Day 6 and 7 the day of Opers-

1 pm Grrr, I was nearly all done typing a post on here, and then a window popped up and when i clicked it, the computer shut down. Okay this will have to be shorter and quicker.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will be released on July 16, 2005, and is shorter than book 5.
On Tuesday, I went to this Italian restaurant, that few people know about, you go in an unmarked door, and then you enter another door with a discreet sign on it. The food was really good. I had priscutto, and olive loaf, pumpkin lasgana and orange tiramisu. I also had a grappa (schnapps).
Helga and I went there because we were meeting her friend Nicola (this Italian actor, who I think isn't very nice), but we meet some nice people. At first though he offered me to try some of his food, but I refused, I don't take other people's food, not even from own family, but I did later to be polite. There are only few people I will do that with, so if I do feel honoured. I am feeling quite sick about it now that I think of it. Anyways, along this sharing food thing, I shared food with Helga, and I think I insulted her by cutting it down the middle. She told me that is not what we do in Europe. We ended up getting home just before three, and I called a couple of you, after fighting with the payphone for five minutes, trying to figure out how to call internationally, it doesn't help that it is all in German.
Yesterday, I toured the Wiener Staatsoper (The Viennese State Opera). It is one of the largest stages in Europe. I got to go back stage, which is neat. The Staatsoper, is home to the famous Operball, a bi-annual debutante ball. Tickets are insane, and already sold out. So this was another thing that had to be partially repaired after the war. The decor was gorgeous. There are amazing tapestries, and busts of Beethoven, Mozart, and Strauß (ß not B, is pronounced as double s sound.) I got to see the imperial intermission room, where the emperor would go so he wouldn't have to deal with the public. There is fabric on the wall that bears his monogram. Franz Joseph. Speaking on imperial one added note about the bones from the other day, walking into the imperial burial chamber, the urns of entrails are on either side of you, and the floors of the mass burial rooms have bone in them too. ICK!
As I was leaving the opera to go back home, one of the guys that walk around in out fashioned costumes recognized me from the day before when he told me about the tour, and he was all hey Canada how are you doing today? I am telling you it's my rainbow hat that makes me recognizeable, but alais I have lost it, and my gloves. I want to go to the opera while I am here, you can get standing tickets for 2€. On the roof of the operahouse, they have oper fur kinder, Opera for Children, which is neat. There were several tours going on at the same time in several different languages.
So after I got home, Helga wanted to leave for her country house in the Burgenland, but I wanted to stay in Vienna, so she left, and I am joining her today. When I am there I will be going to Hungary, because it is like 8 or 9 miles away. Cool huh? I probably won't post while I am there, because I don't want her to have this address, so I can write freely.
Part of the reason I wanted to stay home is because I wanted to go see the Phantom of the Opera. I got to go see it with Lisa at this international cinema that plays English movies. It was quite a hassle to get there! Mon dieu! First I got on the bus when it was going in the wrong direction so it took forever to get to the oper. then I asked for direction I was told to take the subway to Schwedenplatz, and so I did, but no one really knew where I was going. I need to talk about the bathrooms for a minute though. What a hassle too!
At the Oper subway station - I have never seen escalators as long as the ones here- anyways there is a mozart toliet, where you pay .50 € to listen to mozart while you use the toliet. At Schwedenplatz, there were two doors marked damen (women), and one of them was locked and the other was open, but the one was open didn't have a seat on the toliet, I tried to sxplain this to a security guard, but he just kept on telling me the bathroom was open, so I was frustrated, and ended up going outside, and using the bathroom at McD's where I was curious and tried a Big Chicken, which is essentially a big mac with chicken instead. A filet o'fish over here is called a fishmac. And the breakfast menu is different not that I had it.
Anyways no one knew where the theatre or street I was talking about, because when I had talked to Micaela I thought she said Schulter gasse, but she said Schulter Gaffe, and I was saying Artis Kino (cinema), instead of Artis International. I ended up talking a cab there. It wasn't too bad. Phantom was fanastic, you mark my words it will win Best Picture. Plus tons of artistic oscars. I can't what to the see Paris opera house on which it's based. It was so surprising to see Minnie Driver in the movie. After I went to Lisa's place which is right near the Artis Kino for hot chocolate. Her place is SO nice, she lives in the first district, but is paying through the nose. Then she took me back to the Oper by subway, and I went home. So that is that. I am going to the Burgenland, after stopping of to by the Phantom soundtrack, and I will be going to Hungary. I will probably come back to Vienna on Christmas day. It is sad, when I get back there will be no Chriskindlmarkt (Christmas Markets). Oh well. If I don't post before then, have a merry christmas.