Weekend Excursion

If the prospect of possible snowfall interrupting your tanning depresses you, however, there is recourse. Escape to the world of the Metropolitan Opera. So it may not scream sun and palm trees, wild partying, and excitement. But how could Naples, Fla. compare to the 18th century Naples (Italy, that is) of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, in which the constancy of two women is tested by their sweethearts? Who needs a sunburn when it's possible to view the precursor to Temptation Island onstage?

If you're looking for a more exotic evening venture, go no further than Mozart's Die Zauberflote. You will be transported to Egypt, a land filled with intrigue and serpents amd magical instruments. Let the transformation of the old lady into the young and lovely Papagena in Act II remind you of the proper order of things. Florida should be saved strictly for retirement; envy not your peers who shan't have the luck to sink their sandalled feet into deep and squishy mounds of mud during the break.

Verdi's Nabucco serves well to the nostalgic student for whom home is too far to return during break. The opera is sure to transport anybody mentally back into the bosom of her family. Jealous sister? Covered. Dad who proclaims himself God shortly before being rendered insane by a bolt of lightning? It's there. Even if your father isn't king and you've never known such a bizarre happily-ever-after (watch the opera!), the Israel of Nabucca promises more thrills than an afternoon on the beach.

To round out your opera journey, travel to the Paris of Puccini's La Boheme. Begin in winter with the chilly, beautiful beginning of Mimi and Rodolfo's love affair. Find yourself in the springtime of their lives. Consider it research for love in the springtime at Yale: the warm, fuzzy feeling is even better than that you get on first sight of your name in the Herald's Valentine issue. Rodolfo, separated from his lover for months, finally meets her again, only to watch her cough to death.

It is a fitting end to Puccini's opera—and to your spring vacation. Stumble forth from the Met, blink into the sudden sunlight that is spring, and return to school as your MetroNorth train painfully hacks its way into Connecticut. —Diana M. Aleman

The Met is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan between West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. Take the No. 1 or 9 train to 66th Street (Lincoln Center) Station. For more information about showtimes and tickets, visit www.metopera.org or call (212) 362-6000.

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