Lunch in Logrono and Concert in Santiago Catheral

We all got on the bus at the Faustino Winery, and Ed announced that we would be treated to lunch in at Father Cadarso's favorite restaurant in Logrono.  We were delighted with that news even though we gobbled up all the tapas that were served with the wine.  That just seemed to jump start our appetites again.

Chose your seat!

The bus stopped at a lovely restaurant near the Ebro River and we all went in and took a seat in the open air room that was set for us.

Father Cadarso explains the menu.

 When we got our seats, Father Cadarso explained the specialties of the house.

Bill calls for the wine!

We waited for the wine and water that we knew would come first.

Tim gives the toast!

The waiters ask if we wanted chicken or beef and after our choices were made wine was put on the table along with bread and we were at it again.

Soon we were fed our potato soup and been soup which were delicious!

Potato Soup

Dottie loves her been soup.

  Then came the main entre of fried or baked fish.  The meal was well received and delicious to the taste. The wine hit the spot and we were all full and happy!

Lightly fried fish and chips

Baked fish

Our group  was making lots of fifty people was making lots of noise Eating and drinking happily.  When I looked out the window I saw that other patrons were not pleased as they had been sitting for a long time and not been fed.

Patrons waiting for their turn to be served.

 The roudy table behind us was making most of the noise as they were entertaining themselves with their paper napkins!

Rowdy table entertaining themselves!

Finally, we got ice cream cones for dessert!

Ice cream cones hit the sweet tooth spot.

I knew we had a formal program to prepare for but all I wanted to do was to take a nap.  We were told that we would be walking back to the hotel as the bus had other places to go.  The walk was what most of us needed after such a hearty lunch.  So we followed Father Cadarso around as he took us the long way walking across the bridge so we could see the river.  We came across a large group of teen-agers that were on a field trip across the river.  They were rowdy happy kids just like the ones I used to teach and it was fun talking to them and hear what their program was to accomplish.

Meg and I flung ourselves onto our bed and just lay there looking at the ceiling.  It felt good to take a little snooze.  When we woke up we got dressed and ready to meet the others in the lobby for the walk to the Santiago Cathedral. We didn't realize that the weather had changed like it was going to rain...at least we didn't realize this until we were half the way to the church.  We all followed Ed hoping he knew where to go as Father Cadarso would be leaving from his apartment down town.  Soon it was clear that we were going in circles but someone remembered about not going down the Gypsy Alley.  This was a street that was dark and unkempt and event the street sweepers did not go there to clean.  We remembered that we avoided this street and went to the left.  So we all followed the leader and finally saw the plaza in front of the church.

Mass at the Santiago Cathedral

We led to the choir section and filed in quietly just before the mass began.  We knew that we would be singing the parts that the choir usually sang during mas.  What we did not know that this mass was dedicated to someone's funeral, and many of the people were there for the funeral.  So after mass, the dignitaries had to say a few words about the person that had died, and some important plaques were given to people who knew the person.  We all sat patiently and hoped that people would want to stay and see our performance, and not all leave as soon as the presentations were over.  Lucky for us only a few people left, and most remained in their seats.

Mass is ending

We were announced by the priest, and we lined up including Father Cadarso who would be singing with us, and marched to the front singing,"Julbilate Deo."  The small group of us who were in the pontifical choir assembled to the right of the altar, then for the "Ave Maria" to begin. The base part of the choir went to the left of the altar.  We sang a counter melody which made the "Ave Maria" sound like STEREO!  People turned their attention to us  when we started our part and you could tell that they were pleased.  We then all moved up to the altar singing a hymn that would allow us to take our places with the rest of the choir.

Audience watching us begin marching down the isle

The Altar

Carlyn and Jo Anne leading the march down the isle.

Men's Choir

Pontifical choir

 Carolyn began the chime introduction and Lorraine began singing the spiritual song, "I Know The Lord" with all us as backup.  It is a rousing number and gets everyone moving with rhythm.  Carolyn then took her place at the electronic piano and began the introduction to the song we would sing partly in Spanish,"I Was Glad."  It had a Latin beat, and we were encouraged to move with it, so many of us did showing we really enjoyed it. Tim had JR and Jo Ann play bongos and maracas to ad to the Latin flavor.  You could tell that everyone in the church liked it as they sat with smiles beaming on their faces. Our next song was had a waltz rhythm and was also in Spanish called, "The Lord of the Earth."  We swayed with this song as it flows beautifully.

