In which Cosi Fan Tutte is reviewed - or The Germany Chronicles 5

Most of you already know the cause of my long silence on the blog lately. Indeed, it is because I have been working double shifts for several days (thus completely exhausting myself) in order to get the 21st and the 22nd of August as days off. Why are these dates so important to me? Because Michael starred as the lead in his first Opera on Sunday August 22nd. However, it is not like the show was easily accessible... I had to head to Weimar, Germany, in order to show Michael my support and see his show. So on the 19th in the evening, I flew to Frankfurt, landed on the 20th in the morning, and then took a three hour train ride to Weimar. I have only just come back from said trip a few hours ago.

Before I review Michael's opera, allow me to say how wonderful a city Weimar is. When I got off the train, I thought I had somehow time-travelled back to the 1800s. Except for the modern cars and a monument to the Buchenwald victims (which dates to the late 1940s, I think), most of the city is enormously old. Indeed, Schiller and Goethe, famous German authors, both spent much time there, and the city still looks like it may have been back in their day. Among other things, most of the city (I would say 95 percent of it) is covered in cobblestones. No ashphalt. Usually, that would have been fine, except that I had made the trip in my work heels, and for those who have tried it, you know that heels on cobblestone are a nightmare! I do not want to know what women's feet were like back in the Victorian age, when cobblestones and high-heels ruled and one had no choice but to circulate in them! The cobblestones would not have been so bad if I had not gotten completely lost trying to find Michael's opera studio. I ended up with bleeding ankles due to my confused wanderings. However, I ended up successfully finding Michael's opera studio, called the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. The reason it was so hard to find is that, in old European cities like Weimar, people had little consideration for parallel streets when the city was built. Unlike North American cities, where a system of parallel streets and squares was divised, Weimar is more like a huge Celtic Knot of Strassen (streets), Plaetze (plazas), and Gassen (alleys). It was really hard to figure out where I was going and I think I went in circles a few times, only barely missing Michael's opera studio, before I finally found it. But the whole city was really gorgeous and worth seeing! And the weather was great! I think I will go back there sometime, but for a longer period of time (and with better shoes).

Michael was really happy to see me. I was very elated to see him too. Apparently, my visiting him provided great moral support at a very opportune moment. The manager of the programme, a certain Greek bass-baritone Damon Nestor Ploumis, is probably the most flamboyant individual I have ever encountered, along with my high-school math teacher, Mr. Tarakdjian. Indeed, he was the type of person who wore custom-made waist-coats from his "tailor in Cypress" (I asked him, this is all true!). Despite his over-the-top persona, though, Damon was a very nice man and I think he was a great help to Michael in his musical progress, along with several others of the wonderful and great people I have met there, in Weimar. I think Michael did have a great experience there, no matter how difficult it was.

And now to the review...

I saw Cosi Fan Tutte, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by no less than three casts while I was in Weimar. All of them were phenomenal performances! One of them was particularly fun, as we all went to a castle from the 1600s called Schloss Kochberg (where Goethe also spent some time) and the opera was performed in the tiny adjacent theater dating back to the days of Mozart himself. The other performances were in the Volkshaus of Weimar, basically in the "people's playhouse."

But that's all beside the point. I will only review Michael's perfomance (the Sunday evening) as reviewing them all would take me forever. But I can tell you they are all brilliant perfomers and I hope they all have great success in their later careers.

So, in the Opera, it all started out with a really funny fight-scene, in which Michael (as Ferrando) was basically taunting a fellow soldier, all with regards to how honest and faithful their respective fiancées are. Michael opened the opera with the very first line "La Mia Dorabella" setting a very good energy for the play. The baritone and bass characters, Guglielmo (performed by the baritone Bryan) and Don Alfonso (performed by a bass from Montreal named Alain) were also phenomenal. I thought Alain was absolutely hilarious as Don Alfonso, especially because he has, as Michael put it so well, "a fifty-year-old bass wobble" to his voice. It was absolutely epic. Bryan, the baritone, was very good too and sounded great, but I believe he may have had more experience than the others in the Sunday cast, as he had performed in the Castle performance as well.

Anyhow, Michael's great moment of glory came when he sang his aria: Un'aura amorosa—"A loving breath." I was speechless with the beauty of the song. So speechless I could barely find the strength to clap, while in the back, many girls cheered loud "bravos" for Michael. I think he did the aria beautifully, probably best than all the other tenors in the other casts. I think he made every woman in the audience swoon when he sang. He sang it so beautifully, and, more than once, he looked directly at me while singing. He told me later he was singing it for me. I guess it helped him sound so in love during the song! ^_^ His acting during the number was also phenomenal. You could SEE the love pouring out of his pores, just like it poured out of his voice. And, in the words of some fellow singers of Michael's; "it was a really difficult aria, and Michael nailed it!" I was so proud of him!

