Tour--Day 7

So today was another travel day, so we got up bright and early, ate breakfast, and headed to Brno at 9 AM. It was a 3 hour bus ride, which, at this point, is not that bad. I kidnapped Avery and dragged him to Tesco so I wouldn't get raped on the way (at least not by a Czech man... you can't trust Avery...). I put together a lunch consisting of a sandwich (which had a ton of mayo and was pretty nasty), dried kumquats (I wanted to try them, but they're definitely not my favorite thing in the world), a drink, and lots and lots and lots of candy. The candy made me very happy. Lots of gummy bears, chocolate and the reemergence of the HAPPY HIPPO (Marissa, I expect a comment on this and I expect it tomorrow). However, unlike in Italy, these were peanut butter, not chocolate flavor, which made them slightly less happy hippos (but only slightly). But the gummy bears were amazing (obviously, they're Haribo!). so it was a pretty decent bus ride. We got to Brno around 12:30 PM and left for our concert in Kromeritz at 1:30 Pm. It was an hour and a half drive which was miserable after the 3 hour bus ride earlier. We got there around 3 and we were going to play in the Grand Hall of the Palace of the princes. We had rehearsal at 3:30 PM and the acoustics were nightmarish (a 4 second reverberation) for playing a Romantic piece like Dvorak 8. But we really couldn't change the program and Fed was grumpy, so he let us go early from rehearsal. Eileen and I were not really in the mood to play Ultimate with Isaac and the other horns so we walked around. Also, my shoes hurt (Nipunn, don't yell at me, I really do like Ultimate). *Cue the music for one of the best moments of my life* So Eileen and I were walking around and bumped into Fed. He asked us where in the world (well, the town) he could get something sweet ("like apple strudel") and the only place we could think of was the ice cream place next to the concert hall. We parted. Eileen and I saw les Cornos sitting with Beaser at said ice cream place. Se we were talking and saw Fed go in. He came out with this giant piece of cake, so Eileen was like "Fed, I see you got your sweet thing." He took a bit and was like, "Yeah, this is good" and then OFFERED BOTH OF US BITES of HIS cake. I was mad good and sweetened by Fed's saliva. We agreed with him that it was good and he said, "Well, then I'll get you a slice too." We assumed he was kidding, but he disappeared and next thing we know, he's handed us a slice of cake. It was amazing. I am in love with a man named Federico Cortese. No joke. So then we actually had the concert. Obviously, the acoustics were bizarre, but all in all, it was better than anticipated. Until after the piece. We were doing bows, etc and I sat down and smashed my reed on the back of my chair. It was horrible. And then I had to fake the encore. I was so happy Jane is my chaperone because I am going to fix up a reed for tomorrow. Oh the joys of a bassoonist.

Tour--Day 6

So we got up this morning and ate breakfast. They have lots of chocolate pastries and the eggs are good, so I was happy. So then we went out to this little town that was about an hour away called Kutna Hora (and we made fun of the name for a solid half hour... oh, we're mature). We went into an old silver mine which was kinda lame-o. But it didn't collapse, and we didn't die, so it was okay. Then Amalia, Avery, Jessica (Jud), and I went to the Cathedral which was amazingly gorgeous (I'm running out of words for beauty). The stained glass windows were okay, but the ceiling was gorgeous. It looked like flowers. Amalia and I then walked around town and ate lots and lots and lots and lots of ice cream (it's so hard to walk by an ice cream stand selling a scoop for 8 Kc (about 50 cents)). We went into this adorable toy store that had lots of little wooden toys. I got a wood pecker that goes down a metal tree and a rolling duck. The Czech Republic/Prague is known for woodworking and they are adorable, so it felt justifiable. We walked around and by 1:30 PM, every store that sold food that wasn't a full meal was closed. So I got a pizza at a little food stand (where I had earlier bought 2 ice cream cones... oops), which fed me for the afternoon. Amalia and I decided to try to speak French when we went into one of the stores and it was amazing how much more the lady respected us (when I told my mom this story, she was like, "well, everyone treated us lovelyly" and I responded, "well, you're also not a teenager. humph") so I think our experiment nicely showed that Europeans like French people more than they like Americans... well, duh. Anyways... so then we went back into Prague and toured the Estates Theatre, where Mozart premiered Don Giovanni. The theatre was absolutely beautiful and the tour guide is my favorite person ever. He was like a combination of my Grandpa and my bassoon teacher (the best of both, trust me). It was pretty crazy. He was really sweet and told us that he was old, so he wouldn't be able to see if we took pictures. So we did. He took us backstage and under the stage and then played piano for us (including the MOLDAU, which, though I am quite sick of, still brings great memories of YS). So then we went on a dinner cruise. The view from the river was really nice, but the food was only mediocre. However, it was great to be seated and outside and not in a bus all at the same time. I was annoyed because I wanted to wear my dress, but Jane told us not to bring them because of the whole silver mining thing. But I wish I had (like everyone else). but that's life. So then we went home and watched Spain beat Germany in the Euro Cup. We pitched it as GBYSO vs. MYWE. Unfortunately, MYWE won... grr.

