and am reading his last book at the moment, I just love his sense of devilish humour and his matter of fact way of weaving topical threads into his mysteries and Folklore.
We got settled into our hotel, a very nice one, just south of the main Island “Altstadt” of Lübeck called the Visitor hotel, clean, friendly, good sized rooms and separate bathroom with a separate room with two, yes two wash hand basins , but most of all it was cheap, only €83,- per night for the double room  including the €6,- for the wonderful breakfast (German not English). WiFi LAN costs €1,- per hour (not very strong connection, but sufficient).

We had planned a cultural evening (well Linda had, as she had done all of the planning), it was first out for a meal and then off to the Music and Congress hall (MUK) to see a musical rendition of Turandot, this was part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music festival, the theme this year being China, the year of the Dragon.

We parked the car right outside of the MUK and went across the bridge onto the Altstadt Island,

we walked a little way and Linda was stopped by a call, one of her work colleagues was sitting with her husband at one of the many  street cafes we chatted and Linda asked about a nice place to eat, they suggested a place just around the corner called Die Schiffergesellschaft, “the guild of Mariners”.

We went around the corner and there is an old, nay ancient building was a surprise awaiting me that I had not been expecting, those that know me will realise I am an” Ancient Mariner” and here was a building that made my heart pound.

It is a fantastic red brick building (as the majority of the classical buildings in the old city) from the outside, but inside is what takes your breath away, it is truly magnificent (well for us mariners anyway), the guilds main hall has been kept in its original style, with the long tables that the guests eat and drink at still in the same position that they would have been when the ships crews, fishermen, bargees and Baltic werries and traders of past gone centuries ate and drank at. Wonderful, fantastic, it felt like coming home.

We ordered our meals, informing the waiter that we had to be at the MUK for 18:00, well I do believe he was an old ships boy, I thought for a moment he was going to touch his forelock, said no problem took our orders and off he went.  Next to us on the starboard side was a family that had one of the most well behaved “sort of collie” I have had occassion to meet. Then to the Port side came a young family with a little child (a girl, not so well behaved as the "sort of collie"), they came from Stuttgart, the man originally from Bavaria, in fact from Augsburg, my first place of residence in Germany, all  those years ago, 43 to be exact.

We had looked at the menu outside and I had all ready decided on the Fischteller (fish platter), consisting of cod, Pollock and a salmon roulade, served on a bed of curried vegetables and a potato and leek rosti, fantastic, well cooked and very tasty, I washed it all down with a couple of 0.2l Flensbergers, a very bitter pils from the North of Schleswig- Holstein.

Linda ordered the deep fried Gurnard filets with butter poatoes and a side salad, this was enjoyed with many oos and ahs, so I think it met with her approval.

On leaving I took a few close ups of the carpenters works from all of those years ago

And Jack the cabin boy gave us a hard stare (I've had a few of those from stewards in my time)

 

We then legged it down the Engelsgrube and then along the quayside to cross the bridge to the MUK,  with the figures on top

  The house was 90% full, good job Linda had bought the tickets up front. And boy had she bought the tickets up front, 1^st row, couldn’t have been better, even see the hairs up the first bass cellists’ nose (not a nice sight may I add). This evening’s performance was purely musical no stage scenery or props and just a little acting by the Princess (suppose she couldn’t help it really)

Waiting for the band as I believe it is termed now a days



Nice bunch of flowers (got to pass the time away looking at something)

When we arrived and I didn’t know what to expect, as I had heard this piece of music many times, but of course the most famous piece from Puccini’s opera being Nessun Dorma, I have heard it sung by some of the real greats tenors of our time (Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Tito Beltram) and the not so greats ,though good (Andrea Bocelli and Paul Potts) this evenings  Prince Calaf, Tenor Marco Berti came in between the first and the second lot, he was very good, but the girls outshone the boys as far as the singing went, the princess Turandot was sung by American Soprano Jennifer Wilson a Voluptuous singer that hit all of the notes and did act the part which is more than can be said of most. Also worth a mention was Liu the slave sung by the Polish Soprano Iwona Sobotka, with some beautiful sung arias.

The singers and orchestra receiving a much deserved standing ovation and then we headed back to the hotel for an nice nights sleep. But first seeing how Wiggo had done on the tour de France, keep it going boy!