Most of the Opera was comedy, and it was wonderfully and hilariously stages, with funny little dance moves that can only be shown, and, sadly, not described. But just picture Michael in a faux-beard-moustache (because he was disguised as an Albanian) and shaking his booty in an attempt to woo a pretty soprano. It was epic and hilarious! I loved watching it. It is too bad it was only on for a very short time, otherwise, I would advise all to go and watch it. It is a great opera, fantastic music, fantastic staging and fantastic performances. I hope there will be videos, because every one should see it!

I know, this is an odd review, but it is difficult to review a piece like Cosi when performed by new up-and-coming singers. But I can guarantee that the whole thing was absolutely amazing!

Back to the post...

The unfortunate thing was that, while spending some time with me after a rehearsal, Michael's laptop was stolen from his room. I feel really guilty because, had we not spent some time together, Michael might still have his computer. And there are many things of value to the two of us on that laptop, such as all the pictures from Germany in May (of which we have no copies and not nearly half of them were uploaded to Facebook yet!). I do hope it turns up. It really put a damper on Michael's amazing performance that such a stupid thing had to happen!

Okay - I will go and get some shut-eye, seeing as I was up by four in the morning, German time, in order to take a train back to Franfurt airport and fly home. I am completely exhausted. But, before I go, I wish to say that, other than Michael's amazing performance, one of the best things in Weimar is that most of the town is "Fussgaengerzone," i.e. "pedestrians only zone." It makes it a great city to visit!

* Edit: Due to popular demand, some of the wording in this post was changed! ^_^ Cheers!

In which Michael has gone abroad...

I must warn you - there is nothing cheerful in this post.

I have always found writing relieving. It is somehow soothing for me. So here I am... blogging. I should totally be writing a story, but I have absolutely no inspiration.

Michael has gone. I went with him to see him off at the airport. Of course, I was thoroughly overdressed, as I do best. I hope he will remember how I looked (other than ridiculously overdressed) in the dress that he prefers on me. I actually intrigued most of my colleagues, who were surprised at how formally dressed I was just to see someone off. One of my colleagues called me a "heart-breaker".
Michael's flight for Vienna left at 8:45 pm. I glimpsed him last at the security lines of my workplace, the airport. That was five hours ago now... And I already miss him. I miss him a lot! I know this sounds extremely cheesy. However, I have been living with Michael for a full year now. In three days, our old lease will be up. And this means that, for a full year, Michael and I have been inseparable. Michael and I were like bread and butter, like coca- and cola. I am finding it extremely difficult to picture Michael not being home when I come back from work, greeting me with his gorgeous, enthusiastic and loving smile, loudly clamouring: "hello lovey-love!" (he says that when I enter the house after a long day of work). I will also miss his cooking a great deal! (lol) All those little things he did to make me happy will be dearly missed!

I do not know how I will be able to find sleep. I am so used to having Michael sleep at my side since we have been together. I am used to his warmth beside me, used to him holding me and used to his calm breathing lulling me to sleep. Tonight is going to be very difficult for me...

However, I have followed Michael's advice and gone out with a friend after Michael left, in order to relieve my mind of the sorrow of his departure. I went to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice... it was very entertaining, but I went to see it with a friend from work who is soon moving to Toronto. Another person to leave. It does make me very sad.

Do not get me wrong. I am very happy for Michael. I am deliriously happy that Michael has managed to succeed at getting a lead role in an Opera Programme in Germany! He will be in the most beautiful country in the world and gaining most valuable experience as a singer! I am very excited and happy for his success! What makes me sad is that I cannot be by his side. I wish I could have tagged along. I wish we could have done like the whole past year and just go everywhere and do everything together... *sigh*

The sewing hands have come to a standstill right now. Lately, because the deadline of the Otakuthon was fast approaching, I have been spending every spare minute that was not spent with Michael sewing my massive out of proportion cosplay. This is why I have been blogging so little. I have either been sewing or spending every last moment I could with Michael. I have found myself unable to sew at all tonight. Like writing, I find myself with no inspiration for sewing.

On either side of me are flowers that Michael has given me. Last night, he met me after work, giving me a single, gorgeous red rose. It is standing on my beside table, looking beautiful and fragrant, reminding me of him and his gentle love for me. On his beside table, I have placed another bouquet of flowers. These flowers are bright and the colours of summer and sunlight. Michael came home from some errands this morning, offering me these amazing flowers as a "goodbye present". They are beautiful... but they make it difficult for me not to cry right now...

