Day 21, part II
After a comfortable train ride with many sleeping Dins (not pictured because all of them had their mouths very wide open), we reached the beautiful city of Strasbourg. First, we met up with our long-time contact there, Viv, who had planned out a grand itinerary of fun activities for our stay. Lucky for us, we were all staying together, which was pretty rare given that most of the time, our homestays would be scattered around the city. I was sharing a room with Shannon and Ria, and Shannon immediately went for the top bunk. We couldn’t get snug, though. After setting our things down, it was time to go. We set off towards the Strasbourg Cathedral, one of the finest and most beautiful pieces of architecture I’ve ever seen. It was tall, grand, and so intricately detailed that I could hardly believe my eyes. Mouth agape, Dins were quickly falling behind (and by dins I mean me), before realizing that the crew had already set off towards a nearby museum. The museum had beautiful miniature models of the city, and our resident expert, Viv, patiently explained the historical significance and growth of the city to us. We then wandered into the Cathedral, taking in its beautiful stained glass and grand organ pipes. I’d sell an organ to play on that organ. Not long after, we took off to get a tour of the city on a boat. Each Din got a pair of headphones to connect to an audio guide, and we cruised along the water, listening to stories of the beautiful houses, bridges, and streets that we passed by. We then got dinner with our hosts, where all the dins at my table ordered a cordon bleu. Delicious. Finally, we got home, tucked our tired selves into bed, and slept soundly.
Day 22
Today was packed with activities. We first visited the Court of Human Rights, where we stepped into the rooms where court hearings took place. We were also able to hear a very comprehensive presentation about exactly what the Court of Human Rights does, its history, the countries involved, and the process of taking on cases. Then, we visited the Council of Europe, where we sang for the Secretary General, watched part of a Parliamentary Assembly, and sang a few sets of songs for the COE employees at lunch. Viv said she wanted to introduce us to some of her friends at the nearby park, and those friends turned out to be STORKS living on the tops of trees! They were really majestic creatures, and there were so, so, so many of them. They are mute birds, so they communicate with one another by snapping their beaks, creating a really unique sound. In Strasbourg, storks are cared for and preserved. Viv had also written a book about storks, and knowing that I love birds, she gifted me one. I can’t wait to bring it home.
After that lovely treat, we returned back to our rooms, got changed out of our tails, and held a quick rehearsal to practice “Ewan,” a song in Tagalog that we are going to sing in the Philippines, as well as a few other tunes that I decided to bring back from last year. Later that evening, we were invited to dine at the US consul general’s home, where we had a really delicious meal and some great white wine. We thanked her by singing a few songs in her backyard, and I think she particularly enjoyed the ballads (especially Time after Time). We played some scat-off songs while waiting for the bus, then went home. We finished off the night with a round of limelights, where we honoured Kavi & Sean, Kieran, and Ethan, as the MVPs of Budapest, Paris, and Strasbourg respectively. After that, we enjoyed another night of tranquil rest after a long day.
Day 23
In the early morning, we performed a set at the Hotel de Ville (The Town Hall) for members of the city council who had made our stay in Strasbourg possible. They were extremely sweet, and gifted us all Strasbourg tote bags! Afterwards, we went to a local school and sang a few tunes with their school choir (my favourites of their repertoire were Eye of the Tiger, Mad World, and Bella Ciao. The concert theme was “apocalypse”). After that, we performed a set of our own, where I tried my hardest to impromptu introduce the group in french (I’d be a fake Canadian if I didn’t at least know a little french). After the performance, many students wanted to interview us, so we stayed behind to answer some questions and provide autographs. Many kids asked me for a hug which I was very moved by. After that, we had dinner at Flam’s, which is Strasbourg’s signature flat pizza. There, we met some really wonderful people at dinner and had some fun conversations about their college choirs. We all went out for drinks afterwards, which was really fun! When we got home, the group got together in the lobby to surprise Ethan (though he spotted us and we had to make something up), to thank him for being with us on tour for all of our europe stops, and to say goodbye. We had really gotten used to his stabilizing and warm presence, not to mention his beautiful voice and his proficiency with all of the music. Though the tour wouldn’t be the same without him, we were grateful for his presence and for the magic that he contributed to over this month. I may have shed a tear or two.
Day 24
Today was our last day, and we had one last concert – the Olympic Flame Concert. The set was outdoors, and it was a whole hour long, which was a whopping 17 song set. Despite the heat and the long duration, the set itself was really fun, and the turnout was amazing. Post-concert, everyone really enjoyed their free time in Strasbourg, wandering around the bustling streets and preparing to see the olympic torch later that evening. That night, Shannon and I got a delicious meal at Bahn Mi Saigon, and hastily packed our things. Our bus to Frankfurt the next day was scheduled for 4AM, and it was a 20-minute walk to the station, meaning that we had to get as much sleep as we could before our 3:30AM departure. That night, we brought a whole new meaning to the song “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” Strasbourg was definitely one of my favourite stops, as we got to experience its beauty, culture, rich history, and people in such a short time. All of us were excited to rest up in Lucca Italy, our next stop!
-Carolyn, #272
