The first day of tour instills a giddiness that can only be matched by the effects of sugar and caffeine. But the excited jitters of tour are raw—au natural (though caffeine and sugar come into the story later). We hit the road just behind schedule on Thursday, but no worries; in a sixteen hour drive there’s plenty of wiggle room to make up the minutes. It’s the first day of tour! Woo-hoo! Shortly after passing the exit for Coal City, Illinois, just an hour from B/N, we encountered an accident, an arrest, and blazing construction signs shutting the highway down to one lane. The three timeliness deterrents all occurred within a mile of each other. Then just across the Indiana line, we missed our exit for dinner. Our jolly states were starting to fade. Hunger was rising up like a flood ready to send us up river. We still had a long night ahead.
However, once satiated by what was easily the friendliest Cici’s Pizza in NW Indiana, we said “Cici ya later” and settled into movies on the bus, counting on the hum of the engine and gentle lull of the road to drive us to dreams. Now, humans between the age of 15 and 18 have an uncanny ability to bend and maneuver their way into comfort in ways that are impossible for people a day over 25. In what turned into many (many many many many many) mostly sleepless hours later, we crossed the border without a hitch and many (many many many many mostly still sleepless) hours after that, after lunchtime, we rolled into Montreal along with thousands of our closest F1 racing fans. And thousands of our near and dear jazz festival-going friends. The streets of Montreal were a bit busy for a workday morning.
Our first concert (a mini one) was at Basilica d’Notre Dame, the oldest Bascilica in the Americas, and the second largest building used for religious purposes in North America. Indoors and out, the beauty of this building is beyond description. So I will let the pictures do the talking.
From the Bascillica, director Chris Hollingsworth took the support car to spend time with family in our next stop, his hometown of Guilford, CT. Meanwhile, students and chaperones sought a skyline view of Montreal from Mont Real (get it, Montreal?) and dinner at St. Paul’s Pub, which has a slightly different idea of who St. Paul is.
On Friday night our stay was at the gorgeous campus of University of Montreal. Unfortunately, the beauty of the campus on a hill above a beautiful city wasn’t so soothing amidst the two-hour wait outside for our room keys. We were exhausted and ready for flat surfaces to sleep on. And in time, they came.
Father,
give us grateful hearts and strong wills to keep focused on the mission you have blessed us with. In the name of your Son who loves us the best, and teaches us how to love the best, Amen.
Reid this is the link for new york the guilford one is up on you tube