| Right. I've now almost succeeded in finalising plans for our tour, |
| so I'll bring you up to date with what I know. |
| As you know, we're flying first to Munich, on Monday the 4th. |
| The flight is at 11.30, |
| so it's too early to have lunch at the airport. |
| I suggest we meet there for coffee at 10, |
| which should give us plenty of time for breakfast before we leave home. |
| When we arrive in Munich, we'll be met at the airport by Claus Bauer. |
| Claus works for a tour operator, and he'll look after us for the time we'll be in Germany. |
| He's already liaised with the managers of the theatres we're going to visit, |
| and he's also arranged for an officer of the National Theatre in Munich |
| to show us round the theatre one afternoon during our stay. |
| Now last time we discussed this trip, |
| I didn't have the precise cost for hotel rooms, but now I have. |
| The normal rate at the hotel where we're staying is 150 euros a night for a double room. |
| I'd hoped to get that down to 120 euros, |
| but in fact I've been able to negotiate a rate of 110. |
| That'll be reflected in the final payment which you'll need to make by the end of this week. |
| On Tuesday, the day after our arrival, |
| I had hoped we could sit in on a rehearsal at one of the theatres, |
| but unfortunately that's proved very difficult to arrange, |
| so instead we'll have a coach trip to one of the amazing castles in the mountains south of Munich. |
| On Tuesday evening, we'll all have dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel. |
| From talking to you all about your preferences, |
| it was clear that a typical local restaurant would be too meat-oriented for some of you. |
| Some of you suggested an Italian restaurant, |
| but I must confess that I decided to book a Lebanese one, |
| as we have plenty of opportunities to go to an Italian restaurant at home. |
| On Wednesday afternoon, the director of the play we're going to see that evening will talk to us at the theatre. |
| She'll describe the whole process of producing a play, |
| including how she chose the actors, |
| and, as the play we're going to see is a modern one, how she worked with the playwright. |
| Right. |
| Now I'd just like to make a few points about the plays we're going to see, |
| partly because it might influence your choice of clothes to take with you! |
| The play we're seeing on Wednesday evening is a modern one, |
| and we're going to the premiere, so it'll be quite a dressy occasion, |
| though of course you don't have to dress formally. |
| I gather it's rather a multimedia production, |
| with amazing lighting effects and a soundtrack of electronic music, |
| though unfortunately the playwright is ill and is unlikely to be able to attend. |
| On Thursday we're seeing a play that was first performed last year, |
| when it was commissioned to mark a hundred years since the birth in the town of a well-known scientist. |
| We're going to see a revival of that production, which aroused a lot of interest. |
| Friday's play will really make you think hard about what clothes to pack, |
| as it'll be in the garden of a palace. |
| It's a beautiful setting, but I'd better warn you, there won't be much protection from the wind. |
| On Saturday, we're going by coach to a theatre in another town, not far from Munich. |
| This will be the opening of a drama festival, |
| and the mayor and all the other dignitaries of the town will be attending. |
| After the performance, the mayor is hosting a reception for all the audience, |
| and there'll be a band playing traditional music of the region. |
| And after having a day off on Sunday, our final play is on Monday, |
| and it's in the stunning setting of the old Town Hall, |
| which dates back to the 14th century. |
| The performance marks the fifty years that the lead actor has been on stage, |
| and the play is the one where he made his first professional appearance, all those years ago. |
| And the day after that, we'll be flying back home. |
| Now have you got any questions... |