(Report from Janet Samuel 11:00 p.m. Vienna time, 2:00 p.m., July 5, 1997, Pacific time)
Roger is under the weather with the cold that has been going around. He needs to rest up before tomorrow's concert. The cold seems to have started on Bus C (Heine), but has advanced through the other buses. Dr. Tiep has been keeping an eye on everyone.
Budapest is very picturesque. It was interesting to see the beautiful castle on the Buda side of the Danube and the parliament building on the Pest side. The group entered an historical church and heard a choir rehearsing in Buda. In addition to the bus tour, the students were free to walk in groups through the pedestrian area of the city for three hours. They had a similar four hour walk around Prague on July 2.
There was a three hour bus ride to Vienna (map)--more beer for the Hungarian guards at the border crossing. The border crossings have not been taking so long as we had feared they would. They did check passports carefully and were questioning one student with a non-American passport, but there was no problem at all. The bus trips pass quickly because these students entertain themselves with lots of chess playing and card games. They also sing. They sang "The Moldau" at the appropriate geographical places. The video "Braveheart" with Czech subtitles has now passed to Bus B. Today Bus A watched "Vivaldi in Vienna." Bus C does not have a TV/VCR, but still turned down offers to switch buses. They have become too attached to their own bus. Today each bus had a quiz game that these students took very seriously--questions ranged from the information they have been gleaning from the tour to "What color were Mr. Samuel's shorts today?" A hush falls over the bus as students compete for the correct answers.
Roger and I have earned the nickname "Champion Folk Shoppers." We really enjoy purchasing the beautiful lace and other typical treasures of the region. Of course, Richert Wang is still the master bargainer.
The hotel in Vienna is very clean and comfortable but more Spartan and dorm-like than our previous hotels. It is used as a dormitory in the winter. Each room has its own bath, however.
Tomorrow morning we visit one of Beethoven's houses and perform at Shonbrunn Palace at the Orangerie. Fliers around town have been promoting us with the quote from Daniel Lewis: "This orchestra does it right!"
A great surprise tonight was when Ryan Hsi's father showed up at the hotel. What a treat to see someone from home unexpectedly! Dan Johnson also had a surprise when, in the brief time we were in Brno, he ran into Bohumila (Mia) Krejci, a Czech student who had attended his high school and sang in the show choir with him.
At the risk of setting a dangerous precedent, we have some messages from students:
"Elliott family, wazzup? I found marzipan. Yahoo! We'll see you in a few days. Love," Nicole
"The memories of this trip will last a lifetime. It is awesome." Margot Meyer
"Europe is a place where long lasting memories will be ever in our hearts, especially those of the most wonderful conductor, wonderful directors, and our great orchestra peers." Janet Chang
"Hi, Mom, Dad, Connie, and everyone. We are having a blast. Cool concerts and tours! We even saw the Vienna OperaStrasse. (?) Yes! Wahoo! Anyways, we miss you. C-U-L-8-R. Love from both," Stephanie and Melanie.
Pictures of Budapest (Lots of pictures load slowly, but beautiful.)
(WebMaestro's comments)
Erin Bull's (oboist) parents moved to Virginia during the tour. But they have been following the tour on Internet. Her grandparents,aunts, and uncles in North Carolina are following the tour also.
Michael Selover's father FAXes copies of these reports to Michael's grandmother and aunt in Santa Maria, CA.
Write to lewis_johnson@eee.org.
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This page is maintained by Lewis Johnson. For questions or comments please write to lewis_johnson@eee.org.
