Minneapolis

Good afternoon, all! I see I haven't written a post in over a month. Sheesh! I'll try to do better going forward. We've had a nice month. Brenda sang five performances of La Sonnambula in Frankfurt, which all went very well in spite of having a cold (or perhaps sinus infection) for the last two shows. Rowan and I were also fighting the same thing, but after two weeks of runny noses we all seem to be on the mend.

We flew to Minneapolis last Monday, and we've been so happy to spend time in our house. Other than a few days in July, this will be our only time here this year. The weather has been great so we've been spending a lot of time in the back yard, and for the first time in my life I'm starting to think that gardening could be fun. My green thumb will have to wait until next year when we're here more often.

With Drew living in Minneapolis, as well as our friends Dan and Whitney, we've been doing a lot of socializing lately. Brenda's aunt and uncle were also in town this weekend, and my parents came up for a visit last week. It's been great seeing everyone. On top of catching up with friends and family, Brenda has been preparing for her rehearsals next week at the Santa Fe Opera. She'll be singing the role of Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein's Candide this summer. We're very happy to be staying in the same lovely house in Santa Fe that we stayed in last year. I'm wondering if Rowan will recognize it.

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!

welcome guests

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!

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!

cold and flu season

Greetings again from sunny (and frigid) Frankfurt. Since we last wrote Brenda's parents have come for a visit and returned home again. Rowan loved spending time with his Oma and Opa (grandma and grandpa in German). He'd run to the door several times every morning to see if they'd come over to play yet. In spite of the cold weather, we all bundled up and took Rowan to nearby parks where he could play in the sand. He's a big sand guy. Give him a shovel and a bucket and he'll entertain himself for a long time. Brenda's parents were also kind enough to look after Rowan so Brenda and I could go out on a couple of dates. We even saw a movie (Black Panther, two thumbs way up)!

Observing Rowan during his favorite activity.

This past week we've all been fighting being sick. Rowan started showing flu symptoms last weekend that morphed into a cold during the week. Brenda and I also picked up colds, but hers has been worse than mine (it might actually be bronchitis), and she's been struggling with a bad cough. She had a performance scheduled for yesterday, and after a couple of trips to the doctor and some drugs, she decided to go through with it. I think she's happy she did, although it was quite stressful. She was actually nervous before the show, which isn't like her. Her final Rigoletto performance this season is on Thursday. She's singing in an annual AIDS gala concert in Düsseldorf this coming weekend, and after that she gets some time off. We booked a few nights in Edinburgh in March, and we're both really looking forward to finally seeing a wee bit of Scotland.

Our hearts have been heavy the last few days as we mourn the loss of Brenda's Aunt Nancy who died unexpectedly on Thursday. We always enjoyed seeing her in New York City when she came to see Brenda perform and also in Connecticut when we would visit her and her family. It's hard to not be with our family during this sad time, but our thoughts are certainly with them.

guesting at home

Hello all! Long time no post. We've been back in Frankfurt for 2 1/2 weeks now, and it's been great to be back. Brenda is currently working at Oper Frankfurt for the first time since ending her full-time employment here last August. She's considered a "guest" by the opera house (i.e. freelancer), but at the end of the day her experience is basically the same as it was before. She gets to work in the city we call home (or at least our German home) with people she's been working with for years. If you're interested, you can check out a few pictures from her current opera (a revival of Verdi's Rigoletto from last season) here.

On the topic of Brenda singing, the Lyric Opera of Chicago announced their 18/19 season, which means we can officially tell you that Brenda will be singing in Chicago in March of 2019. Here's the link in case you'd like to learn more. Brenda will also be returning to Carnegie Hall on April 14, 2019 with the English Concert to sing the title role in Handel's Semele. No other companies have announced their seasons yet, but there will be more gigs to tell you about in the coming weeks.

Rowan is enjoying being back in Frankfurt, and he especially likes all the nearby parks. By Frankfurt standards it's been cold lately (highs in the 30s), but we've actually had some welcome sunshine, which really brightens up the typically cloudy German winter. We'll be mostly sticking around Frankfurt for the next few months, although we will spend three weeks in Munich beginning in the spring and we're seriously considering a short trip to Scotland next month. We've never been to Scotland and since we're in the neighborhood (Europe is all one neighborhood, right?) we might as well pop up for a visit.

It sounds like Rowan is up from his nap. I hope you all have a great rest of your week, and we'll talk to you again soon!

Berlin 2018

Hello, friends, and greetings once again from Berlin! Life has been fairly quiet recently. During our first week in Berlin Rowan and I spent some time playing in nearby parks while Brenda rehearsed. Now that her show is up and running (2 performances down, 1 to go), she’s been joining us on our outings. Our friend Florian is coming to town today and will stay with us until we leave on Saturday. It’s been too long since we’ve seen him last, and we’re very excited he’s coming.

 The poster for Brenda's show.

 Brenda in costume (and in character?).

For Brenda’s previous gigs in Berlin we stayed in the Charlottenburg neighborhood, which was where the theater was located. The Berlin State Opera has returned to its newly renovated theater, however, so it made sense to stay somewhere else this time around. Our current locale is in Kreuzberg, which certainly has a different feel than Charlottenburg but is no less comfortable. Hipsters would be, and are, very much at home here. We’ve been hearing a surprising amount of English when we venture out. The nearby coffee roaster has all of their signs exclusively in English and they even greet us in English when we walk in the door. Another interesting thing about our locale is that the Berlin Wall was right outside our front door 30 years ago. It’s hard to imagine what walking down these same streets would have been like back then.

Our current neighborhood.

As I mentioned before, on Saturday we get to go back to our German home in Frankfurt. We’re very much looking forward to it. Brenda’s next few months will be spent reprising roles in productions she’s already done, so hopefully that means she won't have to rehearse much and we can enjoy a lot of family time together. I hope you're all staying warm this January, and we'll talk to you again soon!