2018 Tour Stop #10: Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Hey everyone—Andrew here. In all honesty, I flew into Hong Kong from Beijing with low expectations, as influenced by my mother, who said that she didn’t like Hong Kong very much. I was six the first time I visited Hong Kong with my parents, so I remember very little, with my highlight being the Ferris wheel at Ocean Park.

Hong Kong by Day

Photo by Brian Rolincik #240

Hong Kong, in the simplest of descriptions, was amazing. A giant, kaleidoscopic, cosmopolitan metropolis that exhibited herds of people walking from one crosswalk to the next, Hong Kong in the summertime was an exotic New York, with a key difference in the air. The monsoon humidity lingered with wafts of Cantonese cuisine and suspended automobile exhaust, all contributing to a peculiar but welcoming atmosphere. I felt strangely at home and at ease in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong by Night

Photo by Eli Troen #250

Staying at the Mini Hotel in Causeway Bay was a refreshing change to the Din dynamic, as we all resided in single rooms without any disturbance. I certainly had a pleasant time having alone-time, treating myself well with Asian face masks and Netflix. In comparison to that in Shanghai and Beijing, the Dins had far more free time in Hong Kong, allowing everyone to recharge and rest. 

On Saturday, July 14th, the Dins performed at the IFC Mall and the Mini Hotel near Ocean Park. I’d never experienced mall culture as strong as the one in Hong Kong, as huge malls were scattered throughout Causeway Bay all the way to Central. The performance at the IFC Mall was my first performance in a mall, and it was interesting to see people move in and out of the audience as we sang our songs. Afterward, we headed over to our next concert, and I was excited to visit Ocean Park after singing at the Mini Hotel. Alas, the monsoon got the best of me, and I figured that I’d ruin my childhood experience of going to Ocean Park if I were to go again in the pouring rain. On the flip side, however, we socialized with a couple of young audience members after finishing our concert at the hotel and agreed to go to Lan Kwai Fong, a nightclub, later that evening.

Dins with new friends after performing at the Mini Hotel Ocean Park.

From personal experience, Hong Kong nightlife could be reduced down to shouting, getting lost, and finding friends who also were lost. I constantly lost track of where I was, and the Dins in general lost each other. One of the friends we met at the Mini Hotel brought her mother along, and let’s just say that the mother got a bit…carried away. Because we never got her name, the Dins like to call her “Party Mom.” I think it’s a cute nickname.

The next day, we performed a concert at The Charioteer’s Club, where we again met Wayne Fu, a former Din, after seeing him for the first time in Beijing. It was a small concert for family and friends. Afterward, the Dins were treated to a beautiful and plentiful dinner just downstairs, where we met the classic lazy Susan for the umpteenth time. 

Some really cute Dim Sum.

Photo by Kevin Kearns #244

On Monday, July 16th, the Dins performed at the Queen’s Garden apartment complex, as well as the Dragon Centre mall in Kowloon. We received very nice and sturdy umbrellas for free after the first concert, which would have been quite useful the day before when the Dins, being economical and all, decided to venture to the Charioteer Club by foot, fighting the pouring, violent summer rain. Oh well, our tails needed some cleaning anyway.

That evening, the Dins decided to check out the area, heading to the Temple Street Night Market. Never have I seen more variations of a Louis Vuitton wallet than there. 

On Tuesday, the Dins performed the final gig in Hong Kong at the Mini Hotel in Stanley. All I remember was the scorching heat and my sweaty, drenched back. Whether it be sweat or rain, I eventually understood that wetness was an integral part to any Dins performance in Asia.

One reason I fell in love with Hong Kong was its resemblance to New York. The city never slept, and people of all different backgrounds and interests filled the malls, food courts, sidewalks, and subway trains. For me, it contained the perfect mixture of new world exoticism and old world familiarity, and I cannot wait to go back to Hong Kong in the near future. Well, this brings me to the end of the 13th stop of the Dins’ 2018 World Tour. Off to Bangkok, chaps.

Andrew Kim #248

2018 Tour Stop #9: Shanghai and Beijing, China

Greetings from China, as we continue on our 2018 World Tour! The Dins were busy bees during our stay, and had some opportunities to sightsee, but we were kept very busy performing and meeting Chinese students and their families. We first arrived in Shanghai, and on our first morning in China, we had the pleasure of visiting the Shanghai Tower, the second tallest building in the world, boasting the world’s highest observation deck and the world’s fastest elevators. From that height, we were able to admire the Shanghai skyline from a truly special perspective, and we couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the city.  

