Final Bow, For Now

We arrived in Grafenwoehr after a beautiful ride through the countryside of Franconia, this particularly picturesque section of the country. We went back into the Tower Inn on base. (This tank in the photo at right is one of the few I saw on the bases. I'm sure I wasn't supposed to photograph it.) Tonight's show starts early so we will eat dinner afterward. (If you are keeping track, this is the same theatre where we saw Agnes of God a few weeks ago.) Tonight's selection is called Miss Nelson is Missing, a comedy. It is again directed by Joline Powell.

The play for children tells the story of a too-nice elementary school teacher who lets her class get away with murder because of her lack of discipline. One day she doesn't show up for class and the substitute is a harsh disciplinarian who makes the students actually work. The students are so upset by this turn of events that they go out to find Miss Nelson to get her to come back. Meanwhile, they are studying for the "big test" and doing better than ever. After the test, Miss Nelson returns to a grateful class. Only one of the students has figured out that the substitute was Miss Nelson in a bad wig and fake nose...

Okay, so it's not Shakespeare. The kids like it.

After the show, Joline took us for Thai food with a small group from the cast and crew. She is doing wonderful work in her new position as Entertainment Director of this base. She may do Avenue Q next season. That would be controversial here (it has strong gay content and hilarious 'puppet sex,') but she is a determined woman who is eager to build a significant theatre here with a sizable following. My bet is that she will succeed.

The next morning we pressed on to Stuttgart, another place we had been before. Last time it was for the drama, The Mousetrap; this time a comedy: A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is Shakespeare! The first one we've seen by this author. Actually, we heard that this is the first Shakespeare that has ever played this theatre in Stuttgart (which is over 30 years old.)

The Entertainment Director (and director of both productions) here in Stuttgart is Richard Roberts, also new at his job, like Joline, but much more experienced having worked at theatres on other bases for many years and directed a lot. These two places could not be more different. It's a good example of the diverse conditions at the different bases. In Stuttgart you a state-of-the-art theater that seats about 190 people, with all the latest lighting and sound equipment, two lobbies - one with a bar, the other for coffee and desserts, and a strong following in the community. They also have access to actors who work in a town which has two major and several smaller professional theatres in it.

By contrast, Graf (as we in the business call it :)), has not had an operating theatre for several years. Their "theatre" is a gymnasium in which they have constructed a stage. They have 8 lighting instruments, one of which isn't working properly. The community is not yet accustomed to attending plays, so the audiences are small. They use folding chairs (or cushions for the kids) and the heating/cooling is controlled by someone who has nothing to do with the theatre, so it can go on and off without any notice. At the performance we attended exhaust fans were on, creating a loud hum that made it difficult to hear the actors. They had no clue how to turn them off.

Still, Joline has big plans for the place. She has an opportunity to build a theatre in the shell of this building, which could work because it has a very high ceiling and no columns (it was a basketball court - the markings are still on the floor.) She is in the midst of creating more programming, encouraging involvement of community members, gathering support from the MWR folks who oversee the Program.

Throughout this experience, we found that each of the locations has its advantages and challenges. What is inspiring, is that wherever we went the participants in the programs work exceedingly hard to provide the best experience for their audiences and for the all of the volunteers working on the shows. Community theater doesn't have the "success/fail" element of professional theatre and that's an advantage. While they strive for quality, they are doing what they do just for the love of it. The "community" of Community theater is a large one. Jim told me that the US Army division is the largest section of the American Association of Community Theaters.

As I board the plane for my flight home, I am reflecting back on this experience. There has been a lot of driving, and driving and eating, and driving and eating and sleeping. Oh, and then we saw the plays and met the people. And had some fascinating conversations. And saw some awesome sites. And felt welcomed wherever we went.

I’m not sure whether I would do this again, but I am glad I did it this time. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was missing something at home (aside from the obvious, that is.) During the summer when I spend a longer period of time in Italy with the Symposium and Retreat, it doesn’t feel quite the same.

