The Frankfurt Opera

We began our afternoon with a behind the scenes tour of the opera house with an official of the Frankfurt Opera, had a sit down discussion with the assistant director of the show, and even got to go back stage. It was a really interesting time as we learned about the Frankfurt Opera, and also got to see the stage being set up for the show. We had a nice dinner nearby, and then it was time for the show. Now, I knew we were in trouble when I heard that it was in Italian, but I knew we were really in trouble when I heard it was German-only subtitles. Also, one thing to learn about Germany is that they don’t air condition buildings like we do in the states. Often you see skyscrapers with their windows open. Now, this is great for saving energy, but not so good in an opera house with 1000 people and NO ventilation. So, it was hot, stuffy, and entirely in a language we didn’t understand—for three and a half hours! It was certainly nice and beautiful, but I would have been happy with 20 minutes or so of the performance. Still, it was a nice cultural evening even though I really didn’t understand a thing that happened during the opera except for what I gleaned from a summary of the story. As a side note, I am now on my third hotel room here in Frankfurt. The first two didn’t have air conditioning at all, so they have finally found me a room with AC, and I am very grateful! I guess the theme of the last few hours has been me seeking air conditioning.