Tonight was a night I will remember for the rest of my life, as I was blessed to have seen the masterpiece of Turandot, by Puccini. The sets, the singing, the costumes... they were all exquisite! I shudder when I think of how close I was to missing the performance altogether. I was at Cindy's house watching My Mother's Courage, a movie adapted from the play, which we are reading in our Opera/Theater class. The movie ended at 6:30pm, and the Opera started at 7... I thought I had plenty of time to get there. I made it to the Volksoper 10 Minutes before the production started. I quickly got in line to buy my ticket. I paid 10 Euros for a seat that is usually 94... how is this possible? One might ask. One of the many perks of being a student, and having no money. I sat in the middle of the seventh row... it was so perfect. Right before the Opera began, an usher greeted the audience and annouced that the actor playing Calàf was having some difficulties with his voice, due to the bad weather. This was all in German, of course, and I understood most of it. The Opera started quite differently then I was expecting, there wasn't an Overture, just a series of clicks while men dressed in abstract costumes marched across the stage. I marveled at the interpretation... everything appeared insect-like. Calàf's voice was regrettably finished by the first act, which meant someone would have to replace him. I was surprised when the usher announced that they would have Calàf continue to act, while having another singer sing his part. No understudy? How interesting. I was not at all disappointed... the new tenor blue my mind. I was brought to tears as he passionately performed 'Nessun Dorma.' The audience went wild when he finished. The entire Opera was absolutely magnificent. I didn't want it to end, but of course all good things have to. When the curtain call came my hands burned with enthusiasm. Each time the actor playing Calàf came out for applause, he brought his other voice with him. I was so touched to see his appreciation for the help he received, rather than being bitter about someone else taking the spotlight. What a wonderful night. I recommend seeing this Opera... it will inspire you!
Another week has gone by, and for those of you counting, I have just over five weeks left of European ecstasy. Its sad how quickly life moves. This last week was an interesting one, let me tell you about it. Monday was uneventful, just another day of classes and homework. Tuesday was the same, only with an added viewing of Otello by Verdi at the Staatsoper. It was enjoyable, albeit a bit over the top dramatically. But I suppose that's understandable when seeing a Verdi Opera. Wednesday I had another voice lesson with Frau Pescheck. I've discovered through my lessons with her that my voice has achieved a state of readiness. Its ready to progress, and the only thing in my way is the concept of support, which I find difficult to teach my body. Its just a matter of time for this concept to be realized. Wednesday night Alicia invited me over to her place for dinner. Our meal consisted of a pasta dish created from the remnants of her kitchen... despite that fact, it ended up being very good. After dinner we went to the Volksoper to see Tannhäuser in 80 minuten. The production was a parody of Wagner's Tannhäuser and was performed by a single actor. He was accompanied by a quartet comprised of a guitarist, two violinists, and an accordionist. It was hilarious... the parts I understood. I wish my German was better, but alas I still struggle with the vast vocabulary of a foreign language. On my way home I tried stopping somewhere to purchase some snacks for the next morning's train ride. Unfortunately everything in Vienna is closed around 9pm... its grocery stores close by 7pm on most nights. How I miss having 24 hour grocery stores... or 24 hour anything for that matter. I had to go to a gas station by my bus stop... where everything costs 3 times as much. Anyways, the next morning I woke up early. Our train to Budapest left from Westbahnhof at 7:45am, and we arrived there about 4 hours later. It was overcast. The gray sky painted the buildings with a pale blue light, causing everything to appear tired, worn down. Outside the train staion a large construction project was underway. We walked along temporary wooden sidewalks covered in mud, our luggage thumping along behind us. Our hotel was right next to the train station. I had low expectations for our rooms. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to discover the comforts of a normal hotel. And normal pillows... American pillows! Not the flat, neck-ache, european pillows I have come to despise. We had about an hour for lunch before we had to meet our tour guide, so we left the hotel in search for an ATM. Hungary is part of the EU, however they have not yet changed their currency to the Euro. I ended up taking out 9,000 Florians (which is about 40 dollars). We took our new money to Burger King. We were hungry in Hungary (I was fortunate to have heard that lame joke only once while I was there). The food was cheap, but came with the unfortunate bonus of stomach discomfort... experienced a few hours later. We met up with our tour guide. Another freaking tour!!!! I'm so sick of city tours! It took us about an hour and a half to walk to Budapest's famous Synagogue and we spent another 45 minutes there. Nick, Michelle, Emily, and I had had enough. We left the tour and walked back to the Hotel. That night we went to a crazy submarine-themed restaurant in the tourist district. The food and live music were horrible, but it was a fun atmosphere. It was also hilarious to watch us figure out our check... 