Day 3, Vienna

Well finally! An opera! Tonight, Gramma and I went to a smaller opera house (smaller than the state opera house, that is) and saw the opera version of "Dead Man Walking". Okay, not the most cheerful story, but I really liked it. Every scene was totally intense, and the plot was really streamlined-- like I didn't get all confused with lots of little subplots and side stories and such. Frederica Von Stade played the mother of the death row convict, and she was somewhat our host on this leg of the trip. She made the recommendation for this hotel we're staying in, she gave us the tickets to see the show, and afterwards we got to go backstage and chat with her a bit. (Just a bit, because she's on her way to Carnegie Hall tomorrow!) It makes Gramma so proud to know these talented people, and they're all really excited to have her around too!
Afterwards, Gramma and I slipped into the Italian restaurant across the street from where we're staying, just in the last few minutes before they closed the kitchen. I'm not used to eating dinner at quarter-to-midnight, but hey, this is Europe, you know, we drink water with bubbles in it (but no ice).
The most surprising thing that happened today was when I called our cousins in Italy to firm up the plans for Friday. Instead of reaching Laura, the bright young girl who's nearly fluent in English, I got her father, who's not so much with the fluency. Lacking a better alternative, I quickly handed the phone to Gramma-- and then the craziest sounds started coming out of her mouth. That lady can really hold her own in a conversation in Italian!! I've never heard such language out of her, except when she's flinging opera titles around at fancy cocktail parties in L.A. I was seriously impressed!! It should be an interesting weekend ahead. But first, we have one more day in Vienna. I'm hoping to see some Hundertwasser stuff, and Gramma's angling for a boat trip down the blue Danube. If she has the energy, there's no reason we can't do it all! However, in addition to finding out that Gramma spells her name with no "e" at the end (see how much I have to learn?) I also found out that she's a total night owl. Once she gets going, there's no stopping her! A plate of prosciutto and melon makes Vicki a happy camper.