Tuesday night's opera

Please forgive me if this post is a little short, because I'm pretty tired after only 4 hours of sleep!

After relaxing at the apartment after school for a little bit, I got on the bus and went down to porta Romana, which is the back entrance to the Boboli Gardens.

I was there early since I wasn't sure when the bus would get me there (I had to transfer buses at the train station). Upon arriving, I went across the street to a little cafe to have an "apertivo". I told the bartender that I wanted a little something to drink, but didn't know what I wanted, to which he said, "would you like me to make something for you?" Since I've been making an effort to try things I've never had, I said that I definitely wanted him to make something up. He created a drink that was mostly juice but also had a little gin and some other ingredients. Very tasty!

I went to the entrance to wait for Monica, my classmate who was going to the opera with me. While I was waiting, I chatted a little with an elderly lady, who was waiting for her daughter and granddaughter. They had dropped her off while they went to park the car. When they finally arrived, she said to them "Look! I found an american!" I found that very funny, particularly considering how many americans there are here in Florence at the moment.

Monica arrived, and we found our seats, which were lovely. The stage is mostly built out of scaffolding, with an orchestra pit, and the opera was staged just as it would be in a theatre, although the singers were miked because of the outdoor acoustic. Marco had told me that this company was not up to the professional level of the Maggio Musicale, but it would be entertaining to attend. I agree. And it was very lovely to sit outside on a clear cool night and listen to Verdi. The audience was VERY enthusiastic. That's one big difference here in Italy: the general public (for the most part) knows and loves opera. You could hear people humming along with some parts, and everyone felt free to yell "bravo" at the end (or in the case of the man in front of me, speaking about Germont, "I hate you". I don't know whether he hated the singer or the character)

It was a very entertaining evening, and lovely to speak Italian with Monica during the (3!) intermissions. Afterward, I found the night bus, but I had missed the 12:28 bus and the next one wasn't until 1:15, so I walked towards "downtown" and got a cab on one of the main streets. Tonight I'll be going to bed early!

Monica didn 't want to have her picture taken, but I insisted!