Richard Wagner Festival in Bayreuth, Germany

I had a short visit to Germany ten days ago. I first flew to Düsseldorf, where I spent a nice evening with my old friends the Gloystein family. Peter I learned to know 1968,when he studied and worked here in Helsinki. His charming English wife Jean I already met before their honeymoon trip to Finland early seventies, and their children beautiful Nikola and brave adventurer Henning I know since their childhood. Now I also met Nikola's sweet baby son for the first time. It was pure luck that the family could be seen together as Nikola lives in Munich and Henning in London.
Next day Peter and I drove about 600 km in five hours to Bayreuth, which is a very beautiful, small Bavarian town. On the same Friday evening, we sat at the world famous Richard Wagner Festspielhalle, designed by the maestro himself in 1870's. Acustically fantastic even not so comfortable music hall gave me an experience of a life time with operas from "The Ring" "Rheingold" on Friday and "Die Walküre" on Saturday. I shall always be grateful to Peter, having invited me to these memorable occasions.
This was for me probably the end of Summer season, because Germany still was sunny and warm but Helsinki very cool after two months sunshine and record hot heath wave +37,2 C here.

A trip around Lake Ladoga in Russia

Last week a group of 37 of us from Finnish Club made an interesting four days journey by bus around Lake Ladoga in Russia. We visited several interesting places there, partly in former Finnish territories, Russia took over in WWII 65 years ago. My parents were both born there in Karelia.
Today I shall fly to Germany, to visit the Operas of Richard Wagner at Bayreuther Festspiele, "Das Rheingold" and "Die Walküre", tomorrow and on Saturday. I will be back in Helsinki on Sunday evening.