Tour--Day 5

Today was our second day in Prague. I slept in until 8:30ish (unfortunately on tour, this is sleeping in), ate breakfast, and partied. Okay, not true. Heather, Kenny, Patrick, and I went over to the shopping mall to try to find a Czech jersey. But alas, it was to no avail. The only ones they had were not that attractive, so we chilled and went to the Mozart house, where he spent time in Prague and wrote most of Don Giovanni. The house was very ornate and I saw MOZART'S HAIR! Well, hairs from his wig... but nonetheless, very cool. They also had some of those olden time bassoons so I took a picture (which I don't think was allowed... oops!). We then hung out in Motzie's backyard and took some AMAZING pictures (like Kenny herding... cows... (wow, inside joke, sorry bout that)). We then took the bus into Old town in Prague and got free time. I bought a little bassoon statuette made of glass, which was expensive, but it's a bassoonist, so it's totally worth it. I jusst wish it was a girl, not a guy, but I'll survive. I also got various souvenirs for various people that will not be announced here (and they won't know until they get back from mathcamp...). We then had a rehearsal which was absolutely petrifying. Cecile was sick so I had to coer the first part in the Mahler, including the 3rd movement. Like, I knew the part, so it wasn't horrible, but I was playing most of the stuff in context for the first time. Luckily, Cecile was there for the concert, so the concert went well. But Mark came up to me and told me I did a good job covering and Fed really praised me. And best of all, Fed had his 2-3 year old nephew conduct at the end of rehearsal, which was incredible. We have the beginnings of the next Fed, which is beautiful. I want to marry this kid (ya know, except that he's like 3). We then got a bit of free time for food. Liam, Eileen, and I got gelato and we went to this underground grocery store, where I got a huge bottle of water. Then we had our concert in Smetana Hall, which went surprisingly well. The Mahler kicked some patooty and on top of that, the audience was pretty mch sold out so we even had a good audience. So other than not playing the whole scenario went well. I saw my parents who wonderfully gave me 500 Kc (about 35 dollars) and my mom started to tell me a story about how she saved Fed's life (it turns out that she was on the same train as Fed to Prague on day 4. Apparently she got off the train and someone started to scream asking if anyone spoke Italian. My mom doesn't but she knew that Fed was on the train so she asked for the name on the passport and low and behold it was Fed's. She found a BYSO person and gave it to her. Fed thanked my mummy at this Smetana Hall concert (isn't blogging from the future wonderful?)). But before my mummsy could tell me this fantastic story, I got pulled to go to dinner by a chaperone (aren't they wonderful?). Dinner was rather bizzare (the soup was good, goulash was interesting, and dessert was fruit pasteries, which is lame when it looks like chocolate). And on top of a weird dinner, I sat with STRING players (okay, so it was Amalia, Avery, Sarah, and Jessica), but string and wind players never intermix. Integration is a silly concept. Then we got home and we slept.

