26.01.2020

                Today was all about Mozart. We started by seeing his Piccolomini Messe at the Salzburg cathedral. As not even a christian, this was the first mass(and christian service) I had ever been too. Out of our entire trip thus far this was the most alien part. Not only was it a completed unknown service style, but was also in a language I do not speak natively. At one point I had looked down and when I looked up again there was smoke rising from the alter and it filled the church with what I thought was a horrendous smell. The music itself was okay, for my untrained ear it was more like mix between a wave of sound and a chord.
                 Following mass and a small break pur class got to see The Marriage pf Figaro. Ot was astounding. This was the second opera I had ever seen and was by far my favourite. If all operas are like it I would go to any I could afford. The music itself was beautiful and rememberable. The singers were amazing. The story was utterly confounding in an entertaining and genius way. What was interesting was that the orchestra and the performance took place on the same stage. It was rather amusing to watch the singers and the orchestra interact during the performance.  This performance has definitely gotten me hooked on opera.
                 The only issue i could possibly find with The Marriage of Figaro was that our seats did not allow us to see the entire stage so there were small details that we were unable to view. The entire four hour performance was a joy to watch from start to finish. After the show, a couple of friends and I went to dinner together. We had ordered our food and began to eat in this tiny restaurant when three new people walked in and due to space constraints sat at the table with us. Lo and behold it was some of the performers from the exact opera we had just watched. We spent over an hour talking and eating with them. Topics of discussion ranged all over the board. It was quite lovely. As we all got ready to depart we were gifted some of the flowers that were thrown on stage as a parting gift. Today has truly been exceptional.