3 calculators going at once, and we still ended up with the wrong amount. I was laughing so hard, tears were running down my cheaks. After dinner we walked around a bit. We came across a casino, our curiosity led us inside. I wanted to try one of the slots, but I lacked the sufficient amount of change. From the Casino we walked back to our Hotel. On the way we happened to pass a local peeping club featuring a woman dancing in silhouette in the front window. We were asked if we wanted to come inside... we looked at each other and laughed. Oh... dirty Budapest. That night we watched Sweeney Todd on Emily's laptop. I just love that movie:) The next morning we were scheduled to meet our tour guide at 9am. Hearing about our frustrated exodus from the previous day's tour, Cindy (our program director), let everyone know what was planned for the day, and told us we could leave anytime we wanted. We ended staying the whole time. We went, by way of Budapest's public transportation system, to a monument, then to a castle, then to the labyrinth (a series of catacomb's that were turned into a tourist attraction). In the Labyrinth stood a wine-fountain that had been running for however long... perhaps hundreds of years (I wasn't paying attention). They had replaced the wine, for obvious reasons, with red-wine vinegar. Everyone complained about the retched smell. I didn't mind it, vinegar is not on my worst smells list. After the catacombs we stopped by a local market to eat lunch... a giant outdoor market indoors. It was really cool, although if you ever go I would recommend staying away from the butcher area. Raw meat is disgusting! After getting some food (pastries for me), it was back to our tour of the city. Fortunately for us, the rest of the tour was spent on a boat. We were able to sit and relax, while the tour guide talked about the city. Why hadn't we done something like that sooner? Why do we walk everywhere... I don't care if we're all young, and supposedly 'in shape.' Give my fat thighs a break, and spring for a bus tour every once and a while. After the boat tour the rest of the day was ours. A group of people went to another market, another group went to a Bathhouse, I went back to the Hotel. I had no desire to be a tourist in a city that was not tourist-friendly. That night Emily, Michelle, and I tried going to a traditional Hungarian restaurant suggested by our tourguide. We walked in, greeted by 4 people who spoke not a word of english. After about a minute we realized we weren't going to get served, so we turned around and left. Emily's words after realizing they didn't speak English or German..."That's fair, have a good night." Well, if Hungarians didn't want our business, we weren't going to give them any, so we walked to Pizza Hut. I had a greasy, delicious pepperoni pan pizza... oh how I have missed the simple joy of eating a crispy pepperoni. Good luck trying to find a pepperoni on a pizza in Vienna. After dinner we went for ice cream. We witnessed a rather aggressive street fight on our way. To our surprise we noticed they were only using their legs. I guess Hungarians don't believe in fist-fights... they're more flexible and want to show off their high-kicks. A country full of natural born dancers. Also on our way we were stopped by a crazy, homely woman who rambled off something in Hungarian. We told her we spoke english and continued to walk. She walked in the same direction, and for about 10 minutes we thought she was following us. The image of a knife in our ribs crossed our minds. Budapest isn't like other European countries, it didn't feel safe to be walking around at night. We eventually lost the fat, homely woman, and proceeded to buy some ice cream. Not the best I've had... but I've come to expect that from most places in Europe. We spent the rest of the night talking in Michelle and Emily's room... while knitting, of course. The next morning was check out. We were able to check out at 11am... the latest check out time we've had. After dropping off our bags, Michelle, Emily, and I walked to a Cafe near the Danube river. The Gerbeaud, established in 1858. It was classy, and old fashioned. The waitresses were dressed like french-maids, and rolled around pastry carts. We all ordered hot chocolate, and different types of cake. It was all very delicious. We sat there for a few hours talking... Emily knitting. There was jazz music playing in the background, and from our window we could people-watch easily and without being detected. From the Cafe we walked back to our Hotel. We still had some Florians in our pocket, so we decided to run to a Grocery store before we left. I bought a few snack items, and gave the rest of my Florians to Trevor (he was trying to get enough to buy two cheeseburgers at McDonalds). We arrived back in Vienna Saturday night at around 8pm. So Budapest wasn't the greatest place I've been, but it showed me that not all European cities are gilded in gold. I used a few similes to describe Budapest, such as: Budapest is like a crotchety old person. They're ugly, yet you can find hints of beauty within them... or Budapest is like a difficult relationship, it takes work in order to reach a state of mutual love. And finally, this one coming from Michelle and Emily, Budapest is like an arranged marriage. We meet Budapest, not by choice, but eventually find ourselves liking it. Budapest is not a typical tourist city, and it lacks the energy found in other European gems... like Prague. But despite these facts, it remains a place of beauty, and rich history... both of which take greater effort to discover.
