Amore Performs in Helsinki and Turku

Enjoying Glorious Weather in a Beautiful Country

Have you noticed the blog entries are getting shorter and appearing less frequently? We’re moving at a fairly rapid pace, so my apologies for the silence. This brief entry will cover the past two days.

We are back in Finland, in the beautiful city of Helsinki. We’re staying in a hostel that is quite nice … large rooms, large bathrooms, free Internet (a real hit with the choristers), and a 10-minute walk from a sandy beach. A few choristers and one chaperone even took a dip in the Baltic tonight – a gorgeous, warm evening with the setting sun silhouetting the swimmers.

Wednesday, July 6

We arrived in Helsinki on Wednesday morning - by ferry from Talinn. It was sad to leave Estonia and our wonderful guide Jane. We told her she must come visit us in Seattle someday. Leaving Jane was made easier knowing we would be guided by Vescu again in Finland. Upon arrival in Helsinki (on a glorious sunny day), the girls grabbed some lunch and then briefly rehearsed for an outdoor concert near the harbor. The sun shining directly on the stage made for a sweaty performance while the breeze made things challenging for Andrew. (It’s hard to play a piece on the piano when the wind keeps blowing the pages of your music.) Clothespins and a human page turner saved the day.

Following the concert, Vescu gave us a wonderful tour of Helsinki. The remainder of the day was somewhat uneventful. We checked into the hostel, relaxed in our rooms, and then walked to a pizza restaurant for dinner … an all-you-can-eat buffet. We definitely got our money’s worth!

Thursday, July 7          

Yesterday found us on the bus again … driving to Turku, an 800+-year old city that is the original capital of Finland. It takes about three hours to get there, so Vescu entertained us a bit on the bus and we had lots of time to chat and relax. When we arrived in Turku, we were let loose to grab a quick lunch. Some of us chaperones visited the local market where we bought local fruit, veggies, bread, and salmon. We have sampled some remarkably delicious strawberries here in Finland. And the salmon defies description.

Today’s choral performance was at the Sibelius Museum in Turku. Three girls forgot to pack their black choir uniforms this morning. (We won’t name names!) We always have two extra dresses, so that meant one chorister was out of luck. But, being the clever girls that they are, they managed to find among them a black top and a black skirt that she could wear. So the show went on with all 30 girls on stage. Surely no one noticed the one chorister wearing flip flops on the back row! This audience was the smallest we have had thus far, but they were so very attentive and appreciative of the music.

Our day in Turku concluded with a fabulous tour of the Turku Castle – built in the 12^th century ... followed by a buffet dinner at a rehabilitation center in Turku. The center was closed for maintenance, so we had it all to ourselves. Vescu had arranged for this. He thought it would be interesting for us to have a meal in such a place, explaining that the dinner we were having was quite similar to the hot meals served to all school children in Finland. We've been enjoying hearing about Finland's education system - ranked #1 in the world.

One more full day remains. As with so many trips, it feels as if we've been traveling forever, yet so hard to believe it will end so soon.

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