I loved the vibe of Vienna's Film Festival so much during the day that I decided to go check out the night program - an opera entirely in German. If you had asked me if I liked opera prior to last night, I would not have known how to answer you. Since I've had so few opportunities to actually see an opera in the USA, when I heard Vienna put on a free opera program, I jumped at the opportunity.

Turns out, opera can be a really cool experience. It's really really beautiful and amazingly challenging. The best part was that even though I couldn't understand a word, I felt like I could understand exactly what the singer was trying to say. Opera seems to be about expression, and this singer was so expressive, as well as so completely in tune with the symphony and conductor, that I felt like each note spoke a million words.

The whole thing was really fun, but one song she sang was one of the saddest, most beautiful things I'd ever heard. I started getting really reflective which is never a good thing, because I started thinking about how sad it was that I was alone on a hot summer night in Vienna. I was surrounded by so much beautiful music, and people, and lights, and beautiful buildings, but none of the people I really cared about would ever know exactly what this moment was like. Of course I can blog, and I do my best to capture the feeling with pictures, but it's not the same.

This got me thinking about my life in general. Before this trip I envisioned myself to be a fairly nomadic person - hemmed in by the constraints of life, etc. I am realizing that while I do like freedom, I'm not as much of an island as I claim to be. I definitely wouldn't trade places with anyone I know right now, and I am so happy and grateful to be having this experience, but there are definitely times when I wish the people I care about could be here too.