Oh... Life is great. This week our group had our scheduled vacation. One week without school, homework, stress... one week of joy. Each of us disbanded into smaller travel groups and ventured into the world. One group went to England, another went to Rome, another to Basil... my group traveled to Greece, and it was by far the best vacation I've ever had! Let me tell you all about it. Monday morning I awoke early. My packing had been done the night before, but I was still in need of a few travel-sized items. I went to a grocery store called Mercur... something similar to Albertsons or Smiths in the States. I got what I hoped was shower gel (my german is still lacking), and a tube of toothpaste. From there I hopped on my usual subway enroute to Landstrasse, the station which has the desired S-bahn to the Airport. I arrived at the station a bit disoriented. There was construction all around, and I was unsure of where everyone would be meeting. Luckily I got a call just as I was walking through the exit... it was Trevor telling me where everyone was. I met up with the rest of our group, Jen, Trevor, Willow, Sydney, Lisa, and Nicole. Excitement was in the air. "We're going to Greece!" everyone said. A half an hour later we were on our S-bahn, headed to the airport. We arrived about 2 hours early. This, of course, is nothing out of the ordinary for the U.S., but for Europe its a bit unsual. We were the first ones at our gate. We would wait another hour and a half for boarding. I got a sandwich at a shop to eat while we waited... 4 euros, rip off! Our plane was smaller and didn't have its own terminal, so we took a bus to our plane and boarded by means of stairway (I had always wanted to do that). Our flight was short, only about an hour and a half. I tried taking a nap, but of course I am unable to sleep on planes... why? We arrived in Athens at about 2:30pm. The weather was warm and sunny! Yay! We weren't in Vienna! A few questions at the tourist desk oriented us to our surroundings. We would have to take a bus into central Athens (the Subway system was on strike). While purchasing our tickets, we ran into a fellow American studying abroad there. He had just arrived back from a trip to Germany. He talked to us the entire way, giving us tid-bits of information he thought would be useful. When we arrived (almost 2 hours later), he then led us to the area where our Hostel was located. Pretty nice guy... Zane, I think was his name. He's majoring in Agricultural science. Who majors in Agricultural science? Anyways, we checked into our Hostel... a total of 12.50 Euros a night. The accommodations weren't horrible, and I was used to the idea of a public bathroom. Prague took care of that. We didn't stay in our hostel long, we wanted to walk around and see the city... and we were starving. After getting some food (fyi, they have Cheetos in Greece!), we walked through the tourist market(pretty typical, lot's of junk). I was on the prowl for some linen pants... unfortunately everything linen costs a fortune. The girls all had there hearts set on some Grecian sandals or on a sun dress, all were a bit pricey. We walked around the rest of the night. We purchased our first Gyro... not bad, though not my favorite food. For dessert it was milkshakes at a Grecian McDonald's. You can always count on the familiar. From there we walked back to our Hostel... the next day would be jammed full of fun things. The next morning we awoke early. Breakfast at our Hostel consisted of bread and jam... are you kidding me? We ate as much bread as we could... 9 pieces for me. We checked out and left our bags there (2 Euros per bag storage fee for the day... another rip off). From there we walked straight to the Acropolis... only about a 7 minute walk from our Hostel. Students studying in the EU get into Grecian venues for free, so we all got in without a problem... Free!!! It blew our minds to think we were walking through the Acropolis in Athens. Greece, the birthplace of modern theater, art, music, mathematics, philosophy... need I go on? Its like the most important place on earth:) From the Acropolis we walked to the Agora... another beautiful ruin. Our recent lectures in fine-arts gave us the vocabulary to desribe the structures. The capitals are...Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, the architrave has sculptured relief. We all felt pretty intelligent. After the Agora we had nothing in our minds but food. We tried finding a place suggested by the SkyEurope magazine from our flight over. We found it, unfortunately it was closed. We quickly found an alternative though... quick pita. We all purchased our second round of Gyros... they were a little better this time, a bit spicier. We had one last stop for that day in Athens... the theater, the highest point in the city. We didn't want to walk all the way over there, so for 50 Euros cents we took a subway. It didn't really make a difference, we still had to walk a ways... and it was all uphill. I wondered how many times I uddered the phrase:"I need to get in shape." It was worth the burn, because the view was spectacular. We stayed there for awhile, enjoying the view, soaking up sun rays. We walked back to our Hostel... it only took about 25 minutes. We picked up our luggage and walked back to the Subway station. Two subways and about 45 minutes later we arrived at the Port of Athens. Our next stop was the Island of Aegina, about an hour and a half away. We purchased our tickets... only 8.50 Euros, what a steal! I had never before been on a boat on the ocean. I loved it! On our way to to the Island we were able to watch the sunset. The colors were so beautiful. In that instant I was completely content. As I breathed in the warm, salty air, I thought to myself how blessed I was to be experiencing such perfect moment. Little did I know those moments would continued to occur. We arrived on the Island unaware as to how to get to our Hostel. We asked around, but no tourist shops seemed to want to help. We made it to the Buses and found out which bus to take. I will admit to being very nervous at this time. We were on an old, island bus, traveling in the dark through windy roads. We arrived in the small town of Aegina Marina, on the opposite side of the Island's port. It was dark, and the town seemed almost deserted. We stopped at a restaurant to ask for directions... Her first words:"Hotel Liberty, right?" followed by "I stayed open just for you." She then gave us directions. We arrived at our hostel... they had been expecting us, and as we walked in the owner says:"Two doubles, and a Triple?, come with me." It took me a moment to comprehend their welcoming spirit. These people were so nice... it just didn't seem normal. We walked into our rooms... they were amazing. They all had balconies, two of which overlooked the beach. I was fortunate to have one of those rooms:) We asked the owner when he wanted us to pay... his response: "Whenever." I delighted in his laid back attitude. We paid a bit later... he was a bit surprised. After settling in, we walked back to the restaurant where the lady had given us directions. This woman was the coolest person I've ever come in contact with while traveling. She talked with us as if we were already friends. I ordered the spinach lasagna. I'm not really a spinach person, but it was very delicious. We talked with her for awhile longer and found out she spoke 7 languages. She was born in Egypt, lived in Africa, and later came to the Island. After dinner she put on some Egyptian music. We danced with her for about 45 minutes. It was so much fun. We pulled ourselves away, determined to come back the following night. We had been on the Island for over 2 hours, and we hadn't been to the beach yet... our next stop was the beach! A few people put on their swimming suits and ran around in the water. I was in shorts, so I didn't mind getting my feet wet. The water was so clear and even with the dimmly lit beach you could see the bottom. We played around for about an hour, and after that we went back to our hostel to play games. I, along with Trevor, Lisa, and Jen, played pool. I'm not very good, but I enjoy it nonetheless. The owners put on music for us... a dance mix. I busted moves in between shots. Later that night we all hung out in the triple room. We talked and played games, one of which was a modified drinking game supplied by Sydney (she goes to UCLA, where drinking games are played openly). The next morning we woke up early, once again. Our breakfast was amazing! Much more than just bread and jam. They had breads, desserts, cereals, sandwich materials... it was much better than Athens. After we ate, we all put on our swimsuits and it was off to the beach. We spent the rest of the day there. It was my very first time swimming in the Ocean... or rather I should say the Mediterranean Sea. I had reservations at first, but they soon went away. The water was wonderful... no colder than a swimming pool. You could also see the bottom a hundred yards or so away from the beach... amazing:) We swam and laid out for awhile. I wanted to build a sandcastle, and as soon as I had said those words the production was underway. We all joined in and worked on it for over an hour. It was so much fun! Trevor found a plastic pipe on the beach and perfected a technique of creating sand-columns. I worked on the entrance... trying to make an arched-doorway. The others worked on the inside, building a few essential buildings... a church, barracks, and a large