Ted and Whitney: Verona

Sorry I’m behind a little in posting!

Last Saturday we spend the day in Verona. This is the same Verona where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, (who were fictional) lived and met their fate. We were not expecting much. The travel book gave very little time to Verona, and when it did, it didn’t make it sound like much. The reason we went to Verona was to see an Opera. We decided to do a day trip because we couldn’t find any hotels in Verona, and it’s only an hour and a half drive. So we figured we would rent a car, drive to the city, stay the day, see the opera and come home. Never again will we rent a car. Taking the train and walking is just way to easy. Not that the experience of renting a car was all that bad, but parking is a nightmare.

Anyway, when we got to Verona we were shocked! It’s an amazing little city. So full of charm! We had a great time strolling through the city, turning up non-touristy back roads, and just wandering. We did do the obligatory touristy thing, which is a visit to Juliet’s house. I never did figure out how a fictional character ended up with a house, that draws hundreds of thousands. The custom is, to write on the walls around the house about your love, or your hope for love. There is a little balcony that represents the famous balcony in the story.

We strolled all day, and then went back to the car, we were gross and sweaty and changed into dress clothes, I touched up my make up and then we went to the opera. (I walked down centuries old cobblestone streets and climbed marble steps in 5 inch heels. I was rather impressed with myself.)

The place where the opera is held is at the Arena di Verona. It was built in AD 30. Yes that is 30 years after the deal of Christ. Try wrapping your mind around that. I’m still having issues with it! You can either pay top dollar and sit in seats that have been installed on the ground level or a low tier. OR you can pay like $40 and sit on the original marble steps on the top level. The way people sat in the arena when it was built. We opted for the marble steps, (you can rent cushions, it was worth it). And to be honest, the view was amazing, I’m so glad we did it! The opera itself was amazing. Being a lover of ballets, and musicals, the only type of “theater” I have never seen is an opera. It was amazing! I now have a taste and I will want more. Great another pricey like, just what I need! Ted enjoyed it as well, which was wonderful. I must say, thank god for the iphone. We downloaded the synopsis and peeked at it throughout the performance. The opera is in Italian, so it’s very hard to follow. I am beginning to wonder what I would do without that stupid phone!

OH! The other thing, there is no type of audio system in the arena. The acoustics in the place are amazing. The voices and the orchestra were all raw, the sound floating throughout the arena. It was an amazing day and an amazing evening!