As long as I can remember I have had wanderlust. I want to go everywhere and see everything that’s out there. Mostly, I want to engage different people, learn about their lives, share ideas and art and creativity and a certain kind of warmth that comes from mutual understanding and engagement in a common goal.

I’ll keep looking. Stay tuned.

Separated by a Common Language

I'm sure I am already forgetting many of the great expressions that Eva and Annette have been teaching me from their homeland (Canada.) So many evocative turns of phrase. Here are a couple I want to be certain to remember (and use!) One evening when we were at dinner with a particularly loquacious individual, Eva told me later that "her mouth was going like a whipporwill's arsehole." Ha! Today, she said that something was "as black as a the inside of a cow." Of course their accents are distinct. "Owoot" is the pronunciation of "out," for example.

These are useful: anybody who gave us trouble was called "buddy." "Buddy didn't have our hotel reservation.." and the like. Eva and Annette also referred to each other as "Mrs." constantly. As in: "How you doin' there Mrs.?" "Okay, Mrs., how are you?"

I have been teaching them a few Yiddish expressions, but they somehow don't have the same resonance in this crowd. ("Mishegas" and "shpilkes" were two they liked.) We were joking that a Jewish Newfoundlander would probably be saying: "She must have had shpilkes; her mouth was going like a whipporwill's arsehole!" We laughed at that one.

Our bus driver, Armin, who is German, had a unique way of telling a joke -- they go on for four days! He would start and after about ten minutes, we would all go about reading or doing other things waiting for the punch line. Usually, I had to pay close attention, so I could translate for the others into a more concise version. It took me about a minute to tell the same joke. But Armin is a pleasant, jovial fellow with a quick (sometimes!) wit and a calm demeanor. He's an excellent driver and we always got where we were going on time, and often, early. His van has 2 GPS systems - one a male voice and one a female voice. At times they sounded like they were arguing with each other.

Dutch Treat

Armin, our driver, picked me up at 9 a.m. It was my last moment at Jim's in Heidelberg. It felt like a second home - so comfortable, a great place to take breaks from our travels around Europe. I had spent the day before (when I came back from Wiesbaden) reorganizing and getting caught up on work stuff. Now we were off on the last leg of our adventure. We will come back to Heidelberg only the very last evening to discuss the nominations and awards -- the night before we go home.

We were heading for Brunssum in The Netherlands (not Holland - it was explained to me that Holland is only a province of The Netherlands, but because it's the most famous province, which provides tulips...and wooden shoes, everyone calls the whole country Holland. Wrong!) Brunssum is right on the border of Germany and The Netherlands, with parts of the base in both countries. This only adds to the confusion. Luckily, we have finally been blessed with good weather, no, not just good weather, spectacular! It's mid-60s and sunny this day, as we drive north (a five hour or so drive.)

The surprise was our accommodation. It's called Overste Hof, and though it wasn't easy to find, it was worth the search. This place, unlike every other place we've stayed, is far off base. It's in the countryside; they have horses! and goats! and sheep! It's next to a place called Snow Mountain - a huge indoor skiing and sledding resort-type place. The Overste Hof must have been a former stable; the buildings are built in a big square with a courtyard in the center. The rooms are small, quaint, but modern, clean and comfortable (especially the bed.) Since it was such a beautiful day, we just wanted to sit in the courtyard in the sun and soak it in.

I wanted to see the town and do some errands, so Armin and I took an excursion, leaving Eva and Annette to enjoy the hotel's amenities. Unlike most places we visited, this place is modern -- everything built after the war. Not because it was all destroyed, though some major battles were fought near here, but because this had been mostly brown coal mines, which eventually ran out of coal. Nature reserves, lakes, ponds, forests and new towns have taken their place. So the architecture is nothing special. It was like being in a small suburban town -- it was just Dutch. The shops, the bakeries, everything was in Dutch and they did NOT want to be confused with the Germans, though most people speak both languages.

The Brunssum theatre group gave us each baskets filled with (mostly) edible gifts. Very nice. We were taken to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. No menu here. The owner just came by and asked us what we wanted: duck? fish? chicken? beef? pork? (no!), rice? We didn't know what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of every dish.

