Culture

We had arranged with some french friends to go to a cinema near them which was offering a season of ballet and opera. Only having seen one ballet in my life (The Nutcracker) I asked John to print a synopsis which I could refer to when I was lost. So we set off to our friends for lunch clutching this very confusing information. Just before we arrived at our friends we were talking and suddenly realised that we were going to see The Nutcracker not Swan Lake, which was the one John had printed. Fortunately I had an idea of the story!!

Our friends told us several times the name of the "town" that we were going to. However it mean't nothing to us. It turned out to be a one horse town somewhere in the depths of the Dordogne. It was not much bigger than St Germain and as it was Sunday afternoon totally deserted. When we eventually found the cinema we were amazed to see that it was very modern, although not multiplex you understand. However it was a little disturbing to find that we were the only car in the vast car park, after all it was a rare cultural opportunity!

Eventually there were about a hundred of us, all of a certain age. Soon the big screen advised us to put on our 3D glasses. Remembering that we were all of an age we duly did as we were told although it caused much consternation as nobody appeared familiar with these "modern" gadgets. Fine, the film began - for two minutes before it crashed! After another five minutes passed the audience began to get restive and the general factotum i.e. the girl who dished out the tickets, whisked in to make an incomprehensible announcement which nobody could understand, let alone us. By this time we could see the funny side of the situation and were in fits of giggles.

After twenty minutes all was well and we marveled at the performance by a Russian company. As a gesture of apology the management provided drinks in the foyer at the end.

Not quite Covent Garden but nevertheless a thoroughly entertaining afternoon, in more ways than one.