February 18-24

Monday, February 18th

Monday was my usual prepare-for-the-week day: groceries, food prep, laundry... Thankfully the sun came out and it was beautiful. I didn't get out for a walk, but I took breaks to sit in the sun and soak up the rays (Vitamin D, please!) between household tasks.

ME left in the a.m. for a week-long Musik Woche with the band from school. They stayed at the Landvolkshochshcule Wies and had several daily rehearsals interspersed with free time, play time, and meals. She got to know a couple of the other girls in the group that are in other classes and enjoyed the get-away. I tasked her with taking some pictures (which she did) so at some point I'll add those to this post.

In the afternoon I started to feel a little "off": scratchy, achy throat and stuffy head. Oh dear... I went to Frauenchor rehearsal and by the end my throat and soft palate were really "on fire"! Just what I need.

Sun, glorious sun! And warmer temps = laundry outside and sitting with my afternoon decaf on the balcony. HERRLICH!

Asking J to get a regional Wurst specialty, Pinkel and Bregenwurst, from the Clasen Metzgerei near the Marienplatz and some Grünkohl from the Viktualienmarkt = a lot of kale to clean! Double what you see in this picture... There was another bag on the floor! 😳😵 But, oh my, was it yummy! (Recommended by a German friend in my conversation group.)

Tuesday, February 19th

Sick! I woke up repeatedly overnight with fire in my throat, so once I saw the girls off to school, I begged off my morning German conversation group and afternoon session with Stellario to stay home. I worked in my pajamas on the blog with a carafe of hot tea and about as much decaf as I could stomach, took a long nap after lunch, and basically pampered myself. Feeling pretty crummy.

Wednesday, February 20th

I had been planning to go to the walk in Englischer Garten this morning, but was still nursing this cold/virus/sinus thing. Instead I walked to the drug store on Lindwurmstraße and got a Nasendusche with mineral wash, a homeopathic throat spray, some lozenges, Zinc, and eucalyptus bath oil. I treated myself thoroughly with all of the above and went back to bed for another nap.

In the evening, I was determined to make it to my planned excursion: Henry Purcell's "semi-opera," King Arthur, at the Gärtnerplatz Theater. This is the same theater where ME and I went to the costume sale a few weeks ago. Here's a preview:

I bought tickets a couple of weeks ago and had wanted to go with ME last Sunday evening, but somehow when I was selecting the performance I clicked on the wrong day and only realized my mistake after the purchase had gone through! Since ME is gone this week, I now had an extra ticket. Who to ask? Opera/theater is not J's shtick, so I asked my friend, EK, from the Himmelfahrtskirchen Chor who is a trained Schauspielerin and used to teach at a theater school in Augsburg. She loved that I'd thought of her and was super excited to join me. We had a lovely evening and my lozenges kept my sore throat from distracting me too much. Great singing, incredible dancing, wonderful ensemble, and Baroque instruments to boot! Here are a couple more scenes:

Out front waiting for EK.

Gärtnerplatz Theater is one of the Bavarian State Opera houses and was recently reopened in 2017 after renovations. It's small and intimate compared to the Nationaltheater where the Staatsoper performs. The contracted singers, chorus, dancers, and players perform multiple operettas, musicals, Shakespeare, and other small productions each season.

During intermission we got drinks in the "refreshment room." Can you spot the twin towers of the Frauenkirche in the Altstadt?

Full moon over our apartment complex as I returned home!

Thursday, February 21st

I canceled all my plans again in order to stay home and nurse my cold again. But I did feel well enough to get outside for a walk since the sun was shining again and the temps were mild. Tomorrow I leave in the afternoon for a whole weekend of singing: the spring Himmelfahrtskirchen Chor Probe Wochenende at Kloster Baumburg! So, I needed to make sure I was as well as possible... Early to bed!

The St. Johannes Ev. Kirche in der Au

Friday, February 22nd

I left the family with a fridge full of food, packed myself up, and left mid-afternoon for the weekend choir retreat with the Himmelfahrtskirchen Chor. We arrived at Kloster Baumburg with just enough time to check in and settle in a little before dinner. Starting at 7:30 p.m. we had rehearsal in the big Probezimmer until about 9:00 and from 9:15-9:45, the Capellchor rehearsed for the Cantata Sunday in March. Thankfully, my throat was much better and I could participate fully without holding back.

It was cloudy and cold when we arrived, but the weekend forecast was for clear, sunny skies, albeit colder temps than the past week.

The Klosterkirche St. Margarethen at dusk on Friday.

Saturday, February 23rd

I got up early for some personal quiet time, breakfast at 8 a.m. and rehearsal at 9:30. The choir always starts off with some movement, Gymnastik, for about 20 minutes, then 10 minutes of Einsingen, followed by at least an hour of rehearsal before a 10-15 minute break when everyone makes a made dash for the kitchen to get a cup of Kaffee or the hausgemachte Kräutertee. We rehearsed the Händel Brockes-Passion as well as some single pieces for a Sunday service in May (which I will miss). After lunch is some free time, followed by more rehearsal, and the much loved Kaffee und Kuchen break at 4 p.m. In the evening after dinner, the choir read through parts of the Dvorâk piece they are performing in June. So while they worked on that, I took my own music to a small Probezimmer at the other end of the hall to practice (Verdi arias, Argento songs, and the high E's and D's for Strauss' Grossmächtige Prinzessin). I was in *excellent* voice. When I got tired, I took my thermos with mint tea and read my book in bed until I couldn't keep my eyes open... Glorious day.

Sunrise over the Bavarian Alps. This part of Bayern got a ton of snow--more than typical--in January and February. A lot of the ground was still covered, even in the fields and towns.

The view from the garden behind the Kloster, looking down over the village of Altenmarkt an der Alz

Sunrise!

Morning Gymnastik!

 

Outside during the Kaffee und Kuchen break... We all stood around sipping our hot mugs of Kaffee or Tee while a few knowledgeable people tried to help us identify the mountain peaks in the distance.

Sunday, February 24th

I rose early again for my quiet time. This time I sat in the Bibliothek looking into the walled herb garden. The moon was still up and I had timed my alarm so that after I finished my journaling, I could be outside walking as the sun came up. The rest of the morning was pretty much like Saturday: breakfast, Gymnastik, Einsingen, and Probe. The bus left right after lunch. My body, heart, and soul were full to the brim: fresh air, mountains, and music.

 

From the bus windows we could still catch glimpses of the Alps in the distance.

Home again in München...