This is exactly why Wagner didn't want to build an opera house in a big bustling city where people would be rushing from work to go for a "night out" while they were tired from work.
He chose a quiet, out of the way town for the opening in 1876.
Bayreuth provided him with some prime land up on a hill (called the Green Hill, um, because that's the color it is due to the grass and trees surrounding the theater.)
The first opera played there-known in shorthand as "The Ring" takes 4 days to see/hear as it was written in 4 parts and they total over 15 hours of music (and not just any music-there are a lot of reasons Wagner is famous and music is the first of them, because it was different than anything that had gone before, but at it's root was the genius Beethoven.)
So when people need to go somewhere and listen to music for 4 days work is out of the question and so is showing up late.
Therefore one's day has some sort of timetable to be adhered to. So we always had to be at the theater by 3 p.m to relax in place, waiting, with all the other people who were lucky ticket holders.
That meant we had to have a nap and be up by 2 p.m to get dressed (it's a dressy crowd mostly although there are always one or two guys who have just been duck-hunting or on army maneuvers apparently). If you have to be up by 2 it means lunch must be around noon, following a breakfast around 8 or 9. So you need to be up and awake by 7 a.m to make all this happen without any rushing or panicking.
Of course I am up well before 7 a.m as that's how I roll in the real world, even on holiday.
The kitchen staff at the Arvena are up even earlier to prepare a sumptuous German breakfast for the guests and it is served buffet-style in a gigantic conference room (maybe 4,000 sq ft) with a little terrace outdoors which is where I could be found every morning.
Pretty German girls in waiter uniforms (as is the norm in a country where waitering is a noble profession) would bring me my coffee- a whole silver pot of real coffee (don't think Starbucks)
and I'd get a chance to practice my German on them-which is the only way I'll get better. My pronunciation is good apparently as a German at another table would overhear me and start talking to me in German really fast and of course I am immediately lost, translating the first word while they were on the third. If they do this to you just say "Langsammer, bitte" and they will slow down or realize you aren't really a German and toss hot coffee in your face. I had extra napkins on the table.
Although the food choices are astounding I have my usual cold deli meats and a variety of cheeses with some rustic nutty bread and honey or Nutella. And more than one pot of coffee!
Birds are singing in the garden. I hear English people talking. And French. Some Japanese-but mostly Germans out there. Smoking is not frowned upon so I feel at home.
I text my friend Ciaran who is on a train from Lyon to Bayreuth-a 13 hour trek for him with a few train changes. He will arrive while we are at the Opera.
Carol takes her time in the morning while I am itching to get out walking these streets. I am in a very pleasant, sunny place though with all my breakfast needs met. I am happy as I have much to look forward to and I am surrounded by people who love Wagner music.
Carol enjoys the made to order omelettes even though the girl cooking them doesn't enjoy making them (she cannot be German!) and she joins me in a breakfast of the Gods. She is radiant with excitement. So nice to see the Bayreuth spell casting it's shadow on her happy face!
The plan was to take a walk down into the heart of the town-Maximillian Strasse-and from there to Wagner's house which is called Wahnfried and it sits on Richard Wagner Allee. Many of the streets in Bayreuth have been named after Wagner family members or characters from his operas.
We knew the house would be under scaffolding as it is being renovated from the foundations up which was unfortunate timing as 2013 was the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth. Should have been worked on before in time for the anniversary. The house is usually open to the public to tour (which we did in 1999) and they are now building a separate modern museum next door to it. Franz List's house is next door. He was Wagner's friend and then father in law as Wagner married his daughter, Cosima. He was also the most gifted pianist of his day.
After that we would have lunch-outdoors-hooray!!
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