Sunday, August 7
It was a dark and stormy night on the north coasts of Scotland, but this is not relevant to the story because we were in southern Poland, where the morning sun shone warm and bright. Unfortunately, sleep last night for many was interrupted because of loud noises outside or smoke smells. That didn’t seem to bother our fine chef, as he had the ironing boards set up and a breakfast spread out beside the bus by 7:30. (That’s what ironing boards are for, right?)
We got to the church well ahead of schedule. This happened several times today, so Hope Singers must be turning over a new leaf.
The service in Czestochowa was attended by several different congregations. The enthusiastic audience gave us the energy for a great program. After we finished, we were all given an apple with a thank you note fastened on it.
We were told that we couldn’t leave the church until the lunch table was cleaned up. We did our best, and enjoyed some of the best salads and cakes in the world. They also served borsch and another soup that was more difficult for some to stomach. (Ever tasted tripe?)
Our evening concert was in Bielsk-Biala, a city not too far from the Czech Republic. It was a wonderful experience to sing in the beautiful auditorium of a music school.
Just for the record- this morning ‘Blind Bartimaeus’ was almost left by the side of the road, thanks to the sopranos (yikes!), but tonight, he was rewarded with some alms given to him by the soprano on his far left. This might be a money making business!
Our hosts tonight were ever so kind to serve us cakes and other delicious dainties before the program, and then a full meal of bigos, salads, and all other glorious things that go with it after the concert.
We had over an hour to drive to get to our beds tonight, but we were highly entertained by Dave and Jewel reciting ‘The Big Brag’ and Karl reading ‘Gertrude, the Governess’.
~ Carolyn Good