Arrividerci, Roma!

Well, it's my last day in Rome. I've had a fantastic time. This is probably my favorite place that I've ever been. But, at the same time, it's time to go home. So Anna and I have a few last sights to see today (Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, back to the Trevi). Then we're seeing Suor Angelica tonight (in the church where St. Paul is buried), then it's back to the Torre Rossa to pack, and our bus leaves in the morning at 9:30.

Arrividerci, Roma! See you soon, South Carolina!

So little time, so much to do...

Everyone with a connection to Converse went out to dinner one night. Tony got his Masters at Converse and Mrs. Dodd is BFF with Dr. Hay.





















This is Sant Ivo, where we perform. Can you even believe that?!





















And this is Sant Ivo when the sun goes down.
















The beautiful Pantheon at night.
















The Mediterranean Ocean!!!





















This is my favorite fountain picture I've taken while in Rome. It's located right behind Sant Ivo.
















The Slave Dance, everyone's favorite part of "The Magic Flute."
















The Three Ladies sticking it to the dragon! Go, my minions! Slay that beast!





















Papageno!





















Papageno and Pamina.
















The Three Spirits, who are the embodiment of good. (AKA The Queen's worst nightmare.)





















Tamino and the Sprecher.
















Tamino and all the animals. (Isn't that elephant the cutest thing you've ever seen?)





















Monostatos and Sarastro.











What a day this has been. I slept until noon-ish, because we had a late night last night. I got up and took a shower, went to lunch, then Anna had a voice lesson, then the two of us headed to the beach at Ostia. It’s about an hour and a half away from us. You take a bus, change buses, go to the train station, then take a train to Ostia and a bus down the strip to a particular strand of beach. Well, we got off the last bus and walked just a little way to an entrance. We wandered down the way and realized that we had stumbled onto a private beach. However, nobody said anything to us, so we settled into a space. But we noticed that everyone else on the beach was sitting on these posh chairs and we wanted one, so we went up to the pile of chairs and started to grab one. And this man came up to us and started spewing Italian words at us. We had no idea what he was saying, but from the very little Italian that we know, we deduced that renting the chairs would cost us twelve euro apiece. So we decided that we’d just settle down on our towels. So we hung out for a few minutes, then went swimming in the Mediterranean, then got to feeling very awkward and decided to leave. You know how at home you can just wander down the beach? Yeah, you can’t do that in Italy. We certainly tried to, but located next to the private beach is a military zone and when we got too close, this army guy blew a whistle and wagged his finger at us. So we just turned around and left the private beach. We got back on the bus and rode until we saw a sign that said “Ristorante. Bar. Free Beach.” So we got down to the beach and realized that it was definitely public because the people there were way sketchier than the people at the private beach. But we pulled our towels back out and went back into the sea. And as we were swimming, Anna says to me, “Hey, Melody, look at that guy showering off.” I looked. He was completely naked. And the longer we stayed there and the more we looked around, the more naked people we saw. That’s right. The second beach we wandered onto was a “clothing optional” beach. We stayed for maybe an hour, then decided that we had seen enough nudity, and we left. We hopped the bus back to the train station, but then thought that we might like to have some seafood by the seaside and went looking for a restaurant. But Anna was still in her bathing suit and cover-up and wanted to put her real clothes back over them. And as we were standing there and she was putting her shirt back on, this CREEPY fellow walked by and said “Ciao, bella,” but with a tone of voice as is to say “Hey, baby, I like the way you’re put together!” We were creeped out, but didn’t think much of it because, after all, Italian men are awfully forward. However, he sort of followed us to the crosswalk and started talking to us. We didn’t know what he was saying exactly, but we figured that he was trying to pick us up. We said we were sorry and that we didn’t speak Italian. He kept talking, but let us walk away. So we kept walking down the strip looking for a restaurant. Bizarrely, none of the restaurants were open. It was only about 7:30, so they couldn’t have been closed for the evening. But as we were walking, the same creepy guy drove by, parked his car, got out, and came up to us again. We understood what he was saying that time. He wanted us to get in his car and go back to Rome with him. STRANGER DANGER!!! We kept telling him in Italian that we didn’t understand him and in English that we weren’t gonna go with him. He was very persistent and we finally had to walk quickly away from him, leaving him talking at us. And even then he drove by us and honked his horn. We ducked into a snack bar to throw him off our trail.

