Some photos from Spain!

Home Safe and Sound

We returned all in one piece to Colby last night around midnight (Well, not entirely in one piece. We lost many MA resident choralers at the airport in Boston).

I will offer the briefest of recaps to give you a few last glimpses of what we have seen and done on our trip, flip-book style (i.e. sentences fragments):

[Disclaimer: this account is somewhat biased towards my experiences as I am, well, me and not the embodiment of the entire chorale.]

Saturday: Bus. Plane. Plane. Bus. Dinner. Crash.

Sunday: Hundreds of red and white arches in the Cordoba Mosque-Cathedral and dinner on the town in Sevilla.

Monday: In the cathedral in Sevilla where the 130 grams that remain of Christopher Columbus rest, sunshine and the bus to Granada.

Tuesday: Sunny wanderings of Granada, small Spanish children chasing giant bubbles and charming Santa Fe.

Wednesday: The intricate and extensive plaster carvings that cover the walls of the Moorish Alhanbra Palace, the surprisingly ornate marble work in the Monasterio de la Cartuja and a standing ovation in Sagrado Corazon.

Thursday: Bus sing-along to Fuengirola. Beach, beach, beach, pub.

Friday: Running through Malaga’s Teatro Romano before the bus leaves without us (don’t worry, we made it). Then, what other than beach and diving into the Mediterranean and singing karaoke until you lose your voice.

Saturday: We said farewell to sunny Spain, having learned to say words like please (por favor), thank you (gracias) and crumbs (migas). Bus. Plane. Plane. Bus. Using the travel time to catch up on journaling. Burger King from the Kennebunk reststop is a far cry from Spanish paella. But we are back in Maine where the snow is nearly melted…

Lauren

And so, at the end

I'm actually a little bit sad that my turn to edit the blog didn't come on Wednesday, when Trip and I ran through the pomegranate-like streets of Granada (thus the name; Granada = pomegranate) up to the top of a hill overlooking the Alhambra, or on Sunday when we sang for the first time in in the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba and the scope of this opportunity literally boggled my mind.

That said, though, I'm really just sad that today's adventure will inevitably overshadow yesterday's - I certainly can't claim that the frantic sprint through Malaga isn't worthy of the limelight: in a desperate attempt to be better tourists before the bus left, we ran through a Roman theater, a 12th century castle, and a significant section of back streets in the 13 minutes before the bus left.

Really, I'm just miffed at having to represent the entire chorale when fully half of the group was several cities away. I don't really feel qualified to speak to their experience, so, to quote verbatim, "The morning was a bit overcast, but the beach was great all afternoon."

I can, however, talk at length about the day after the rest of us returned from touring the cathedral (where we busked - sang where no one asked us), the art museum (where, out of respect for the Picasso exhibit, we did not), and the rest of Malaga. The Chorale squeezed an entire day's worth of beach into the the few hours remaining before the sun went down - think body surfing, tanning, and beach soccer.

The farewell dinner merits a post all its own - I'll try to do it justice, but it's hard to capture. So, over the course of a phenomenal dinner, there were congratulations all around (those for Paul, our chaperones, and Luigi our guide were particularly merited), a revisiting of old songs, and liberal conversation, though I think the half-hour of meringue was my favorite.

Anyway, we're off to sing karaoke, so I should close this quickly - it's the last night of a fantastic tour and there's more celebrating left to do. Congratulations all around, Colby chorale.

Becca and Margaret´s Excellent Adventure (part 2)

Yesterday morning was our last morning in Granada. We chose to sleep in until 9, but others decided to get up early to take in some last minute sight-seeing before the bus left at 11:15. After that, it was a straight shot to Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. We got there with plenty of time to sunbathe on the glorious beach right across the street from our hotel. Once the sun started to go down, a lot of us took the opportunity to partake of siesta for a few hours. We´re really getting into the Spanish lifestyle.

We had dinner on our own last night, but the majority of us all ended up at the same British pub later in the evening. We more or less dominted the space (as you might expect fifty college kids to do), and the DJ played plenty of American pop music for us. It was when we heard "Born in the U.S.A." blasting from the speakers that we knew they liked us. We walked back to the hotel at the end of the night with our ears ringing and our voices gone, exhausted from having danced the night away.

Sorry this post comes a little late - somewhere between dinner and dancing we forgot to fill you in.

“Christopher Columbus traveled the ocean to found the new world America…now, they come back to us”

Sorry for the mix-up on Tuesday, readers. I understand there was no posting, and that was due to some technical difficulties.

“Christopher Columbus traveled the ocean to found the new world America…now, they come back to us”

The above quote was a chant of adulation from one of the fans today during our performance in a Granada church. Like the Dan Brown and David Chase, however, I will have to leave the quote as a cliff-hanger so you, the readers, will have to endure this entire blog to see how this all fits together: sort of like watching Memento, but worse. Bwahahahahahahahahaha.