After dinner, it was on to the theatre to see their production of The Foreigner by Larry Shue. The play tells the story of a shy man who comes to a guest house to get away from his boring life and in an effort not to have conversations with anyone pretends to be a foreigner who can't understand English. As a result, everyone tells him their secrets and he discovers his personality in the process (while overcoming the KKK, by the way.) It's a very funny script which was a hit in New York about 25 years ago.

The next morning, we set off for Kaiserslautern. Back south again, another 4 hour trip. But we broke it up by stopping in Trier for lunch. What a surprise that was! I have been nearby before, but never went to the center of the town. Trier is the oldest town in Germany; the main church, the Dom, dates from the 600's. The one City gate, that still exists, the Porta Nigra, "black gate" as it is called is the symbol of the City; it's an ancient Roman structure that calls to mind The Colleseum in Rome, with its rows of arches. Here's a photo.

The center Center of town is the Hauptmarkt, where everyone gathers in outdoor cafes and restaurants. There is a flower market with spectacular tulips, as you would expect, and also gorgeous gerber daisies, roses and orchids. From here, where we had some soup at one of the lovely outdoor spots, it was short walk to the Dom. Another church, I thought, what could this one be like that is different from the others. Well, aside from its age -- it's the oldest standing church outside of Rome -- it's the artwork inside that makes it special. Unlike Italian churches, frescoes are not present; what they have are intricate, sculpted friezes that are remarkable in their detail and vibrancy. There's one on the apse as you enter, all in white, that is beautiful and evocative. Here's a picture of that.

Further down the street is the house where Karl Marx was born. Nice house; no hint of who would emerge from it.

Trier has an added interest for me, since my high school was called New Trier (West), and we never really knew anything about Trier when we were growing up. So I now have photos to show my former classmates the real Trier. We had to indulge in ice cream and it was among the best we've had in Europe this trip. I couldn't get myself to leave the sunny streets to do any shopping or anything (after leaving the church.) A picture perfect day!

But we had to leave eventually to get to Kaiserslautern in time for our dinner and show. The dinner was at a local German pub/restaurant. The food in this area is slightly different; we are in Franconia now, not Bavaria. They have a specialty that looks like a very thin pizza, which my colleagues liked a lot. I opted for spaetzle and steak. Not a great choice, as it turned out. I was also disappointed in the apple streudel, which I had high hopes for.

The play we saw here was The Night of January 16th by Ayn Rand. It was written in the 30s. It's a courtroom drama about the murder of millionaire (Madoff-like) swindler. The gimmick is that audience members are selected to be members of the jury and they ultimately decide whether the defendant (his mistress) is guilty or not. Different endings are written depending upon what result comes from the jury.

Today we are off to Grafenvoehr again.

Ladies and Ghents!

I'm back in Heidelberg after my Belgian adventure. What beautiful weather we had in Belgium! Dan picked me up on Monday morning and we caught the train for Brussels. I had been here once before, the weekend of Dan's big birthday party a couple of years ago. He had recently purchased a house in the countryside near Mons, the closest town of any size and SHAPE, the NATO command center where he runs the Entertainment Program. It was only half an hour by train to Brussels.

We visited some key sites before settling on a place to have lunch. (Why is a key symbol of Brussels a sculpture of a boy peeing?????) Our main objective was to eat outside, in the sun. We found a few places in St. Catherine's Platz. We settled on an Italian, since it had a mid-range menu and was perfectly situated for direct exposure to the rays. We weren't disappointed. This place was very good. We started with a mixed antipasto of all vegetarian samples, all freshly prepared and delicious. I followed with a beef dish, a roast in a red wine sauce that was incredible. Dan had Tagliatelle (the fettucine-like flat noodles) with mushrooms. We indulged in a full carafe of red wine. Very decadent of us! We finished with a tiramasu served in a coffee cream. Let's just say that lunch went on for quite a while. Sitting in the sun, drinking good wine, eating delicious food and sharing stories with a good friend -- that is just what I needed at this point. During coffee, Dan's friend Sean -- an Irish guy living in Brussels, joined us. Very nice.