Tour--Day 4

So we got up (at least most of us *cough Eileen and Paige cough*) bright and early today to head off to Prague. It was a 4 1/2 hour bus ride, but Prague is amazing so it was actually worth it. We checked into the hotel, which was pretty nice, but since it's not in town, there isn't much we can actually do unless we get on the bus and are taken into town. Except the house that Mozart lived in when he was in Prague is literally 400 meters up the street, which is nice (but more on that tomorrow). At 4ish, we went on a guided tour of Prague. Our guide was very grumpy that we were late and kept reminding us that she would love to show us this, but she was afraid we wouldn't have time. So instead she lectured us about what we would have seen... wonderful. We started in the Castle District which was absolutely gorgeous. We went in theCathedral, which was the most beautiful one I've seen other than in Firenze (YESSS ITALY TRIP). The actual architecture of the castle was magnificent (it was a combination of Renaissance, Baroque, and Medival styles--AMAZING). The view of the city was magnificant. We then walked down the hill and through Old Town. Charles Bridge was a bit scary (though pretty) because there were so many tourists and people selling crap and Prague is known for pickpocketing, but I survived. And anyways, I didn't have any Czech money with me all day. We made it by 7 to see the Astronomical Clock do its thing (it's not flashy, but it was built before people found America, so it is impressive nonetheless). Dinner was in a restaurant built in 1370ish that was part of the castle complex and we got home around 10, at which point I went into the hotel room, and immediately fell asleep. It was so nice.

Tour--Day 3

So today, we slept in a bit and got up around 8:30 AM. I got breakfast in the bistro, which was good. I was uber surprised by how good their eggs were, especially for function eggs. And then we (Laurel, Heather, Rachel, and I) wandered the streets of Leipzig. We talked and shopped. I bought an adorable shirt at H&M (yes, I know that's a store that's in America, but it's European sizing and the shirt was cute). We kept looking around and just sort of incorporated ourselves into the culture. We met this accordion player on the street named Nikolai, who was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Like, oh my god. Laurel and Rachel bought him a rose. And then we talked to him. He spoke no English and our German is horrendous, so the conversation was hysterical yet amazing. I got some gelato on the way which was amazing and a chocolate hazelnut freeze which was a ripoff, but was delicious. But it all as a whole sufficed as a lunch. At 2:30 PM, we left for the Gewandhaus.

The hall is so big. It's really crazy.

We rehearsed Cosi and Beaser and Candide, but not Mahler.

And in case I hadn't mentioned it, I love our section. LOVE... so this is Hillary, who I actually got a picture of, which in itself is an acheivement.

So then the Gewandhaus provided us with a "snack" of spaghetti that was honestly enough for dinner. But the spaghetti was kinda gross. However, I take free food almost anytime; I guess I'm prepping myself for college. We changed and when I was just using the toilet in the bathroom, I had 3 girls yelling at me for changing in the bathroom. When I wasn't. grrrrrr... But that's the nature of BYSO drama. The concert went pretty well. The cosi was really good and it's the last time I'll ever play Cosi Act II, which is kinda sad. The Beaser went better than it's been going in rehearsal and Fed calmed a lot of it down which sounds a lot better. We survived the Mahler and Candide went well as an encore. We got half a standing ovation, which isn't bad for the freaking Gewandhaus. Then we went to dinner (it was like 11:30 PMish...ugh). The food was okay, but they actuallly had dessert without fruit, which made me really happy. We finally got back to the hotel, packed, and girltalked until 2 AM.

Tour--Day 2

So today was our first non-travel day, which made it a ton better. We got up around 7:15 AM and I managed to get the shower to be a shower, which was nice. And I got to use my penguin soap, which automatically made it an absolutely superb morning. We then took a walking tour of Leipzig and saw some of the gorgeous architecture.

This was about 2 minutes from our hotel. The building at the far right was the place all royalty and super special people stayed when visiting Leipzig. The yellow building still hasn't been restored (Leipzig in is East Germany) while the white one has.

This is where Nipunn should stay while in Leipzig (I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with smart people, but I could be wrong)

This is inside of St. Thomas Church, known as the Thomaskirche, where Bach did a lot of his work. The boys choir is celebrating its 800th birthday soon.