palace-like structure. The whole thing was very impressive, considering we only used stuff we found on the beach. We were having so much fun, we neglected to eat lunch. We left the beach, hungry and sun-kissed (very sun-kissed for Willow and me). On the way back to our hostel I broke down and bought a pair of sandals... more than I wanted to spend, but certainly worth it. We were virtually the only tourists in the town, so I didn't mind spending some money to help their off-season economy. We walked back to our Hostel to rinse off the salt we had aquired during the day's activities. A few people were hungry, so we made our way to a grocery store. I bought a six-pack of water so we could hydrate ourselves (the water on the Island is not drinkable). That night we went back to the same restaurant. This time I ordered meatballs. They were by far the most delicious meatballs I had ever had. She turned on music for us again... we were all tired, but we all ended up dancing anyway. The music attracted a few more customers... we danced while they ordered. A bit later we pulled out our money to pay. She said she wanted to dance with one of the guys before we left. Naturally that meant she would dance with me... Trevor kept insisting that I was the superior dancer. I'm really not a good dancer when it comes to dancing with a partner, regardless I danced with her anyway. It was fun... she was really nice, considering I was horrible. We went back to the Hostel so a few people could change. We were determined to take every advantage of our beach, so that meant we were going to night swim. The breeze was telling us it wasn't a good idea, but we ignored its warnings and ventured into the water. Our loud squeals echoed across the shore as our skin adjusted to the cold water. Halfway out our willpower began to wane. We weren't going to make it. If we weren't going to swim, then at least we would submerge our bodies underneath the cold water. "On the count of three... Wait! wait! I'm not ready... I need to prepare myself... OK, ready? One, Two, Three..." We all took the plunge... a second time just for good measure. Then it was a race to the shore, and our dry towels. Back in our Hostel it was time to relax. A few people wrote in their Journals. I played my first game of Backgammon... Nicole taught me how to play. I ended up winning... beginners luck, I guess. The next morning we attempted to watch the sunrise over the Sea. The clouds covered the horizon, so we didn't get to see it. Someday I will witness the sun rising out of the ocean. That morning we asked our Hostel owner when check-out was... his reply:"Whenever you want." We explained what we wanted to do for the day, he said:"Check out, 6 o'clock... that will be fine" Really? Why are people on this Island so cool? After breakfast we were going to meet up with the lady from the Restaurant. She was going to take us up to see the temple ruins of Aphaea. Apparently her clock was off, because she didn't meet with us. We found our way up to the temple with a little help from our Hostel owner and some signs... oh, and I also asked some Firemen when we couldn't find signs in english. We, of course, got into the Temple grounds for free. A few tourists from America were joking about how unfair it was that they had to pay to get in. Our response... pay touition, then we'll talk. Inside, we met a tourist traveling from Germany. We practiced some German and asked him a few questions. I understood most of what he said. German-German is much easier to understand than Austrian-German. After the temple we went back to the Sea. We had discovered a small cove earlier that had turquoise-colored water. We swam and sun bathed on the rocks... I opted to go back to the beach. I find sand to be much more comfortable. Willow, Lisa, and I swam a bit longer, then we all went back to the Hostel to shower and pack. Before we left we stopped off at a Grocery store to buy some snacks. On the way we said our goodbyes to our favorite restaurant owner... I'm not sure of her name, but I will always remember her. Our bus came shortly after, and we arrived in the port of Aegina about 45 minutes later. Willow and Nicole purchased some pistachios... the island is famous for them. The rest of us walked around for a bit. Our ferry left shortly after. It was sad to say goodbye to such a wonderful place. Back in Athens we immediately noticed the difference between our paradise of Aegina Marina and the colder reality of a large city. We made it back to our Hostel and settled in. Hungry, once again, we walked out into the beehive... as I had started revering to it... the touristy part of the city. We bought some Gyros (my third, if you're keeping count), and for dessert we went to a crepe place... I got