5/30/12 Journey's End

       Even hangovers don't make a worse morning than this one was.  Up by 5, on the bus by 7.  We had a long drive over to the airport in Munich, and the whole way, I could only contemplate how odd that in approximately a day's time, I would be over 6000 miles away, in a place that felt more alien to me than the brief places I had visited over these two weeks.  The scenery changes pretty drastically going from the Alps over to the woods of Germany, and then the clearing of those woods to show the wide metropolitan spread that is the city of Munich.  It becomes believable how stories, like the ones the Brothers Grimm, came from the area, shaded, darkened, and easy to get lost in.
        We get tot he airport and be damned if it wasn't a horrible experience.  We have to say  farewell to our guide, and he was just as sad to see us go as we were him.  But true to himself, he didn't make the goodbyes long, he said to the group on a whole, and headed to his plane to the next tour group-the life of a guide, always on the go.
        The Munich airport is divided into three security areas- the area outside ALL security is basically a mall.  Now, with higher security, came higher prices of things, so the bottom floors were already expensive by most people's standards (let alone a college student's).  The mall outside being the area that housed McDonalds and other like places, so we found out.  The second level had Polo shops, Rolex, and Swarovsky shops, just to give and idea of the price tag on the floor (super attractive baristas though, no complaints there).  The third level was even more expensive, with companies I've never heard of showcasing cars that only real buffs would have ever heard of, all with pricetags that would be more than I'll probably make in my life.  But the lady at the third gate liked me because I wasn't afraid to just go to the front of the line and get through the gate, and she was pretty cute too, so a plus to Munich's staffing.
        The flight wasn't long, though it was 9 hours.  Unfortunately, we landed at O'hare airport in Chicago early.  We originally had planned only a 5 hour layover there.  To begin, the airport is a maze, requiring shuttles to get around from area to area.  Then the lines were long, and the prices for what meager American food they offered were expensive.  The one element I loved was that everything was Jazz themed.  Then came the waiting for our flight.  That day two planes collided in the takeoff lanes, clipping one plane's wings, creating a nasty bit of delays, and required us to move to a different dock.  There, our plane came 2 hours late, and we were all jetlagged to death, tired, and waiting for our ride home.  We finally left at 10pm, got back to Utah at midnight, and just as I was the first one to show up to the airport, so was I the last one to leave.
        This trip was an unbelievable experience to grow, learn, and love as a person, musician, traveler, scholar, just all around really.  It tied up my tenure as a Bengal beautifully, gave me a send off that was unbeatable, and has given me inspiration and motivation for my next adventure.  So hopefully in the Summer of '13, I'll be heading to Paris and London!  Stay tuned folks.

5/29/12 What It's All About

        The last full day for our tour and group as a whole.  The day started normal enough- begin with breakfast, rehearse in a large group, and then head out for lunch on the town.  We met up with our good friend el Bruce (brew-chay) and Austin and headed for a lunch in the old city.  We sit down outside at a lower key looking restaurant and try one last Austrian meal.  I ordered what I had been wanting for the entire time I was visiting the country- sausage.  Really, when you think of German/Austrian cooking, the first two things that come to mind are usually sausage or weinerschnizzle.  With the order of sausage came fries, and I ordered a small beer to go with the meal.

A silly lunch.

        What came next was perhaps the silliest part of the entire tour, a plate with what just basically appeared to be cut hotdogs and french fries and a beer light enough to be apple juice.  My friends and I had a great laugh at this, but the best part about the whole meal, was that it was fantastic!  The sausage had a great spice to it and was far from being your run-of-the-mill ballpark frank.  The fries were the best fries I've ever had in my life, which since I'm from Idaho and staying in Austria, was a riot to me.  The beer was light, but full and bready, refreshing enough to help beat the midday heat and not get me drunk before the next rehearsal.

        After lunch we had a trip to the Swarovsky crystal factory/museum.  I will say this upfront- the Austrians are nothing, if not creative, and innovative, on how to entertain guests.  Our guides had been very tight-lipped about what the hell this Swarovsky thing was, aside from a crystal museum.  What we were in store for I believe took all of us by surprise- a modern art museum made for/by/with Swarovsky crystals.  

And THIS is what greeted us.

        It was trippy, and a festival for every sense.  I can say I've never been to a real modern art museum, but if that is what they are all like, I'm a fan.  It was different, unexpected, a bit gaudy at time (but with crystals everywhere, what the hell can you expect?), but I loved it.  And since it was also the factory, the museum did its job well. There was a store at the end where you could buy crystal products, and of course I really wanted something from there.  I had a hard time choosing between the cufflinks or a ring, and I went with the ring, and think it's the best purchase I've made in a long time, because every time I look at it, I remember this awesome trip, and it makes me that much better looking.  After the store is a cafe, where they have a real gallery of paintings from modern artists hanging on the wall.  They had an authentic Degas, and that made me happier.  The whole of it is beyond describing with just words alone, but I think the best way to describe it is "acid trip."

        As we headed back to Innsbruck proper, we also headed to our last rehearsal.  In the case of over half of our choir, would be the last rehearsal any of us would have with that university, and the performance that night our finale.  Our rehearsal passed, we readied for the concert, and then we were off to it.

        An omen of how the performance was to be, our director, Dr. A, gave us a prep talk before heading into our final performance.  It was emotional, and it was powerful, and validated much of myself as a musician.  The house was not packed, but it was still a powerful performance because of what it was about, and because of the work we did to get there.  Needless to say, a few select songs made me tear up, and after the performance as well.

        Our final dinner was at the pizzeria we had been to the other night.  There we gave our guide a farewell gift we had all passed around and written in and signed so that he could remember the great times we had together, and he was moved to tears by the motion.

        We made our way back to the hotel to grab a few celebratory drinks.  As for myself, I had a 10 euro G&T with topshelf materials.  Was totally worth it!  Then came the last sleep in Austria and Europe.