It is exceedingly quiet except for my typing at the moment. The apartment lies empty of all life, except for myself and maybe another stray mouse. My roommate is out at a party tonight. As I sit here typing, for some weird and inexplicable reason, a song that I have not heard in ten years comes back to mind. It was called something along the lines of "So Weit Weit Weg" ("So Far Far Away") and I believe it was an Austrian singer who performed it. I remember my mother having this song on a cassette when I was little... she would listen to it in her car and tears would well up in her eyes when she listened to that song, while my step-father, the love of her life, was abroad in Germany, like Michael is now...

Darn it! Why can I only think of sad songs??? Michael better be writing to me, because I will be writing to him! And I will wring his wonderful neck if he does not write to me! (did you read this, my love? I am serious!) *sigh*

I think I will fall asleep looking at the flowers and holding Theophilius, the little black vinyl piggy Michael and I purchased (it is just an insanely cute stuffy)... Michael declared Theo as my guard-piggy... he is to protect me of other men who may have lecherous intentions towards me, lol. I love that Michael understands my love of stuffed animals and enjoys "interacting" with them too... I will miss that a lot.

In other news, since I have to let everyone catch up... I have a stupid summer cold! A summer cold that no ammount of vitamin C seems to be able to cure! I blame both the airport air conditionning and the passengers who have a cold and do not bother keeping their germs from spreading everywhere. I am tired of my inability to breathe!

Also, I have been to see Inception recently with Michael and some friends, and the movie was awesome! I strongly advise it to anyone who is free to go to the theaters sometime soon. Despite the movie's goodness, though, I was still able to predict the ending... I sometimes detest those Oracle abilities of mine; they ruin the best of movies! I have also been to see The Last Airbender (originally named Avatar until James Cameron ruined the title with an abomination of a movie!)
Okay, so the acting in Airbender SUCKED. They chose dreadful actors! But, for the first time ever, they actually stayed true to the original series. I was very pleasantly surprised. Sure, they rushed through some bits of it, but, overall, good job at the script writing. It caused me to re-watch the whole Avatar anime series with Michael over the past few weeks. The movie was very entertaining and the costumes and film settings were great.

I also had a photoshoot. I will post some photos soon. I have another one in a few weeks as well. I promise photos of that too.

And now, dear readers, I will try to distract myself with a movie or something. Writing no longer suffices to quell my sorrow. Michael's flight will be landing in Vienna in a few hours. After that, he has a long train ride to his destination, Weimar, in Germany. I do hope his trip goes well and that he travels safely and arrives soundly. I hope to hear from him then.

Goodnight. I am counting on a few friendly readers to keep my morale up for the coming month! Thanks all!

The Germany Chronicles 4 (Final Chapter) - In which a visit was paid to Wiesbaden

Sorry for the fact that this post did not come as soon as I had hoped (or expected it to). The reason is quite simple: after my last post, I did not get any more access to the Internet. My aunt Uli (short for Ulrike) did not have any Internet at home and I did not have time to go before leaving Bavaria... Yet, there is lots (lots and lots) to say. So be prepared for a very long post.

Before anything, you must know that I am back in Canada. *sigh* Yes, back already. It makes me a little sad to have left the peace, beauty and serenity of Germany (for once I actually felt stress-free!), but it is also good to be returning to sunshine (though it is a little too hot here in Montreal). I did miss the sun: of the 20 days we spent in Germany overall, only ONE day was sunny. ONE! It was not fair! I had wanted to show Michael so many things, but the stupid rain (literally) drowned my marvelous plans. But we had loads of fun anyway...

I need to get down to my adventures in Germany now, or you'll find yourself facing the never-ending post (as opposed to the story of the same type).

Since the last post, the rain only got worse in Germany and there was no hope at all of ever seeing our trip turn sunny. Though, fun fact, during the only day of sun, Michael actually caught a sunburn (tee hee!... no, that was not funny!). Anyhow, on the Thursday, it was Ascension. So we went to the Catholic Church (of beautiful baroque fashioning) and sat through an hour of service. The service was sung (gregorian-style, by the priest!) and they had a wonderful choir and an ORCHESTRA (on top of the organ) that played Mozart for the festivities of Ascension. Also, the hunters (Schuetzen) of the town came in full traditional garb to the Church in order to get a blessing for the start of the hunting season. It was interesting and wonderful... Though cold... Churches are not heated and they can be a little draughty... But it was great anyway... I believe that the service we saw is not that different from the services they had back when the Church was originally built. Oh, and allow me to mention that the people of Oberammergau are excessively Christian. Some go to church every day. I kid you not: there are two services a day, so if you feel REALLY pious, you can go TWICE! It boggled my mind: you do not ever see that here in Canada...

