La Flûte enchantée

Hello again from rainy Bordeaux! We've been enjoying another relaxing week since I wrote to you last.  Brenda was only needed for two rehearsals since last blog day, one of which was her final dress rehearsal last night. The show looks great, by the way, and the audience loved it (there was an audience because opera companies often give tickets to performers to give to their friends and family for the final rehearsal). They particularly enjoyed the scene where the tenor is singing a difficult aria while being upstaged by people dancing around with animal masks over their heads. I have to admit, the bear on roller blades was rather funny.

During the intermission I was able to sneak past an usher to get up to Brenda's dressing room. On my way back to my seat, however, the usher wanted to have a word with me about going backstage. He said something to me in French, and I responded in French with a phrase Brenda taught me, "My wife is Brenda." It was clear to the usher that my French wasn't adequate to understand what he was saying, and it was clear to me that he didn't know who Brenda was. He managed to tell me in broken English, which was miles beyond my French, that I wasn't allowed to go backstage. Oh well, I guess I'll have to drink a glass of wine during the intermission tomorrow night instead of going backstage. Or maybe Brenda should come join me in the lobby in her costume. I'm sure the audience would enjoy that!

Brenda in one of her costumes for The Magic Flute.

A festival began on Friday along the Garonne river. Brenda and I mostly avoided it over the weekend due to the throngs of people, but we did take a picture of this pirate-like boat. And we ate a Nutella crèpe.

We also took a picture of this impressive fountain. If you look closely, you can see that the water is actually coming out of the horses' nostrils. 

Another day we took a long walk along the river and ended up stopping for a drink at the halfway point. 

Brenda's drink was clearly healthier than mine - it had fruit in it! The pretty orange colored fruit is called a Physalis (aka groundcherry).

Brenda and I stumbled across a burrito place that proved to be a more than adequate Chipotle substitute. You may not know this but Brenda's singing is burrito powered. It's kind of like Popeye's relationship to spinach but much tastier and not as healthy.

While I write this, Brenda is hard at work preparing the premiere gifts she bought for her cast-mates for their first performance tomorrow night. She got a bunch of flute-shaped bars of soap at a cute soap shop around the corner from our apartment, and she is attaching notes wishing everyone good luck for the performance. She's giving gifts to 28 people, so she's going to be at this for a while. By the way, Brenda did a fantastic job speaking in French to the owner of the soap shop. The owner even complimented Brenda on her French skills and was especially impressed by her pronunciation. Brenda went on to tell the owner that she was singing with the opera, which caused the owner to give us a free, non-flute-shaped bar of soap. So if you ever find yourself in Bordeaux, we can recommend a great soap shop.

I am constantly amazed by Brenda's language skills. She's conversational in French and Italian and excellent in German. I've studied French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Latin and I can only say "My wife is Brenda" in two of those languages. Either Brenda is a genius or I've got a hole in my head that leaks foreign language knowledge.

That does it for this week. I'll let you know next time how Brenda's first two performances go. Until then, I hope you all have a great week!

a freezer full of snails

Hey All! As difficult as it is for me to believe, I've been in Bordeaux for over a week. The past week has been quite relaxing for Brenda and me both. Brenda had some rehearsals but was not needed every day. On top of that, yesterday was a French holiday so Brenda was able to enjoy a three day weekend. We've been trying to enjoy as much time outside as possible, but the weather hasn't been very cooperative. It's been raining almost everyday, but we've managed to find a few dry moments to venture out.

 Brenda and I took a nice walk along the Garonne River.

As you can see, there is a wide walkway along the river, which is very popular on the weekends.

 We stopped to take a panoramic picture of the beautiful Place de la Bourse and the reflective pool in front of it.

I've been able to meet several of Brenda's cast-mates, and they've all seemed really nice. Most of them are French and, in spite of two French classes, I have no French language skills to speak of. Luckily, French is a beautiful language, and I enjoy hearing people speak it around me even if I have no idea what they're saying.

Over the weekend Brenda and I went to Iron Man 3 (in English with French subtitles) and then went grocery shopping afterwards. The grocery store was huge. It had to be at least as big as your average American grocery store. And by French standards, that's big! As far as we could tell, French people eat pretty much the same things that we do. Although, we found one thing that I've never seen in a grocery store before...

 Chilled escargot. I think I'll stick to frozen pizza.

A beautiful church we saw on the walk home from the movie theater.

Brenda is reading a popular fantasy book right now (think wizards and dragons) and she came across a familiar name in the last sentence on the page. Apparently Brenda and I aren't as original as we thought.

Brenda cuddling with a friend's cat while the cat looks for an escape route.

