Random Pick: The Bearded Soprano
Over the last few months I have been taking my previously-mentioned enthusiasm for the human voice in another direction - I've been attending singing lessons! Nothing terribly serious, perhaps, and the lessons are in a group rather than one-on-one, but I have been enjoying myself a lot. The course I am doing is through my daughter's school. They have a number of "community education" courses in a variety of subjects, but the course titled "Singing for Pleasure" attracted my eye.
Feature: Visions of Venice and Verona
In Italy, it is said, everyone sings. And more to the point, what they sing is opera.
It was in one way delightful to discover for ourselves that this is true; on the other hand, when the singers belting out Verdi at a volume to reach the back stalls at La Scala turned out to be the garbage-men in the street outside our hotel at 6 am, our love of music was put rather to the test.
Feature: Cathedrals, Castles and Canals
We pulled out of Brussels, seeing yet more of the very dirty and dilapidated parts of the city, but were soon in pleasant countryside. We were into Germany almost before we knew it. The trip itself was very comfortable and pleasant. I certainly think that train travel (particularly in First Class with a Eurail pass) is by far the best way to travel around Europe.
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