There are so many more pictures I took, but I have dialup, so time is money. I felt bad for Heather because she's been so tired that she's sick and couldn't come on the tour. For lunch, we went to the railway station/shopping mall across the street from the hotel and got fruit bowls for 2,95 euro. They were mad good. And then we walked and shopped which was okay, but I always feel awkward shopping in big groups. So then the horns left for their masterclass and Katie and I shopped a bit longer. When we left it was pouring, but we had to get back. So I sprinted and she used the umbrella. I was drenched which felt surprisingly good. And who did I run into at the hotel? LES PARENTS! So I hugged them and all, which made them wet so it was completely worth it. 'Twas great fun. I don't plan on doing it again.
So then we went to rehearsal in this little town outside Leipzig, known as Pegau. It was funny because a lot of the locals came and watched the rehearsal. There was much screaming, fussing, and crying-- wait, no, that was just Fed. And Ben left his mouthpiece in the hotel room so Molly covered and BEASTED his parts. Granted, the rest of the rehearsal other than Cosi was horrible. However, after Cosi, Fed said, "See, when you play like that, I love you" whcih made me feel warm and happy inside.

Then we went for dinner at the Auerbachskeller, which is apparently world famous. The food was good, but I now fully understand why Europeans are so skinny. They only eat fruit for dessert. Continuing with Marissa's food theme:

Yes, it says BSO. Not BYS or BYSO, but BSO. Clearly, this trip has made me be in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. YESSSSSSS.

So to compensate for the only-fruit dessert, we went out for gelato, but the gelateria was closed, so we ended up going to the bistro downstairs. I got the most amazing chocolate ravioli. I love Europe. And then... sleep.

Tour--Day 1

So we flew off for Germany at 9:40 PM and landed in Frankfurt at like 10:40 AM after a really long plane ride consisting of Silent Spring, seeing Paige freak out about flying for the first time, and sleep. And of course, the majority of time was spent thinking, hoping, and dreaming about sleep. But, alas, sleep only happened for about 60-90 minutes. But hey! I survived on less this year...
And then they fed us breakfast, which was rather bland and boring (actually, all of the airplane food was. Nothing's as good as AirFrance). We FINALLY got off the plane.
However, the day was about to get extra better. Next, we had a 4 1/2 hour bus trip to Leipzig! YAY! So we stopped for food and nicely paid a whopping 3,75 euro for a sandwich and soda. That is el cheapo and I was psyched (really, this is the first bit of non-sarcasm in this post, I'm sorry, I'm in a bad mood). We have a nice room in our hotel, but it's kinda sexy. There's no shower door or bathroom door, which would be fine for a married couple, but it was weird for the two of us. It's really rather sketchy. So we went for dinner which consisted of lots of grilled fatty meat. But I'll survive.
Then Heather, Caroline, and I had some good 'ole girl talk and it's off to bed. Sorry about all the complaints, but tour day uno was lame-o.

LEAVING

Okay, so I haven't done much today except packing packing packing, so this'll be short. I got up this morning at about 7 and said bye to my dad who I won't see in the US until July 4th (hopefully). My parents are also coming to Europe, but they're going on there own, so I won't see them too much.
Then I started the mission of packing. And I'm just about done, so it's all good. I was good and made a list and I dug through my parent's bookshelf so I should have some good stuff to read (1984, Siddhartha, and The Diary of Anne Frank) and I'm bringing Silent Spring which has been really good so far. I'm considering Rachel Carson for HF next year, but like always, we'll see.
And now I need to shower, dress, last-minute pack, and go to the airport. Hopefully I can sleep on the plane... and I'll be back on July 5th (maybe the 4th, but I doubt it) or if I can find an internet cafe in Europe, I may try to blog. We'll see.