Soon after lunch, we were back on the train headed for Gent (or Ghent). It depends upon whether you are French-Belgian or Flemish-Belgian. Everything in Gent is translated into both languages. Believe me, the two cultures don't mix easily - and they are not so kind when they talk about each other. ("The Flemish are more organized and precise. The Flemish aren't lazy like the other Belgians..." -- I heard stuff like that a lot.) At least they aren't fighting each other about the differences. They live together peacefully enough, notwithstanding the catty remarks.

We walked from the train station to one of the schools where Dan's partner, Daniel works. He is principal of four different schools! It's a lot of work. But he was full of energy this day, in spite of problems he was having with his superiors. He took us on a full tour of Gent. It's actually the 3rd largest city in Belgium after Brussels and Antwerp. It also has its share of historic sites -- of which I think I saw almost all. The tour was thorough. He has an incredible memory, so he recalls all of the history. I couldn't quite take it all in, but I got most of the stories. I liked the one about the daughter who saved her father's life by feeding him milk from her breast. He was a Roman sentenced to death by starvation and they couldn't understand why he stayed alive so long. There's a sculpture of it on the prison that dates from 1741 (photo above.)

I was determined to have two things while in Belgium: Belgian waffles and Moules Frites (that's mussels with fries). Only fifty percent accomplished. The waffles you could find at stands on the streets; that's the best place to get them; they are crispy, warm and sweet. Try as we might, however, not a "moule" to be found anywhere in Gent that evening. Half of the restaurants were closed because it was a Monday and the rest were not serving mussels. So, we settled for a French place in the oldest part of town. Evidently, much of the town was under water when the settlers filled in pockets of land and built on them. That's why there are canals that run through the town -- not exactly like Venice, but you get the idea.

After dinner, Dan and I took a train back to Jerbais, and drove to Dan's house in the country. His backyard is literally someone's farm. He took great care to fix the place up; my room was most comfortable. It was cool, crisp, clear night -- the crescent moon shone through my window. Sleeping weather. And I did.

Next morning, Dan drove me to Mons where I caught my train for Wiesbaden, where I would do my third and final workshop. Actually, I should say trains - I had to change twice. I must say that the German rail system is on time, very clean and reliable. As you might expect!

In Wiesbaden, Charlie Fontana, who we had seen just a few days ago, when we came here to see the production of Fools, picked me up and took me to the American Arms Hotel. I spent the afternoon walking outside in the (blessed!) sun and getting a massage at a nearby spa. He came back a couple of hours later take me to the theater where we had seen Fools, the Amelia Earhart Playhouse. This time, it looked different. Since the show had closed, the whole "southern environment" he had created in the lobby was history. We used this space for the workshop. This time, instead of Improv, I was doing a workshop with the unlikely title of "Channeling Theatre for a Fulfilling Life". I'm not even sure what I meant by that!

Surprisingly, 24 people showed up. I began with some warm-up, group concentration exercises and then moved into a discussion of values, missions and goals. We did a guided imagery exercise and almost everyone contributed along the way. It was diverse group in terms of age, ethnicity and experience, but they all seemed so "into it" that it was a pleasure to facilitate. Some folks were actors or wanted to be; others had simple jobs on the Army base and others were retired. I discovered that the exercises I used were useful on many levels. The response afterward was extremely positive. I had several people asking me when I would return. (Hmmm....)

Afterward, Charlie took me out for dinner at a Greek place. Nothing extraordinary, but fine. It was interesting to talk with him about his experience running an Army theater. I was up early to head back to Heidelberg for my one last day off. Armin came to pick me up in a van, so I didn't even have to take a train. He's a charming German guy, who has been driving these vans contracted by the Army for years. Quick with a quip, he made me laugh as we fought the rush-hour traffic out of Wiesbaden.

Cabaret on This Island

We got to Bamberg in early afternoon - - another rainy day. We never seem to get a break with the weather. Bamberg is the same City where I did an improv workshop a couple of weeks ago. I was pleased to find out that folks who took it were still talking about how much they liked it. Our hotel here is the Ibis, a chain of mid-range hotels, which are fine -- clean, small rooms. This one is located in the Center of town, a short walk to major attractions.

