Singing City Notes

We arrived in Belgrade yesterday afternoon after a long, but uneventful, journey from Philadelphia via Franfurt. We were greeted at the airport by Dragsna, our courier for the trip. We did not waste any time. Upon leaving the airport the coach stopped to pick up our two tour guides for the afternoon. In spite of blistering heat, we walked to a famous fortress in the middle of the city and spent time learning about its long and troubled history. We also visited a massive and beautiful, though unfinished, church.

After checking into the Hotel Moscow and taking much needed showers, we ate a fantastic meal chockfull of local favorites at Opera restaurant, conveniently located a few blocks from our hotel.

A weary and well-fed choir made its way back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Today has been a day of leisure - still very hot - but much to explore. Jeff and I went with Dragana to the local television station for an interview. We were on a poplular morning show talking about Singing City and our concert tonight in Belgrade. TV is really not at all intimidating, especially when you don't speak the language!

A couple of blocks from the hotel is a wonderful outdoor farmer's market. Stall after stall of beautiful fruits and vegetables, costing far less than what we pay in the States.

Look for more posts - we are excited about our first concert tonight, hosted by a local choral organization. I'm told they are all at home preparing an after-concert reception for us. Tomorrow we will spend a good part of the day traveling by bus to Sarajevo. I'll post again as soon as I can.