Andrew's Angels

Last week (May 10-14), I traveled with my choir, Tallinna Kammerkoor, to "Mother Russia". Pictured above is my consort of merry men. Left to Right: Me, Mart (Baritone), Georg (Baritone), Gunnar (Bass), and Maxim (our host). We are gleefully perched on one of the highest points in Moscow, overlooking the city below. In front of us is one of the largest, and most reputable suvenier stands in all of the city. Here you can by CCCP (USSR) t-shirts, miniatures of St. Basil's Cathedral, old soviet junk, and nesting dolls featuring Bill Clinton, George W., and Osama Bin Ladin. My favorite is Bill Clinton, where inside there's Hillary, Monica, Paula, Gennifer, and then a Saxophone. The five of us had a hearty laugh over that one.

In Russia, the tradition goes that if there is not food left over after a meal, not enough was prepared. Needless to say, I felt like popping after every meal. Natasha, Maxim's wife, is a wonderful cook. We had about five hours between each banquet, there being about 4 a day. After awhile, I decided that I would eat only what was put on my plate...which was a lot. I had to try everything. Everything apparently goes really well with Vodka, Scotch, or Red Wine...not water. I slept like someone hit me over the head with a 2x4.

Amidst gluttonous eating, and general debauchery of all kinds, my choir actually sang twice. We did an ok job, but my favorite times were at the banquets after each concert. After a few rounds of whatever alcoholic beverage was envogue at the time, we started swapping songs between the choirs. I kept up for a few rounds, but then each choir switched to national tunes and hymns (they were practically performing my research). This usually lasted until the wee hours of the morning at which point we would drive back to our hosts and Natasha would cook us another meal. Below is my other favorite time: singing inside the Kremlin.

Our last day was absolutley beautiful. Fortunatley for us, this was the day we did most of our sightseeing and walking around. Some highlights are at the end of this posting. Enjoy! Let me know what you think. I can't wait to go back! Just in case the video doesn't work, here is a link to it: Tallinna Kammerkoor