A photo of the Shanghai Skyline!

Photo by Sydney Mukasa #234

At midday, we visited the Yu Garden and Bazaar, with architecture dating all the way back to the 16th century. The Dins enjoyed shopping for a wide variety of goods, ranging from traditional crafts to one-of-a kind modern graphic t-shirts. Later, we dined at a restaurant in the center of Yu Garden, passing duck, shrimp, and dumpling dishes around the Lazy Susan, a glass turntable common in Chinese restaurant dinner tables, used to distribute food family-style. 

A photo of the Yu Garden and Bazaar

Photo by Eli Troen #250

With full bellies, we then embarked on our first gig of the day, which took place at the beautiful Shanghai Town and Country Club. We were greeted with very beautiful welcome decorations for the event, and performed two sets for the audience, complimented by some helpful translation of some of our introductions into Chinese. Afterword, we were even treated to some very lovely hors-d’oeuvres!   

In the evening, we performed at the opulent Shanghai Kee Club, overwhelmed by the curated art and lavish décor. We enjoyed performing in the intimate environment before capping off our night with a dinner that we were humbled to say was also quite well curated!

Our second day in Shanghai featured a full day of performing, starting off with a gig throughout the day at PhiSkin, celebrating the opening of the laser and skin clinic. We began in the morning with a flash mob performance of our signature song, Sh’boom, before moving into our first set of the morning.  We certainly enjoyed playing up our antics for all of the guests and the media exposure.

A photo of the Dins performing Sh'Boom as part of the PhiSkin Flashmob!

Photo Courtesy of PhiSkin Clinic

The rest of our busy day consisted of hosting a meet and greet with middle school aged students and giving a public performance in a theater at Jiao Tong University. We spent the entire day—from sunup to sundown—in our tuxedo tails, exchanging more songs and smiles than we could count!

Moving on to Beijing, we were lucky enough to be welcomed by Din alumni Wayne Fu (#129) who organized a wonderful dinner gig for us. We ate dinner with local families and talked about our academic journeys.  The atmosphere was fun and light, as we tried our hands telling some jokes in Chinese, giving our audiences a few surprises. We owe so much to Wayne Fu for being such a delightful contact for us during our stop in Beijing and for being our Emcee for that gig as well.    

On our second day in Beijing, we met in the morning hold small-group discussions with Chinese high school students on how to focus their efforts towards applying to American colleges. We discussed topics like leadership, community service, time-management, and navigating the components of the application. The Dins had a great time sharing wisdom and exchanging stories with students with diverse talents from scientific research to origami and paper-cutting!  

An amazing meal of Peking Duck!

Photo by Kevin Kearns #244

Our main performance in Beijing took place in at a local University. Both Sam and Michael agreed to give talks on the themes that we discussed in the morning relating to applying to American schools. They also occasionally found their wits tested, in front of a very amused crowd. The Dins joined the school choir for a rendition of the stirring two-part choral, Can You Hear Me? by Bob Chilcott, which was a very poignant musical exchange dealing with the song’s theme of music, disability, community, and common voice.  

After all of that, we finished our time in Beijing with a last dinner of Peking Duck, which many found to be one of their favorite meals of tour!  And with that, we had to say zài jiàn!  

Onward to Hong Kong!

Singing off,

Sydney Mukasa #234

2018 Tour Stop #8 (part 2): Tokyo and Choshi, Japan

The Perfect Storm

GIF by Ethan Craigo #237

I was miserable, and I was laughing. We were suddenly sprinting through warm soupy air, struggling to support umbrellas against the heavy howling wind, failing to avoid puddles rippling beneath the falling torrents. We were surprisingly spry given the weight of our nearly distended stomachs, having just consumed a $7 feast of local Okinawan ramen and fried chicken—approximately $1 per pound of food, it seemed. After our mad dash delivered us to our hotel and heavy tropical winds delivered our umbrellas to the junk heap, our feet squished softly in to the beige hotel lobby as we sat down in a soaked stupor to catch our breath. The typhoon had arrived.  