I should call it a night. Brenda had a piano dress rehearsal tonight, which I watched, and it ended around midnight. The show looks great, by the way. I'm excited for the opening a week from tomorrow. We hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

Enchanté

Greetings from France! Chenda is together again and loving it. My first couple of days in Europe were quite busy. I arrived Saturday morning and, after a rejuvenating nap, I was able to thoroughly enjoy Brenda’s performance at Oper Frankfurt that night. The next morning we woke up to a delicious breakfast prepared by our kind hosts, Barb and Michael. They made some wonderful French toast in honor of my birthday. Yep, I’m a year older, but it’s questionable if I’m any wiser. Later that day we met up with some friends for coffee, and then another friend drove us to the airport where we hopped on a plane to France. Since then, Brenda has been rehearsing while I’ve been trying - with limited success - to get over jetlag.

Barb and Michael even had cake for me! Our friends are too nice.

Last Wednesday Brenda went to Saint-Émilion, a beautiful town not too far from Bordeaux. (My darling Brenda, would you be so kind as to fill in the rest?) Brenda taking over! Saint-Émilion is a beautiful medieval city near Bordeaux, and some cast-mates and I visited the city on our day off last week. There’s a very unique church there, called L’Eglise Monolithe, which made me feel like I was in the Mines of Moria. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the church, but it was a truly amazing experience. Here are some other pictures I took throughout the day!

Two Paminas in Saint-Emilion!

Trying not to fall down a very steep and slippery stone road. I'm carrying precious cargo: freshly baked macarons!

Florian and Caroline across the courtyard of a church. 

Saint-Emilion (being part of the Bordeaux region) is of course famous for its wine. I bought some at this store, and thought the sign was quite cute.

Caroline's 13-year-old daughter came with us and she and I both seem to have an affinity for making funny faces. She was an absolute delight, and I loved getting to know her more!

We have begun rehearsing in the theater finally! What a gorgeous opera house!

Brenda’s first performance in Bordeaux isn’t until May 29^th, and her rehearsal schedule is pretty full between now and then. She will get a couple of days off here and there, however, so we’re considering taking a trip to the coast. Other than that we will undoubtedly be socializing with her fellow cast members, which we did last night, and enjoying spending time together. I’m also going to try to figure out if I had hobbies before law school that I could return to now that I’m on vacation. It’s hard to remember these things now that I’m older.

We hope you all have a great week, and we’ll talk to you next Tuesday!

Proof that Chad is actually in Bordeaux. This is a plaza just down the street from us.

summer is almost here

Hey All! Spring has finally arrived in Iowa - at least that's what we're all hoping. Last week was cold and rainy in Iowa City, but I didn't realize how good we had it until I went to Des Moines on Friday. The ground was covered in snow. It's May, by the way. Apparently Des Moines hadn't seen that much accumulation of snow so late in the spring since the mid-1940s. I took a couple of pictures, but I couldn't bring myself to post them.

I'm happy to report that my final exams will be over in about 36 hours. I'm looking forward to taking a break from my studies for a few months and focusing on being a more attentive husband. I don't think Brenda has been feeling too neglected, however. She has French wine and cheese to keep her company after all...

Brenda had a layover in Amsterdam over the weekend, and she took a picture of the impressive cheese selection in the airport.

Brenda had a successful trip to Frankfurt this past weekend. She sang the role of Cleopatra after not having sung it since January and with no rehearsal. Apparently the performance went very well, and Brenda enjoyed seeing friends she hadn't seen for a few months. She is back in Bordeaux now but will be returning to Frankfurt again this weekend for her final performance of Giulio Cesare. I will be at the performance if all goes according to plan, but the challenge will be keeping my eyes open (my flight arrives in Frankfurt earlier that day).

Before I forget, Brenda is mentioned and pictured in Opera News this month. The magazine did a story on Frankfurt Opera, and Brenda was one of the singers they highlighted. If you'd like to read the article, you can do so here.

I think I'll call it a night. Feel free to send smart thoughts my way over the next couple of days. After that, though, you can dumb it down. I don't plan on doing much heavy thinking this summer. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

j'adore le fromage

Hello from a not so sunny Bordeaux! It seems the weather was indeed too good to last. No matter! I have other ways to brighten my days, such as new friends, old friends, and kitties! Rehearsals are going well, and aren't too strenuous, so I've had time to relax a bit. On Sunday I went to an open air market on the banks of the river with the other woman who's singing Pamina (we're double cast) and bought tasty fresh food to bring to our friend's gorgeous apartment for a lovely Sunday brunch! 

Melody and Isabelle in Isabelle's bright happy kitchen!

