Saturday, February 7, 2009

Mozart's Magic Flute at the Coliseum

Saturday, February 7, 2009
London

The days are flying too fast for my liking. I cannot believe that the first week of February has passed already. This semester is galloping ahead and I don't feel as if I am accomplishing anything substantial.

I woke up too early yet again--before 5 am. Turning to Harry Potter, I covered large chunks of the Chamber of Secrets before I tried to fall asleep again. Somehow, I did not succeed. My mind is cluttered now with too many thoughts that no longer have the serenity of a few months ago.

About 10 am, after I had spoken to my parents in Bombay and my cousin Blossom in Madras, I finally got out of bed and had some breakfast--cereal and milk. Since Stephanie would be arriving later in the day, I decided to do a thorough cleaning of my flat. I started with the kitchen, then worked my way through my bedroom and the hallway and the bathroom. It took enormous amounts of time during which I tried to keep the radio on so I could listen to some music--I really have developed a liking for a station called Magic 104.5. But then, I pressed a wrong button on the remote, and bang, just like that, I lost signal. I requested Tim or a Barbara to take a look and Tim arrived a few minutes later and with his magic IT touch, he got it all sorted out in minutes. I am so blessed to have such helpful neighbors.

Most of my cleaning was done by then and I was starving and it seemed a good time to take a lunch break--more Broccoli Cheddar Soup (I really did make a ton of it that snowy day), Spaghetti Bolognese (store-bought) and Saag Alloo (also store-bought) and watched Market Kitchen while I munched.

It was about 2. 30 by this point and Llew called and we had a chat for almost an hour. I expected Stephanie to call anytime and she did send me an email telling me that she had finished looking at flats in Richmond for the day and would soon be headed out to my place on the Tube. Only she simply did not arrive! While waiting for her, I had a shower, reviewed a student essay that might bring upon him a plagiarism charge and continued reading Harry Potter. Still no sign of Steph! It was time to call and find out what had happened.

Well, it turned out that on her way back home to Wimbledon, she decided to see two more flats and that held her up considerably. She would be with me in an hour, she said. This gave me a chance to make a few more phone calls (as my land line calls are free throughout the weekend) to my friend Bina in Harrow--we had a long chinwag--and to a couple of Anglo-Indians respondents for my research project.

At about 5.30 pm, Steph finally arrived and we had a cup of coffee and biscuits as she got her breath back. Like most people who have visited my London flat, she was so envious of my location and loved my place overall. About 6. 30 pm, we set out, took the bus to Covent Garden and The Bear and Staff Pub on Shaftesbury Avenue which had a special--2 meals for 10 pounds. It was such a good deal that we decided we just had to try it. Steph chose the Burger while I went for the Gammon Steak with Scrambled Eggs and Chips--it was scrumptious and Steph loved her burger! I had always wanted to taste a true British gammon steak and it was juicy and just bursting with flavor. English chips are also far better than the 'fries' we get in the US which are usually limp and rather soggy. To wash it down, Steph had a Diet Coke while I opted for half a pint of cider. This has become very much my drink of choice and I realize that I love English cider very much indeed.

Much as we would have liked to savor our meal, we had to rush as we had a curtain call at 7.30 pm for Mozart's The Magic Flute, a production of the English National Opera at the Coliseum. We had Balcony tickets; but luckily there was a lift. It took us ten minutes to walk there briskly from the pub and just in time, we found our (cheap) seats and settled down. The house was almost full--but for a few scattered seats that I saw way down in the Orchestra section, every single one was taken. And no wonder too!

The opera was just delightful. Not only was Mozart's music charming and even catchy (if one can say that about classical music), but the sets and costumes, the lights and sound effects and, above all, the singing was so marvelous that we were enthralled. The guy who played Papageno was superb and we had an understudy playing Pamina for our performance and yet she was amazing. Steph, who is a huge opera lover and has seen far more operas than I have (for I have only recently got into them) was thrilled. I am looking forward now to seeing La Boheme next month at the same venue.

We didn't waste too much time getting home on the buses as it had been a long day and I was tired and sleepy. Back home in just 20 minutes, I made up a bed with sheets, a pillow and my down comforter for Steph on the pull out sofa bed in my living room and she settled down to look at our Scotland album before we called it a night.

We have plans to go to Mass to the Brompton Oratory tomorrow followed by a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum which is just next door. Steph has brunch plans with a friend right after that and I might continue to hang out at the museum for the rest of the afternoon.

It is so great to have her spending the weekend with me--it is a pity that she arrived so late, but once she has found a flat for herself in Richmond and makes the move from Wimbledon, I am sure she will hang out here much more.

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