It was the end of break, the night Andrew, Ethan, and I were supposed to fly from Okinawa to Osaka—but instead we found ourselves air-drying in the Beachfront Hotel (actually separated from the water by a highway), near the temporarily paused Naha airport. This night served as quite representative of my entire tour experience; it was a strange coordination of leisurely exploration, momentary discomfort and physical adversity, surrounded by good friends and fueled by pounds of delicious local cuisine—in which I have found myself having some of the most fun of my life. 

A beautiful Buddhist Temple in Choshi, near a school where we performed.

Photo by Eli Troen #250

Two days and one typhoon later, Ethan, Andrew, and I finally made it to Osaka on separate flights (I was required to travel solo to Seoul for a night before flying back eastward to Osaka). I got to spend a day in Osaka, joining the Dins for the rest of Japan, with two days in Tokyo and three days in Choshi. 

Japan was particularly fun for me. All school year I had been eager to return to Japan because I had spent four weeks the previous summer in Japan teaching English. And getting back, I practiced Japanese with taxi drivers and at our performance in Hyogo, in Osaka, I saw two of my host families, and at our performance in Saitama, Tokyo, I saw my other two host families. It was so special to share the Dins, an essential part of the last two years, with them. 

Conveyor Belt Sushi is a modern miracle

GIF by Brian Rolincik #240

One of my favorite nights of tour was in Tokyo when Lee took us to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, a place where food is delivered exclusively by conveyor belts; the huge belt slithers out from a back preparation-kitchen on one side, snakes between the tables, and recedes into its culinary cavern on the other side. The rules were simple; either grab a plate as it plods by the table on the belt or use the virtual tablet-menu to have plates whiz by and stop obediently next to your table. Once you finish, slide the empty plate into a slot beside the table. At 100 Yen per plate, approximately $1, returning empty plates soon became a game of one-sided air hockey, and the “returned plate” count on the tablet-menu skyrocketed into the 40’s as if the defense had quit. After this highly automated feeding frenzy, we managed to convey ourselves to a nearby Onsen (Japanese bath house), and enjoyed a relaxing evening of steamy baths, nude camaraderie, and mild dehydration. It was truly a memorable evening.

Choshi was a particularly wonderful part of tour, as well, as our hosts and the town went out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. We stayed in a beautiful hotel, with phenomenal food, we visited one of the oldest lighthouses in Japan, and we even got to spend another evening at an Onsen (yes, that nude camaraderie is something special). The Dins have been going to Choshi for a while, and the response that we got after performing there was so gratifying and so wonderful. It was a great way to cap off our experience in Japan.

With Japan as no exception, tour has been beautiful and uncomfortable, like a sunny day that brings oppressive heat and humidity. With enough good food, friends, family and meaningful engagement with art, even a thunderously stressful or uncomfortable experience can precipitate memories of lasting joy and personal significance. Though I might have missed out on a few experiences, I know that the weather is never going to be perfect, so I’ve just got to let storm keeping rolling by…sort of like a plate of sushi ;)

Brian Rolincik #240

All of the Dins together with our amazing friends and hosts after our final performance in Japan.

2018 Tour Stop #8 (part 1): Osaka and Nara, Japan

After an amazing break in Florence, I arrived at the Osaka airport with Kevin and Michael to be greeted at the airport by Lee Selligman, Din #203. Lee is one of our most dedicated alums, and was so generous in showing us around Japan, translating for us, and hosting Dins in his home.

A smiley and freshly shaven Sam #245!

Photo by Eli Troen #250

I arrived in Osaka a day early, and had my first authentic Japanese meal: a bowl of hand-made udon with raw egg and tempura. I was so beyond excited to try traditional Japanese cuisine, and the noodles were phenomenal. Michael, Kevin, Syd, and I decided to visit the Osaka castle. Outside of the castle, we met a man who made origami, and he made some for us. If you fold the origami a certain way, it looks like a fish, and if you fold the paper differently, it takes the shape of a traditional Japanese hat. I think it'll be one of my favorite souvenirs from tour!

