Good Morning! It has been a few days since I last posted an entry, so I am just going to send a quick post to give you an update. This has been a very busy and interesting week! This morning I am getting all packed up and ready for the trip to my dear friend Birte's house up in Langeoog. It is a 5 hour or so trip. I have to take a train, bus, and then a boat to get there! I'll be with Birte and her husband and new baby! I am so excited to see them!
I had a rather intense audition on Monday in the town of Bielefeld. I sang for a German agent who was very frank with me about my performance. I don't believe he was being mean, just honest. Actually I have taken his advice seriously and I have been having some help this week here in Gelsenkirchen with my friend Mark. Instead of feeling sad or dissapointed about my audition, immediately on Tuesday Mark brought me into the theater where he works and I sang for him. We spent an hour or so talking about my approach to my arias and trying different things to see what works. The next day Mark's friend William, another tenor from the theater came to listen and offer me advice. It was so much fun and I felt like this was exactly the sort of help I needed. I have also been sitting in the audience for all of Marks rehearsals this week. His next show opens this weekend. It is a fluffy and light piece called "Herzogin von Chicago." It is really fun to watch.
Well, I better go prepare my morning tea and head to the train station. Have a great day. There are still lots of stories, but I should have more time at Birte's to write!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Adventures With Claire
Hello everybody! There are lots more pictures. I hope you are all doing well. I am currently in Belgium visiting the lovely and fabulous Claire. She has been very kind and generous with me. She has shown me not only some interesting parts of Brussels, but she has also included me in some of her own daily adventures. It has been so nice to meet her friends and roommates who have all been so much fun. They were excited to practice English with me and also to teach me some new French words. It turns out that this chance to practice my French is going to come in handy very soon!
Brussels is an exciting and international city. Claire says that sometimes she will ride the bus and she won't hear a word of French.
When Alex came to Europe he really enjoyed his visit with Claire and her family in Arlon. Soon after that Claire came to spend 5 months in Tennessee with my Dad and stepmom, Lorna as an exchange student. Now she is in College and I have come to visit her in Brussels. I already have lots of stories to tell. I can tell you that the Belgian fries really are delicious and the waffles too! Claire's friend works in the Chocolate and Cocoa Museum down town. We went for a visit and came out with a bag full of free chocolates (from her friend, but don't tell anyone.) We also ate 3 cookies each dipped in a melted chocolate fountain.
Have a great day. More auditions coming up next week! . It has been great to combine the auditions with adventure and the chance to visit friends and meet new ones. I have to admit I am a bit homesick though, so keep the emails coming! Don't forget to scroll down and view the pictures at the bottom of the blog. You will find the Dusseldorf gallery dog standing for his picture. He's really cute.
Brussels is an exciting and international city. Claire says that sometimes she will ride the bus and she won't hear a word of French.
When Alex came to Europe he really enjoyed his visit with Claire and her family in Arlon. Soon after that Claire came to spend 5 months in Tennessee with my Dad and stepmom, Lorna as an exchange student. Now she is in College and I have come to visit her in Brussels. I already have lots of stories to tell. I can tell you that the Belgian fries really are delicious and the waffles too! Claire's friend works in the Chocolate and Cocoa Museum down town. We went for a visit and came out with a bag full of free chocolates (from her friend, but don't tell anyone.) We also ate 3 cookies each dipped in a melted chocolate fountain.
Have a great day. More auditions coming up next week! . It has been great to combine the auditions with adventure and the chance to visit friends and meet new ones. I have to admit I am a bit homesick though, so keep the emails coming! Don't forget to scroll down and view the pictures at the bottom of the blog. You will find the Dusseldorf gallery dog standing for his picture. He's really cute.
Cats in Every House in Amsterdam
In Amsterdam many cafes have a cat on staff to keep the rat population down to a minimum.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Good Evening from Gelsenkirchen
Good Evening everybody! I am back in Gelsenkirchen. Yesterday I had an audition in Dusseldorf (The town Augustus Gloop is supposed to be from!) It doesn't look at all like it does on Willie Wonka. There are no snow capped mountains, but there are plenty of shiny shop windows on the Konigsallee. As I walked back to the main train station after my audition it began to snow big snowballs the size of a gum drop, and it was cold and damp. I walked into the warm shops to escape the cold every few minutes.
My audition went well and when it was over I changed back into my comfortable shoes and took the subway. When I saw it arrive in the altstadt I decided to get out and walk the rest of the way from there. I found myself in a very neat area with lots of art galleries. I took a neat picture of a dog next to a funny painting of himself.
Well, that's all for now. I just wanted to let you know my audition went well and that I am doing well here with Mark, Mark, and Charley in grey Gelsenkirchen. I can tell you more about Dusseldorf soon. I also saw very beautiful swans in the old park in both black and white! As well as plenty of seagulls and ducks! I'll post the few pictures I took when I get a chance. Hugs from Gelsenkirchen!
My audition went well and when it was over I changed back into my comfortable shoes and took the subway. When I saw it arrive in the altstadt I decided to get out and walk the rest of the way from there. I found myself in a very neat area with lots of art galleries. I took a neat picture of a dog next to a funny painting of himself.