Today was a pretty much a free day. I thanked Jesus Christ in a sleepy growl that there was no wake-up call to pierce through my dreams and turn them into adrenaline-packed scenes where I hit the decks as my submarine is under nuclear threat from Red October, and was able to sleep-in. The students took advantage of this free time to see the streets and culture of Granada. Many saw Cathedrals as their cultural focus, and others chose to meander around the winding streets and soak up the culture first-hand. I was one of these ladder students, analyzing the striking similarities to Americans as moms dragged their children to school or the doctors, and as friends walked to lunch together.

This free time lasted until 5:15pm, where we had to be dressed in our concert attire and on the bus heading towards a Granada church. We traveled for a small amount of time to the city, where we disembarked and entered the amazing church. The town here was sleepy, but we took much pride in the many posters that decorated the walls of shops, markets, and even the Church. Upon our entry, we were met by a large tan stone gazebo in the center of the church. Flanking the gazebo in the transept (where the church shoots off into two large rooms) were two large areas of prayer with giant religious pictures and candles to lead the dead to the light. The dome took up the majority of the church, encompassing the brightly colored altar and some ornate candles that were in descending order like the singular commercials. Jettisoning from the front of the dome, almost launching at us, were two amazingly decorated pulpits (one used for the apostles and the other for the gospel readings). There was a central desk from which the Priest spoke from. He was intricately adorned in a purple cloak that covered his entire body and his words though in another language, seemed lyrical and his demeanor erudite.

We were stationed in the Nave just before the transept almost parallel to the congregation, however we were facing the priest at an angle, thus intersecting the congregation and not totally parallel. The Nave was not decorated but had an austere atmosphere to it: large stone columns and much open space. It was from here that we sang two songs for the service (one for communion) as a predecessor to our concert, which began some time after the congregation had taken the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Paul led us up to the stairs in front of the altar, and with the dome at our backs, we effortlessly sang the sacred Gregorian chants, captivating our audience more and more with each passing song.

Our concert was divided into two domains: the ‘sacred’ and the ‘American folk song’ sections, the first having most about 6-7 and the last having about 3-4 songs. The crowd’s enthusiasm for our presence and our gift of music exponentially increased with each successive performance, and it was not only our voices that echoed off the stone walls of the lofted and rounded ceiling. Their claps followed our voices as the sound waves found escape tunnels in the ceiling and bolted for the heavens.

The congregation’s love for our songs and appreciation for our concert was not cemented in loud hand collisions, but through the words of some of its members. For example, one man came up to our director Paul and said the above quote which I will repeat due to the large interval of Victorian language I enjoy in spicing up my works. He said, “Christopher Columbus traveled the ocean to found the new world America…now, they come back to us”. See? Told you I would come back to this…unlike the gunshot at the end of the Sopranos. Now as a historian I must point out that the Spanish explorers founded Hispaniola and the South Americas (there was Florida also), but nonetheless the message rang as clear as church bells in a sleepy town: we are returning the favor to our creators in the form of beautiful music. It is always good to hear exoneration from an audience, and this one has been the best form so far.

The night was concluded with more free time, of which I took advantage and accompanied a group to a quaint restaurant where we had profoundly intelligent conversations until curfew. I had a feeling the owner enjoyed our company, and we enjoyed the food and atmosphere of the place. It was a good conclusion to a good night.

Well, readers, thanks for taking the time to glance at this posting. This is an amazing blog, and I feel honored to write on the same electronic table that other members of the Choir get to write on, and be a part of the Colby Chorale historical experience. I hope it has not been too long for you, for I have taken much time to edit my post down so that one does not fall asleep reading it or put it down after the first page like one does when given the daunting task of analyzing War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, or Out of Africa. Not to dismember these exquisite works, but I feel a connection with others when I boast about starting these books and finding myself in the end watching the Daily Show, or just slipping it under my bed so as to put it out of mind. Thank you again for reading, and I hope you are all enjoying the blog postings.

Sincerely,

Matt

Touring Granada

Today began bright and early with a tour of Spain's most visited tourist attraction, the Alhambra. This exquisite palace/fortress represents the height of Moorish architecture during their occupation of Granada centuries ago. The palaces sport materials from red stone to marble to alabaster to mahogany and everything else that implies power and fortune. Our tour also brought us around the grounds of the palace, the "generalife", where the architecture and decor from inside spilled into the well manicured gardens.

With the afternoon to ourselves and the weather getting warmer by the hour, many of us decided to explore Granada. On a recommendation from yours truly, several groups set out in search of the Monastery de la Cartuja on the outskirts of town. Although I haven't spoken to anyone who saw it today about his or her visit, I can assure you that if their experiences were anything like the one I had there yesterday, then it is an unexpected highlight of the tour.

I spent my afternoon wandering through the art district and the Moorish neighborhood in the center of the city. Tea shops and artistic graffiti are the norm in this part of Granada. After the very early start we had this morning at the Alhambra, I was ready to partake in a Spanish tradition--the siesta.