The next morning, we performed on Japanese national radio at the ABC Radio station in Osaka. In addition to singing two songs from our repertoire, we improvised a jingle for the radio station in Japanese, using part of our arrangement for September by Earth, Wind, and Fire. Later that day, we visited Kyoto, the so-called ‘cultural capital’ of Japan, and went to the Kennin-ji Buddhist temple. Having seen many spectacular cathedrals in Europe, it was a really nice change of pace to view my first Buddhist temple in Asia. In Kyoto, I tried authentic mochi (it’s not ice cream!) and had a fantastic Japanese curry, which is cooked with boiled onions to give it a certain sweetness, in addition to the spicy notes of flavor. I am amazed it hasn’t made its way to the US yet!

Dinny Dins led by fearless leader Lee Seligman #203 through a peaceful Japanese garden in Nara.

Since Brian, Ethan, and Andrew were stuck in Okinawa due to the horrible storm, we had to give several performances with only 9 members: one at the Keihanna Plaza in Kyoto and another at the Osaka International University. We were able to perform pretty well considering our obstacles, even though I had to sing very loudly as the only T1 present. We learned two new songs in Japan: ‘Hana wasaku’ (an anthem about rebuilding after the Osaka earthquake) and an arrangement of ‘Let it Be’ by the Beatles. It was relieving once the three others arrived before our performance at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center. This was one of my favorite performances of tour, as the hall had very live acoustics and the audience was very receptive to our music and humor. Most notably, we were surprised by the Kwansei Glee Club who performed a set of songs in our honor. The Kwansei Glee Club is known to be the best glee club in Japan, and a group that the Dins performed with on their 2016 World Tour. It was a riveting moment!

Kevin #244 and his new and dear deer Friend.

Photo by Eli Troen #250

After departing Osaka, Lee took us to Nara, the original capital of Japan. Deer walk everywhere in Nara and are not afraid of people; in fact, some deer will even bow to you as you walk. In Nara, we visited the Tōdai-ji Buddhist temple, the largest free-standing wooden structure in the world, and went to Isuien Garden. I was amazed by the intricacy of the garden, and how the layout of the trees, stones, and buildings highlighted the mountains in the background. There, we also recreated a Japanese tea ceremony, although it was quite abridged (ours took about twenty minutes instead of the traditional four hours). Following our time in Nara, we made our way to Tokyo for our second stop in Japan.

In Dindom,

Sam Rosner #245

2018 Tour BREAKTIME

Hey, all! A quick message!

In between our European and Asian legs of tour, the Dins take the time to decompress, relax, and explore, with a five day break to travel anywhere we set our sights on! It always comes at a much needed time, when we've all begun to get a bit tired from the non-stop traveling and performing.

This year, Dins travelled to a ton of different places throughout Europe and Asia!

A large group including Sydney, Sam, Michael, Kevin, and Peter went to Italy. While Michael's and Kevin's families came out to Europe for a family break, Sam travelled off to Florence and Peter headed out to Milan.

Also in Europe, Eli, Austin, and Patrick took the time to visit Vienna and Budapest, eating tons of Schnitzel (with vegetarian versions, too!), Sachertorte, and Viennese Wine!

In Asia, Sang-o took the time to completely relax with family in South Korea, also stopping over to make preparations for our eventual stop there, in Seoul!

Brian, Andrew, and Ethan headed out to Japan early to see Okinawa - right in the middle of a massive storm!

Here are some photos below from everyone's breaks! See you soon in Osaka, where we Dins will return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Eli Troen #250

Blog Manager

2018 Tour Stop #7: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

The Dins are happy to welcome you to Luxembourg, a beautiful little country nestled in the heart of northern Europe! We spent about four days in Luxembourg City just after the summer solstice, and were captivated by the city's picturesque walking streets and medieval fortifications and bridges.

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A gorgeous 18th century clocktower, standing high over Luxembourg.

Photo by Eli Troen #250

We came into the city by train in the early afternoon of June 22nd, at which point we split off into our accommodation groups and relaxed for a bit. Kevin, our Music Director, stayed with his family, who had come to the city to meet with him, while the rest of us were in two Airbnbs fairly distant from each other. That first night was our busiest of the stop, with two gigs right in a row. It made sense. This night was one of the most important holidays in Luxembourg: the eve of the country's National Day.

A group of Dins outside the Grand Ducal Palace on National Day.

