October 2nd; Swedish Opera!

Hi all! Hope everyone is doing well after the holidays!

On October 2nd, my host family took me to the opera! It was the first time I had been to a real opera house, let alone see an actual opera! We sat pretty high up, as you can see from the photos!

We saw Carmen and it was absolutely amazing! Obviously, the opera itself was in French, but there was subtitles! ...In Swedish. Watching the opera and reading the translation was a good way to test my Swedish, and I was proud to be able to understand what was happening!

Here's a short synopsis on the opera I saw, plus where I was for the opera!

Carmen tells the story of a hopeless soldier, Don José, who is seduced by Carmen, a fiery gypsy woman with an appetite for smuggling. Abandoning his childhood sweetheart and turning his back on his military career, the opera follows José in his pursuit of Carmen's attention.

The Royal Swedish Opera is Sweden's national theatre for opera and ballet, founded by Gustav III in 1773. Every year, a number of productions are staged here: everything from brand-new works to classical masterpieces.

We had an intermission in the middle of the opera, and had a quick fika where I had the chance to try a new dessert! It's called a biskvi, and is still my favorite sweet I've had in Sweden thus far. They are a little expensive since it's very time consuming to make, but I indulge when I can! There is a photo attached of the biskvi I had at the opera, and every one I've tried is just as good. It has a bottom of toasted almonds, making it a soft and a little chewy. Then, chocolate moose is made and shaped into the cone shape and froze before getting dipped in chocolate. It is the perfect blend of slaty and sweet - if you have the chance to try one, PLEASE DO!

The opera ended quite late, but it was an amazing experience, and I'm so thankful my host family took me and gave me that oppournity! I will definitely be going back before I leave Sweden!

New Swedish words & phrases I've learned:

• Bog - Wave (Sea)

• Pistol - Gun

• Varför - Why

• Pour-tor - Fill up

• Måste - Must

• Ut - Out

• Upp - Up

• Brygga - Bridge

• Glömma - To forget

• Glömt - Forgotten

Talk soon!

Älskar dig!