Hey all! How has it been close to a month since I last wrote? My apologies. Our already limited free time was spent having fun with our various visitors from abroad. Our first guests were our friends Dan and Whitney who, after a few days in Iceland, spent the rest of their trip with us in Munich. They managed to find a great balance between being tourists and actually getting to relax on their vacation. We all took a day trip to Salzburg, which, if I'm not mistaken, was everyone's first time being there. We made the steep climb up the hill to the castle (no small feat with a stroller) only to later learn that our tickets included a ride to the top in a gondola. Live and learn. Upon reaching the castle we were rewarded with some beautiful views of the city in one direction and the Alps in the other.
A view of Salzburg from the castle.
Dan and Whit enjoying a beer at the Stieglkeller.
Brenda (and sleeping Rowan) posing for a picture with a statue of Mozart in the Mozart plaza on Mozart street in the Mozart neighborhood of Mozarttown. Here's your fun fact of the day: Mozart is from Salzburg.
Uncle Drew was our next welcome guest. He joined us in Munich for a few days and then we all trained to Frankfurt so Brenda could start rehearsals for La Sonnambula (which opens tomorrow). Drew always likes to take a boat ride while in Germany, so we hopped on the boat across the river from our apartment and floated up and down the Main river for close to an hour. Spring has definitely sprung in Frankfurt (sorry midwesterners!), and it was great to spend some time outside enjoying it.
The twins on a boat.
Brenda's parents fled the snowy winter wonderland that is Wisconsin and joined us for the warm spring weather (high of 85 today). They'll see Brenda tomorrow night as she sleepwalks around the stage. (She sleepsings too.) Brenda's performances are quite spread out, and we're looking forward to some quality family time on her days off. She'll also finish preparing for Candide at Santa Fe Opera this summer. It's hard to believe we'll be back there again next month.
So that's what we've been up to. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you again soon!
