THE Nutcracker!

Dreams do come true! We went to see the Nutcracker last night! I first saw the Nutcracker a century ago – well actually half a century. I’ve seen many versions over the years – including many local dancing school adaptations – but my dream was always to see the REAL one – meaning one in Russia. The Bolshoy is closed for renovations and their tickets would have been 5,000 ru (gulp!) so we attended the “Grand Moscow Classical Ballet”. It lived up to all my expectations.

There were some differences to the one we see in Lincoln Center. Clara – called Masha here - danced thru her dream which made more sense to me – obviously a Prima ballerina not a teenager. The only children were some adorable little girls at the party and some tiny mice. Luckily there was an English synopsis to help me understand the plot changes. There was a Mouse QUEEN! Another wonderful ballerina – so we enjoyed the talents of 2 fantastic women. There was very little sword fighting – something that keeps our little boys entertained. This was a very gentle interpretation – I hope the girls will see it next year.

We had an early lunch at a coffee café - just soup and quiche. It was the first time I saw decaf on the menu. It was a nice change from the Folger coffee bags. On the way home we picked up MacDonald’s! This one has a drive-thru so we didn’t have to stand in the usual long lines. Same menu – we had Big Macs with fries and picked up Happy Meals for the girls. Everything tasted the same.

We’re babysitting this morning so Mike and Lisa can do some food shopping in peace – only problem one of the tires was very low. Don’t know if it’s a leak or the cold – it’s 1’F and snowing lightly. They called around asking if anyone knew of a place that has an air pump. They bundled up and went on a search – hope they call to keep me from worrying too much. I’m starting to pack – hard to believe our dream trip ends tomorrow.