Green and pleasant land

My God, the amount of water around! It's like holidaying in Scotland in September. But the sun has finally come out this evening, even if the air is like breathing warm flannel, so I may yet get to do something other than visit indoor/underground historic sites.

I am mostly posting, however, to say to aella_irene that I am reading "Magic Flutes" and they're dining in a chambre séparée in Hotel Sacher. It's as if Ibbotson's purpose as a novelist were to slip me fanfic research material whilst I'm reading.