On the Friday, we went to see the Passion Play. This is very interesting: not only is pretty much all of Oberammergau involved in this event, but also it attracts thousands of tourists a day, mostly because they are doing a sort of pilgrimage to the small-town in order to view this religious event. There is a whole history behind the play: in 1633, the Black Plague hit the town of Oberammergau really hard. So, the people of town got together and wrote (and signed) an oath to God that, if the Plague would go and if there were no more victims of the illness, they would present a Passion Play in thanks every decade. When 1634 came about, there had been no more victims at all, and thus the first Passion Play tradition was presented and a whole tradition began. Michael and I went to the Oberammergau museum and had a look of the chronology of the events. They even still have the signed oath to God that they would present it. It was decided, though, that the play would be presented at the beginning of every decade, which is why in 2010 we were graced with a wonderful presentation. It was fabulous (though cold: I pitied the guy playing Jesus who had to hang on the cross half-naked for 20 minutes!). It was a great presentation and, to my delight, Michael loved it!

On Saturday, we went to visit castle Neuschwanstein, the famous castle built by Ludwig II of Bavaria that inspired the Disney aberration... Much better than Disney World any day, because this castle is the real deal! I could have strangled the stupid American tourist who stood beside me while looking up at the castle. He said: "It looks really fake, like it was built by Disney!" My head shot round at this and I had to tell him that Disney was inspired by this breathtaking castle for his own trademark castle. The guy replied: "It looks plasticky anyway," a comment which made me seethe because it is OBVIOUSLY stone! Michael sort of dragged me away before I killed anyone. It was super beautiful, awe-inspiring and amazing... as always... But, also, as always, it is crowded - no, flooded - by moronic tourists, which kind of ruins the beauty of it for you. The rain also put a bit of a damper on things. Anyways... my favourite part of the castle is the courtyard at the front. It has a fabulous design and Saint-George the Dragon Killer is painted on the main wall. It is absolutely wonderful - my kind of fairytale castle. Disney is worth nothing against it. ... Bloody tourist!

Michael and I spent the Sunday traveling up to Wiesbaden. Now, Wiesbaden is a city much farther to the north than Bavaria, not so far away from Frankfurt. We went there because that is where my aunt lives (in the most gorgeous apartment I have EVER seen! It would make even the gods jealous! I kid you not!). We got up at 5 a.m. (German time) to take a train (and switch trains a couple of time) and we basically were on a five and a half hour train trip to the north. It was a fun trip, though our compartment was PACKED with Chinese people. I do not know for sure, but I think they were a whole family or something traveling together, because they all seemed to know each other. My issue with them was that they were being very loud and eating smelly foods (the lady behind me was feasting on a box of hard-boiled eggs! eeek!)

Wiesbaden was beautiful! It is a gorgeous city with a Roman wall that dates back to the 4th Century A.D. It was impressive! So many vestiges left by the Romans! Also, Wiesbaden is on top of a great number of hot springs, so you can smell the sulfur in the hot water. They have fabulous healing baths there. The hot springs are naturally 66 degrees (Celsius)... which is really, REALLY hot if you put your hand beneath it. We also went on to the Neroberg (a pretty mountain with a vineyard and a Russian Orthodox Church (also a tomb)). There was an amphitheater up there and Michael took the occasion to serenade me in Italian from the bottom of the amphitheater... His voice rose up so beautifully, he even got applause from the people around. Michael also found himself a new girlfriend: a blood-hound named Berta. She was super cute, but I was getting jealous of all the attention Michael was giving her. We also went along the Rhine a little, Michael enjoyed skipping stones there and I enjoyed the solitary swan swimming on the river. We finished off our evening around a bottle of wine at an Italian restaurant with my aunt, my dad, and my uncle. It was very enjoyable. I ended up with a flush to my cheeks caused by the wine and stories were told around the table that I hope will only come up again when I get married. I will say no more about these.

Also, I have determined I would live in Wiesbaden later... Not only is is a drop-dead gorgeous city, but I gave me the biggest squee of all. They had a store there, called the Korsetterie!!! *Insert biggest fangirlish squee you can imagine here* I could not buy any corsets because they were too expensive, but they were also GORGEOUS. Some were designs by Bibian Blue, my favourite corset designer. I could live anywhere with such a store...

And that's how the trip concluded. Wonderful nights eating Italian... My dad and my uncle brought us back to Canada on Thursday the 20th. It was good to be back in the sun, but I could have stayed longer. Now I need to stress out about work and about moving and stuff... Not looking forward to the move at all actually - I do not feel like dismantling my Ikea wardrobe AGAIN!