After settling in, we took a walk into the oldest part of town. I took some photos of the main church and other buildings, but I couldn't really concentrate on "touring" or "learning." I just wanted to take a nap. I was exhausted. I returned to the hotel and rested until it was time for us to go to dinner at this nearby Greek restaurant. The food was average, but the young men who were work there are all stunning. We must have had three waiters, one more attractive than the next. I know it's not what we were there for, but we all commented on this fortunate perk.

Dinner was short, so we could get to the theater in Bamberg for their production of Once on This Island, the Ahrens/Flaherty musical about a poor orphan, Ti-moun, who falls in love with one of the rich boys who co-occupy this Caribbean island locale. The play is told through a kind of story theater format, with all of the cast as the storytellers who take on different roles as the tale unfolds. Ultimately, Ti-moun sacrifices herself so her lover will be happy with another woman of his own class, but she sets the stage for a future generation where everyone gets along regardless of social status.

It was early to bed because the next morning we had one of our longest rides: to SHAPE in Belgium (it's near Mons and Brussels) to see Cabaret, the musical. Since it was a matinee, we had to leave at the crack of dawn in order to make the curtain. We made great time. We arrived at the entrance to SHAPE (the same NATO base where we saw Red Ryder on our first night) only to discover that they had no record of us and they would not let us on the base. We tried not to panic -- there was only a few minutes until showtime -- as we tried to reach Dan La Morte, our host, who could sign us on to the base.

Eventually, someone on his staff came to help us and we got in. It is beyond us why this continues to happen. They had been given information about all of us prior to our arrival (twice!) and still, everytime we arrive, there is a problem. Ah, the military! (This can't be blamed on the US Army, since this is a NATO base; a different thing altogether.) We finally got to the Kit Kat Club. The entire lobby was decorated as the famous Berlin club from the play, with photos from the show on the walls...and always here, the smell of freshly baked cookies attacks your senses as you enter.

Cabaret tells a story that has been adapted many times since Christopher Isherwood first wrote his Berlin Stories in the 1930's. It was a play, I Am A Camera, then a film of that name, then a Broadway musical with Jill Hawort and Joel Grey, then a film with Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey, then a revised stage version, then another revised stage version directed by Sam Mendes, starring Natasha Richardson (may she rest in peace) and Alan Cumming. This version seems to be an amalgamation of the musical stage and film versions.

After the show, we set out to the countryside for our much-anticipated Chinese dinner. Just as we started to make some progress down the road, the car decided to go bonkers. Our little "Prudence" decided that she would not accelerate beyond 38 kilometers/hour. We were pooched! We couldn't figure out what was wrong, so we turned around and went back to the hotel instead of chancing getting stuck in the country somewhere. Dan came to pick us up a bit later and we squeezed into his car for the ride to the restaurant. It was worth it. Nice to have a good Chinese meal after all this time. I opted for the corn soup with crab and prawns with black bean sauce. During the meal we got a call from the car rental company. They were sending someone to our hotel to look at the car. We finished our meal and rode back to meet him.

Of course, as often happens, when you arrive at the doctor's office, suddenly the pain is gone. When Annette and the car repair guy took Pru out for a spin, she worked perfectly. No problem. The guy left and we kept wondering whether the symptoms would reemerge the next day when Eva, Annette and Jim would be traveling back to Heidelberg. Stay tuned.

The four of us spent the evening reviewing all the musicals we had seen over the previous five weeks. One part of our job is to nominate the participants in a variety of categories and then select a winner in each; awards are given out at the Toppers Gala in Heidelberg in April (after we are gone.) We consider each show in each catergory and come up with our decisions after some discussion. Sometimes the discussions are more heated than others. Mostly, we are in agreement. We will discuss the entries in the Drama and Comedy categories next Sunday, after we have seen all of those plays. Having the discussion about musicals now, will help make next week less complicated.

