1Right. I've now almost succeeded in finalising plans for our tour,
2so I'll bring you up to date with what I know.
3As you know, we're flying first to Munich, on Monday the 4th.
4The flight is at 11.30,
5so it's too early to have lunch at the airport.
6I suggest we meet there for coffee at 10,
7which should give us plenty of time for breakfast before we leave home.
8When we arrive in Munich, we'll be met at the airport by Claus Bauer.
9Claus works for a tour operator, and he'll look after us for the time we'll be in Germany.
10He's already liaised with the managers of the theatres we're going to visit,
11and he's also arranged for an officer of the National Theatre in Munich
12to show us round the theatre one afternoon during our stay.
13Now last time we discussed this trip,
14I didn't have the precise cost for hotel rooms, but now I have.
15The normal rate at the hotel where we're staying is 150 euros a night for a double room.
16I'd hoped to get that down to 120 euros,
17but in fact I've been able to negotiate a rate of 110.
18That'll be reflected in the final payment which you'll need to make by the end of this week.
19On Tuesday, the day after our arrival,
20I had hoped we could sit in on a rehearsal at one of the theatres,
21but unfortunately that's proved very difficult to arrange,
22so instead we'll have a coach trip to one of the amazing castles in the mountains south of Munich.
23On Tuesday evening, we'll all have dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel.
24From talking to you all about your preferences,
25it was clear that a typical local restaurant would be too meat-oriented for some of you.
26Some of you suggested an Italian restaurant,
27but I must confess that I decided to book a Lebanese one,
28as we have plenty of opportunities to go to an Italian restaurant at home.
29On Wednesday afternoon, the director of the play we're going to see that evening will talk to us at the theatre.
30She'll describe the whole process of producing a play,
31including how she chose the actors,
32and, as the play we're going to see is a modern one, how she worked with the playwright.
33Right.
34Now I'd just like to make a few points about the plays we're going to see,
35partly because it might influence your choice of clothes to take with you!
36The play we're seeing on Wednesday evening is a modern one,
37and we're going to the premiere, so it'll be quite a dressy occasion,
38though of course you don't have to dress formally.
39I gather it's rather a multimedia production,
40with amazing lighting effects and a soundtrack of electronic music,
41though unfortunately the playwright is ill and is unlikely to be able to attend.
42On Thursday we're seeing a play that was first performed last year,
43when it was commissioned to mark a hundred years since the birth in the town of a well-known scientist.
44We're going to see a revival of that production, which aroused a lot of interest.
45Friday's play will really make you think hard about what clothes to pack,
46as it'll be in the garden of a palace.
47It's a beautiful setting, but I'd better warn you, there won't be much protection from the wind.
48On Saturday, we're going by coach to a theatre in another town, not far from Munich.
49This will be the opening of a drama festival,
50and the mayor and all the other dignitaries of the town will be attending.
51After the performance, the mayor is hosting a reception for all the audience,
52and there'll be a band playing traditional music of the region.
53And after having a day off on Sunday, our final play is on Monday,
54and it's in the stunning setting of the old Town Hall,
55which dates back to the 14th century.
56The performance marks the fifty years that the lead actor has been on stage,
57and the play is the one where he made his first professional appearance, all those years ago.
58And the day after that, we'll be flying back home.
59Now have you got any questions...