Also, I went up North to my dad's cottage upon my return to Canada. My father promptly stepped on my glasses which have faithfully served me for five years. Catastrophe appalling! It was not a great start to my day, if I may put it that way. So now I'll be moving using crazy-glued glasses and I am going out to buy new ones next week... I hope they'll have nice ones.

I'm looking forward to the move being over. Now that I am back in Canada, you can expect more frequent posts. Also, I shall be posting pictures very VERY soon. I still have to sort through them though: I have about 2200 of them! I cannot wait to show them off!

And for now, my faithful readers, that is it. I hope this has put at least a glimpse of a smile on your lips. I am, alas, exhausted: the jet-lag has not been merciful to me. Blog you later!

P.S. Michael and I just finished Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones and it was AWESOME! You should read it; it's loads of fun!

The Germany Chronicles 3 - In which the hills are alive

Hi from Germany to you all!
I am happy to announce to all (because I only wrote it in the comments so far) that I successfully passed my Japanese class! And with a B- at that! And here I thought I'd get a C... *sigh of relief* I won't have to retake it after all... I am never taking another language class again!

In other news, I went to visit Linderhof palace with Michael on Saturday. I decided to wear my gorgeous new dirndl for the occasion. In other words, I was dressed in a way that would have honoured our dear King Ludwig II if he were still alive (I want to say he would have "liked" what I was wearing, but seeing as he was allegedly gay, I highly doubt that a low-cut bodice would have attracted his eye at all...) Anyways, I was dressed in the whole and complete outfit and I looked absolutely awesome! I promise some good pictures. On the palace grounds (gorgeous gardens!) Michael and I became a photo opp for several tourists. Notably a French guy and an English one decided to take a picture of us because we looked "so traditionally Bavarian" and two people from Nürenberg also spoke to me about my outfit and how wonderfully traditional it was... I got a LOT of comments and it was great fun! The palace was a really nice visit. My mum and aunt used to be tour guides in there. Linderhof is the palace in which Ludwig II spent the last eight years of his life (until his very mysterious death) and it was allegedly his favourite palace. I understand why: STUNNING VIEW! And a beautiful place at that. It's actually a very small palace... just a cottage to a king, but I'd like to live in it nonetheless. Michael mentioned that he'd like to sleep in the king's bed: it seems to be the first that is long enough for his feet! XD

I also must mention the single, most terrifying experience of my life so far. As you all know, I have a frightfully vivid imagination and it tends to run away with me at the most inopportune times... I mean, I can get lost in the woods because I spent too many hours staring at a tree stump and picturing fairies living in it... *sigh* anyways...
So, after going to this cool restaurant in Oberammergau, where a family friend (and the owner of the place) does cool magic tricks at your table, Mike and I walked home in the dark (it was 9:30 at night). We were not scared when we were walking until we reached the church. Curious (as I always am), I decided to have a look into the churchyard. In Germany (and I suppose most of Europe), the cemetery is located in the churchyards and laid out all around the church. Which means that Michael and I walked into a dark church ground with very little light and some candles lit on a grave here and there. It was super creepy! There was also some slight haze from the rain and the paving sort of glittered in the faint light of a streetlamp. Neither Mike nor I could get ourselves to move further into the graveyard, as the dark shapes of tombstones were terrifying and foreboding. My imagination made me see figures lurking behind the stones... And Oberammergau is famous for the plague epidemic that hit it in 1633... which suggest many angry ghosts from centuries passed... The headstones closest to us stated years of death from 1908 to 1932... so right during the period of the first World War as well... But that's not the creepy bit yet. As Mike and I are standing there, shivering with fright at the thought of the many souls lying beneath our feet, the church bell starts ringing the bloody three-quarter of an hour!!! That meant three blood-chilling rings of a low-tone bell. It sounded like a warning or a death omen or something. Mike and I screamed and bolted. My heart did not stop pounding until we were safe inside with lots of light!

Oh, and the weather improved somewhat the next day. We went hiking. Michael said it was his very first hike! That made me very happy!! We hiked three mountains and back! A grand total of a seven hour walk!! My arse hurts a lot today. We hiked the Kofel, including the rocky tip of it, which consists of some rudimentary climbing: the rocky path is so steep and narrow (and rather dangerous) that there is some thick cable bolted along the path and you have to pull yourself up to the top, where the cross stands (because we are good Catholics here in Bavaria). We got great pictures from the top and Michael bolted a sandwich right beneath the cross. There were also HUGE raven-type birds up on that mountain. I swear, they were the size of a slender hen, but they looked like ravens: completely black and ominous looking! And then we walked through Bavarian woods (real fairy tale forest!) across two mountains! At the top of the last one was an inn where we had some soup and Michael had a beer. We reached that third mountain just in time because it started to pour and to hail down (yup, chunks of ice falling from the sky!). We waited out the rain at the inn and then went back out. When we finally came back down into Oberammergau, great thunder rolls could be heard behind us... so we were REALLY lucky with the weather! We did not get hit by lighting, though we saw ominous storm clouds pulling in... (Sorry, gotta finish this quickly!) It was a great (long!) hike and we had loads of fun! We also have many great pictures of it! And the hills WERE alive with the sound of music (Michael sang loudly on the mountain: the sound echoes beautifully up there!) It was AWESOME! I promise pictures soon!