Well, that's all for now. I just wanted to let you know my audition went well and that I am doing well here with Mark, Mark, and Charley in grey Gelsenkirchen. I can tell you more about Dusseldorf soon. I also saw very beautiful swans in the old park in both black and white! As well as plenty of seagulls and ducks! I'll post the few pictures I took when I get a chance. Hugs from Gelsenkirchen!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Amsterdam and memories of Delft!
Hello from Amsterdam. It is very cold here. It feels colder because the rain, snow, and sleet have been falling. When I left Delft this morning the clouds resembled a Vermeer painting. The clouds here really are different. The sky was so many different kinds of grey and there were patches where the blue sky came through. But, it was cold and rainy as I made my way around the bicycle racks to the train station tunnel. I decided to make a stop in Den Haag on the way back to Amsterdam. I got out of the train and Den Haag central station was like an ice box. I'll have to ask Luis why inside a building can feel so much colder than outside although it was definitely cold outside too.
I don't really feel capable of writing all the stories I planned to write. I think I am tired. You should see my hair it is a tangled mess. For some reason whenever I wear my scarf it tangles my hair up so much and I end up pulling out a lot of hair trying to get it untangled! I like adventure, but I am tired and a little bit sick. I haven't been eating much the last couple of days in order to save money, but that is silly. I can at least be organized enough to go get groceries! Although I am impressed with myself because yesterday I ate a big breakfast at the youth hostel in Delft and then I ate a delicious fried fish for 1.50 and even had dessert from a nice bakery for just 40 cents! The girl in the bakery was patient with me as I counted out 40 cents digging around in my purse. I truly don't know why I find these things so difficult! Mark and I laughed and laughed the first day I was in Gelsenkirchen with him and we took a bus back home after we dropped off the rental car. I needed bus fare and we stood in front of the bus driver as I counted out the change, I reached into my purse and pulled out a bunch of change along with a variety of mixed nuts that had fallen out into the bottom of my purse and I emptied it all into Mark's outstretched hand. The bus driver just grinned. Eating a fish in Delft was a fun experience too. I saw a lineup of locals at a corner shop called "Mr Fish." A group of blue eyed elderly men stood around a tall table with thin, rectangular paper plates of fried battered fish. It smelled great. I lined up and got a fish too and ate it at the little table with a little fork. It was awesome.
Tonight I finally gave in and went for a full meal. I had an Indian dinner here in Amsterdam at a peaceful candlelit restaurant. I drank chai tea, which I love. It felt so much better to have food in my belly. I was thinking how much I missed Luis and looking across the candlelit table at the other lonely place setting with its unused fork and knife caused me to shed a few quiet tears at my little table. I think the nice waiter noticed I was lonely because he came by to chat with me and he even gave me a discount on my dinner and kept offering me more food.
It also cheered me up quite a bit, when I was walking back to the youth hostel and a middle eastern gentleman who was sweeping the street outside his restaurant shouted out to me
"Hey do you want a free boyfriend?"
"Pardon me?" I was curious.
"Yes he is free beautiful, sexy man!" he shouted. I laughed and so did the man's friend a grocery store owner from across the street.
And yes my friends, the adventure is just beginning for me in Amsterdam. I was walking around tired and cold and damp looking for some place that wasn't disgusting to stay. I checked the internet and found a couple of ""christian" youth hostels that I was going to check out, hoping that although strict they would at least be clean and inexpensive. On my way I was walking innocently down a street looking at old buildings when my eyes jumped "Ahhhh!" Behind a glass panel were the enormous breasts of a black prostitute in a tight, shiny red uniform. Seeing my surprise the lady smiled with what I think was an amused twinkle in her eye. I smiled awkwardly back. Of course I have heard about the free situation here with prostitution and lighter drugs, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see those breasts at that particular moment. It was a complete surprise.
Mark told me a funny story about a trip he took with his father to Amsterdam. They were in the red light district walking and they saw a prostitute eating Chinese food from a carton balanced on her enormous breasts while chatting on her cell phone. Funny image, huh?
Well, as far as the christian youth hostels I never made it that far because I came across another hostel first that had a bed for me and includes breakfast and internet. That's where I am now. This is the more typical down town Amsterdam youth hostel. A little dirty, but there is an age limit here. You have to be young to stay. You need to be under 35. It is a happening place called the flying pig. There are young people here from all over the world. Many of them are sitting in the smoking room now having the experience that a lot of them came all the way over here to have. A few minutes ago a group of people came through this internet room speaking a language that I don't think I have heard before. They were thoroughly pierced and tatooed and they were giggling like crazy as one of their party, a girl with long thin hair and tatoos took a huge swig straight from a wine bottle and stumbled through the doorway. Will I be able to sleep here? The night is still young. I think I'll be ok because I have a top bunk and I usually sleep with a pillow on my head to block out light and noise anyway. All my valuables will be safely locked away during the night.
