Mariachi and French Twist

Yesterday, Viola Man asked if I'd be interested in being one of two violins for a mariachi gig coming up soon.  Well, why not?  Rehearsal this morning (thankfully!) was a great start to my holidays. 

Obviously, this was my first time.  It turned out to be the singer's first time also, and things weren't going superbly well until the bass and lead guitarists turned up.  Then, all these charts started to work properly.  Some of the music I found familiar(ish), some was totally new - but after playing the few songs we rehearsed several times, they are now on repeat in my head.  It was also like a Spanish immersion experience, about half the language spoken was Spanish and then it would switch suddenly to English.  I was surprised how much I could understand, although by the end my brain was a little slow.  Note: in a music rehearsal, numbers are important.

Having a morning rehearsal (what self-respecting muso does that, really?!) meant I was desperately in need of a coffee by about halfway through, and amazingly hungry by the end.  We went to the sushi place at the Barracks for lunch, then French Twist for a (much-needed!) coffee.  I've often walked past French Twist heading towards Libertini's, or back to the Palace Cinemas or fab, but never walked in.  I really like the French vibe - dark wood floors, display cases (with many yummy goodies), shelves with bottles and tea sets and things.  We had to go to 2 registers before we got to the one that would take our order, but once we'd ordered there wasn't a huge wait.  Having coffee in a gold-rimmed cup is lovely!  Coffee itself was average but (as you might have realised) the chocolate topping is important, and as that was good, it passes the test.