OH MY GOD I HAVE THE INTERNET

There has been no time. To breath, to sleep, to do anything but eat 17 course meals (for Inbal and I, pretty much always bread, pasta, tomato and mozzarella and grilled veggies....mmm the wide variety of veggie options in europe!), sing, dance, walk miles and miles (usually lost and holding out maps like the amazing tourists we are), drink too much, take in so much beauty you end up pretty much being immune to it after a while (oh my goodness, we are on another mountain top overlooking a beautiful city built into the mountain and valley and breathtaking cliffs and the mediterranean sea AGAIN I CANNOT EVEN TAKE IT) and be exhausted by the dramadramadramadramadrama of having 36 performers spending every second of their life together. I've been yearning for the internet for days but we only have one or two hours of free time at a time on this trip and who can really sit in front of a computer screen when you're in friggin ITALY?! Answer: probably me because I am an addict, but it's alright, my loving friends stopped me.

Some highlights from the trip:


The concerts were SO BEAUTIFUL. We ate dinner in taormina at the top of a mountain looking over the mediterranean, singing for the waitstaff and making asses out of ourselves as usual, though they seemed very appreciative. I have learned basically no italian so far except for a few words, including gratsie; I pretty much just thank everyone everywhere I go, even if it makes no sense to do so. We walked down 500 steps on the side of the mountain to reach the gorgeous little church, filled to the brim after NARD's promoting outside, and the priest took us all out for gelato afterward. We saw a lady in the other room salsa dancing with herself, and it looked as if her nipples were showing very clearly through her shirt. Nick of course went to dance crazily with her for a while and allayed all of our fears by discovering it was just, in fact, poorly placed polka dots.

In our hotel in Taormina, we were able to drink on the private beach, then go out to the bars. After hips and harmony members broke out into an impromptu version of be my baby, the concierge finally had enough and came out to scream at us in rapid fire italian. We met Canadians, Nella and Stuart, who we hung out with for our stay in Taormina and were amaaaazing. Hopefully we will meet more and more friends to spend the time with once we're on our own. We got in so much trouble for making noise when we returned that the concierge made us all chip in to pay for a room that a bitchy brit couple left at 2 in the morning complaining of not being able to sleep. Jordan tried to talk them down the night before, explaining we were a choir that hadn't seen eachother in a while. They proclaimed that we "weren't ACTING like a choir". Whatever guys, you obviously know nothing about the performing types.

Beach day in Taormina resulted in an unexpected meeting with miss Sarah Hanlon, a former chamber singer who was there for one day as her cruise ship docked. Crazy! We took pics with our traveling Reagan on the beach that we will try and upload soon; he really is having a lovely time! I haven't even gotten a sunburn yet because i am a freak about spf 50 sunblock. An italian waiter told me I looked italian the other day and I yelled FALSE in his face without even really thinking about you know, being rude. We laughed and laughed.

ps Fiona, I am slowly spreading false and true statement to europe..I've already got a few chamber singers doing it, hoooorayyy!

In sorrento we participated in a catholic mass. Yes, they really are just as boring in italian, it's true. Also had my first taste of limoncello, a lemon liquor that is famous in sorrento. Got an entire bottle for myself because it is frackin delicious, but don't worry mom, I would never drink it all in one night!

Pompeii was hilarious; our tour guide spent the entire time talking about the brothels and the sex lives of the pompeii people. We saw pictures on the wall of the brothel of people having sex in different positions. When you go in, you can point at which one you want, like a mcdonalds menu, hooray! Life was so much simpler, then...haahaaaaaa.

And then there was Rome. Amazing concert where Leia and I cried about 47 times, honestly the best we've ever sounded. Saw a marching band on the spanish steps, relaxed by the beautiful trevi fountain and played I spy using tourists as subjects (I spy with my little eye a man that looks like tom hanks from castaway, go!). Inbal, Les and I had some idiot moves as we were walking around as night, as well as getting lost during the day. Ah well, we saw the colloseum at night and it was beautiful. Reagan enjoyed all of these sights, and also found love at the trevi fountain heck yes!

We sang crazy songs on the bus ride home, gave speeches, entertained requests from our tour guide to hear "something like age of aquarius, or the beach boys!" and just overall had a good time. Nick moran, who the entire trip was the king of the bus, was overthrown in a violent coup. Here was his song, before his terrible fall

The King of the Bus Song
(Nick) I'm the king of the bus!
(the people) The king of the bus, he's better than us!
(Nick) I'm the king of the bus!
(the people) The king of the bus, he's better than us!
(Nick) I'll throw you into oblivion
I'll cast you into the sea
I never go to toilets
cause toilets come to me!


Rob line as his second in command was pretty much the best thing ever. The entire choir went out, running like 36 crazy people the three quarters of the mile to the metro to reach the last train with only 7 minutes to spare. Everyone got crazy drunk, I stole a shot glass from the bar because they were making us leave so early and there was no way I was going to finish another double shot of tequila in that moment. Talked to skeevy italian man named Giovanni; Leslie referred to me as Teets and he said "oh, I will not look at your Teets, only your beautiful eyes" hahaHA..my last name never gets old. Left the square at 2AM, everyone shitty drunk, forcing Leslie to sing joni songs with me so she wouldn't give up, somehow getting everyone in taxis and home for our 3am curfew (where the nuns we are staying with lock the doors and that's the end of it, you're on the streeet) with 10 minutes to spare.

The chamber leg of this journey was great but i'm so excited to see lu and joe today and go off on our own. Right now I have 5 euro in my pocket and this internet is already up to £4.15 because I like to write epic, epic entries. I will email people who have emailed me back soon, but right now I'm pretty sure if I don't eat or drink I am going to faint. Love and miss you all, WE ARE ON OUR OWN... SCARRRYYYYYYYY!

Kristine and Inbal!