21 hours... or 1260 minutes... or 75600 seconds... or 745600000 milliseconds

And that is my practice with unit conversion for the day. And tour retreat is not a retreat. I was lying yesterday. It's horrible.
So Fed decided we NEEDED to do Cosi... 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave. But anyways, we got out 25 minutes late, but at least he didn't yell at me. I kind of love that the one day of retreat I actually enjoyed was the one day he yelled at me. But that's just life. So when my parents picked me up, we continued on the epic search for a homestay gift. And FINALLY we succeeded. I got this cute Boston dish towel that sort of chronicles different parts of the city and it's still gender and taste neutral, so I'm really happy. Park Plaza is my best friend. I will not deny it. (That's where I got the gift).
So after that shenanigan was solved, we went home and my mom insisted on shopping. And she now claims that she won't buy anything for herself without me... and I reply that she's not going to have clothing in a year. And of course, I got nothing and she got quite a bit... just my luck.
Granted, then we went to Trader Joe's which made life happier and I got munchies for the tour. And stuff so that I don't accidentally pass out. All useful stuff.
And then the great packing fest began. Much laundry was done; clothing was picked out; a fight about necessity of a reed knife ensued. Much fun was had by all.
And at 7 there was gymnastics. And that improved life immensely. Shawn Johnson won trials and Nastia and Shawn are both off to the Olympics, with 4 teammates to be named in a month. Thank goodness I'm no longer a gymnast. The men's team was named and I'm really angry. 3 of my favorite gymnasts and people who have experience and performed well in trials were alternates. Anger...
So I'm off to Germany today. My flight leaves at 9:40 PM so I have all day to pack and relax. I will be on a blogging hiatus and unlike Marissa, I am not cool enough to publish my journal so there will just be a ten day gap. Deal. There will however be a comprehensive recap upon return (with pictures, I swear!). So this is probably toodles for now. Auf Wiedersehen!

2 DAYS!!!

Okay, so today was a much more enjoyable tour retreat. We did the Dvorak and the Brahm's Hungarian Dance which is pretty cool. And then we played the Beaser. And what's great is that I actually play in those. I know, craziness! And we got free pizza. And I went to Starbucks. That combination just makes me very very very happy.
The best part of this was that I got home and my mommy and I went shopping. Which was awesome. I got a cute pair of shoes, a purse that is "Europe-proof", some of my summer reading books (shikks, the Aeneid is scarrrrryyyyy and long and poetic), and new sheets. Granted, I still don't have a homestay gift, but I have possibilities, it's just figuring out what I want to get.
But the real best part of the day was all the gymnastics on. There was like 5 hours of Olympic Trials on today. It was great. So I might as well say MY olympic team (with 2 alternates):
Shawn Johnson
Nastia Liukin
Alicia Sacramone
Chellsie Memmel
Samantha Peschek
Mattie Larson
Alternates: Jana Bieger, Ivana Hong
Sorry if you have no clue what I'm talking about. I really think that Mattie Larson is absolutely gorgeous and her lines are amazing. Her floor is elegant but her tumbling is really powerful. AND she finished night 1 in 7th. Though I don't actually think she'll make the team, she's going to be a powerhouse in 2009 and beyond. And I just really don't like Jana or Ivana (sorry, but they're just both missing that indescriptable thing). But anyways, that kinda made my day. And I get 2 more hours tomorrow. YAY!

BYSO retreat?

So today was Day 1 of BYSO retreat, which is totally not a retreat. It's like normal rehearsal and free pizza. However, the concert hall is so miserably hot that you need pizza after like an hour, not 3. And worst of all, I barely played. So I was falling asleep but we were playing Mahler so I kept getting rudely awakened by loud trumpets and horns and such. It was rather unpleasant.
And on top of all that, I seriously did not need to be there. Well, technically I did, but I played very little and what I played really didn't matter. But see, we were supposed to be done at 4. Except that Fed decided at 3:50 that he still needed to work on the Cosi fan Tutte overture and 2 arias. So we did the overture, which I don't play in, and the first aria, which I don't play in. By this time it's 4:30. But he persists and I finally play the first note that actually matters at the lovely hour of 4:35. Wonderful... 35 minutes after we were supposed to get freedom. But no, I'm not bitter. But anyways, I'm sorry for being such a whiner. But it was a rather yucky day. And now my mom won't even take me shopping now. BOOOO! Tomorrow will be better...I hope.