Fast forward to our final concert of the tour, which took place tonight at the University of Granada chapel. Our performance began just after evening Mass and we were shocked to have a full house! The space did incredible things for our music, resounding it around the chapel in an angelic echo. The audience is also partly responsible for the success of our concert; there were positive reactions to every piece, and a few "muy bueno's" from the more vocal attendants. A few people were even singing along to our Spanish repertoire! The response merited not one but TWO encore pieces and a standing ovation. I don't think we could have asked for a better final concert, and I'm sure everyone feels that our upcoming days on the beach are very well deserved.



Kendall

An Interesting Blog....by Liz Davidson

Hello Family and friends!!!

Here we are, in Granada looking forward to 2 more great concerts and a lot of fun in sunny Spain. Yesterday we had an amazing tour in Seville of the Cathedral and the Alcazar palace. They were both enormous and beautiful in their own ways. The mix of different architecture styles, as well as interior design (for all you HGTV buffs) made for a wonderful all around experience. On our way from place to place, we provided some beautiful music to a courtyard of people. Even the people living in the apartments above us enjoyed the show.

Last night at dinner, Paul informed us that one of the audience members at our concert at the Mosque Cathedral on Sunday was the Spanish equivalent to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank! He requested several encores!! Apparently, we are representing our country and school well.

After our tours in Seville yesterday, we were able to explore the cities on our own! Some of my friends and I wandered around the city, getting slightly lost and enjoying finding our way back. We poked into shops, ate some lunch and ice cream, and soon called it a day to head to the bus.

A bus ride, a fun night, and a morning later, we are heading out to explore the city of Granada! Wish us luck as we invariably get lost in another city.

That's all folks!

Liz

Pictures from Cordoba!

Becca and Margaret's Excellent Adventure (Part 1)

It's our first full day in Spain! Today, we woke up bright and early (8:30 am) for a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and then headed out to Cordoba by bus. We got there with plenty of time to warm up before the one o'clock mass in one of the most beautiful spaces any of us had ever performed in, the Mosque Cathedral. Even though Paul was worried about the carpet interfering with our sound, we performed each piece beautifully, and the priest even complimented our "Salve Regina", telling us how wonderful our interpretation was. Apparently "I Can Tell the World", which we performed last in a more or less spontaneous decision by Paul, stood out for the priest as well.

"I liked the 'I Can Tell the Nations,'" he told us. "You," (pointing at the men), "said, 'My lord done just what he said,' and you," (pointing at the women), "said 'Yes he did.'" At least we know our diction was good.

Following our performance, we split up to take tours of the cathedral, led by two different Luis's. Both of our tour guides were fountains of knowledge as they explained everything about the building itself as well as the surrounding city. After that, we were released into Cordoba to explore and get lunch. The two of us, along with some friends, decided to try a selection of tapas at a pleasant outdoor restaurant. It was an adventure in language gaps, but everything we ordered was delicious, and we didn't come off as too clueless (we hope). We had just enough time to get some helado (that's ice cream for all you gringos) before fighting our way past hoards of people there for a "Cordoba 2016" event and hopping back on the bus to head back to the hotel.

We'd write more, but we're hungry, and we're heading out to explore Sevilla and get some food.

Hasta luego!

xoxo Becca & Margaret

Arrived at Last!

After a long day a driving down from Colby, flying out of Logan, transferring in Zurich, and landing in Malaga Airport in Spain, we've finally made it to our hotel in Sevilla. It has been a tiring day, but luckily we had no hiccups in transit and we've made it to Spain safe and sound. We've just finished a delicious three course meal at the restaurant in our hotel, and now we're back in our rooms to get a bit of much-needed shut eye. Despite the exhaustion from travelling, everyone is so excited to be here (it was 70 and sunny today), to experience Spanish culture over the next week, and to sing in our first concert tomorrow. But, as I've said, we're tired, so it's time to go to bed. Goodnight.

p.s. Every day this week a different student will post an entry to the blog, so keep your eyes open!

And we're off!

By this afternoon, we'll be on our way to Spain. First comes the bus ride to Boston, followed by a flight to Malaga through Zurich, and lastly a bus to Seville, where we have dinner and head to bed before our first concert the next day. There's a lot of travelling ahead, but everyone is looking forward to the trip. Those of us who were around for the tour to Argentina remember how much fun spring break with the Chorale is. The rest are just going to have to discover how great it is.

In Argentina we had some truly wonderful performances and some great experiences. I have no doubt that Spain will prove as fun and exciting. We have a great trip planned, and we'll be trying to bring you updates as we travel along. For now, an early bedtime and some last minute packing will get us started on this tour. Next time we post, we'll be in Spain!

Two Weeks To Go!

With two weeks until spring break, the whole Chorale is getting the urge to travel. We're looking over our itinerary, looking to see where our hotels are, and bringing our swim trunks out of mothballs. And of course we're making sure that our singing is excellent.

The excitement is growing, and for good reason. We'll be visting Sevilla, Cordoba, and Granada, and we'll end the tour with a restful day at Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. We'll be singing in the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, and taking a tour of the Alhambra in Granada. The tour promises to be full of fun and song, and everyone is looking forward to it.

More as we get closer!