Sunday night to Monday morning
12:00 a.m. - went to bed, fell asleep immediately
2:17 a.m. - woke up and was wide awake
2:20 a.m. - attempted to sleep again
2:40 a.m. - decided to practice Busoni exercises on the digital keyboard on the third floor of the hotel (with headphones)
3:33 a.m. - attempted to sleep again
4:08 a.m. - decided to practice the first movement of my Brahms sonata (with headphones)
5:40 a.m. - succeeded to sleep again
9:09 a.m. - woke up from people knocking on my door--I was supposed to be in the lobby of the hotel by 9:00. It's hard to wake up without an alarm clock...
3rd floor digital keyboard
Despite the rough start to the week, it was a very good day. We went to get bikes and cell phones, and we also had our first German lesson--I LOVE being in that class. The teacher is great and speaks only German to us, only using a few words of English here and there. I really enjoyed walking around downtown and observing life here. The culture here strikes me as much quieter than that of the U.S. Usually the loudest sounds come from the children running around happily in the streets chasing after pigeons. Also, Germany seems to be really eco-friendly. People are expected to clean after themselves, and recycling is encouraged through various means. People are supposed to bring their own bags to grocery stores, and also certain plastics can be traded in to local stores for a certain amount of money. I'm starting to realize what an amazing opportunity it is to study music AND be immersed in this new culture. What a joy it is to practice a few hours a day and to wander the streets with a dictionary, learning new words as I walk.
My bike
A bakery I've yet to try
Some admirable architecture
Looking through an outdoor fruit stand downtown
Looking the other way
Lunch at the Backfactory--Tuna wrap, Pizza roll, and Capri Sonne anyone?
Sounds like you're having a blast already! Keep the pictures and updates coming. :)
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