It was the most stunning day to drive from the West coast back to the east! But firstly, we made sure to take a walk in Helensburgh and take in as much sun as we could.

Also, we may or may not have had waffles and ice cream for breakfast… We drove on beautiful smaller roads and avoided the motorway altogether so we can really take in the views.

We played an afternoon concert at the Dollar Academy, surrounded by birds and hills. After the first half, a man came to speak to Mihai to say that he came to the concert with his mum not knowing what we were going to play and was hoping to hear the Debussy sonata. So, when Mihai played the opening statement, he was just ecstatic! I love talking to the people who come to listen to us. It’s always a very special connection after you’ve already communicated in music.

This photo was taken by the absolutely lovely Caroline who runs the Dollar Music Society.

After the concert, we enjoyed a little stroll along the river and Yoanna was absolutely taken by the smell of food at the end of the road. Well, more precisely, the smell of food and nature combined in a perfect perfume.
We followed the smell, and found a little Japanese restaurant that had just opened and was only serving food to take away. So, we made the best out of it. Can’t think of a better restaurant setting in that moment!

Then, we drove back to Edinburgh… 

It was an unforgettable week. We will miss Scotland dearly, both for the stunning views and incredible, warm, open-hearted people we made friends with. It was a dream come true performing so many concerts in a row together, and playing music we love deeply.

Thank you to the fantastic Tunnell Trust for this adventure! 

Stay tuned for a couple of extra posts… 

We arrived in Helensburgh on the sunniest day!

The venue, The Tower Digital Arts Centre, is an unusual one: a typical Scottish church that has been transformed into a cinema, and for tonight, a concert hall.

The usher looked a little odd too… 😂

 

A little bonus from the night before in Biggar: Mihai at our lovely hosts’ warm kitchen, enjoying a glass of scotch. We were so grateful to the lovely Frances and Ted for being so wonderful, feeding us great food and stories. One of the best things about travelling is certainly the people we meet along the way!

 

We loved playing in the beautiful Loaningdale House in Biggar, where we were surprised by a gorgeous Steinway – Mihai surely enjoyed playing the epic Dohnanyi sonata on it!

 

Here is a short excerpt of the end of the first movement: we have been loving sharing this rarely performed masterpiece, and it’s an absolute treat to get to play it six times in a row.

 

The morning after the concert, we enjoyed the stunning spring day. Scotland is truly beautiful!

Looking forward to our next concert, in Helensburgh.

 

New Lanark was beautiful! We enjoyed playing in a lovely, intimate space. Unfortunately, due to some technical difficulties we could not take a good photo of the performance, but here is Mihai getting set up for our rehearsal: 

 

We had a few hours to kill next morning, and as we were staying in the cute Scottish Equi Hotel… we decided to treat ourselves to a horse riding lesson!

 

We are here with the gorgeous Montana and Scarlett. It was an unforgettable experience to connect with these stunning animals.

 

 

We are super excited for our next concert tonight in Biggar, and for more adventures to come. 🤩