So we came back to the Torre Rossa Park Hotel, changed clothes, and ran down to the falafel restaurant down the street. I had a very tasty gyro. Then on our way back, we ran into a huge group of Operafest people who were headed down to the watermelon stand. (Watermelon is a huge thing here. They serve it for dessert every single day. And this little stand is open 24/7 and sells very little else.) We decided that they were a fun enough group, so we went with them. Along with watermelon, I also had a slice of coconut, which was, of course, delicious.

So tomorrow I have my final performance of “The Magic Flute.” I can’t believe that my part is almost done. And the night after that, we’ll all be done. Well, all the “Flute” cast anyway. “Suor Angelica” has a performance on Sunday. I’m going to that. They performed tonight, but we didn’t make it back in time. Also, during the day on Sunday, we’re going to cram in the last few things that we haven’t done. And on Monday, I’ll be home. See you all soon!

More than halfway done

The Coliseum. You can sort of get an idea of how huge it is by noticing the people standing in the arches.














An arch. I can’t remember the name of it. I’m sure Anna knows.



















This was over near the Forum and the Coliseum. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it’s beautiful.



















The Arch of Constantine. I have pictures of this straight-on, but I love the sun in this one.














This is the entrance to, I believe, the Roman Forum.



















The Pantheon.














The light coming in through the dome inside.



















One of the paintings inside the Pantheon.














I’m sure that you can all figure out why I took this.














Notice that our pizzas are heart-shaped. That’s because Italian waiters love cute American girls.





Last night, Anna and I went back to our favorite gelato spot and we took Eowyn this time. Just for the record, there’s a strong possibility that I’m in love with Signor Orlando Timberlake who works there. He’s so attractive and so cute! For example, he thinks that “please” means “you’re welcome” in English. Here’s a sample of our conversation last night. Keep in mind that his part of it was in broken English.

Us: Do you take cards here?
Him: No, sorry.
Us: Is there a bancomat nearby? (“Bancomat” is an Italian ATM.)
Him: Si. Go straight, and on the next….. (to a random man) Hey! Come se dice in Inglese “via?!” Random man: “Street.”
Him: Go straight and on the next street, turn right. Not the first one, the one after that.
Us: Okay. Grazie.
Him: Please.

It was so, so cute. So he’s my new Italian boyfriend. AND he was in my dreams last night! Needless to say, I did not want to wake up.

Italian television is hilarious. We’ve watched some interesting things. We watched “Friends” with Italian voices dubbed over. It’s not as funny. We watched part of a National Geographic special about medieval suits of armor with Italian voices dubbed over. It’s actually funnier. There is a channel that shows some movies in English. Sometimes you get lucky and catch something good like “Talladega Nights”, but sometimes you strike out and get some awesomely bad movie like “Flushed Away” or “She’s All That.” We did watch “Mr. Bean.” It was in English, but with German subtitles, but it didn’t really matter. It would have been funny in any language.

Speaking of Mr. Bean, there’s a trumpet player in the orchestra who looks JUST like him. It’s a little unnerving. And he keeps making comments that make the whole orchestra laugh. Maybe he actually IS Mr. Bean. Anna thinks that he’ll make a mess of the whole production because he’s Mr. Bean and he can’t help it.

We’ve been having Sitzprobe rehearsals for the last two days. That’s where we sing through the whole show with the orchestra, but don’t do any staging. So far, so good. We did Act I yesterday. I sang my first aria and, if I do say so myself, I did a good job. One of the orchestra members said something to me afterward. I didn’t understand it all, seeing as it was in Italian, but I caught “brava” on the end of the sentence and said “grazie.” And then today I sang my Act II aria. Also a success, I think. Everyone sounds great. We’re gonna kick his show’s butt.

And tomorrow we start tech rehearsals. Two days of tech rehearsals, then two days of dress rehearsals, then it’s show time! My cast is opening the show on Tuesday. I can’t believe it’s already here. This also means that my time in Rome is winding down, so I have to fit in the last few “must-sees.” We’re doing an Operfest-only tour of the Vatican next week and I have to go back to the Trevi, and I think that will just about do me.

Oh! Also, Italian dogs are hilarious! I don’t think that their owners are as meticulous about grooming as Americans, so all the dogs that I’ve seen have been really, really hairy. It’s so funny. And they just sort of trudge along next to their owners. Man. I love dogs.

