Voices Europe Tour Choir Journal Day 6 & 7: Bratislava, Slovakia, Gumpoldskirchen & Vienna, Austria 1998

DAY 6
Tuesday, April 7th, 1998 (10:50pm)

VIENNA, AUSTRIA: HOTEL HARMONIE

Today we left for Austria and went through the check point with our passports. An official man came on our bus and personally checked each one of our passports. He smelled good and not like many other men here smell like. The scenery is so beautiful. It’s green and hilly with trees and sunshine. We stopped for a bathroom and snack break and changed into our robes on the bus an hour or so later. We sang for a school that was American in Vienna. It is private and upperclass. They spoke English of course and packed up a lunch for each of us. (I’m having leftover milk from it right now.) We then went to our hotel which is called Harmony. (Ironic) It is in a residential area, but is in a city downtown-like area. After dinner, which was American-like and everyone liked, we went for a walk in search of a disco. I led us with the map and although the street names were small got us there and back. Since we had trouble at first finding the disco we asked a guy. (His name was Peter.) He was very kind and showed us to it, but it was closed and might have been a strip club. We sang him “Great Getting Up Morning” and left. We instead went to get ice cream. I got something I’m not quite sure what it was, but it was good. Then we went to a cathedral (St. Stevens Roman Catholic Church) which was so beautiful and tall. I lit a candle for my grandma and said a prayer. The candles were warm and flickered in the dark but comforting room. Rose, my new roommate, said just now that it was Gothic. I thought that when I first saw it. A few guys tried to follow us home and Ms. D. our companion traveler was worried. I got us back and found out later that Mr. M. and Anne and Kay got lost, which makes me feel pretty good. The window is the best thing in our room. The windows look right down to our street and you can hear everything. Except there are see through curtains and Anne, who is right below us like at Hotel Belvedere, and I laughed at the people undressing across the way. Going to wash up and go to sleep. Rose is calling home.

DAY 7
Wednesday, April 8th, 1998 (12:15pm) hotel room 410 (bus driver is named Niko) 

VIENNA, AUSTRIA: HOTEL HARMONIE

Today we went to Bratislava and sang to kids our age in their chapel. They were the best listeners I’ve ever seen. We did so well and perhaps our best yet! They shook our hands and we went to their classes. Kathy, Linda, Alison and I went to an English class which was small, had just windows, desks, and bare walls except for a couple maps. It was sad to see how little they had. They were learning idioms like “spill the beans,” “under the weather,” and “surrender the white flag.” I gave one girl a piece of choir material cloth and a few later in the hall. It looked like a prison and was very cement. When we left we sang “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” to the head principal, assistant principal and a lady minister from Minnesota. She blessed us and we left. Ms. D. said they wouldn’t let her carry her bag and the main guy asked her if she was in a hurry to leave. She said she felt a real sense of power. She thought, and so did Mr. M., that he looked like Boris Yeltsin. We stopped at a market for lunch and used a bar’s toilet. We went to a winery and saw where it was made. The place is known worldwide and dates back to the 1100s. Kennedy drank it and King Phillip. We saw grape fields and sang in their church which was ordered to be built by the Germans. We ate dinner at the restaurant and a man played the accordion for us. He played “Roll out the Barrel,” “The Chicken Song,” and the “Hokey Pokey.” We danced and made lots of noise. We then sang at the winery and sang great. Austrians are known for their singing though, and so I know I wanted to impress them. A baby screamed and then was taken out. A 90 year old man sat in the first row and clapped for us loud. He told Linda how proud he was, which was the little English he spoke. We then changed to our regular clothes again and saw lots of donations in the basket. They gave us sparkling water in crystal glasses earlier. Mr. M. told me how rich Austria is. We went to a reception at the town hall. They sang for us and gave us wine and bread. I got my first buzz on the way home but only had 2/3 of a glass. I think it was a little stronger than ours at home. I just felt tired and heavy, but was also quite chipper and am just getting over it. Rose is sleeping next to me and coughs often so I will turn the light off now and go to sleep. Austrians are so friendly. The guys that sang were together 18 years, barbershop style, sang “Wonderful World,” made us cry and hate to go. They look good and all have nice cars.

*(Itinerary) Gumpoldskirchen reception by the Mayor in the Town Hall (wine or grape juice) 

Concert in WINZERGENOSSENSCHAFT HALL (visit to wine museum and cellar in concert hall)

* Disclaimer: This is a work of creative non-fiction based on actual journal entries at the dates and places included. However, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of all the information included, as it was written solely from what I remembered at the time. To respect the privacy of individuals, many names have been changed. The journal has been edited for grammar and punctuation. This is not an advertisement. I am not being compensated for sharing anything from my journal including, but not limited to, places we stayed or visited. Alcohol should be consumed responsibly. Mentions of consumption of alcohol in my journal is, to the best of my knowledge, in accordance with local laws for the places we visited abroad at the time in 1998. 


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