AUTOGRAPHS GALORE

Okay, this couldn't wait until a normal hour. So I had a concert tonight in my mom's band, which is basically a whole bunch of old people. Okay, so that's not true but they're all about 40 and older, so I'm definitely the youngest one there by far. But it is a load of fun and it's a community band so it counts as community service, and all that good stuff. But anyways, at intermission, this kid (probably 9 or 10ish) brought the back of a cardboard box from an ice cream package and started asking everyone, "Can I have your autograph?" It was ridiculously adorable. Anyways, so the clarinet player goes, "Well, what instrument do you play?" And the kid goes "I don't play an instrument" and the clarinetist was just like "oh... well, it's never too late to start..." But the kid was quite adorable. It was great.
And then I went home and did more summer chem homework. I only have one page left and it's stoicheometry and is really easy. So I'm kind of psyched. PLUS, I have BYSO from 10 to 4 tomorrow, which automatically makes it a better day even though we're playing Mahler, or I'm not playing Mahler. But whatever, it will be a joyous bassoon reunion for our section 2007-2009. Perhaps I'll bring the camera.

4 DAYS!!!

So, yeah, there are thankfully only 4 days until tour! Yes, 4! I can't really believe it. But yet, I can. And today's really my last day of freedom from parents and GBYSO and all. And what did I do? I slept in until 11, which was great because I haven't been going to bed until after midnight recently. See, my mommy didn't want to write notes to her kids, but she does every year, so I told her she should. So she is, but I now feel bad for guilting her to do that. So I stay up with her and do random stuff around midnight. Like more chem homework. Don't yell at me Nipunn. It's only because I still have a lot of APES to do. So I'm not going to let your guilt trips get to me. Oh, and I also talked to Yi. Yes, it's awkward. But it's also fun and much better than our conversations used to be, so it's work the sacrifice. Hmm, what else?
Oh, right... Yalta came in SECOND at nationals and Seneca Falls came in FIRST which is absolutely insane. And I'm so psyched for HF 2.0-Melody edition. I just want to get started like...now. Let's see, what else?
I cleaned the front room and all my school stuff has been retired to my room. I tried to call driver's ed places but kept getting busy lines. Grrr....
And best of all, I found out that I am back into GBYSO for another year. I was nervous because my audition was rather not good, but apparently it sufficed. So our section should be AMAZING for another year. Seriously, it's going to be so kickass. Mahler 5, Rite of Spring, Marriage of Figaro. Like seriously kickass. I can't wait. So now it's just seeing who else got in (crossing fingers).

FIRST POST!

Okay, so I'm going to try this whole blogging thing. I've enjoyed reading Marissa's blog for long enough and I figure I might as well start to chronicle my senior year starting now. I guarantee you I will not be blogging daily (though I will try) but hopefully this will suffice as a stress-reliever while I'm applying and not getting into colleges.
So, I guess I'll start with yesterday. I finished my english final which made me a SENIOR! Thanks goodness. I'm done with junior year. And then I walked home--2 whole miles. I was rather proud of myself. Oh, and I stopped at Stop and Shop and spent 84 cents. Yes, only 84! And I got my snack for the rest of the way home which included the best plum I had ever had. It was fabulous. And then I chilled at home. And chilling implies that I started my summer chem homework. Because I'm a bit nuts and all.
And then today... my mom got me up at 6:15 AM because I may have forgotten to turn off my alarm... oops. So I came downstairs and slept somemore. And then I had to go back to school because I may have forgotten to bring Death of a Salesman to my english final. And then I walked home again-- I was happy, I got Dunkin Donuts. And then I got home and started this blog!!! YAY!
So here's an awesome song that Nipunn sent me Monday night. We both feel like there's some political connotation, but I can't put my finger on it. http://www.musicremedy.com/audio/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowAudioPlayer&AudioId=21873&Quality=5. It's called Handlebars by Flobots. Any insight is more than welcome.