A funny thing happened in Bath

I had been in the UK for a week when CM arrived, conveniently at the same time that I had a few days off for the Queen's Jubilee, so we met up in Cardiff for performances of Tristan and Bohème and then took our time getting back to Glyndebourne, stopping in Bath for a night.

The constant rain let up for just long enough for us to see the sights of Bath. First we walked to the Royal Crescent:

Then we checked out the Roman Baths (when in Bath…):

We had just arrived at the Baths and were adjusting our audio guide thingies when… we ran into someone we knew! One of about FOUR people we know in the entire country, I should point out, a lighting designer friend that I've only ever seen in the States. It was crazy! This kind of thing happens in New York all the time, of course, particularly near Lincoln Center where I usually hang out, but in Bath, England? Amazing.

Have you ever run into someone you knew in a completely unexpected place? I love it when it happens—it feels like capital-F Fate.

Then we topped off the day with a swing by Stonehenge, which was smaller than I remembered it from my childhood, but still pretty damn cool (and isn't that sky incredible?!):

All photos by LMB

Brussels is the new hut

Hut

When we originally planned our summer trip, we had a gap of several days between Munich and Bayreuth, so we decided to stay in an Alpine hut (though not a very rustic one). We planned to laze around in our pjs, take scenic hikes, and have long discussions of the really big questions: What do we want our life to look like? What are our priorities? What should we be saving money for? Where do we want to be in 5 years? The hut became our shorthand for conversations we didn't want to just have on the fly, conversations that needed time and concentration—we even made up a new German adjective for them: hüttig (how's that for a window into our own special brand of nerdery?).

Then our Bayreuth dates got swapped around, and geographically the hut no longer seemed to make as much sense for us. Plus, having spent the last 6 weeks together (when does THAT ever happen?), it's amazing how many of those big questions get discussed, no hut required.

So… we're going to Brussels instead, for 5 nights. Brussels is the new hut. Because it's between here and London (we fly home from Heathrow). Because I've always wanted to take the Eurostar. Because we've never been. Because we love beer, oh and also we love chocolate.

New hut

All we know so far is that we're staying in this gorgeous hotel and will most likely be eating in this yummy restaurant (on a hot tip from someone who knows).


Tell me, have you been to Brussels? What should we do? Where should we go? What should we make sure not to miss? I'd love your recommendations.

The dress I'm wearing all over Europe

I cannot remember a trip for which I have so spectacularly mis-packed. Not enough warm clothes, not nearly enough nice dresses, WAY too many workout clothes (oh, delusion). We bought new things to keep us warm in the UK, and then, when we were feeling weighed down by our suitcases in sunny Italy, sent them all home, including my raincoat and ALL my pants except one pair of jeans. Then we went to Germany. What do you know, it's cold and rainy here. Sigh.

When my jeans aren't working overtime, I've been wearing this dress as much as possible.

I'm not really a long dress person (I didn't even wear one at my own wedding), but it turns out that a black maxi dress is the perfect travel piece. It looks equally chic on the beach or at the opera (mine saw both Rheingold and Siegfried). I imagine if you were one of those women who's a genius with accessories you could create lots of different looks with it. I am decidedly not one of those women, so I've been reliably wearing it with flat sandals and a circle scarf.

As an added bonus, wearing a long dress feels way more glamorous than I thought it would, despite this one being an item that doesn't even need ironing. I also picked up a long orange number at Jigsaw that I can't find on their website anymore—it's been to Figaro and Götterdämmerung this summer. I might be a convert.

How I spent 20 hours last week

copyright Wilfried Hösl

I'm writing this from Bayreuth, aka Wagnerville, which seems like the right place to tell you all about my Adventures in Wagner last week. CameraMan and I saw our very first Ring cycle! We saw the new production in Munich, which you can read more about (and see pictures!) here.

I have to admit, while I was excited to see the Ring, I was definitely excited AND scared. Whenever anyone heard we were going, most of their advice centered around things like taking enough naps and drinking plenty of coffee. I was worried about being tired and fidgety, about getting sleepy, and most of all about whether I would need to pee (Rheingold is 2 1/2 hours without intermission, and the first act of Götterdämmerung is almost as long). I was also worried I wouldn't know what was going on (no English surtitles in Germany, unfortunately). CM, of course, was studious and dutifully prepared by watching videos and reading the librettos. I, on the other hand, got to the end of Walküre and realized I had absolutely no idea what happened next. I was cramming synopses before every act.


I needn't have worried. I had the best time! The production, while not always to my taste, was never boring, and the music is just sublime. The casts were top-notch (hearing Nina Stemme as Brünnhilde would surely turn anyone into a Wagner fan), and the energy in the audience was unlike any I've experienced. CM had to cough at one point, and he realized that NOBODY in the house had been coughing. I don't know if you've been to the opera lately, but it often sounds like you're in a tuberculosis ward. Everyone was paying rapt attention, and the reactions were strong and immediate (maybe one of my favorite moments was when a particular bit of staging was booed by some audience members, and then others tried to drown them out with bravos—I thought there might be a rumble).


We saw friends who were in town for the Ring (including one onstage), threw in a Cenerentola and a recital for good measure, snuck across the street to Zum Franziskaner for beer and pretzels during second intermissions, and even made it to a couple museums (go here if you're ever in Munich, it's amazing). All in all, a great week.

copyright Wilfried Hösl

56. See the whole Ring cycle.


Can't wait for the next one!

Happy summer!

I leave town for the summer in 4 days, and today I officially entered Panic Mode. I've been an errand-running, spreadsheet-making, house-organizing fool, trying to get everything done before I leave on Tuesday. Where am I going? Well, first I'm spending a month in St. Louis (I've never been—what's fun there?). I fly home the morning after the show opens and spend exactly EIGHT HOURS in Houston before getting on a plane to London. I'll spend a month at Glyndebourne (oh god, I'm so excited), and then CM and I will travel through Europe for another month after that (nothing's set in stone yet, but tentatively: Vienna, Tuscany, Aix-en-Provence, Munich, Bayreuth, Paris). It's all very exciting, but it sure makes for one hell of a To Do list.

Life is good, and full, and changing all the time. And I'm increasingly unsure of where this blog fits in. Used to be, if I spent the night in the penthouse suite of a swanky Manhattan hotel, or sat behind Anna Wintour at an event, say, or caught up with a dear friend I haven't seen in years, or got great news on the job front, I'd be dying to write about it here, to share it with you lovely people. I'm not sure why, but I no longer have that instinct.

So I'm signing off for the summer, at least I think I am. I'm taking time to regroup, to rethink my "extracurricular" activities, to focus on work and love and friendship. I'm not planning to spend much time on the internet, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I discover in the "real" world. Maybe I'll be back here in August, refreshed and re-inspired. Maybe I'll be off on a new adventure. I'll let you know.

I hope your summer is full of sunshine, and laughter, and truly free time.

xoxo LMB