What a relief to only have to drive 30 minutes from Jena to Weimar! Definitely the shortest drive of the tour, and I was so glad that we arrived in Weimar early in the day because it is possibly the cutest little town I’ve ever seen! Seemed like it was right out of a movie, with the old buildings, the cobblestone roads, and even a horse and buggy. My hand and shoulder have been bugging me from all of the playing, so my Mom and I got massages (amazing), and we had an amazing lunch and did a bit of shopping before it started pouring rain! I think it’s been raining for the past 4 days straight now. It does not feel like June. I played at Divan Restaurant and Cafe which was a Turkish restaurant and everything inside was handmade from Turkey.

Me and my crazy but cute little friend

It was absolutely beautiful inside, I’ve definitely never played a place quite like it. I felt like I was playing more of a restaurant entertainment gig like I would at home – as opposed to a concert – but by the second set people started to get into it and I didn’t feel so much like background music. There was a little boy running up to the stage and making faces at me while I played which was cute and entertaining for awhile, but then when I didn’t look at him he would scream until I looked at him. What do you do in that situation really? I got 2 encores last night, which is completely flattering but I am usually soooo tired by that point…but I was ok with it because today is my coveted day of rest! Afterwards my mom and I had some drinks with the owners (who spoke Turkish, German, and decent English), and I got a bit of a Turkish lesson and a German lesson. I am definitely taking German lessons when I get home by the way.

My off-day has been spent making the 3 hour drive from Weimar to Frankfurt to take my mom to the airport to fly home and meet my dad because he landed this morning! Definitely sad to see my mom go. Oh the fun we had…but there will be a next time for sure!

I'll miss you Mommy!

My dad and I just got back to our hotel from probably the most authentic German meal I’ve had since I got here, and some sightseeing in the old part of Frankfurt. And tomorrow is back off to the races. We have a 2 and a half hour drive to Zwickau where I’m playing Alter Gasometer, and today I saw a clip of me on the Zwickau TV station to promote the show! (http://www.tv-zwickau.de/online-tv/montag/ – go to minute 14). I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but still super, super cool. Auf Wiedersehen for now!