I started off today with a little trip planning (as I actually had an Internet connection) followed by heading to the Residenz. It follows in the pattern of what I saw in Wurzburg and also Versailles. While this was huge and impressive, I didn't care for it as much. This is in large part due to that it was all rebuilt post 1945. While they have done an excellent job with it, it is still clearly an imitation at once was spectacular. I guess I am spoiled, having seen more impressive palaces elsewhere...
From there, I arranged a tour of the Bayerische Staatsoper, the biggest opera house in Germany. On top of its size, it is one of the most reputable houses in the world. Many important operas have been premiered here, and the house is know for its beauty. The tour was 4€, so I figured it was worth a shot. Other than being on a tour with a bunch of ignorant and oblivious Norwegians, it was an absolutely magnificent tour! We were able to go virtually everywhere in the Theater: the stage, backstage, below stage, all levels of the house and boxes, they lowered the chandelier for us, etc. The guide was very worthwhile and informative. After a rather rowdy last night, I had also decided that if I could get a cheap student ticket to tonight's opera, then that I would go.
In the afternoon, I took in some of Munich's finest sights. With another day of perfect weather, the city was alive and bustling. The squares were full of markets, street musicians, and people of all types just out to relax. It could not have been a better and more fun loving environment. I picked up some picnic food and took to the main square (Marienplatz) for lunch while listening to an awesome Klezmer trio rock the square. This group of seasoned citizens had the place grooving with upbeat versions of all your favorite Klezmer hits. Later on when walking by, I even heard a little Fiddler on the Roof.
Following lunch, I headed over to St. Peter's Church to climb the steeple--home to the best view in town. I could write a novel on the ridiculous stair cases I have had to climb here--narrow, steep, slippery, banked, basically ladders, etc. This staircase won the award for narrowest two way passage. Had it been anymore narrow, I think people going the opposite directions would have been crawling over each other. Ridiculous, yes--but the view was a good as promised.
From St. Peter's I headed to the Viktualienmarkt, the main open air market which was even more full of life than the other areas. After taking it in I headed to the most famous church in town, Frauenkirke. While I found it to be a bit bland on the inside, this church was once the home to now Pope Benedict. From this under decorated cathedral I headed to the overdone Asam Church. The Asam brothers thought it would be fun to have their own church, decorated in all of the grandest fake stuff you have ever seen! It looks good until you get close and see that it is all a cheap facade.
My time was running low before I had to get back to the opera to try to acquire a student ticket, so I hustled and dug my "dress clothes" out from the bottom of my bag. They are about as wrinkled as possible, but they are better than nothing. The opera playing tonight was Bellini's "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" (Romeo and Juliet), which I was not overly excited about. However, I still thought it would be great to see another opera in a top tier house. While the performance sold out (meaning no student tickets), I was able to buy a standing room seat off a guy for 15€...a steal of a deal. The guy was wonderfully nice to boot, showing me all the intricacies of the house and chatting it up through all the breaks.
Here is the opera analysis. If you are not an opera fan, then I would recommend skipping the next bit! Being in the top balcony, the acoustics were fantastic. Even so, that stage either has some real hot spots or mics. Take your pick...I will go with the latter. Too much carried way to well and in uneven ways for it to be natural. While Anna Netrebko was originally supposed to be Giulietta, she cancelled last week along with a number of performances (Any surprise?). So unfortunately (or fortunately some of us would say), we didn't get to hear Netrebko. Instead, her understudy stole the show. Top notch lyrical singing, and the audience ate it up. People went nuts at the end. Romeo was mediocre; good when singing on the voice but bad and flat when getting artsy with straight tone. The production was really unique, with the stage forming optical illusions throughout with the use of lights, rakes, and mirrors. Also a big deal, the costumes were done by Christian Lacroix, although they seemed more designed to emphasize the physique of Giulietta. The funniest and most ironic bit of the night had to be the men's chorus. Here we are with an opera that could not be more bel canto, with the male chorus singing like it is The Ring. Clearly some big, fat Germanic school of singing on display in the "not in any way, shape, or form" bel canto style.
I have been teasing a bit about the rest of the trip. Here it is--all subject to change: Salzburg, Hallstatt, Ljubljana (Slovenia), Zagreb (Croatia), Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia), Budapest (Hungary), Bratislava (Slovakia), Vienna (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic), Dresden, Stadtallendorf, Leipzig, Berlin, and maybe some surprises at the end or along the way. If you have suggestions in any of the areas mentioned, send me an email!
Tomorrow is going to be a very full day!! Goodnight!
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