For those wondering about the pictures, I cannot send them from the internet cafe, so it'll have to wait until we're back in Canada. I promise I'll put them up though!
Tomorrow: Munich!

I wish you all the best! Tscüß!

The Germany Chronicles 2 - In which a pigeon nearly causes Michael's death and a crow freaks him out...

Okay, so you are now probably wondering what this cryptic title to the post means...
Unfortunately, there is no hidden message, no clue to something else that might lead you to discover an amazing treasure. It's just a description of what happened yesterday. I am not joking.

Yesterday, Michael and I went to Munich. We decided that, as the bad weather was not improving, we should do an inside activity: i.e. two hour train ride followed by a day at the "Deutsche Museum", in other words, the German Museum of Science and Technology. I figured that, Michael and I love our Mythbusters and How It's Made enough to find that interesting! ;-D It was great fun and we thoroughly enjoyed it... (I'm keeping the museum visit bit short, as I only have 30 minutes to write this... again!) Michael and I strolled through aviation, navigation, mining, and electricity (and watched the electrical power "show" in which they show different cool and dangerous things high voltage can do to wood, metal, houses, people, etc. lots of loud bangs and electrical fires!). We spent a total of four hours in the museum, until closing time, actually. In the last half-hour, we discovered that there was a hidden musical instruments section and rushed to see that... it was extremely well hidden... For a minute I thought I was going to find Narnia rather than another lesser known and visited section of the museum. Anyways, it was great fun...

We left the museum at five to get something to eat and stroll around Munich a bit, as it had stopped raining. We went all the way to the Marienplatz, which is a beautiful pedestrian zone with great buildings and church towers surrounding it... and also really nice stores to shop in! ^_^ On our way to the Marienplatz, a pigeon that was hobbling about on the sidewalk decided to take off, nearly hitting Michael in the face with its wing! I am not kidding: it nearly hit me too and I am a head shorter than he is!! The pigeon missed his face by a hair - not an inch: a HAIR! It was a really close call - I think the pigeon nearly gave the two of us a heart attack! So yeah... a pigeon did nearly kill Mike... see why I said the title was not cryptic after all?

And then, still while walking in Munich, as I was trying to figure out where we were (I was left to my own means and my mediocre sense of direction in a big city I barely knew and without a map... I kept telling Michael "I think I know where we are... let's go this way!" and basically went exploring... It went well though: we ended up where I had planned to! I was very impressed with myself.) So, I was trying to figure out where to go by memory and Michael started giving a weird look. He said: "Judith... there is a bum... a homeless man... riding a bike... and he has a PET CROW on his shoulder!!" He insisted that I tell whoever reads my blog about this too. I never saw the guy... but Michael was so freaked out by it that I do believe it was true... So there is part two of the title.

Other than that, the food is still as yummy as ever! On Wednesday, we went to visit some fabulous baroque churches. They were gorgeous! However, it was so bloody foggy we could not see a single scrap of landscape! The mountains had been swallowed up by mist completely! It looked like someone had erased them! It looked like a canvas for someone to paint on, not like an actual, tangible landscape... And things kept popping out of the fog, cars, signs, trees... it was weird and freaky...

Okay... in other, quickly given news, I have a new dirndl. For those not in the know about what that is, it is the traditional Bavarian garb. It is basically a dress made of a low-cut bodice and skirt (which can be worn with petticoats underneath) and an apron. A blouse is worn beneath the bodice as well. It is basically elegant farmer's wife clothing. The fun bit is that it looks very 17th-18th century wenchy!! That's how awesome we are here in Bavaria! Our outfits have not changed since back in the old days! XD The reason why I bought a new one (because I already had one at home in Canada) was that I needed one that was more "my age"... the one at home was a little on the small side and made me look fourteen when I wore it... My new one is light green with a pink apron and it's GORGEOUS! Michael loves it! I look really fabulous in it! And, to match it, I bought a new, stunning feathered hat! It has the longest, most beautiful pheasant feathers I have ever seen!! And it's also very traditional... It is also the perfect hat to wear to Renaissance faires... simply a breathtaking piece!
We also got Michael a nice Bavarian hat. This is because real-deal Lederhosen are just too expensive for our budget right now (one pair of pants is more expensive than the whole dirndl set!) and I decided that I would not let Michael leave Germany until he looked at least somewhat Bavarian... So we got him a hat. It's nice and forest green and has a small Gamsbart on it... I cannot translate that, so do not ask. You can look it up on google though, I am sure. Anyways, he looks really cute in this hat. And, to his big surprise, his head fits really easily into hats here... The big-headedness must be a German thing then, I guess... XD

