July 12th and 13th
July 12th: Lazy day
Today was a lot like yesterday, only with a trip to the bank mid-day and being able to call my family back home. I had a quick breakfast before rehearsal, and then spend the afternoon practicing, reading, and writing emails. Jenn and I made the 30-minute walk to my bank, and then stopped by our favorite gelato place for internet and of course, gelato. This time I got chocolate and hazelnut. The lady at the counter smirked when I tried to say the Italian word for hazelnut, but oh well. It was delicious. We got back home and did some more hanging out and practicing, and then cooked a nice dinner for two, as our roommates were gone. John wasn’t feeling too well and was visiting a doctor, and our flutist roommates were in Rome to see a recital. We had pasta with quasi-cubed steaks with a spinach salad. I then practiced a tad before heading back into town to call my family. It brightened my day to hear each of their voices, and it made me feel more connected to the world to be actually communicating over the phone. After a quick email check we climbed back to the villa (which I discovered is 1 mile per one-way trip to town) and Jenn and I ended the night with a bottle of super cheap white wine. Tomorrow….our impromptu chamber concert! Stay tuned! (No pun intended.)
July 13th: Chamber concert day, and not much else
Today was another day of rehearsing and napping, only we also included a walk to the grocery store to get some more meats, cheeses, and juice for the house. After our repausa our trio rehearsed (flute, clarinet, bassoon), and then I helped Jenn get her lasagna ready for dinner. It was fun watching her have to light the ancient oven, and I stayed far away for fear of explosion. Dinner was great, and then we got ready and headed into town around 8 for our chamber concert. They had us play in a cute and beautiful little piazza with a fountain and a great view of some of the city behind us. The concert started late as usual, and when we did start there were only a handful of people in the audience. Throughout the concert (which consisted of a quintet piece, a flute duet, a trio, a flute solo, and another quintet piece), more people came and jointed the audience at their leisure. Overall the concert went pretty well, with the exception of the last movement of the last piece in which a couple people in the group got lost, but we were able to keep it together and ended fine. Such is life in Italy! Afterwards we walked to our favorite piazza, La Piazza di “couches” (as we call it) where we lounged and had drinks and gelato. Tomorrow….Rome!!
Today was a lot like yesterday, only with a trip to the bank mid-day and being able to call my family back home. I had a quick breakfast before rehearsal, and then spend the afternoon practicing, reading, and writing emails. Jenn and I made the 30-minute walk to my bank, and then stopped by our favorite gelato place for internet and of course, gelato. This time I got chocolate and hazelnut. The lady at the counter smirked when I tried to say the Italian word for hazelnut, but oh well. It was delicious. We got back home and did some more hanging out and practicing, and then cooked a nice dinner for two, as our roommates were gone. John wasn’t feeling too well and was visiting a doctor, and our flutist roommates were in Rome to see a recital. We had pasta with quasi-cubed steaks with a spinach salad. I then practiced a tad before heading back into town to call my family. It brightened my day to hear each of their voices, and it made me feel more connected to the world to be actually communicating over the phone. After a quick email check we climbed back to the villa (which I discovered is 1 mile per one-way trip to town) and Jenn and I ended the night with a bottle of super cheap white wine. Tomorrow….our impromptu chamber concert! Stay tuned! (No pun intended.)
July 13th: Chamber concert day, and not much else
Today was another day of rehearsing and napping, only we also included a walk to the grocery store to get some more meats, cheeses, and juice for the house. After our repausa our trio rehearsed (flute, clarinet, bassoon), and then I helped Jenn get her lasagna ready for dinner. It was fun watching her have to light the ancient oven, and I stayed far away for fear of explosion. Dinner was great, and then we got ready and headed into town around 8 for our chamber concert. They had us play in a cute and beautiful little piazza with a fountain and a great view of some of the city behind us. The concert started late as usual, and when we did start there were only a handful of people in the audience. Throughout the concert (which consisted of a quintet piece, a flute duet, a trio, a flute solo, and another quintet piece), more people came and jointed the audience at their leisure. Overall the concert went pretty well, with the exception of the last movement of the last piece in which a couple people in the group got lost, but we were able to keep it together and ended fine. Such is life in Italy! Afterwards we walked to our favorite piazza, La Piazza di “couches” (as we call it) where we lounged and had drinks and gelato. Tomorrow….Rome!!