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

Why Being a Tour Guide is Possibly One of the Coolest Jobs Ever!

Hey Guys! I hope everyone's having a great week. 

A week ago I hung out in Munich and worked for a couple days. Aside from working, I had a voice lesson (so great!), hung out with an old friend, and did a little (window-)shopping ;) 

I absolutely had so so so much fun though! That was definitely one of my favorite trips to Munich. First of all the weather was perfect (so ideal for giving tours in the city), and the tours were awesome! And I got to thinking, you know, this is one of the best jobs you could ever have (even if you're shy like me!). Here are some of my favorite reasons.

1. You can do this nearly everywhere in the world. People are always traveling, and if you're really lucky, you could be one of those guides who lives at home but gets to travel with the groups. Yes yes yes!

2. The people! Yes the people. I'm very shy and can be super introverted. But this job has really pushed me out of my comfort zone, in talking for almost three hours to groups of upwards of 60 people! And when you really give your best, it pays off. The people are happy, they're laughing, they wanna get lunch with you, etc. A couple from Siberia once gave me a magnet from their small russian hometown. So awesome!

3. When you give a great tour, people love it. And as result, you leave work with more energy than you started with. Hellooooo!

4. If you live in an interesting place where people come to visit, you can literally get paid to talk for a few hours about your favorite place. It's the most natural thing in the world! And if you want to live somewhere interesting, this is totally an option!

5. If you live in a place where tourists often come, but so far there are not really any tours, then you have a huge advantage on the tourism market in your location and could start your own company. Hello entrepreneurialism! And there are tours for nearly everything. Cheese, Beer, Chocolate, Fishing, Bungee Jumping, Bridges (yes there is a "swinging bridge tour" in Maui, Hawaii), etc.

6. Lots and lots and lots of free time. In my company, a guided tour of Munich lasts about 3 hours a day. Generally each guide would only work one shift per day, and not every day. And so you take 3 hours to work and hang out with awesome people from all over the world, and can totally get ice cream/go to the gym/hang out with the besties/bake that cake for Omi/whatever else afterward!

So I'm going back this weekend for even more! And now I must say, I look forward more and more to my trips to my european hometown. Why? Because I lived there for almost two years. I know where my favorite bars are. I know which restaurant is my favorite. I know where to find the least overcrowded but still cool beer garden. And best of all, I know the best places to find a hot deal on a pair of Manolo's (the best shoes known to man!).

This past weekend was also excellent. The weather was super beautiful. But I caught a cold, yay me! Being sick in gorgeous weather is also possibly one of the cruelest forms of torture ever. It's like one big massive hangover (minus the over 'alcoholized' feeling. but you still feel gross). The sun is too bright, the shade is too cold but the covers on the bed are too hot, you can't smell anything thanks to sinus congestion, you can't taste anything because you can't smell, and because your whole head is quite literally full of sickness crap, you can't think straight (or see very well) to save your life. Thankfully I'm mostly over it though, now that it's cold and raining outside. My life is like a trying-to-be-a-comedy-but-not-that-funny movie. But I still have fun though ;)

talk to you sooooooon (and get a job as a tour guide!)

Much Love

India

Music for the murky weather: Wait by M83

Writin'

Love is in the air... wait, that's the smell of Glühwein! Which is almost the same thing, right? Especially for single people like me ;)

Glühwein is one of coolest things ever. It's a hot mulled wine, mixed with delicious spices and it's the perfect winter drink. In Munich, there is more than just the red wine kind. There's also a white one, and when I was in Nuremberg yesterday, I tried their traditional Glühwein made of blueberries! Delicious. It's a typical thing to have at christmas markets anywhere in Germany, and I love it! I love the markets too. In Munich there's a huge one right in the main town square (Marienplatz) but there's also other smaller ones all across the city center, in any little square they can manage to squeeze one into.

Nuremberg- I went there yesterday (as I said) to see a concert of a band I always really liked but had never seen live. It had been a long time since I had been to that kind of concert, so it kind of threw me back in my pre-teen punk rock years. I used to be a little rocker chick. I was really excited to because Nuremberg is one of my favorite cities in the whole world, and because right now Europe's most famous christmas market is happening there! So of course I had to pay a visit, try the Glühwein and have a Nürnberger sandwich (3 breakfast sausage links on a roll). Yum!

The band I went to see is called Silverstein and they're from Canada. They gave a really good show yesterday! I'm really happy to finally have seen them (the more you read my blog here, the more you will find what a vast range of music I enjoy). What I really liked about the concert was discovering a band I'd never heard of, Dream On Dreamer from Melbourne, Australia! They were so cool.

Anyway, everything in my life is just same old story at the moment. Lots of work, lots of music, lots of writing. I've been trying to sit down every morning and every evening and write a few lyrics (if I can). So far I'm getting pretty excited about all of it!

Well as the year draws closer to its end, I am thinking more and more about how the year has been. Usually I do this really corny thing and write a summary of my year, just highlighting the main events of each month. For example, last January my family came to visit and we moved into a new apartment. In June I travelled nearly all of Germany. In September I started my job as photographer (can you believe how much time has passed since then already?!).

One more thing, I just want to say thank you to all of you who read this. I am already way over a thousand views on this page (although I think I could be at more if I would write more often)! So thanks. Keep reading and I'll keep writing ;)

'Til next time
India

Song of the Day: Something by The Beatles