International Bazaar and Cav/Pag
Small Teapot from Iraq: €12
Bracelet and wooden giraffe from Kenya: €2.80
Chicken Pad Thai: €3
Baklava: €2
Dr. Pepper (from the American booth): €1
Two little birds from Poland: €4
Total Cost of Cav/Pag: €6.40
A truly international experience: Priceless!
I did better today....I got up at 1:00! Mike had told me about this international bazaar thing that they have annually at the Vienna International Center (between the Donau and the alte Donau, where the UN is)....he had mentioned that Michelle (our voice teacher) goes every year for the food, and so I thought it would be fun to take a stroll over there to see what it's about....boy howdy was it great! It was in this convention center, and basically the whole top floor was filled with stalls selling handcrafts and things from various countries (mostly asian, european, and some middle eastern) and I bought some trinkets there (see above). But downstairs was a HUGE area filled with food from every country in the world....I could not think of a major country that was not represented....in fact, I'm having trouble thinking of a country that wasn't represented at all! I had pad thai, which was FABULOUS......oh I miss asian food, especially all the thai places in LA.....I also got Baklava to take with me to the opera for Mike and I, and I went back to the USA booth (which, for the record, was selling all-beef hot dogs, BBQ potato chips, and specifically american soda, and was being patronized solely by American ex-pats) and I bought Dr. Pepper. Noticing the strange glance the woman was giving me as I so excitedly asked for my drink, I exclaimed sympathetically "do you know how long it's been since I've had a Dr. Pepper?" She smiled and gave it to me....I realized, meanwhile, that it really hadn't been that long....but it was strange to think that something like that, such a miniscule part of my life was still a part of it, and without it and the multitude of other tiny things, which by themselves mean nothing, have made a very different lifestyle for me here, and not just in the ways that are more tangible for me, such as the absence of family and old friends. Anyway, after getting all philosophical over the Dr. Pepper, I headed out (not without purchasing two cute little wooden bird ornament things....) and headed back home to drop off my stuff and meet Mike at Kettenbrückengasse for opera.
That night we saw Cavalleria Rusticana by Leoncavallo, and Pagliacci by Mascagni, two one-act operas which are often performed together (they're both short, and they have a similar theme: marital infidelity screwing everyone over)....Mike calls them "Cav/Pag," and so I've started calling 'em that. I have to say, even though Pagliacci is a bit more renowned, I enjoyed the music of the Leoncavallo much more. The casts were both good (different people in both operas...otherwise it would be confusing, I suppose) José Cura (from Stiffelio) was once again loud and louder, but perhaps a bit better as the title role in Pagliacci....when he got pissed, he REALLY got pissed...it also worked better dramatically in Pagliacci, because in Stiffelio he had to play an angry preacher, which just isn't quite as organic. After the opera I called Andrew and then went to bed!
Bracelet and wooden giraffe from Kenya: €2.80
Chicken Pad Thai: €3
Baklava: €2
Dr. Pepper (from the American booth): €1
Two little birds from Poland: €4
Total Cost of Cav/Pag: €6.40
A truly international experience: Priceless!
I did better today....I got up at 1:00! Mike had told me about this international bazaar thing that they have annually at the Vienna International Center (between the Donau and the alte Donau, where the UN is)....he had mentioned that Michelle (our voice teacher) goes every year for the food, and so I thought it would be fun to take a stroll over there to see what it's about....boy howdy was it great! It was in this convention center, and basically the whole top floor was filled with stalls selling handcrafts and things from various countries (mostly asian, european, and some middle eastern) and I bought some trinkets there (see above). But downstairs was a HUGE area filled with food from every country in the world....I could not think of a major country that was not represented....in fact, I'm having trouble thinking of a country that wasn't represented at all! I had pad thai, which was FABULOUS......oh I miss asian food, especially all the thai places in LA.....I also got Baklava to take with me to the opera for Mike and I, and I went back to the USA booth (which, for the record, was selling all-beef hot dogs, BBQ potato chips, and specifically american soda, and was being patronized solely by American ex-pats) and I bought Dr. Pepper. Noticing the strange glance the woman was giving me as I so excitedly asked for my drink, I exclaimed sympathetically "do you know how long it's been since I've had a Dr. Pepper?" She smiled and gave it to me....I realized, meanwhile, that it really hadn't been that long....but it was strange to think that something like that, such a miniscule part of my life was still a part of it, and without it and the multitude of other tiny things, which by themselves mean nothing, have made a very different lifestyle for me here, and not just in the ways that are more tangible for me, such as the absence of family and old friends. Anyway, after getting all philosophical over the Dr. Pepper, I headed out (not without purchasing two cute little wooden bird ornament things....) and headed back home to drop off my stuff and meet Mike at Kettenbrückengasse for opera.
That night we saw Cavalleria Rusticana by Leoncavallo, and Pagliacci by Mascagni, two one-act operas which are often performed together (they're both short, and they have a similar theme: marital infidelity screwing everyone over)....Mike calls them "Cav/Pag," and so I've started calling 'em that. I have to say, even though Pagliacci is a bit more renowned, I enjoyed the music of the Leoncavallo much more. The casts were both good (different people in both operas...otherwise it would be confusing, I suppose) José Cura (from Stiffelio) was once again loud and louder, but perhaps a bit better as the title role in Pagliacci....when he got pissed, he REALLY got pissed...it also worked better dramatically in Pagliacci, because in Stiffelio he had to play an angry preacher, which just isn't quite as organic. After the opera I called Andrew and then went to bed!
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