Il Trovatore and Samurai Warriors

Every year for my birthday, my Mom gives me enough $$ to buy something nice for myself. The past 4 years, it has been Opera tickets. This year I was lucky enough to get front row balcony for Verdi's Il Trovatore - The Troubadour. Just so happened, it was opening nite for the San Francisco Opera season. Red carpet, tuxedos, limos everywhere, valet parking, reception at City Hall after the event.

Of course, yours truly is backpacking and carrying all his clothes in a small gunny-sack. I looked high and low, but there was no tux to be found. I showed up in my current best finery: t-shirt, shorts and sandals. Likely the only person there with any parts of this combo, much less the entire outfit. People commenting on my dress code included the box office, ushers and patrons on either side of me. My saving grace was my NWZ schtick. Everyone loved that story.

The house was the biggest and fanciest in awhile. There were more people behind me in the balcony than in the Gaity Theatre Opera in Dublin (which of course, served Guinness at the break...still my opera house hi-lite).

The set design and lighting blew me away. Like being at a big Broadway play, I am always amazed at what people can do with limited space and unlimited imagination. The singing was the strongest I've ever seen. I even have some of the arias (sung by Kiri Te Kanawa- New Zealand). Opera at times makes me very happy. This was a great opera and a memorable evening.

I followed this up with a day at the Asian Museum for the Samurai Exhibit. I have read Shogun (James Mitchener) 4 times and Gai-Jin twice. To see signed Samurai swords from 300 years ago was intense. Today, I walked over to the annual free Opera in the Golden Gate Park. San Francisco is a great town, so many cool neighbourhoods.

Tomorrow, I will walk to and over the Golden Gate Bridge, then it's off to the Giants and Rockies baseball game to watch them fight for the wildcard in the playoffs. Tuesday, I get to hang out with Alex and Judy for 3 days before flying to NWZ. Alex and I were roomies on a kibbutz in Israel in the 70's and have visited each other numerous times. He is the big Dutchman I 'imported' into the US a few times.

While this type of big city travelling is poking big holes in my budget, it sure is a lot of fun.