I have arrived

Today, we finally got around to doing a few of the Rome essentials. We had a dialogue rehearsal this morning at 9, but then we had a free day. So Anna and I along with our new friends Gillian and Zack went and saw the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. Now, we didn't actually get to go into the Coliseum or the Forum because a) Gill and Zack had to be back by lunch time and b) the lines were EXTREMELY long. We've decided to go back later and go in, but seeing them from the sidelines is pretty impressive anyway. Of course I took a ton of pictures and will post some later. We did go into the Pantheon because it's free and it doesn't take long to look around. Then Gill and Zack went back and Anna and I had lunch and gelato. I think this was my favorite gelato experience so far for several reasons. First off, there were a ton of flavors. We're going to have to go back because the two flavors that I had (green apple and pear) were not enough. Anna had a chocolate orange flavor which I sampled and it was delicious. (Mom, you would love it.) Secondly, it was pretty inexpensive for the amount that we got. And thirdly and finally and possibly most importantly, the guy that worked there looked like an Italian version of a cross between Justin Timberlake and early Orlando Bloom, when he had short hair. It was almost more than I could bear. -sigh- I love Italy.

Bella Italia

Right now, I'm in the middle of my first solo Italian outing. Don't worry! I'm not out aimlessly wandering the mean streets of Rome. I just had a few minutes and Anna was in rehearsal, so I went down to the supermarket and now I'm at the internet cafe. I feel very independent and very Italian, despite the fact that I stand out like a sore thumb and I don't speak the language.

We went to the market yesterday, and what a time we had! We did a lot of shopping. Eowyn and I were shopping buddies and even got a couple of deals because we were both buying from that particular vendor. Then we went back to a pizza place that Anna and I had been to a few days before and once again had the greatest pizza known to man. Seriously, I think that you could eat Italian pizza everyday and not get fat. It's not greasy and doughy like American pizza. Then last night, we had our first rehearsal with the orchestra. We had worked with the maestro before, and he sort of reminds me of Dr. Scott, whom I loved. He's sort of intimidating at first, but very kind and accomodating. And the orchestra is fanastic! I can't wait for this performance!

I tried on my costume today. It's not quite as splendid as I had hoped it would be, but it's moderately wonderful. I have a big crown with a long veil, so I'm happy.

And now it's lunch time. We eat lunch at the hotel and it's weird because I actually salivate over the vegetables that they serve. I've never eaten so much zucchini in my life as I have since I've been here. Yum!

Lord, beer me strength...

Jokes from The Office a) are hilarious and b) make things more bearable sometimes.

Today marks the first day that I've been heavily annoyed since I've been in Italy. A lot of the people at Operafestival are acting like they're at summer camp, not in a professional, contractual opera production. Drama. I mean, I know we're actors, but I thought that maybe we could keep the drama on the stage. I should have known.

But Italy is still wonderful. We have tomorrow morning off, so Anna and I are planning on going to Trastevere, which is the sort of bohemian area of town. They also have an open air market on Sunday mornings, which is the largest flea market in Europe, I believe. So, it's shopping time.

P.S. I think Europeans have the right idea with this "siesta" phenomenon. A giant nap in the middle of the day = very yes.

Just a few words today, and that in pencil.

(Anyone who can identify the original author of those words gets points.)

Things are still going smoothly. We’re down to rehearsing for just two hours a day. The production is really cranking along. Now I just have to really work on developing my character. The Queen is crazy! She’s sort of a mix of the evil queen from Snow White, Sweeney Todd, and one of the brides of Dracula. Which is a hard mix to achieve in acting.

And now, here are some pictures! Enjoy! Ciao!


















Trevi Fountain!!! My favorite thing in the world!!!



















The ruins of the Temple of Apollo. These columns are over 3000 years old.














I can't remember the exact name of this church, but it's where the first act of Tosca is set.














Most of us Converse girls out for an evening in Campo di Fiore (which means "Field of Flowers.")














I don't even know what this building is, but it's beautiful nonetheless.

We will serve.....at a-five..... the cookies....

Grace will get that joke.

So, Rome is awesome. There's so much old stuff here. A couple of days ago, Anna and I saw the ruins of the temple of Apollo. Those have been there for, like, three-thousand years. And yesterday we went to the Trevi Fountain. Okay. Y'all know how I feel about fountains. And there are some beautiful ones here. But you haven't seen a fountain until you've seen the Trevi. It's one of those things where you can't actually imagine how expansive it is until you see it for yourself. Incredible. I'll post pictures of it soon. And, yes, I threw my three coins in the fountain and made my wishes. And Mary-Lacey says the legend is that if you put your penny in the Trevi, you'll come back there someday. So, hopefully she's right. I mean, outside of this trip. We're going back soon because a) my camera batteries died in the middle of our outing and I didn't get as many pictures as I would like and b) there's a restaurant nearby that Leah says has the best food she's ever eaten, including pumpkin ravioli.

