I don't normally like to use my blog as a journal, detailing all the day's activities. But yesterday's activities were particularly wonderful, so I have to share them! Eric planned a very lovely dinner, reserving a table at (le) Bistro Zinc, an authentic French restaurant very close to our place. Despite my annoying insistence to pry out of him the location of our dinner, he remained strong and able to surprise me with this remarkable choice. Although the meal was a little more expensive than our typical evening out, it was worth every penny! ym... Steak & Frites... delectable. After having spent a few months in France, I can say that this was definitely the most authentic French atmosphere I've experienced since then. If you live in Chicago and love all things French, you must check it out! (It's just a short walk from Europa bookstore, too, if you enjoy reading books in foreign languages like French, Italian and German...) I only wish I had room left for le crepes de chocolat!
As lovely as dinner was, our next stop was absolutely delightful! At about 5:00 (before dinner), a woman from our church called me, telling me that she and her husband had tickets to the Chicago Symphony Center but were unable to go. It happened to be a Portuguese singer, and since I'd sung (and Eric played piano for) a supposedly* Portuguese song at our church's Christmas music program, I came to mind as the person to give the tickets - for the lower balcony! - to. Of course, we accepted! The trick was to acquire the tickets before our dinnertime... 6:00... only an hour away! So, we got ready quickly, left by 5:20, and fought the traffic to the generous couple's condo. The half mile to their place was so congested, it took us at least 30 minutes to get there. But get there we did, and we managed to make it back to our place (to park the car) and to le Bistro Zinc by 6:10 - a miracle indeed!
After a magnificent meal, we took the subway to the Chicago Symphony Center to hear the musical stylings of Mariza, singer of Portuguese "fado" (literally "destiny" or "fate"), which basically is a mingling of North African and European influences. The Symphony Center Notebook described fado as the "Portuguese blues." It was so good! Although not one word was sung in English, she had me - and everyone else - completely mezmarized by the haunting tunes and strong performance. The instruments were incredible. The Portuguese guitar (which looks more like a lute), the acoustic guitar, and the acoustic bass (which I don't believe I've ever really seen in person before!) accompanied most songs, but there were a few with piano and trumpet. And Mariza's voice... so powerful and charming, all at the same time. You must take a listen... Here are a couple of Mariza's songs, as found on Youtube:
Amazing, eh? I've fallen in love with Portuguese music... on Valentine's Day, no less. It was such a lovely Valentine's surprise, between the charming French bistro and the enchanting Portuguese music... Definitely a day to remember. Or at least to blog about, so that perhaps I may remember... :)
*I say "supposedly" because we still aren't totally sure if that song was actually Portuguese or, oddly enough, Croatian. Every bit of information we find about it seems to lay claim to Croatian. However, after performing it, a few people came up to me proclaiming that they loved the Portuguese song... including a woman who was from Portugal and understood every word of it!! But when I talked to a guy there whose parents are Brazillian, he said he could not understand it and believes it was Croatian. Aiaiaia! So, I really have no idea what language it is, but the Portuguese lady seems to be the most reasonable resource in this investigation... If you ever get a chance to look up "U Plavu Zoru" by Pink Martini, I'd love to hear your side of this story!
I don't normally like to use my blog as a journal, detailing all the day's activities. But yesterday's activities were particularly wonderful, so I have to share them! Eric planned a very lovely dinner, reserving a table at (le) Bistro Zinc, an authentic French restaurant very close to our place. Despite my annoying insistence to pry out of him the location of our dinner, he remained strong and able to surprise me with this remarkable choice. Although the meal was a little more expensive than our typical evening out, it was worth every penny! ym... Steak & Frites... delectable. After having spent a few months in France, I can say that this was definitely the most authentic French atmosphere I've experienced since then. If you live in Chicago and love all things French, you must check it out! (It's just a short walk from Europa bookstore, too, if you enjoy reading books in foreign languages like French, Italian and German...) I only wish I had room left for le crepes de chocolat!
As lovely as dinner was, our next stop was absolutely delightful! At about 5:00 (before dinner), a woman from our church called me, telling me that she and her husband had tickets to the Chicago Symphony Center but were unable to go. It happened to be a Portuguese singer, and since I'd sung (and Eric played piano for) a supposedly* Portuguese song at our church's Christmas music program, I came to mind as the person to give the tickets - for the lower balcony! - to. Of course, we accepted! The trick was to acquire the tickets before our dinnertime... 6:00... only an hour away! So, we got ready quickly, left by 5:20, and fought the traffic to the generous couple's condo. The half mile to their place was so congested, it took us at least 30 minutes to get there. But get there we did, and we managed to make it back to our place (to park the car) and to le Bistro Zinc by 6:10 - a miracle indeed!
Comments (6)
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What a wonderful Valentine's Day!
That does indeed sound like a lovely way to spend the day!
That Eric, what a romantic soul!
Amazing! I'm so glad for you both in getting this chance to enjoy the evening.
=)
How absolutely lovely. What an awesome experience! God bless you both and thank you for sharing.