Blog: News and Views

Closing the circle

I awoke this morning with mixed feelings. Today we close the circle on the second half of our tour by returning to the Prague airport. Some of us are not flying back immediately and I found part of myself wishing I could return with most of the group back to Vancouver and family. My room-mate was wondering if he'd make the ferry to Maine Island tonight...Goin' home, goin' home...

The petals are falling, scattering in the wind.

Had to rush breakfast in order to pick up my laundry around the corner and up a block from the Hotel across the street from the Casino. My stuff had been sitting there since Thursday and it was supposed to open at 8:00a.m., an hour before our departure time. Arrived to find a locked door at ten past and  I began having visions of having to buy some new shirts, socks and underwear in London, when a woman called from down the street, puffing as she walked up the hill to the shop. In Czech, I guessed she was apologising and telling why she was late. Everything was neatly folded and ironed. I walked back enjoying the fragrant linden trees one last time.

If our tour was like a flower garden, some of the prettiest flowers bloomed only yesterday. In Dresden, we gave two unscheduled concerts in the largest churches in the city center. We began the first at the Frauenkirche, with such discretion, beginning only with plainchant, and giving any possible objectors a chance to talk to us, but none did and so we continued. People sat immediately, and I quickly spied a person in tears beside me. I could no longer sing but choked with emotion; the glorious newly reconstructed church, such a modern symbol of enduring patience and resurrection resonating about me... our time together drawing to a close.. other reasons came to mind, as I struggled to remember some way of breathing calmly.

Repacking. Only today, it's clear which music we didn't need: Bard repertoire, Murray Schafer, quite a bit of Canadiana. Oh well, we were well prepared! Everything fit in the luggage compartments of the bus and we were off. The bus did not take the four lane toll highway but wound around and through the hills of the pretty countryside on the two lane highways we've spent many hours travelling, on our circuit. Eventually we joined the bigger highway and were suddenly at the airport. It looked brighter and much newer in the daylight.

The flight arrived early in London and it came time to say goodbye at one fork in the corridors. Our common direction and purpose were over. Others had already left individually for other European destinations earlier in the day, but there was a clump of us, me included splitting off here. Many petals flying in the wind, and the rest, all soon to be scattered.

I checked my watch just before turning off the light in my unfamiliar bedroom. It was just past mid-night, which meant it was just after 4 p.m. in Vancouver, and the plane still had a couple of hours to go.

What a dandy lion time we've had!

Posted by Peter Spira on July 12, 2008 at 9:17 AM
Filed in: Tour Diaries | Permanent Link

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