LOVELY LISBON

Took advantage of the holiday weekend (Columbus Day, or "El Día de la Hispanidad" [Hispanic Day] as it's known here in Spain) to check out the Portuguese capital. Really enjoyed it, Lisbon is a great city, very beautiful and full of life--the fabulous weather didn't hurt either! I think the pics speak for themselves:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marcusgiovanni/Lisbon2009

AMERICAN ADVENTURES...

Our trip starts off in Mexico City, where we visit Luz's sister Ana...floating along the canals of Xochimilco, checking out the amazing museums, walking down ancient avenues under the shadow of imposing pyramids, meeting up with friends in nearby Puebla and looking out from a hilltop chapel to a distant volcano...

...then catching a plane to LA for a complete change of pace, embarking on a road trip that will take us through the Arizona desert to ancient Native American cliff dwellings, fascinating rock formations...the Grand Canyon, in all its splendor, followed by the "locura" of Las Vegas...ending up back in California to walk among the giant sequoias in Yosemite and following the coast up to San Francisco, full of wonderful visits with family and friends along the way...

...finally flying back from San Francisco to Madrid, but not before stopping home in NY to pay a surprise visit to my parents...all in all a very complete summer holiday (gotta love European vacation time! :)

Check out my Picasa page to see all the pics and share the adventure with me:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marcusgiovanni

FROM THE COLD WAR TO THE CRADLE OF CALLAS...

Yes, although it may seem like an unlikely combination, we just got back from a little trip to both Berlin and Milan. We had a great time, first starting out in Berlin, rich in history with the fascinating remains of the Wall, and other poignant reminders of the Cold War era and the horrors of WWII. Plus modern Berlin is a really cool, hip city--we had a great time seeing the sites and hanging out with my friend Julius (who is living in Germany).

Then we headed over to Milan, where we strolled along the piazzas and marveled at the incredible Duomo (cathedral) and Da Vinci's notoriously famous (thanks to Dan Brown) fresco of "The Last Supper". It was also an opera pilgrimage pour moi, as we took advantage of our time there to see Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress" at the Mecca of all opera houses, La Scala, as well as visiting the beautiful nearby town of Bergamo, birthplace of Donizetti. Enjoy the pics!

http://picasaweb.google.com/marcusgiovanni

ALCALÁ AND ADVENTURES...

Here are some pics from a visit with Luz's family in beautiful Alcalá de Henares, a small town near Madrid which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; home to Cervantes, and an impressive university.

Plus, some recent shots of some of the zany characters from my work with the children's theatre company, S.O.S. IN ACTION...check out my online albums to see them all:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marcusgiovanni

DON PASQUALE & THE CREATION

Here are some photos and videos from my recent performance in the chorus of Donizetti's opera DON PASQUALE at the Teatro Real (Madrid's Royal Opera House)--an amazing experience, having the opportunity to work with some truly gifted artists on such an important stage.

You'll also find some tidbits from Haydn's oratorio DIE SCHÖPFUNG (THE CREATION) which I sung in the Iglesia de Los Jerónimos in Madrid, Spain, with the Federación Coral de Madrid: 150 voices, plus soloists and full orchestra--breathtaking! To enjoy these magical musical moments:

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/marcusgiovanni

Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/marcusgiovanni

MARCUS' UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Hi everyone, just thought I'd let people know about some important performances I've got coming up, namely...

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Mar. 21st (20:00):

Haydn's oratorio, THE CREATION, Iglesia de Los Jerónimos (Madrid, Spain)

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Mar. 22nd (18:00), 24th & 26th (19:00):

Donizetti's opera, DON PASQUALE, Teatro Real (Madrid, Spain)

TICKETS: http://www.teatro-real.es/

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And, of course, my continuing work with S.O.S. in Action Theatre and related appearances on Spanish TV as "Davey the Dog":

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Daily (7:30, 14:30, 17:00):

KIDS CLUB: DAVEY AND FRIENDS, Aprende Inglés TV (Spain)

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Hope to see you there!

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH...

...all of us geeks! Yes, "Star Wars: The Exhibition" made its way to Madrid, and I was there like a Jawa at a flea market, faster than Han could make the Kessel run with Boba and a bevy of bounty hunters on his tail...

~

There is no try. I DO be a geek! :)

~

http://picasaweb.google.com/marcusgiovanni/StarWarsExhibition2009

THE HOLIDAYS IN SNOWY (?!) SPAIN

Some pics from the holidays in Madrid and El Escorial, a nearby town (famous for its monastery, resting place of the Spanish royalty) where they decorate the streets with life-size Nativity scene figures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marcusgiovanni/HolidaysWinterInMadridDec2008Jan2009