Monday night found me back at Isabelle's with Melody, but we were joined by the other owner of the beautiful apartment, my dear friend Elza! Elza is in the ensemble with me in Frankfurt, and had a break in her schedule, so was able to come back to Bordeaux for a few days. We had a delightful evening, and enjoyed a delicious meal of raclette. I love the food over here! 

Elza and Isabelle have a new kitten! You may remember that I took care of their other cat a while back. I'm not sure how much she likes having competition for cuteness, but this little one sure is adorable! Her name is Gluemie, because she sticks to you like glue. :-)

Well it's already late here, so I should end it there! Quick Chad update: he had his first exam today, and he thinks it went well! Three more and a paper to go... And 11 days until we're together again!

Where I have my morning coffee! The apartment is just a one bedroom, but it's two levels. 

foux du fafa

Bonjour all! I have traveled many miles in the last week. I was at the Pacific coast last week, and today I'm all the way on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, but I didn't end up here without stopping in the Midwest to spend one more night with Chad in our Iowa home!

So what happened before I ended up in France? Well, I sang a performance of Carmina Burana which was a ton of fun, and the audience also seemed to have a good time! I had some plants in the audience, I must admit. I never travel without my claque. Chad's parents made the trip to Eugene, which was no easy feat due to uncooperative weather, as did some of their college friends. One of their other college friends now lives in Eugene, so this seemed like a good time to have a little west coast reunion! I had never met these friends, so I was really happy to get to know them a bit. I believe I'll be seeing them again this summer in Santa Fe!

Jan, Mar, myself, and Tim after the performance. 

After a very early flight on Friday morning, I found myself back in Iowa. Can't say I did much there, other than moan about how I didn't want to leave Chad yet, and repack my suitcase. Alas, my flight wouldn't wait on Saturday, so I embarked on a trip that included planes, trains, and automobiles, but I ended up in sunny Bordeaux safe and sound! I haven't taken pictures of my apartment here yet, but I took some of the surrounding area. It's neat to be back in this city, and get a second chance to explore it, especially in the springtime! 

The corner of our street. Doesn't it just look French? Oui!

A very pretty building that is significant, but I'm too tired to look it up now.

I haven't had a real rehearsal yet, just a presentation on the production, which is probably good, because my body is protesting the lack of sleep and airplane germs. Yep, I've got a cold. Hopefully it'll go away soon, and I'll be out enjoying the beautiful weather! I haven't had a problem with jet lag yet, so I'm going to try to continue that streak by going to bed now. Have a wonderful week, and send studious thoughts to Chad! Not that he's stressed or anything. Nooo... 

Thought my parents would get a kick out of this: the same wooden puzzle that they gave me is in the apartment I'm renting in Bordeaux! Of course I had to see if I could still put it together. Success!

Oh, and a note about the blog title. There's a show (and a band) called Flight of the Conchords which I really love, and they have a song called "Foux du Fafa". It's a bunch of very simple french phrases in a very catchy song, and I'm trying to keep myself from quoting it to all these French people. For your viewing pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5hrUGFhsXo

11 pages down, 9 to go

Hey all! Guess what time it is. Yep, you guessed it. It's crunch time. Finals are looming ever closer (my first final is two weeks from today - why are my palms sweating all of a sudden?) and my 20-page paper is due at the end of finals. I've noticed a change in my attitude toward my exams since last year. Whereas last year I was aiming for great grades, this semester I am hoping to get good enough grades to not have to retake any of my classes. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I care less about doing well in my classes. I'm just trying to set my goals at a level where they feel achievable considering the amount of studying I need to do in the coming weeks.

But enough whining about school. Let's talk about a more cheery subject, namely Brenda. She is at a rehearsal in Eugene, OR right now getting ready for a performance on Thursday. Before arriving in Eugene, Brenda was in Portland visiting one of her best friends. They had a great time together, and Brenda sent me a couple of pictures from her trip to include in the blog.

 Brenda's friend, Olivia, in a Japanese garden.

Some pretty espresso drinks. Is that a swan?

 The rental car Brenda drove from Portland to Eugene. 

She liked it.

Brenda will be flying back to Iowa on Friday and then she's off to France on Saturday. So by next blog day Brenda will be in Europe and I will be freaking out about finals even more than I am now. Luckily, I've got a few things lying around our apartment to help me stay calm. Such as this puzzle we got from Brenda's parents...

 Before.

 After. 

Brenda and I were both able to crack the mysteries of the puzzle. Come to think of it, I should probably have spent that time studying for finals. Oh well. I'm sure I can put "puzzle master" on my resume somewhere.

I should call it a night. I hope you are all having a great week, and I'll talk to you next Tuesday!