The rhythm of this tour has worked very well. Just when everyone is ready for a break, one tends to appear. In this case, four wonderful days at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia…although I must confess I tossed and turned slightly for the first two nights, having evidently become too accustomed to my narrow bunk on the bus rather than an oversized double bed.
On the Monday, I covered far too many miles of the city - the morning jog took me to the “Rocky Steps” and back (where else?!) although the steps themselves were cordoned off following Labour Day concerts. I then walked back to the same park with Iona, where we discovered you could hire bicycles, and follow a wonderful circular cycle path along both sides of the river.
All of which I felt in my legs the following day.
And on Wednesday, I played tennis with Renee, who is in training unless either Djokovic or Tsispas need a hitting partner.
In between, there was the minor matter of a concert at the Mann Center, which Pat Mastelotto, who has an astonishing memory for concerts, immediately remembered was the venue of his last show with Bill Bruford on 26thAugust 1996.
"To try is to fail."