Photo by Ethan Craigo #237

A brief aside: National Day is the day on which the birthday of the Grand Duke or Duchess of Luxembourg is ceremonially celebrated, regardless of which particular date it might fall on. The night before is one of the craziest of the whole year, in which thousands upon thousands of people pour into the streets of Luxembourg City to drink and be merry. To be honest, this night is more or less the reason that the Dins travel to Luxembourg!

Our first of the previously mentioned two gigs was at a bar and restaurant called Brasserie Kennedy. It was a small but appreciative crowd in a gorgeous, modern space. We barely had time to catch our breath after it, though, before we had to rush to our next performance at the Cercle Munster. There, we sang multiple short sets of songs in between courses of our own delicious dinner. This gig was notable for an improvised version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" that we performed at the request of one very enthusiastic audience member. It was not the finest the Dins have ever sounded, but it sure was some great, silly fun.

Dining Dins at the Cercle Munster.

After all this, we left and hurriedly changed out of our tails and into evening attire. I ran to find a good vantage point to see the spectacular National Day fireworks show, which I remembered as one of my favorite parts of the last Din tour. Some other guys joined me a bit later, and we all met at a bar in the center of town to talk to a member of the Harvard Club of Luxembourg, who bought us a round of drinks from a man he called "the finest bartender in the country". He wasn't kidding - I'm still trying to figure out how to recreate my delicious gin-cilantro cocktail. From there we went out to dance in the dozens of parties in streets and clubs for hours afterward. It was a night to remember.

The next two days were mercifully free of scheduled events. Many of us, including myself, used them as an opportunity to decompress. Others took the rare opportunity to travel to other destinations in Europe for a day trip. Peter went straight back to Paris, and Eli and Austin traveled to Brussels!

Our last responsibility of the stop occurred on our final evening in Luxembourg City. We performed at a private gig for members of the Harvard Club and their friends and family, hosted at the former president's house. His family's beautiful backyard made for another nice and intimate concert. From there we said our goodbyes to each other, as this was the last time we'd see each other before Japan, and split off into homestays for our last night together in Europe. Tune in next time to find out how we spent our few days apart!

Dinnily,
Ethan Craigo #237

2018 Tour Stop #6: Paris, France

*in heavy French accent* Bonne journee et bonjour, welcome to the place du pan au chocolate, des croissants, et vraiment boucoup de vin.

During our time in Paris (pronounced pear-ee), the Dins were certainly living la vie en rose (coincidentally, a song which we slid into our sets a few times, for the wonderful Sydney Mukasa #234 to serenade our francophone audiences in their own tongue!) 

A gaggle of Dins outside the Centre Pompidou.

Photo by Eli Troen #250

Hosted by some gracious individuals from the Harvard Club of Paris, we stayed for about four days in the beautiful City. As far as sightseeing, from the Musee de’Orsay to the Sacre-Coeur on Montmarte to the Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle, we saw the sights and heard the sounds from edge to edge of Paris, as much as we could see in the few days that we were there.

A photo of the floor-to-ceiling stained glass in Sainte-Chappele.

Photo by Eli Troen #250 

Our highlighted performances in Paris were definitely those at the Travellers’ Club and a joint performance at the Church Notre Dame du Travail as a part of Fete de la Musique with a Basque choir whom we’ve performed with on tours past. In the former, we performed for a small audience in a sitting room sort of setting, which always gives that up-close-and-personal sort of vibe, where you get to single out audience members and create an individually-cultured experience for each person. For the latter, the joint performance with the Basque choir, we sang a couple songs jointly in Basque, which was a load of fun. Learning new music and singing in different styles is always a welcome learning opportunity, and it shows us how far we’ve come in just a year of singing together, when we can work up songs in just a day or two. After our performance for Fete de la Musique, we shared an evening at a Basque restaurant, where the two groups traded songs and merriment over traditional food and drink. For dessert, we were all treated to some Gateaux Basque, a miraculous almond custard cake served with berry jam!

We also had the chance to make a short excursion over to Chantilly (pronounced shan-tee) to perform for a fundraiser for their local church, Saint Peter’s. This fundraiser was to kickstart a new initiative to renovate the stained glass, as the church celebrates its 100th anniversary. The performance in Chantilly goes down as one of my favorite of tour so far, and I’m sure will be one of the treasured memories years down the road. We performed en plein air, in a private garden theatre overlooking a beautiful pond and perfectly preened gardens. During our performance, some peacocks were calling to one another across the stage, sounding like screaming youngins, and to the amusement of all performers and audience members present, one wandered onto our stage during the performance of our song What a Wonderful World! 