one with apricot jam. We spent the rest of the night walking around. We saw a few undesirable areas of the city... which prompted us to go back to our Hostel. We talked for about an hour, then we all went sleep. The next morning we got up early and stuffed our faces full of bread. We had discovered on our way to Aegina days prior that the subway station by the Flea market had lockers in it. We were able to fit all 7 of our bags into one locker... only 3 Euros... major bargain. From the station we walked over to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was amazing to see how large the structure would have been if it were intact. The columns left standing were huge. From the temple we walked over to the Panatheniac Stadium. It was closed... I'm not sure why. We took a few pictures and departed. The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping. I was in search of any souvenir at this point. I came across a hat... I'm not really a hat person, but everyone told me that I looked great in it. I surrendered under peer pressure and purchased the hat. I really like it, I just hope I'll wear it. We were hungry, so we stopped at a hole-in-the-wall Gyro stand for lunch. The Gyro was delicious... 4 Gyros had won me over to the concept. After lunch we continued to shop... towards the end of our shopping journey I came across a pair of linen pants... not 100% linen, because I simply cannot afford to spend 70 Euros for a pair of pants, but they looked linen, and they were made in Greece. I tried them on and purchased them without a second thought. I have linen pants... and a linen shirt to go with it... neither of which are pure linen. But who cares:) After all of our shopping needs were met, we walked back to the subway station where we stored our bags. We purchased subway tickets back to the airport and we arrived there about an hour later. Our flight back to Vienna was comfotable... both flights were very empty. I tried, once again, to take a nap... and failed. I am determined to sleep on a plane! We arrived in Vienna greeted by a cold, wet, and cloudy evening. I already miss the warmth of the Mediterranean. So... that was my vacation in Greece. It was by far one of the most enjoyable experiences in my life. I hope to go back there someday. Now life continues. I have homework due, and tests to study for. I also have another trip coming up. This Thursday my group is traveling to Budapest. Life abroad is wonderful.
This week has been quite enjoyable. One full week in Vienna... I feel like I'm actually living here, rather than just sleeping here in between trips. Allow me to recap my week for you... Monday and Tuesday were typical class-having days. I had a load of homework for German. My teacher, Frau Striegler, had us write an essay in the third person, narrative past. The whole concept made no sense. I wrote my entire essay during my fine arts class. Wednesday I had another voice lesson with Frau Pescheck. She's really nice. She has me working on German literature only, which I'm very grateful for. She also recognizes my voice's relative immaturity in terms of its growth. She has no problem skipping the dramatic arias at my current level. I think BYU forces their students to sing beyond their skill level in hopes that they'll progress faster. I don't agree with this method. Wednesday afternoon I had my Opera/theater class. I, along with a girl named Daniel, had to do a small presentation on singing... which meant that I had to sing for demonstration purposes. I sang a piece by Mozart, A cappella. I was satisfied with my performance, though I am still waiting on my confidence issues to be resolved in my brain. It all has to do with loving myself. Its not easy... not for any of us. Later that night I, along with Emily and Michelle, went to a film playing at the Viennale(Austrian Film Festival). Very interesting film indeed. It was a 1971 American film entitled Minnie and Moskowitz... I suppose I would recommend it. It was strange, but warm-hearted. On Thursday I got all dressed up for the Opera. It was Le Nozze di Figaro... I was so excited to see it. It was very good, although I have to admit that I preferred some of BYU's interpretation over the Staatsoper. After the Opera a few of us went to Mozart's Cafe. I ordered the Goulash soup... very tastey. The next morning I selpt in late. I awoke with the sound of my cell phone ringing... I didn't answer. It was Michelle. She wanted to know when I was going to join her and Emily in their Halloween fesivities. I quickly got up, showered, and made my way to the Institute. We made a quick stop at Michelle's apartment, and then Michelle and I went to Mariahilferstrasse to get some white make up, while Emily went to go vote. So... we traveled to the "Goth Store" as it is named. May I paint a picture for you... Heavy metal was playing loudly as we walked in. My eyes were greeted harshly by a substantial amount of black and purple... the gothic palate. A man was trying on a pair of knee-length, four inch healed boots covered in buckels. I turned to Michelle and expressed my approval for them. "I certainly couldn't pull off boots like that," I said. We walked up to the counter, the cashier's breasts met my line of vision. She was a larger women, and was wearing a very low-cut leather skirt. Michelle asked her, in german, for some white powder foundation. Unfortunately they were out, so we had to purchase liquid foundation... it ended up being the better choice. We made our purchase and left... by that time Emily had made it back to her apartment for her passport(required to vote). Michelle and I met up with her and we all walked to the US embassy. Unfortunately when we arrived Emily was told that the correct place to vote was the US Consolate... She decided to vote later. From the Embassy we walked to a Mexican grill close by. We had heard from other students that it was pretty good... and they didn't lie. Fresco Grill, run by a guy from the States, would be Austria's version of Cafe Rio. Everything was fresh, and everything tasted great! I will definitely be going back. We made it back to Michelle's apartment later that evening. Dress up time!! We put on our costumes and make up and headed out to the Prater (Vienna's Lagoon, only better). Emily was Sweeney Todd, and Michelle and I were her victims. Creepy Halloween photos taken at a theme park at night... perfect combo. People stared at us as we made our way to and from the Prater. The Viennese don't really do Halloween yet. After taking our creepy photos, we traveled back to Michelle's apartment. There, we ate junk food and watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Best Halloween Ever!! The next day I slept in, once again. I had nothing to do, and I really didn't want to do the whole tourist thing. I just wanted to relax. That night I met up with Michelle and Emily at the Volksoper. Now playing... The magic Flute!! It was great:) The Queen of the Night failed to meet expectations, but other than that everything else was well done. Today has been good. I went to my religion class. I sang, along with a girl named Amanda, "Nearer my god to thee" for the musical number. I don't think that'll be the last time I sing for my group. Anyways, so that was my week. Tomorrow morning I fly to Greece! I'm so excited!!
Tonight was a night I will remember for the rest of my life, as I was blessed to have seen the masterpiece of Turandot, by Puccini. The sets, the singing, the costumes... they were all exquisite! I shudder when I think of how close I was to missing the performance altogether. I was at Cindy's house watching My Mother's Courage, a movie adapted from the play, which we are reading in our Opera/Theater class. The movie ended at 6:30pm, and the Opera started at 7... I thought I had plenty of time to get there. I made it to the Volksoper 10 Minutes before the production started. I quickly got in line to buy my ticket. I paid 10 Euros for a seat that is usually 94... how is this possible? One might ask. One of the many perks of being a student, and having no money. I sat in the middle of the seventh row... it was so perfect. Right before the Opera began, an usher greeted the audience and annouced that the actor playing Calàf was having some difficulties with his voice, due to the bad weather. This was all in German, of course, and I understood most of it. The Opera started quite differently then I was expecting, there was
n't an Overture, just a series of clicks while men dressed in abstract costumes marched across the stage. I marveled at the interpretation... everything appeared insect-like. Calàf's voice was regrettably finished by the first act, which meant someone would have to replace him. I was surprised when the usher announced that they would have Calàf continue to act, while having another singer sing his part. No understudy? How interesting. I was not at all disappointed... the new tenor blue my mind. I was brought to tears as he passionately performed 'Nessun Dorma.' The audience went wild when he finished. The entire Opera was absolutely magnificent. I didn't want it to end, but of course all good things have to. When the curtain call came my hands burned with enthusiasm. Each time the actor playing Calàf came out for applause, he brought his other voice with him. I was so touched to see his 
appreciation for the help he received, rather than being bitter about someone else taking the spotlight. What a wonderful night. I recommend seeing this Opera... it will inspire you! 
