It is less than one day since I arrived in Slovenia but it has already been action-packed! I arrived yesterday in my hotel at 4.30pm and had to leave almost immediately to meet George Pehlivanian, my conductor. Our rehearsal with the orchestra was from 7pm until 10pm and we wanted to have a good chat about the Elgar, as it has never been done by the orchestra - in fact, it is the premiere of the work in Ljubljana! It was great to see George again - the last time we worked together was in Naples, when we played the Berg concerto with the orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo and we had got on very well, both musically and personally. The first rehearsal went extremely well and the orchestra attacked the 'new' work with gusto - I was delighted to see what fiery tempi George took during the tuttis in the first movement and the orchestra responded with verve. It was such an exciting rehearsal that, near the end of the first movement, my bow collided with George's baton and went flying - only to be expertly caught by George, handed back to me, and we finished the movement without missing a beat! I am looking forward to the next rehesarsal and subsequent two performances!

After such a long day, I was only too happy to head for bed and I woke up very late this morning. It is a public holiday and so all the shops are shut - which, now that I have had a chance to look around the town, is probably a good thing! After breakfast, I put on my warm hat and walking boots and headed out to explore. Although the temperature is minus 7 degrees, the sun has been shining all day, so it was an ideal day to go for a long walk. Around the corner from the hotel is the main public square, with the glowing red building of the Church of the Annunciation. It is on the banks of the river and you can choose one of three bridges to cross at this point, as there is a beautiful structure called the Triple Bridge, pretty enough to rival anything you would find in Venice. I crossed to the other side and walked in to the Old Town, with its pretty cobbled streets and windy alley ways.

Once past the Town Hall, I took some side streets in the hope of climbing up to the Castle at the top of the hill. I followed my nose and took some little back streets, climbing all the time - I could see the castle up ahead but had no idea if I was getting any nearer to it. Finally my efforts were rewarded and I found a staircase which lead directly in to the castle. Once inside, I was delighted to find that it was a little jewel with white washed walls and a tiny little chapel, painted simply and dating back to the 15th century. I walked around the castle walls, with their breathtaking views and just sat in the sunshine for a while, enjoying the scenery. The walk back down was completed rather more quickly and I soon found myself in the cobbled streets once more.

Heading back towards the hotel, I bumped into George, who was having a little walk with his two children. He told me that the British Ambassador is going to host a reception in my honour after the second concert, so that's rather nice! I continued back along the river bank, passing another lovely bridge with Corinthian pillars, until I arrvied back at the main square. By this time, a large crowd had gathered and there were various speakers, presumably to commemorate the Public Holiday. Further on, there was a market place, with impressive Roman columns, and all the while, the Castle looked down upon the town in the gleaming sunshine. When I arrived at the appropriately titled Dragon Bridge, four fearsome beasts gazed at me, but I felt in no danger of crossing the bridge and heading back to my hotel.

Tasmin