Dins Eli, Austin, and Sydney taking inspiration from Lime Statues.

Photo by Sam Rosner #245

After the peacock was gently shooed away, another approached from the other side and thought about following suit, but it reconsidered and left us to finish our set. Never would I have expected to have a performance in the Dins to be interrupted by a peacock, let alone two! We actually added a cameo performance of Brian Rolincik #240 giving his best peacock imitation during a round of Din Impressions. Pulling off-the-cuff humor like that into our performances, and the ability to adapt that we’ve developed, as a result of our comfort with one another on stage, is one of my favorite parts of being in the Dins. Not only does it provide the tools to manage crazy situations during performance, but it also just makes being on stage so fun for all of us..

During our last night in Paris, a few of us Dins spent the night along the Seine River, watching passerby and chatting into the early morning--a phenomenal way to bring our sixth stop to a close.

Adieu, Au Reviour, Bonsoir, or as they say in Paris, un autre Américain?!

Austin Lentsch #246

2018 Tour Stop #5: Strasbourg, France

Hi everyone! My name is Pat Moran, and I’ll be talking about our visit to Strasbourg, France.

After spending a wonderful week in Switzerland, the Dins took a train from Zürich to Strasbourg, connecting through Basel. Upon arriving in Basel, we learned that we had only two minutes to make our train to Strasbourg. So, we took in the sights and sounds of the city, as we frantically sprinted through the station, suitcases and garment bags in hand. Luckily, we all made it onto the train without a second to spare!

We arrived in Strasbourg in the afternoon of June 13th and enjoyed a nice meal with our hosts at the home of Molly Tennis, our contact and biggest fan in Strasbourg. Afterwards, we accompanied our hosts back to our homestays. Sam and I had the pleasure of staying with Sarah and Michael O’Connor and their two daughters. Sarah worked at the Council of Europe and Michael headed European sales for a nanotechnology company. Sam decided to call it an early night, while I stayed up talking about European politics with Michael.

The towering Strasbourg Cathedral in the city center.

Photo by Eli Troen #250

Seeing that we had a free day, Sam and I took the opportunity to sleep in before meeting up with the other Dins and exploring the city of Strasbourg. We saw the Strasbourg Cathedral—although we didn’t climb to the top—and enjoyed a wonderful lunch nearby. After spending the day in the city, Sam and I headed back to our homestay to freshen up and rest a bit. One of the best parts of Alsace-Lorraine is the food, and we made sure to enjoy this unique regional cuisine during our time in Strasbourg. That night, all of the Dins met up at a local restaurant to enjoy an Alsatian specialty, tarte flambée, which I can best describe as a flatbread pizza topped with cheese, sliced onions, and bacon cubes.

The next morning, Friday June 15th, we had a tour of the Council of Europe courtesy of Eli’s host, Isabella Pilavachi. In contrast to the European Parliament, the Council of Europe is not endowed with any powers, instead acting as a purely diplomatic organization. That afternoon, we met the US Consul General to Strasbourg, Kara McDonald, and toured the US Consulate General building. In the evening, we performed at the College International de l’Esplanade with the Sunday Afternoon A Cappella Choir, an extracurricular a cappella choir inspired by the Dins’ performance on our last world tour.

Dins being...well, Dins at the US Consulate in Strasbourg.

On the next day, Saturday June 16th, many of the Dins chose to go to Colmar, a picturesque example of Alsatian architecture. Sam and I, however, chose to stay in Strasbourg on Sarah and John’s recommendation. That night, we had our biggest concert in Strasbourg: a joint performance with the Strasbourg Philharmonic Choir. The concert venue was special, a former Cabaret and space not normally available to the public. Thanks to the work of the US Consulate General, the French military agreed to let us perform in the space.

Biking through the lovely French Countyside, looking forward to some Crémant.

Photo by Kevin Kearns #244

After our big concert, many of the Dins were ready for some rest and relaxation. On our last day in Strasbourg, our prayers were answered, and we were generously hosted at a countryside manor for an unbelievably fun, all-day pool party featuring ample Aperol Spritzes and an inexhaustible supply of Crémant.

Best,

Pat #239