The Opera and Mondsee

Salzkammergut (the area around Salzburg) becomes shrouded in a dull gray haze as I board my train for München.  Today shall be the first time I have seen my girlfriend Hannah in person since the first week of July.  She has just arrived in München as an Au Pair for a young family in the Englishgarten district.  This short trip to München is a welcome respite from my stay in Plainfeld. 

Recently the families have been attending operas and theater performances regularly, leaving myself and the Wallisch family’s helper Ivana in charge of the 4 kids.  Last night I had to play the bad-guy and constantly snatch electronics away from the kids in keeping with their parents’ wishes.  They think they are quite sly but they are in actuality very poor liars. 

The kids are shocked when I tell them this is fake...

“Yeah right, I am sure your mother ‘always’ lets you watch WWE wrestling”

The other night I was lucky enough to accompany the family heads for a night at the opera.  We had tickets to see Die Frau Ohne Shatten [the woman without a shadow] by Strauss.  This particular opera is said to be one of the most complex, and of this years festival one of the best. 

I clean up rather nice

I had figured that the few nice shirts and slacks I had brought would warrant me entry into this production….I was very wrong.   Christian and Anja insisted I wear a very expensive suit of Christian’s along with a bow-tie (clip-on of course). 

Once we made it into Salzburg we headed toward the 3 major theaters under the shadow of the imposing city fortress mount.  The theaters sit along one street on the northern side.  Along this long straight street theater-goers dressed in their best hummed along the theaters champagne flutes in hand while tourists weighed down with phanypacks and cameras admired from the other side of the street, a long line of limousines forming a barrier between the two groups.  I walked behind the families and was at one point likened to their bodyguard due to my imposing build and ever-present sunglasses.  Beverages that after quick consumption laid upon our small table at a temporary theater bar were enveloped with volutes of cigarette smoke. 

My host parents Anja, Christian and myself

It was a surreal experience; I felt that my rough hands and sun-soaked skin highlighted me as an intruder into this upper-echelon culture. 

The Opera was comprised of 3 acts each rough an hour in length with 2 20-minute breaks.  German and English subtitles aided me in translating the beautiful tones that resonated from the performers.  We were seated in the 9^th row center-stage, I could not believe it, upon inspection of my ticket I discovered the price of my presence here, 370 euro.  I was on high alert, “ I MUST APPRECIATE THIS OPERA!” I told myself.  All of my senses were keen on soaking up every element of this performance. 

The show was beautiful in many ways, and afterwards we enjoyed an amazing meal with bottles of wine and champagne that I likely will not be able to afford until much later in my life.  The entire evening was a taste of ‘higher living’.  I tried to show my appreciation of the performance to my hosts and they praised me for ‘surviving’ and enjoying a form of entertainment not typically appreciated by my age group. 

Beach at Mondsee

The following day was much less stiff and offered opportunity for immature behavior.  Once everyone woke we piled into a van and drove a short 5 km to Mondsee.  This large lake and its impressive setting appear quietly over the green hills and milk farms.  We entered a paid beach area that offered food facilities, showers, 2 waterslides, and multiple floating playgrounds in the water.  I assisted the adults in establishing our piece of grass and lathering the kids in sunscreen while they shook with anticipation for the water.  The weather as of late had been unpredictable and the fiery sun of this day was heartily welcomed.  The kids called upon me to go everywhere and do everything with them.  I acted as a propeller for a small raft that the 4 kids clung to.  The water was of a perfect refreshing temperature and despite my poor swimming abilities I did not wish to venture back onto land. 

dinner

After a long day bathing in the water of [Moon Lake] Mondsee and the fire of the sun we loaded the van and drove to a small fish farm.  Here one can rent fishing polls and fish the pond, paying for your bounty by the kilo. 

“I will show you how to fish!” exclaimed Louis eagerly.

I offered a thankful and excited response when in my mind I thought “show ME how to fish?!?! Move child.”

I caught 4 out of the group’s total 6 fish.  After my 4^th I was invited to relax with a bier, I accepted and committed myself to aiding the children in their casting techniques. 

The fish we caught were local Reinanke, sort of a mix between a trout in salmon approximately 15 inches in length.  Once we finished Charlie and myself gutted and cleaned our catch which we would barbeque and eat that night.  My nostrils welcomed the familiar smell of fish blood and my skin the glow of the sun, a perfect day.

As of late I have committed my free time to the production of watercolor paintings.  Whereas before long bouts of xbox or trips to the bars with friends would consume my nights, I now find myself painting and sketching with vigor under a lone light of this small village in the early morning hours.  The constant presence of a pencil and brush tucked on my ear has warranted me the nickname der Maler [the painter].  For some reason I have always collected names other than my own… For the past 4 years I was known as Espy throughout the Greek community of UO– a shorthand name for Espinosa.  In the dorms I was dubbed Brick, an obvious allusion to my physique and its stark contrast to those starved bodies of the Art and Architecture dorm.  Now in Austria the families have began calling me Dave without my suggestion.  It seems that the only people in this world destined to call me by my given name David are a few friends and family in California, even then my closest family members refer to me as Day-day.  And yes, I do immediately regret sharing that embarrassing name on the internet…