London to Bucharest

I returned to the Phantom of the Opera International Tour for a week as one of its keyboard players for its run in Romania. We had superb weather for (almost) the whole week, a swimming pool at the hotel, a lovely park & lake nearby to stroll & jog around, and even managed to fit in an interesting walking tour around the city centre.

Memorial of Rebirth, Bucharest

I didn’t quite know what to expect from my visit. Being 35 years or so since the revolution that ended communism in the country, there’s certainly a vibrancy to Bucharest. Maybe the good weather helped, but the coming together of so much different architecture (from ancient Greco-inspired monasteries to Paris-cum-North Korean inspired boulevards - yes, really) and cultural influences from across Eastern Europe & the Balkans, it made for quite an interesting place. And again, another city nailing good coffee! They also seem to enjoy platters of meat with a little side of sour soup, pickled veg and potatoes, so I wasn’t complaining.

As I gear up towards some more serious work in the coming weeks, I have been taking some down time with a chance to catch up with friends and lead a somewhat healthier lifestyle after all that Romanian meat…! It times very nicely with the likes of Wimbledon, with the hot weather in the London area at the moment a perfect excuse to not move around too much and instead watch lots of great tennis.

July will include a chance to head north to Manchester again for a couple of concerts as well as more catch ups (plus family time) and continue to enjoy another great summer of sport and festivals!