A Night At The Opera

…because going to the opera, is like, a thing.

I'm back from another successful weekend in Munich- this was quite an experience! Friday night I went to the opera in Munich, because the prima donna of our generation, Anna Netrebko, made her debut as Lady Macbeth! I just had to hear her sing live, you see. It was such a fanfare at the Bayerische Staatsoper. People of all forms of high society made their way to the royal opera house in their ball gowns, glittering in diamonds and furs, air kisses here and there, and the theater really came to life. I mean, Munich is a pretty fancy city. So when people do go to the opera, the standard attire is pretty nice already. But this was another level of fancy. Never had I seen people so dressed up for the theater- just like in the olden, glamorous days of the divine divas of the opera, back when people really would dress up. And of course, everyone their in their sparkling gowns and finest attire had done all this because of Netrebko. The house was completely sold out and full of energy. People stood on the streets with signs saying, "need 1 ticket!" Everyone, everyone had come to see the famous leading lady. The scent of expensive perfumes filled the halls. All the while with baited breath, we waited for her to make her entrance. The lights grew dim and the delicate intro (it's not really much of an overture) for Verdi's Macbeth began. I sat in my usual spot under the stage, next to the orchestra- where you can't actually see much of the stage, but when the singers come closer to the front you can see a bit of them. Netrebko of course sang her very best as expected, she is very professional. I saw Macbeth last year with a completely different cast, but the mise en scène was exactly the same. At some point in the third act, a ladies chorus comes on the stage completely topless but wearing bubblegum pink wigs (think of a Katy Perry video), all the while pulling long plastic-bag like things out of their mouths that appeared to be jackets, which they then proceeded to put on. Yup. It's a very typical stage design for the Munich Opera, they tend to gear toward modern, highly artistic stages.

Saturday I gave possibly my best and most fun tour of all. Early in the morning I found out that today was Brewer's Day in Munich, meaning that all the brewing apprentices were graduating, there would be a huge parade, a festival, a lot of bavarian dancing (including coopers), and best of all, FREE BEER! And this only happens every two years. Okay, for me the free beer wasn't the most important because I don't drink much in general, and I can't consume alcohol while giving a tour. However- my group was already having a lot of fun it seemed, and we happened to make it to Viktualienmarkt (Munich's main market, where the festivities were taking place) at exactly the right time. So we were able to enjoy a very traditional bavarian show, complete with whip-cracking and knee-slapping dances, but also most of my tourists picked up a free beer! I was really happy for them. And a really nice guy let me have a sip of his ;)

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun and the group was able to have a very special experience, and truly able to see how cool Munich is!

In the meantime I've been plenty busy with going back and forth from Innsbruck to Munich, starting a garden on the balcony (tomatoes, lemon verbena, peppers, and basil, amongst others!), turning 19 (that's right!), sleeping on tops of mountains, and trying to figure out my life. I've written new songs and started new projects, I'm studying to start driver's training, and I want to go to England next month. And that's just a little sample. Other than that, I'm trying to eat a lot healthier (that's why I'm going to England and why we're starting the garden). I have extreme attention difficulties and want to vastly improve my nutrition (nutrition is everything!). Seriously, before you try hard-core medication for anything, consider a change of eating style based on fresh and raw foods (intricate salads are the best). You'll experience a spike in energy and mood when you're better fed! 

My favorite salad to make is with romaine lettuce, rocket salad (arugula), tomatoes, cucumbers, some bell peppers (whichever color is up to you!), shredded carrots, a little red onion, a teeny bit of fresh garlic, some crumbled feta, and to complete with some dried oregano, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar! Super healthy and fresh, this salad leaves me full and totally satisfied every time.

Anyway my point is, before I would try some kind of stimulant from the pharmaceutical industry (such as Adderall), I'm going to start eating mostly fresh things from the garden and farms, not so much pizza, bread, dairy, and meat (though the meat thing is a personal preference for me, I just am not a big meat-eater in general).

Long posts are what happens when I don't write for a month, obviously. How is everyone else out there doing? Have a lovely start of July!

Much much love

India

And the song in my head is: Dear Boy by The Format