The Tragic Story of Alfredo and Violetta

Last night I had the unique experience of attending an Italian opera in Rennes. The opera, La Traviata, meaning "The Fallen Women" or "The Woman who Strayed" was written in 1853 by Guiseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, which was adapted from a novel written by the son of Alexandre Dumas.

A little before 7:00, I headed toward downtown Rennes where a big screen was set up across from the opera house. The opera started at 8:00, but people were already setting up their chairs and picnic blankets. The sun was bright when we got there and didn't set until close to 10:00 or 10:30.

We had a pasta picnic but forgot plates so improvised! In retrospect, we should have brought pasta with Alfredo sauce...

One thing I noticed about how the French picnic--they bring glass goblets and bottles of wine! I'll know better next time!

The crowd was huge. I don't think we would get such a big crowd if there was an opera showing in Kansas.

Aren't the old buildings so cool?!

This was the opera house that we sat in front of. Only the elite crowd (those who pay!) sat inside. 

Do you see those three guys on the balcony in the middle? 

I zoomed in to see what they were up to and this is what I saw:

See the guy on the left?

Hilarious! 

Ever since I've seen Little Women, I've always wanted to inconspicuously throw grapes down on people. Bananas, well, they would work, too!

This was the screen. Enormous!

Some people were lucky enough to be able to sit on the balcony of their apartment to enjoy the show.

The opera was I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E ! The music from the orchestra and the singing mixed together was spectacular! Let me introduce you to Violetta, our tragic heroine, the woman gone astray.

The actress playing Violetta was actually an under-study as the normal actress was sick. Still, she was sensational!

And this...this is Alfredo! Or, as they said in the opera over and over again, Alfre-e-e-edo!

This guy with Violetta is Alfredo's dad. If I read the French subtitles correctly and understood the Italian correctly, he was trying to break apart the love of Alfredo and Violetta. Foolishness really, for who can break apart true love?!

There is always a letter/note of some kind in any great love story: Pride and Prejudice, Les Misérables, The Scarlet Pimpernel, etc. (That is why I find emails to be such stoic unromantic inventions.) Of course, the letter was wet with tears as she poured out her broken love onto the paper. Really, I'm not being dramatic.

Here are some of my favorite pictures:

The pictures pretty much sum up the whole story,huh?!

Here's the father. He was interviewed during the intermission. Look at all that make-up!

I like this picture because it shows the opera house and the huge crowd on the screen.

Just after the intermission, the orchestra played one of the love songs and the audience could sing along. I tried so hard to sing opera-like, but my Italian is a bit rusty and I got a little lost! Halle was smart and printed off the actual music ahead of time so she could practice.

The lyrics were rich with phrases like, "Oh, Alfre-e-e-edo, even dead, I will still love you."

(Images of The Princess Bride kept running through my mind!)

At this point, I thought poor Alfre-e-e-edo was dead, because he was lying on her lap, silent and still. Then, all of a sudden, he was back up on his feet. I must have mis-read the subtitles!

Of course, there was a dual, but thankfully Alfre-e-e-edo survived...only to have his Bright Star succumb to tuberculosis. I think she almost died 5  times before she actually "gave up her soul." 

I don't think Alfre-e-e-edo ever recovered.

At the very end, the actors and actresses came out to the opera house balcony to wave to us groundlings outside. So cool!

This picture is my favorite! Doesn't it just scream Italian Opera?!!?!?

I never thought I'd enjoy opera, but this experience was really cool.

I realize this blog post may have seemed as long as the opera itself, so to close, I leave you with one parting word that was sung majestically throughout the performance in many different octaves: "adieeeeuuuuuuu!"

Balcony Lunch

The weather has been beautiful here. Although I still can't go anywhere without a jacket, the sunshine is warm and bright and I'm choosing not to complain. I don't think the temperature has reached past 70 degrees. Yesterday, Melissa decided we should have our lunch on the balcony. It was perfect...until I spilled my leftover rice and sauce on my pants. (During supper, I spilled my salad AND my caramel dessert on my pants as well. Issues, I know.)

Perfect!

Melissa's Big Day!

Yesterday was June 2 and thus, Melissa's birthday. At church she was surprised with a birthday cake from some of the boys in the youth group she co-leads once a month. (The cake was delicious and reminded me of the cakes my French friends would bring for parties at school growing up. I'm not a big fan of cake...except for this specific kind of French cake.) 

After church, Melissa celebrated by having friends over and cooking our favorite meal: rice and peanut-butter sauce with aloco (fried plantain; so good!) prepared by Steph, a friend from Cameroon. We were a little nervous that there wouldn't be enough food since the recipe for the sauce was for 8 people and there were 15 of us! But miraculously, the sauce multiplied and we even had some leftover!

The night before we made chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered strawberries. 

 We wanted to be artsy in our decorations, but I think we both need a little bit more practice!

I was rather impressed with how many people were able to fit around the table.

The adults ate inside while the kids ate outside on the balcony.

Actually, these keums were just taking a momentary respite from the inside crowd.

Melissa did a good job and blew out ALL of her candles! 

Everyone left around 5:00 except for Halle. She stayed to hang out and join us in our post-party festivities, which included skyping with family, opening more presents, taking pictures, and watching a movie.

Halle was privileged to capture all 27 of our good sides on camera!

The night ended with a nice walk and then I worked on expanding my French vocabulary by playing a game of French poker with some friends. I think Melissa and I need to work on our poker face because neither one of us ended up winning. Next time. 

It was fun to spend the day celebrating Melissa. You can tell she is greatly loved and appreciated over here. How special to bear witness to the powerful impact she's having on the people's lives over here in Rennes! It's been a long time since I've been with my older sister on her birthday. Was the last time in 2006...or before? Regardless, I felt privileged to share the day with her. What a great friend and role model she is to me! 

Love you, Ita.

French Badminton and Crêpes

I have only been here for 3 full days, but I have already experienced so many new and culturally rich things. I have come to the realization that the French are much more night-activity oriented. What I mean by this is that it is no big deal to be invited to go hang out at 10:30...or later. Last night, for example, Melissa and I went to go watch a badminton tournament at 11:30 pm. I know, I know, who in their right mind goes to a badminton tournament? People still play that sport? Is it really a sport? I asked Siri on my phone, and she could not give me a definite answer.

Apparently, badminton, not spelled badmington, is played in most countries outside of the U.S. It is quite competitive. Melissa said that athletes playing badminton do more running than athletes playing tennis. I'm not quite sure if I believe her, but, I was quite impressed with the athleticism displayed on the court last night. Although the gym was a sauna of stinky sweat and the French make their bleachers with steps a bit too high, I enjoyed the experience and have a new appreciation for the sport-like game.

This evening Melissa and I went to what might be considered a French version of the American mall---but not nearly so big. Before going into the grocery store we had to stop for a little treat. 

 Can you guess what it is?

 How about now?

 Look at that jar of Nutella!

 Yummh!!!

I think all American malls should start selling les crêpes!

The grocery story in the "mall" we went to was sort of like a small version of K-mart. I learned a lot in the hour we were there. 

1. The cheese and wine aisles far outnumber the sport (aka KU/K-State) aisle. 

2. Everything is so expensive. 

3. French perfume is strong, expensive, and everlasting. 

(I may or may not have squirted on some great-smelling adidas perfume. Melissa said she could smell me an aisle away. We came home from shopping 2 hours ago and I still smell strong! We both decided we should go back every morning as part of our getting-ready-for-the-day routine!)