Catching up...

First off, sorry for the long lapse in posts... Between not having strong enough internet connections and having so much to do/prepare for, I've neglected my blog.

Here's the quick run down:

Sidonie's audition went very well! My audition in HH also went well, and I got an invitation to another round of (show-specific) auditions over Easter break! So, I ended up having an audition in Amsterdam the first week of Easter Break and an audition in HH the second week of Easter Break! Sidonie also had a show-specific audition in HH during the first week of Break. They all went well, and Sidonie and I are both waiting to hear. I finally had my driving test and passed with 0 errors! Woohoo! I have my official German Driver's License complete with (non-smiling) passport photo. You're not allowed to smile for your passport photos in Germay... :/ Also over our two week Easter Break, Sidonie had her upper right wisdom tooth out! She's been having some serious mouth pain off and on for about a month, and she's been to several dentist offices and gotten several (conflicting) opinions as to the cause and potential solutions for the problem. Long story short, after an emergency Dr. visit, we ended up getting the one tooth pulled. We're just trusting that this will take care of the pain! I'm back in Soest now, and we'll begin performances again tomorrow. We have 12 weeks remaining on tour. Sidonie and I are in the midst of planning for our US trip this year, and we'll keep you posted as to when we may be in your area! ;) Now for some pictures...

Bad Iburg: as you can see, we lived directly across the street from a CASTLE! It was very cool - although there was very little else to do in the entire town!

View of Bad Iburg from the hill on which the castle sits

This is the inside of a Cathedral in Hamm - my colleagues thought it would be very exciting to eat a Ham sandwich in Hamm, so they did. It was less exciting than they thought it would be;)

The Cathedral in Xanten (pronounced Zan-ten) was very pretty!

Another steeple in Xanten.

After my audition in Amsterdam, I did some sightseeing!

The large Cathedral in downtown Amsterdam.

Very prevalent in Amsterdam are Sex Shops - I just took a picture of the sign to show you that this establishment really exists! The air in this part of the city was thick, and I do mean thick with Marijuana smoke - uck! It stank so badly and had so many unsavory stores that I quickly left for more beautiful and historical parts of the city.

I got to visit the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family. It was very moving, but we weren't allowed to take photos or video inside the museum, so this is a sign on the door going in ;)

The view in front of the Anne Frank House (which has changed very little in the 60+ years since Anne lived there.)

While the majority of written signs in Holland are in English and Dutch, and practically everyone there speaks English well, it was nice to find that I could read and understand about 90% of all the Dutch I read because of its close similarity with German - listening comprehension, however, was an entirely different matter!!!

In addition to the Anne Frank House, I got to visit the Van Gogh Museum! It was AWESOME! Not only is the building stock full of original Van Goghs, but there are also several paintings by his contemporaries including one by Manet and two by Monet! I absolutely loved it!

.Again, of course, no photos are allowed inside the museum, but they have these larger than life prints on the wall outside so you can enjoy them as you wait in line!

Love and hugs - I'll try to be a more frequent blogger now that I've finished with this set of auditions and am back on the road! :D