Darn, I have to go again... sorry. Tomorrow, we are visiting castles. Specifically Schloss Linderhof. If the weather is nice, I'll wear my dirndl, so I'll have nice pictures to upload when I get back!

My best to all! I miss my Canadian friends, but, even in foul weather, the landscape here is absolutely breathtaking, so please don't blame me for loving it here!

The Germany Chronicles 1 - In which everything is bigger

Grüß Gott aus Bayern! (Hello from Oberammergau, Bavaria, in Germany)

Sorry, no pictures up yet. I can't upload my photo card at the internet cafe. However, I can tell you that the trip so far is going well and that we already have loads of pictures. I promise I will post them eventually.

The flight was good, though I was sitting beside a really skeezy and unpleasant guy who did not speak any language I recognized on the plane. He creeped me out: he kept shooting me these death glares as if I was doing something wrong despite the fact that I sat straight and unmoving, watching inflight films the whole time...

Anyways. Trip is starting out well, Michael is loving it and it's making me really happy to see how much he loves Germany so far! The countryside is beautiful and the mountains are breathtaking. Some still have snow on them!! It is absolutely beautiful... and very inspiring. Michael says the countryside is inspiring him to sing and that makes me feel great! I am happy to know that he is happy and that singing comes easily to him in this inspiring setting. I have high hopes for him for Weimar in August (where he will play in Cosi Fan Tutte).

Unfortunately, so far, we've had no luck whatsoever with the weather. It's cold and it's very rainy. It's only faint drizzles and Michael loves it, he says it's his kind of rain. However, it's also rather chilly for someone like me, who cannot provide her own body heat and needs to sunbathe like a snake to warm up her blood. I need sun, else I will turn into a living icicle soon... Despite that, I am eating some gelato of the best ice-cream parlour in the world, located here in Oberammergau, called Eis Cafe Paradiso. Yummy...

We've already visited Ettal with Michael, which is a beautiful monastery that was built 700 years ago. Loads of history and beauty. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, as we've landed on the 1st of May, we got the honour of seeing the erection of the May poles all throughout the small towns of Bavaria. It was wonderful. In Altenau, where I spent much of my childhood, they erected the tallest May Pole around. It was 45 meters high and dwarfed the poles from the other towns. Not bad for a small town nestled in the middle of nowhere in the mountains! We only saw the end of them bringing it up, but it was great. Michael also had his first German beer there.

The May Pole brings me to the title. Michael pointed out that everything is bigger here. He is quite correct. I cannot believe I had never noticed that before! From the electrical outlets (and the plugs that fit into them), to the light switches, to the toilet flushes; everything is HUGE! Where, in Canada, you'll have a tiny switch, in Germany, it will be three times the size at least. I think that the light switches average three square inches or something. I cannot believe I never noticed that in all the years I have been visiting!

But the biggest thing here (and this I knew, but I must point it out anyway): THE FOOD PORTIONS! I think I already gained 10 pounds and I'm not joking. The food is absolutely to die for! My grandmother has not lost her touch and everything she makes is still delicious! She greeted us with wonderful homemade strawberry cake! Yummy!! But, yeah... everything is huge. And, if you are eating at my grandmother's, you are expected to eat seconds. If you do not, she worries that the food is not good. She is very concerned that Michael does not like her food because he has not been eating as much as she expected from him, but that is because even HE, who usually eats a ton, gets full quickly on this amazing German food. He's had to convince my grandmother a few times already that he loves her food, tee hee!

The mountains here are also very big, especially in comparison to Montreal and, according to Michael, Ontario landscapes. The mountain air here is amazing and wonderfully refreshing. I would advise people to come and visit if they could.

Darn... I have so much more to write and so little time left... (stupid internet cafes!)

I guess I just have to conclude by saying that I am still jet-lagged, but life here is good. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here. I am just hoping the weather will improve a little so that I can actually go hiking with Mike!

That'll have to be it for today... I hope I can update again as soon as possible!

Tschüß!

Shortest Blog Post Ever Recorded Here...

Last post before I go...

