déjà vu

Greetings from Munich! It's been an eventful couple of weeks. As you may recall, we flew to Edinburgh on the 10th, which also happened to be our eleventh wedding anniversary. We loved Edinburgh from the moment we landed. Our apartment was in the Old Town so we were able to see a lot just by walking around our neighborhood. We only ventured outside of the Old Town twice: first to see the botanic garden and second to see the nearby coastal town of North Berwick.

 Brenda at home among the trees.

 Does this tree look familiar?

The Scottish Parliament Building was just down the hill from our apartment, and we enjoyed wandering around the grounds one sunny afternoon. Rowan decided to lay down on the sidewalk at one point. I think he was teasing his mom.

 The Museum of Childhood was also nearby, and we thought Rowan might enjoy checking it out. There were a lot of interesting toys on display (including this creepy doll room), but it wasn't too interesting for Rowan because it was definitely more museum than playground.

Across the street from the Scottish Parliament Building are paths that lead up to Arthur's Seat, a big hill with great views of the surrounding area. The path was paved part of the way, but the rest of the path was muddy and rocky. Brenda (and her rain boots) did an impressive job of off-roading, but ultimately the path became too rocky and muddy for us to make it to the top. Next time!

 The coast in North Berwick. 

Can you find Brenda? (Hint: you may need a magnifying glass.)

Once we got back to Frankfurt life returned to normal for a few days. Brenda did some work on upcoming roles, our friend Simone spent time with Rowan one afternoon so Brenda and I could go out to dinner, and we got ready for Rowan's second birthday. Rowan had a great birthday. He got to open presents, eat delicious cake (made by mom), and hang out with several of his grown-up friends. It's amazing how much he's changed over the past year.

The birthday boy blowing out his candles.

Earlier this week the three of us took the train to Munich for Brenda's next engagement. She'll be performing Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with the Bavarian State Opera in early April. We love Munich, and we're staying just a block away from where we were in November. It's all seeming quite familiar. Rowan and I have been frequenting the same parks we visited this fall, construction is happening at the same places, and it's cold outside. This time, however, I am prepared. I brought my winter coat, hat, and gloves and can spend hours with Rowan in the sand without losing a finger to frostbite. Our friends Dan and Whitney arrive tomorrow, and we're looking forward to showing them some of our favorite spots in Munich. 

So that's what we've been up to. I hope you all have a great weekend, and we'll talk to you again soon!

diva/jewel thief

Hello all! It seems our recent sicknesses are behind us (knock on wood) and we're enjoying being healthy as spring starts to arrive in Frankfurt. The clouds have returned, but the temperatures are high enough that we can play with Rowan in the sand without our toes numbing. Brenda had a very nice time performing in Düsseldorf last weekend as a part of the German AIDS Foundation's annual gala fundraiser. By all accounts Brenda and the nine or so other soloists were very well received by the audience, and the gala raised around $180,000.

Brenda in concert attire in her dressing room. A jeweler provided necklaces and earrings for the women, and apparently the jewelry was quite valuable. When wearing the jewelry the soloists were accompanied by guards as they walked from their dressing rooms to the stage and back. Unfortunately, Brenda didn't get to keep any of the pieces as a souvenir.

On Sunday Rowan and I were waiting for Brenda at the train state when her train from Düsseldorf pulled in. We then picked up a couple of pretzels and hopped on another train headed to Marburg to surprise our friend Monika for her birthday. Her daughter Susanne and son-in-law Stephan were in on it and helped make the whole thing possible. We had a very nice afternoon with all of them, and I think Monika enjoyed the surprise.

Getting ready to hop on the train in Frankfurt.

On Tuesday Rowan had to go to the doctor for his most recent round of vaccinations, and afterwards we took him to the zoo for the first time. He loved seeing all the animals. Unfortunately, the bears weren't out and about. We'll have to go back again once they're done hibernating.

There was this bear, but he wasn't very active.

Tomorrow we're off to Scotland for a few days. We'll take plenty of pictures so we can share a few with you next time. Until then, have a great weekend!