Aurland to Gudvangen to Voss to Bergen
The boys had a good night with their homestays. Some of the boys were living in fairly spartan homes, as to be expected out in the Norwegian hinterland. What a great opportunity to live as Romans in Rome. And one can survive anything for one night. Some have said it was their best homestay ever. Homestays are always the luck of the draw. However, what glitters is not always gold. And the simplest homestays can be the best because, as we know, the kind of person you are has nothing to do with how much you have.
We did a mini-concert for the last day of school. Only one school in the village! It was outside and intimate and wonderful. We surrounded the whole student body (90 children) for Draw the Circle. The music teacher asked me to make a special plea to the boys of the school and remind them that boys sing. KSB certainly delivered that message loud and clear. Like homestays, concerts can be very simple and very wonderful at the same time.
We then did some sectional rehearsals and free time about town. Hikes with stunning views were taken, with some complaints regarding the steep climbing. Michelle Obama would have been proud.
After lunch and a full rehearsal we said farewell to beautiful Aurland and took a two hour ferry ride to Gudvangen. I’m running out of superlatives at a time when I desperately need them. I’ll start with the ones with I’ve already used. Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, marvelous, thrilling, breathtaking.
Add to that really pretty, draw-dropping, dazzling, impressive, out of this world, smashing, beauteous, brilliant, heavenly, remarkable, sparking, splendid, spectacular, exquisite, glorious, handsome, totally awesome, and OMG! And where did I find the boys, in the cabin eating, playing cards, and sleeping. I put an end to that. Everyone to the bow! We did a concert with no audience, but sang for ourselves and it was a real tour moment. You had to see Mrs. O up on a bench singing “Norge mit Norge” with the Grads accompanying her and the trebles listening. The captain, on the bridge above us, opened his window to listen. Magical, really. After a few solemn pieces, we pierced the pastoral mood with the South African medley, but with a nobel variation. Instead of singing “Nelson Mandela,” we sang “Aung San Su Kyi!” Fun!!!
Arriving in Gudvangen we boarded buses to Voss and traveled the steepest road in the world. OMG Take 2. The boys were torn by being totally freaked out and in awe of the scenery on the way down. Nobody does waterfalls like the Norwegians.
Our last leg was a train ride from Voss to Bergen. The choir hit sensory overload at this point. We began longing for some Philly din. Our eyes and minds were actually tired at trying to process so much beauty.
We are now settled into our hostel in Bergen. Four boys to a room. We had a choir meeting to talk about protocols for living under one roof. We’ll be doing so for the next 9 nights, so parameters are crucial if we are to have a happy second half of tour.
More later…
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