Sorry if I've been out of touch. I've been very busy getting ready for Le Germany trip. I'm super psyched about it and can't sleep!!

Anyways, the preparations were chaotic. Not the packing itself, but the cleaning up. We have a friend who'll be watching our apartment for us, so we cleaned up, and we'll be moving out shortly after we return, so we've boxed some stuff.
I've spent the day vacuuming, running around for thread and buttons, darning Michael's pants and my socks... etc. Busy, busy, busy...

I'm leaving tomorrow! AWESOME!!!!! I'm so excited... and I just can't hide it! I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!!! *sung*... No, you did NOT see that little dance just now. Erase it from your minds eye. Erase it! I mean it!!

Anyways, apartment is now super clean and tidy. Too bad that a bitchy Chinese lady interested in the apartment had to visit it earlier today when the open suitcase was open in the middle of the living room floor. God! She made a fuss! If I remember the story, I'll tell it in another account.
And now I'm off attempting to sleep... I'M GOING TO GERMANY!!! YAY!!!
I hope I can post a little from there. I've a fresh memory card on my camera just for it! I'll update as soon as I can! Promise!
Cheers!

Chapter 24 - In which the semester is finally over

The semester is finally over!!
I finished my last exam - and with one hour to spare! It was ridiculously easy! I was not even stressed out by it... I was rather sustained through it by the thought that in three hours, I would be done with the semester and I would start on VACATION!! AWESOME!! And that thought was NEEDED because otherwise I would have fallen asleep on my exam - it was honestly THAT dull! Although, the other thing that kept me awake was my bladder... I hate exams and the need for "special permission" to leave the examination room (especially when you have super cranky and evil looking invigilators). Fifteen minutes in, I really wanted the exam to be over asap because I happened to have brought a bottle of water with me (which I sincerely regretted)... so yeah - my brain works faster under the threat of an exploding bladder! XD

But the exam does not matter. No, it does not. I need to tell you why I am not happy about the end of my semester... It's snowing. I kid you not! It's futt bucking SNOWING!! At the END of April!! And it's no longer melting snow either! When last I looked, the beautiful, lush green grass, and the spring coloured foliage was covered in white flecks of... of... of...!!! *hyperventilates*

Alright, I'm kidding - I'm not having a hyperventilation attack. I just really like that word "hyperventilation"... don't you? (I digress... again.)

Anyhoots, I am thinking that the trip to Germany could not be any more welcome! If snow is here in Montreal, then I want to get the hell out of here!! We're flying soon... so soon! I'm really excited about it! I'm looking forward to introducing Michael to my family and showing him around the gorgeous countryside! And we're also going to go see the Passion Play, which is only on once every 10 years. I went to see it in 2000 and now I'm seeing it again... looking forward to it!
*Sigh* I can't tell how many things I am looking forward to... Eis Cafe Paradiso (the best ice cream parlour in the WORLD!) ever day... beautiful Alps all around us... castles (built by crazy, but still awesome Ludwig II of Bavaria)... museums... yummy, awesome food!!!! *SQUEE*
Okay - I need to calm down - I'm looking forward to this almost a little too much! XD
The bottom line is, I cannot wait to show Michael all of this! It's going to be absolutely AMAZING! I am already packing my stuff...!

Other than the fact that I can't wait to breathe in European (specifically German) air again, I am really looking forward to seeing my family again. I have not seen my grandparents from Germany since I went there last... in January 2008. I truly miss them. And now the time to see them again is at hand... I'm soooooo excited!!

Okay - I lost the thread of what I was going to say... *pout* Anyways, we've found a person who would take over the apartment from us, so all is well and we move out in June. So upon my return I'll look forward to that. Yay! Larger apartment!

... this is the most nonsensical post ever... I apologize...

Oh, yeah - I probably won't be blogging much during the month of May: my grandparents don't have Internet, so near-daily posts will not be happening while I'm in Germany. However, you may expect a full account (pictures included) upon my return!!

Look out Europe! Here we come! (still three days to go... but never mind that...)

P.S. - Because of the Germany trip, however, it seems Anime North is out of the question after all... *pout* I have to miss out on it for another year *eyes tear up*... And costume-wise, though I have the pattern, I do not have time to sew Erica Fontaine's outfit in two days, so that's not happening either *cries now*. I cannot exactly bring my sewing machine to Germany, sadly. I know I cannot have it all - but, I will admit, I do want it all. I wish I could do both Germany AND Anime North... so I am a little disappointed in truth... However, Germany will more than make up for the loss, I am sure. Next year, next Anime North, I WILL be there! And I will have the most AMAZING costume ever that will even flabbergast Sarcasm Hime! Go me!!

That's all, for real now! Ta!