"The Magic Flute" is now completely staged. We've been divided into our two separate casts and we know who will perform on which nights. And let me just say that this is going to be an AWESOME production. I wish that you could all come see it. It's going to be the highest quality, most professional production I've ever been in. I can't wait to hit the stage.

Ciao, mi amici!

A few of my favorite things... so far.

My favorite Roman fountain so far. Not that I've seen that many yet.



















This mermaid is in that fountain. Notice that she has two fins, thus solving the literary "Mermaid Problem."



















And this guy is in the middle fighting an octopus! The fountain was meant for me!














The rooftops of Rome.














We were standing on the Ponte Vittorio when we saw this. ("Ponte" means "bridge.")



















This was on the "ponte" that we walked across.














The Vatican from a distance at night.














The Baptism of Christ.














The Vatican up close during the day.



Okay. A few days in Rome and things are still going well. “Molto bene,” as they say here. As you can see, everything is beautiful. Everywhere you turn, there’s beauty. Anna’s guide book has a quotation by Anatole Broyard that says, “Rome was a poem pressed into service as a city.” And I believe that. There just aren’t words to describe how beautiful it is here.

We had a lovely outing a couple of nights ago. Anna found a place in her guide book that we went to. It was a rooftop terrace of a hotel near the Piazza Navona that serves light refreshments. We went there right at sunset and watched the sun go down on Rome. It was so surreal. Then we walked down the road and found a little restaurant to eat at. We all had different kinds of food and I even tried a fried pumpkin flower! It was sort of like fried okra, but it had some cheese in it too. I loved it. And the waiter there was totally in love with us and really funny and he invited all nine of us out to a club. We couldn’t go, of course, because we had rehearsal early the next morning. Some of the girls went out with him the next night, though.

And rehearsals are going extremely well! We’ve got the entire first act staged and we did two full run-throughs of it the other day. And now we have about half of the second act staged as well. So about 75% of the production is staged. I can’t believe how much progress we’ve made. And everyone in the cast is SO GOOD!!! I mean, there’s not one person who’s not wonderful. One of the guys who is singing Tamino got his music about a week and a half ago and already has it completely memorized.

So everything’s wonderful. I love you all!

Just keep singing...

We had our first rehearsals yesterday. Now, as you may or may not know, the Queen is not onstage that much. We have a scene at the beginning and two scenes at the end. So that actually means that I don't have a really, really hectic rehearsal schedule. Anyway, we staged our first scene, and I'm starting to get really excited about it. The other lady IS definitely very good, but she has this attitude like, "I'm grown, I'm a proffestional, y'all are in academia so I'm better at this." She keeps throwing "academia" around like it's a bad thing. But whatever.

Last night, Eowyn, Anna, Laura, and I, along with our new friends Gillian (whose last name is Proudfoot, like a hobbit, bringing my total of friends with "Lord of the Rings" names to two) and Sophie, got on a bus and just decided to get off wherever we felt like it. We ended up at the Vatican. Yeah. We got off the bus, turned the corner, and there was St. Peter's Basilica. So we made a good choice. Then we had a lovely dinner at a little cafe, and I can tell you that authentic Italian lasagne is completely different from anything you've ever had.

Also, there's a boy here who, honest to blog, plays quidditch. I don't know how it works, but there's an association and he plays beater for Ravenclaw. AWESOME!!!

I love you all and wish you could be here with me.

Buongiorno!

Well, here I am, sitting in an internet cafe in Rome. We arrived safely yesterday and did a little bit of "getting to know you" stuff. No big events or news yet.

The other woman who is playing the Queen of the Night is just that: a woman. A full-grown woman. Which is a little intimidating, I'm not going to lie. But, you know, I auditioned for this role and they heard a lot of other people and they still cast me, so I'm just going to give it my best shot.

Say a little prayer for all of us. Our bodies are hating us right now for putting them through a nine-hour plane ride (with stale air) and a six-hour time change. I don't think that anyone's voice is in its best shape.

I've got to figure out a better way to blog. It's a good little jaunt to the internet cafe and wireless in our hotel costs more. AND, I can't post pictures here, which I know I'll want to do. Hopefully I'll be able to think of a better way soon.
Ciao!

P.S. Listening to "Dark Side of the Moon" while flying on a plane will induce strange, strange dreams.