Today, I spend the day with Dan. I believe we will be going to Brussels and other places. It's finally sunny (which is right, since we are not in Germany...)

Let it snow, Let it rain, Let it STOP!

Another rainy morning, grey German day. Seems we've had mostly those since I arrived over a month ago. I like the Mueller Hotel. It's very well located, quiet, clean and comfortable. We arose to explore the City before driving on in the afternoon. Unfortunately, Annette was not feeling well, so she rested while Eva and I strode the streets of Munich. In a couple of minutes we were smack in the middle of the historic center. The architecture is extraordinary. We walked the long pedestrian shopping street (it was fun to shop; Annette hates shopping, so we don't do much when we're together.) Eva was this close to buying a pair of rhinestone-covered sneakers, which were on sale for 59Euro -- but she chickened out. We found a lovely cafe (Brot und Butter) where we enjoyed a coffee and biscuit.

It was blustery and very cold so after a couple of hours we headed back to the Hotel for our departure from Munich. The ride to Ansbach was supposed to be 2 hours, according to Penny, our Ford chariot. She was exactly right. I had just enough time to get ready to speak to a couple of my clients via Skype (which I am feeling is the greatest invention, since the computer...)

We didn't have a show this night, so we enjoyed a leisurely meal at The Windmill (same place we stayed the last time we were in Ansbach a couple of weeks ago.) The grandmother who had always served us, was not there that night. We got worried about her. We learned that she had been in hospital, but was now released and doing fine. I was able to order the Apfel Streudel that I loved so much the last time I was here. It didn't disappoint!

Next morning I was able to get over to the Base at Ansbach to work out at the Fitness Center. It had been a few days and I needed it! Each base has a fitness center, but they are all different. I especially like the one in Heidelberg, which has the best equipment. And it's huge. Ansbach was pretty good. Dinner was again at our wonderful hotel restaurant. But this time, when it came time for the streudel we had to rush out to get to the theatre, so I had to forgo it.

The play, High School Musical (a condensed, thank God, one-act version) was being done in the base high school. Lots of kids were involved in the production. For the two people who have never seen or heard about it, the play is an excuse for singing some annoyingly memorable tunes. The "plot" such as it is, concerns two high school students who fall in love and want to audition for the school's musical show. But, alas, he is a jock and has to practice for the basketball championships and she, alas, has to participate in the Science Club competition. Somehow, they win both and still get to star in the musical. It's Disney, what do you want?

After the play, we retired to Eva's room for drinks. This is becoming a routine. It's a chance to discuss the productions, and other things and kick back a bit. We are developing our "in" jokes and it's fun to share a laugh at the end of the day.

Next morning, we had a different car. Instead of "Penny" we now have "Pru." She's a Mercedes and rides like a dream. I got a chance to drive since Pru is an automatic shift car and that's the only kind I can drive. It was fun zipping down the autobahn at 180 (that's km/hr) with no effort. We arrived in Wiesbaden, our next stop, just in time for a quick bite before an afternoon of client phone calls.

Our play in Wiesbaden was Fools, by Neil Simon. This was directed by Charlie Fontana, the Entertainment Director on the Wiesbaden base. (He is brother to TV writer Tom Fontana, who gave us Oz on HBO, one of my favorite series.) They perform in the Amelia Earhart Theater, a former hotel restaurant that was renovated into a theater and bar. It's small but effective as a playing space.

Next, we are on to Bamberg for Once on This Island. But I'll be back in Wiesbaden on Tuesday to do a workshop with the theater folks here.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

Our Aviano/Venice adventure behind us, we have landed, for a moment, in Munich. Our hotel, which we booked online on the advice of my friend Andreas, is very nice. It's on a quiet street just ten minutes from the Center, in a nice area with lots of restaurants and cafes, etc.

