The next day we're off to the real reason we made this trip in the first place. It's time to meet up with the rest of the singing group on the other side of town. Actually, the change in abode took us from one end of the metro line to the other end. The map said we could just walk to the hotel, it was only about 1 km. Non problemo...HA! The problem was that there was no walkway to use. We wound up dragging our rolling duffles on the roadway (and part of the time across the highway on ramp). I kept wai
ting for La Polizia to stop us and cart us off to jail Roma style. However, that didn't happen, and despite the somewhat heart-stopping jaunt, we arrived at the hotel in one piece.
ting for La Polizia to stop us and cart us off to jail Roma style. However, that didn't happen, and despite the somewhat heart-stopping jaunt, we arrived at the hotel in one piece.Envision what you think of as a "cater to a large group" hotel and you've got this one down pat. Decor= minimalist. It had some interesting high tech features, though. For instance, you just waved your key in front of the door sensor and you entered...after putting your shoulder into it, that is. The lights work for a little while, then all turn off unless you have inserted your key in the corresponding slot inside the doo
r. This is a pretty cool concept, but would have been more appreciated had we been told that when we checked in. We only found out because we reported that our lights didn't work. So as to keep the rest of the group from experiencing that same DOH moment, we were careful to tell folks as they checked in. The hotel did have a WiFi connection and it cost 7 euros for 24 hours. That's not bad, but we saw a McDonalds next door to the hotel ( this also gives you an idea of the type of hotel we're in) and we figured it would be free there. Well yes, it is free, IF you have an Italian SIM card in your phone. Otherwise you "non ha fortuna. "
r. This is a pretty cool concept, but would have been more appreciated had we been told that when we checked in. We only found out because we reported that our lights didn't work. So as to keep the rest of the group from experiencing that same DOH moment, we were careful to tell folks as they checked in. The hotel did have a WiFi connection and it cost 7 euros for 24 hours. That's not bad, but we saw a McDonalds next door to the hotel ( this also gives you an idea of the type of hotel we're in) and we figured it would be free there. Well yes, it is free, IF you have an Italian SIM card in your phone. Otherwise you "non ha fortuna. " Check in was like witnessing a family reunion. Some folks had been in and around Europe for several days prior and were just happy to see a friendly face that also,spoke English. Others were fresh off the plane and just happy to have their feet on the ground. All were looking forward to singing.
Though called the Alaskan Featival Singers this group is made up of folks from several different locales. The most folks are currently from Juneau and another handful are formerly from there. Others hail from various cities in Alaska and a few more from Washington, Texas and Colorado. None of these folks have sung this music as an ensemble before the first rehearsal they have on the first day. I know that Husband took advantage of several 
you tube videos to practice...As did others. Chalk one up for technology!
you tube videos to practice...As did others. Chalk one up for technology! We all loaded up on the tour bus to go to rehearsal in a local church. Set in a somewhat downtrodden neighborhood, "la chiesa" was beautiful. The windows were amazing and the acoustics gorgeous. Though there was plenty for the group to work on, they really did sound amazing, more so because they hadn't sung together before. After about an hour and a half, we were released to spend the evening on our own.
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