Dear dear readers,I do feel like I have been holding out on you... Summer has been going swimmingly and I've been too distracted to write anything of substance (Not sure if my previous posts on cinnamon rolls and the weather count as substance, but that is something else entirely). After Copenhagen we spent a few days in Hamburg, and several rather nostalgic days in Berlin. Then in a 48 hour travel extravaganza H. Made his way to Australia via Dubai and Singapore and I flew to Israel via Berlin and Istanbul and here we are now with a 7 hour time difference and a bad Skype connection. H. is hard at work playing concerts and eating marmite while I hang out here with family and friends and catch up on all the sunshine I've missed out on in the last year or so. But, have no fear- We will be united just in time to celebrate our first anniversary (!!what??!! How is that even remotely possible? I feel like we're in some sort of time warp) So, without further ado here is part 1. Because why not drag the Summer on for as long as possible? Copenhagen was fantastic- the perfect city for long walks with frequent breaks for coffee/bakeries/local delicacies. Of course it doesn't hurt that everyone is beautiful and the design aesthetic is off the charts.

So here we are in lovely Copenhagen. Skies are blue, people are freakishly blond and beautiful and the design is insanely good.The most stressful moment of the day is deciding which bakery to eat a snegl at in the morning, and the tension that may or may not arise from some of us not wanting to share theirs...

So far we've sailed down the canals, visited an anarchist commune, wandered around the foodie heaven that is Torvehallene and explored bits of Nørrebro and Vesterbro. Today we're heading to the north to Dyrehaven and to the beach.

On our way to Copenhagen today,stay tuned for more!

'YONDERLY'  :

Mentally or emotionally distant; absent-minded.

from A-Z Of Unusual Words, by The Project Twins.

EXCUSE ME, BUT WHERE IS SUMMER?  

Not to complain or anything but galoshes and sweaters mid July are not part of my Summer plans... half of the outdoor concerts have been moved inside and everyone is soggy and cranky. Who didn't get the memo?? Things aren't looking too great for Copenhagen next week either, and surprisingly enough frequent/obsessive forecast checks haven't changed the odds even slightly. hrmpf. 

On the brighter side, in four days the season will officially be over, and we will very officially be on vacation.

Things have been a little quiet around here as I slowly make my way back to planet earth...

Now older, wiser, and dangerously equipped with not one but two  superfluous degrees I feel more than ready to take over the world, should the need arise.

The concert season is almost over...only two outdoor concerts and one opera gala evening to go. And suddenly there is time. Time to poke around the market, time to plant things*, time to take a closer look at this city...

* as of this evening I proudly have two whole radishes to show for my efforts.

Circle Work 2 by R. Castle

Wooden dolls by Alexander Girard

I can't even explain how excited I was to find these film black and whites in my mailbox the other day. Our friend Shaul found and old roll of film, and among other things were some photos from the wedding. Seems like a million years ago...

 

So. One down,one to go. Sunday was a little less spectacular than I had hoped,
but  C'est la vie.I'm left thinking about the following words:
 " The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another....and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world." - Leonard Bernstein

So tomorrow I'm of to Leipzig for a few last rehearsals before my recital on Sunday. Gulp.

 I leave you with these beautiful images of the insides of instruments from a new campaign for the Berlin Philharmonic. Artistic direction is by Björn Ewers and photography by the Mierswa-Kluska duo from Munich. 

See you on the other side!

   

All is well...

In spite of a few minor setbacks ( a sliced finger, a cracked violin, a pianist gone AWOL etc. etc.) we are back on track, more or less.

H. is finally home and yesterday we walked over to the lake for a Shavuot picnic extravaganza. The weather was divine and everything was perfect (except there wasn't any cheese cake which kind of made me feel like a fraud...) Anyhow, happily there is only a week left to this phase of boot camp and the first part of my recital/exam. Round 1: Bach, Brahms and Stravinsky-
The countdown begins...