EUBO Takes to the Skies

Zefira passing time at the gate.

Wednesday morning. An early breakfast, a quick double-check of our hotel rooms and then the orchestra headed to the bus for Luxembourg airport. Leaving exactly on time at 8:15 (something, I gather, worth noting) we have had an uneventful ride to Barcelona. Except for Hilla being caught at airport security with a knife in her bag. She said she wanted to be prepared for anything...

As we passed Cadaqués in our Luxair Bombardier Q400 (a Canadian aircraft!), Roldán exclaimed that Cadaqués was the birthplace of the Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. Roldán might be wrong, he says, but he's 100% sure I spelled Dalí's name correctly.

From Barcelona we took a rather long bus ride to Puigcerdà but we were happy to be welcomed by a swimming pool at the hotel.(!)

     

Wheels Down in Barcelona

2 Guys, 3 Sandals

Guillermo, cello, and Roldán, violin, went down to the river yesterday evening for a swim. We had all learned from previous trips to the banks of the river that the rocky bed wasn't very comfortable to walk on barefoot so the dynamic duo decided to wear their flip flops into the river with them. Guillermo's sandals have a slippery lining on the inside and he was worried that they might fall off in the water. So, he asked Roldán if he could borrow one of his.

Picture two guys in their bathing trunks hopping on one foot into the water. Right.

Missing in Action

Rafael, one of Eubo's three violists, came to Luxembourg by plane this past Monday. Unfortunately for him, his luggage was lost and he had to cope for the first day of rehearsals with what he managed to carry with him on the plane. Yesterday, Wednesday, a suitcase appeared for him at the Hotel des Ardennes with someone else's name on it. No one was registered at the hotel under the name on the delivered suitcase and the airline didn't seem to be able know what was going on when Raf called them. Lucky for him, he will be reimbursed for up to 50€ worth of clothing per day until his luggage is delivered.

To add to the airline troubles, our principal second violinist, Roldán, had his first flight of the day cancelled yesterday in Lannion, Brittany. After taking a taxi to Brest, he managed to get an evening flight to Paris and then took the train the rest of the way. Arriving to Echternach on the last bus of the day, Roldán looked pretty pooped when he waltzed into the hotel bar close to midnight.

Rehearsing in Full

After a full day of strings-only rehearsals, the orchestra was joined Wednesday evening by its three reed players. Lucky for me, I managed to arrive to listen to the tail-end of the final rehearsal and meet the group as they headed out for a picnic by a picturesque lake not far from town. Though the distance between the Trifolion and our destination was not, as we discovered on the return journey, very far, the gang's team-building exercise in geography (map and compass frequently changing hands) may have extended the trip enough to warrant a leap at the food and drink upon arrival.