First, let me retrace: from Frankfurt, we drove to Ramstein, an Air Force base, where we were to see a production of The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs. (I realize I had posted a photo from that production on my previous blog entry -- instead of one from Seussical. Sorry about that.) Ramstein has a very nice accommodation -- better than the typical Army housing, but still on the base. It's a huge base, with an airfield and thousands of people living here. Their theater company, Razz-a-ma-Tazz, has been doing kids' shows for decades. This show is very clever. It's about the 3 Little Pigs story that goes wrong when one of the pigs decides to change the story; they get their story confused with the Billy Goats' Gruff story and the Three Bears story. Eventually, everyone gets screwed up and ultimately they decide to enter each others' stories. (Stage hands changing the sets are continually frustrated because they are trying to change sets that aren't needed, in light of the changes, which is quite funny.)

The next day, we drove from Ramstein to Aviano -- the same theater where we saw David and Lisa, the first week (seems like months ago.) Frank Lewandowski was our host again. He directed the production of The Wizard of Oz we were to see the next day. He took us out to eat that evening and then again the next day for lunch just prior to the show.

After the show we drove to the town of Salice, a few kilometers from Aviano, and took a train to Venice. We arrived after dark, so we never got that extraordinary view of the Grand Canal that one gets upon arriving by boat to San Marco. We found our hotel easily. It's the Montecarlo, just seconds from San Marco and a few minutes from The Rialto Bridge. A gentleman at the hotel recommended a restaurant - La Scala - which we tried. It was indeed an excellent choice. We had one of our finest meals, so far there.

The next morning our first stop was La Fenice, the famous theatre that has burned down at least twice since it was originally built in the 1700's. We were early, so we left to explore the Rialto Bridge and surrounding market (which were quite small compared to what it's like in summertime.) We took our hotel up on their offer of a free boat ride on the canals and over to Murano, an island where they blow glass and create the famous Venetian Murano crystal. We "took the tour" but didn't buy anything. It was the boat ride that was truly a treat. We were blessed with sunny, warmish (50) weather in Venice during our entire time there. What luck!

Then it was back to La Fenice. What an extraordinary place! We took the taped tour, marveling at the house, with it's opera boxes and Royal Box, exquisite frescoes, painted ceiling, gilt covered designs on the boxes, etc. It was fascinating. (If you haven't read City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt, you should; it's all about La Fenice and what happened when it burned most recently in the 1990's.) After the tour, we visited the church of St. Mark (or San Marco.) I left Annette and Eva on their own to explore the Doge's palace and other sites that I had seen before.

We met up in the evening for dinner. We decided to explore some of the smaller Osteria (wine bar) restaurants, drinking our way through Venice at night. I had a list from Jessica Provenz, my friend who had been their last summer. We found some on her list and some others. At some we just drank (always red wine); at others we drank and ate something. One place had a seafood antipasto that was extraordinary -- about a dozen different things, each one better than the last. It was an indulgent evening, but a great way to explore Venice at night. We had hope to find "the best gelato place in Venice" for our dessert, but were not able to locate it. So we had simply "very good gelato" somewhere else.

The next morning, we took a vaparetto (water bus) to the train station and caught our train to Salice. We just got on as the doors were closing. A close call. The next train didn't leave for an hour. But we made it. An hour later we were back at our car and on the road for Munich. It was a beautiful drive through the Alps this time. The weather stayed clear until we got to Austria and then it changed to snow. Everywhere. We stopped at a ski lodge for lunch. I was feeling sick at this point -- not sure if it was the windy roads, the two espressos I had for breakfast, or residual nausea from my drinking the night before. Anyway, I couldn't truly enjoy the beauty of the ride.

We arrived in Munich around 5:30 p.m., giving us a couple of hours before meeting Andreas for dinner. He took us to his favorite Italian (again!) where he knows the owners. His partner Dasa was already there when we arrived. Then came another incredible meal; this time it was specials prepared just for us by the owner and the chef -- antipasti, 2 pastas, beef filets, vegetables and a dessert sampler plate with five different things on it -- each one more decadent than the last. The wine flowed again; I believe we got through 3 or 4 bottles, plus 2 limoncellos each. Everyone got along extremely well and it was an enjoyable evening all around. Now it's late and I'm off to bed.

Here are some photos from Venice and the ride through the Alps. Also, one of Munich friends Andreas and Dasa. Enjoy!