This trip probably wasn't the best idea before my audition, but I will be ok. Live and learn. Things are not always as easy as they seem. I am learning so much. I am looking forward to getting back to Mark, Mark, and funny little Charley in Gelsenkirchen where I definitely feel at home. By the way, anyone who thinks that Europe is a center for elegance and class should take a look at the typical Gelsenkirchen look. Liberal use of self tanner is the norm. And a lot of these women look like they used Homer Simpson's makeup gun!
Ok have a great day!
I don't really feel capable of writing all the stories I planned to write. I think I am tired. You should see my hair it is a tangled mess. For some reason whenever I wear my scarf it tangles my hair up so much and I end up pulling out a lot of hair trying to get it untangled! I like adventure, but I am tired and a little bit sick. I haven't been eating much the last couple of days in order to save money, but that is silly. I can at least be organized enough to go get groceries! Although I am impressed with myself because yesterday I ate a big breakfast at the youth hostel in Delft and then I ate a delicious fried fish for 1.50 and even had dessert from a nice bakery for just 40 cents! The girl in the bakery was patient with me as I counted out 40 cents digging around in my purse. I truly don't know why I find these things so difficult! Mark and I laughed and laughed the first day I was in Gelsenkirchen with him and we took a bus back home after we dropped off the rental car. I needed bus fare and we stood in front of the bus driver as I counted out the change, I reached into my purse and pulled out a bunch of change along with a variety of mixed nuts that had fallen out into the bottom of my purse and I emptied it all into Mark's outstretched hand. The bus driver just grinned. Eating a fish in Delft was a fun experience too. I saw a lineup of locals at a corner shop called "Mr Fish." A group of blue eyed elderly men stood around a tall table with thin, rectangular paper plates of fried battered fish. It smelled great. I lined up and got a fish too and ate it at the little table with a little fork. It was awesome.
Tonight I finally gave in and went for a full meal. I had an Indian dinner here in Amsterdam at a peaceful candlelit restaurant. I drank chai tea, which I love. It felt so much better to have food in my belly. I was thinking how much I missed Luis and looking across the candlelit table at the other lonely place setting with its unused fork and knife caused me to shed a few quiet tears at my little table. I think the nice waiter noticed I was lonely because he came by to chat with me and he even gave me a discount on my dinner and kept offering me more food.
It also cheered me up quite a bit, when I was walking back to the youth hostel and a middle eastern gentleman who was sweeping the street outside his restaurant shouted out to me
"Hey do you want a free boyfriend?"
"Pardon me?" I was curious.
"Yes he is free beautiful, sexy man!" he shouted. I laughed and so did the man's friend a grocery store owner from across the street.
And yes my friends, the adventure is just beginning for me in Amsterdam. I was walking around tired and cold and damp looking for some place that wasn't disgusting to stay. I checked the internet and found a couple of ""christian" youth hostels that I was going to check out, hoping that although strict they would at least be clean and inexpensive. On my way I was walking innocently down a street looking at old buildings when my eyes jumped "Ahhhh!" Behind a glass panel were the enormous breasts of a black prostitute in a tight, shiny red uniform. Seeing my surprise the lady smiled with what I think was an amused twinkle in her eye. I smiled awkwardly back. Of course I have heard about the free situation here with prostitution and lighter drugs, but I certainly wasn't expecting to see those breasts at that particular moment. It was a complete surprise.
Mark told me a funny story about a trip he took with his father to Amsterdam. They were in the red light district walking and they saw a prostitute eating Chinese food from a carton balanced on her enormous breasts while chatting on her cell phone. Funny image, huh?
Well, as far as the christian youth hostels I never made it that far because I came across another hostel first that had a bed for me and includes breakfast and internet. That's where I am now. This is the more typical down town Amsterdam youth hostel. A little dirty, but there is an age limit here. You have to be young to stay. You need to be under 35. It is a happening place called the flying pig. There are young people here from all over the world. Many of them are sitting in the smoking room now having the experience that a lot of them came all the way over here to have. A few minutes ago a group of people came through this internet room speaking a language that I don't think I have heard before. They were thoroughly pierced and tatooed and they were giggling like crazy as one of their party, a girl with long thin hair and tatoos took a huge swig straight from a wine bottle and stumbled through the doorway. Will I be able to sleep here? The night is still young. I think I'll be ok because I have a top bunk and I usually sleep with a pillow on my head to block out light and noise anyway. All my valuables will be safely locked away during the night.
This trip probably wasn't the best idea before my audition, but I will be ok. Live and learn. Things are not always as easy as they seem. I am learning so much. I am looking forward to getting back to Mark, Mark, and funny little Charley in Gelsenkirchen where I definitely feel at home. By the way, anyone who thinks that Europe is a center for elegance and class should take a look at the typical Gelsenkirchen look. Liberal use of self tanner is the norm. And a lot of these women look like they used Homer Simpson's makeup gun!
Ok have a great day!
Photos
Hello everybody! I have been trying to figure out how to delete the extra photos but it looks like they are all staying for now, sorry about all the extras and repeats!
Have a great day!
Have a great day!
A lot of Pictures
Hey everybody, now I have finally posted pictures! I posted many that I will delete and a lot of repeats. So I will be editing them, but I had to work fast in the internet cafe.
Enjoy the pictures. More stories to come!
Enjoy the pictures. More stories to come!
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