> Back to Tour home
MAY 21, 2004 - PRAGUE

By Sarah Ricks, Drake Choir President, senior soprano

As the second Friday of our tour rolled around, we were awakened by a beautiful hail/rain storm. My roommate, Megan Sankey, and I went out to our balcony and watched. From our covered perch, it was really cool to watch!

Our one night stay in Linz was followed by a wonderful European carbohydrate-rich breakfast and strong coffee. We began our cross-country travels by stopping at St. Florian Abbey, where Anton Bruckner had been a choirboy and organist and where he is buried. We toured this beautiful monastery, which, like Melk Abbey, also housed many state rooms used by the Hapsburg family. The display devoted to Bruckner contained furniture from his apartment, his death mask and other interesting artifacts. I really enjoyed the Mamorsaal, which contained a gorgeous fresco ceiling. The artist had created an optical illusion, so that, as we moved around the room, the central figure seemed to move with us.

We ended the tour by going into the oldest part of the Abbey - the crypt. We saw ornate coffins and tombstones, as well as the simple burial sites of the monks who have lived and worked in this Augustinian monastery. The last room of the crypt is situated directly below the enormous pipe organ (with 7,400 pipes) that Anton Bruckner loved. His desire to be buried at his beloved St. Florian was granted, and it was moving to stand at his gravesite.

Along the wall in that same room was a mass of bones and skulls, the remains of people of both the monastery and the town who have died over the past 800 years. (We had seen the same type of display in Halstatt.)

We returned to the Abbey church to sing "Os justi," the Drake Choir's signature piece, which was written in the 1860s by Bruckner. As we stood in a circle and sang, I couldn't help but wonder what Bruckner himself would have said about his piece. "Os justi" means so much to us as a choir. I hope we do it justice each time we perform it.

After a stop at a Billa supermarket, we were back on our journey to our final destination-Prague. We arrived at our new "home" at around 6:00 p.m. and scurried to unpack before our group dinner in the hotel restaurant.

The officers and section leaders met with Dr. ABC to take the pulse of the choir on the last leg of this tour. We decided that I, as President, would address the choir about why we really are here and how we can serve each other on a human basis every day. During dinner we heard from Ray Brown, our tour manager, and ABC about details of the next day and the many ways we have made them proud of the choir. I was honored to read a farewell letter from Heaven Tutson, addressed to the entire choir. Then I gave some thoughts on working together to make the most of the rest of our time in Europe.

Many people headed to the local pubs and internet cafes. I had a relaxing time at the Internet café, followed by a visit to a techno pub. Lights were out early. I can't wait for tomorrow. Time is going too fast!

> Photos