June 29: A day at Festival Strážnice 2019 (and more adventures)
- ZachdeBesche
- Jun 30, 2019
- 3 min read
Day 4:
Sophie + Emmie
Sophie:
We went to a music festival today! Many people were wearing their traditional clothing. They sang, danced and played instruments. There were double basses, violins, bagpipes and an accordion! People were also displaying their artisanal traditions. They made barrels, baskets, bricks, clay pots and more!
We saw a performance by the same group of people that we met yesterday, and said goodbye to them. In this area of the Czech Republic, every village has its own traditional songs and clothing. We have learned a great deal about those cultures in the past few days, and I am looking forward to learning more. For lunch, we split into groups and bought food from the vendors at the festival.
My group ate from a cart selling roasted meat-based dishes. The food here is delicious.
The second half of today was quite eventful. On the way to Tal’s concert, our bus broke down. Tal (our collaborative pianist) needed to get to the venue for his performance as soon as possible, so the staff decided to send Tal in a taxi. The staff sent Emmie and Sarah with Tal (and with Emmie’s mother’s permission and instruction), so that Emmie could translate for him at the hotel. The rest of us walked to a nearby golf resort to wait while the bus got fixed.
The golf resort kindly let us eat dinner there, and we sang for them to thank them. Once dinner was over, the bus was working again and we miraculously made it to Brno to surprise Tal at his concert. We arrived just in time to perform in it with him, and performed a sort of encore. It was thrilling! Even though there were many logistical difficulties, we were able to persevere and make the best of it!
-Sophie
Emmie, in “Through the City I Know Very Well”
Let’s take a time travel back to when the bus broke down and no one knew what to do. We started to file outside into the wind and the shade, and a group of singers were sitting in the shade singing a song. Our tour guide, who is my mom, Daniela, was on the phone trying to figure out what was going on.
I, (Emmie), walked over to her and asked if there was anything I could do to help. I did not expect her to say that I would be Tal’s translator in the taxi, the hostel, and the concert hall, since I speak Czech like my mom. I brought Sarah, my trusted section leader and good friend, with me for moral support. The rest of the group walked to a golf resort while we waited for the taxi. This was a taxing time for all of us, and the only way we figured to deal with our stress was puns and jokes!
Once we arrived at the hostel and got Tal checked in, we took the tiny elevator to the fourth floor and were AMAZED. The room was a lot nicer and bigger than we had anticipated for the size of the reception, and the view was absolutely INCREDIBLE. We were excited for the rest of the group to join us so we could show them where they will be staying for the next two nights! Sarah and I filled up our water bottles, and relaxed while Tal was getting ready. We enjoyed the view immensely, and after a stressful few hours, we had our reprieve.
Once Tal was ready for his performance, we took him to the concert hall and left him in the hands of the organizer, we met with a few friends that I have here in the Czech Republic. They took us to Forky’s, a wonderful vegan restaurant in the center of Brno, and then, since we had a lot of time we went on an entirely private, personal tour, led by people who live here! We went to visit all of my favorite landmarks, such as Petrov cathedral and Špilberk castle.
These are all places that I know, but seeing Sarah marvel over them with such awe and happiness warmed my heart. I realize that most Americans, at least the ones in the choir, are just amazed at the beauty of my country, and that makes me very very happy.
-Emmie
Singer(s) of the day today: Kevin and Sarah for being SUPER helpful getting Tal's things from the bus when he needed them to perform his concert.
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