The choir singing "I Was Glad"

Here I am singing "The Lord of the Earth"

We then sat down in available seats in the side of the church as Renee took the podium.  She speaks several languages, but her first spoken language was French having come from Haiti.  She learned the Spanish introduction and now was speaking in Spanish with a bit of an English accent.  Her Spanish is spoken very slowly and methodically with an undulating rhythm that makes you listen without missing a word.  Everyone in the church was in perfect attention as she spoke and told everyone who we were, and of our quest to sing in major cathedrals throughout Span in the two weeks of our journey.  She was given a wonderful round of applause as we all stood and took our places on the altar steps.

We resume our singing "There is no Creation that does not have Radiance"

We resumed our singing with the songs a cappella that we knew by heart.  Our first one was "All My Trials" with Jone taking the soprano lead.  I remember when I went to Palo Alto High School, I first heard this song sung on stage by Joan Baez. She went to our school and was just learning to perform with her guitar.  Then we sang "Secure."  It tells a story about a person being lost in the ocean in a little boat when a big storm comes and all he can do is pray that he gets  back to shore alive.  I always sing this song with special fervency because it reminds me of the day I was caught in a storm on Deer Lake in Utah when I first learn to windsurf.  The storm was so strong that big rolling waves shoved me toward the damn.  I was not able to stand and lift the sail as the wind was too strong.  So all I could do was hug my board and pray for my life!  Soon a little fishing boat came put-putting to me and I got tugged me all the way to Heber City.  I was never so happy to set my feet in solid ground!  Carolyn resumed her seat at the keyboard, and we sang the beautiful song, "There Is No Creation that Does Not Have a Radiance." We could tell that the audience was loving because they were radiant!

Joni  singing the solo in "All My Trials"

The choir singing, "There Is No Creation that Does Not Have a Radiance."

We all then took our seats again and let the Divas and the Don take their places.  Lorraine and Amy are professional singers, and we all appreciate having them in our chorus for their ability to project their voices without a mic. The Don is Tim who is a pro as well with an unbelievable range as he can sing in all four voices: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Base. He makes all our practice CDs in the individual voice so we can practice our songs at home and have them learned perfectly for rehearsals.

The Divas and the Don

It was now the Lorraine's turn to sing her song, "Over The Rainbow."  She sang her song with such animation that everyone was enjoying her performance.  At the end she encouraged the audience to sing and it always amazes me that no matter where you go, everyone knows this Judy Garland song. It was certainly a crowd pleaser.  Then Amy joined her in a Schubert rendition of "Ave Maria" accompanied by Carolyn at the keyboard. Amy sings alto and their combination of voices was superb.  Again the audience loved it.  Then from the back of the church, Tim began the song, "You Raise Me Up" and all focus turned to hear him singing as he approached the front. He joined Amy and Lorraine and they sang this beautiful ballad and brought it to a crescendo ending in a great round of applause.

Amy and Lorraine singing, "Ave Maria" by Schubert

We all resumed our places and sang, "Let there Be Peace on Earth" with Amy taking the lead. Our closing number was, "When the Saints Go Marching In."  Carolyn begins with a great introduction that gets us all in the mood.  This is another song that the audience all over the world knows, so we encouraged them to join us and they did with great enthusiasm.  Those that were not singing were clapping to the rhythm and the whole church was rocking and rolling.  We brought them all down with the song, "We will March thru the Valley" and again Carolyn and Joanne played the chimes.  Then we sang our Jubilato Deo and marched off the altar steps and headed for the back of the church as everyone gave us a standing ovation.

We got some wonderful comments after the performance with many people coming up to me and speaking in Spanish letting me know how much they enjoyed the concert.  We were all elated and happy that we had done a good job especially for Father Cadarso who had many friends in the audience.  One of our members also was approached by a mother and daughter from New York who had arrived in town and saw our poster about our performance.  They said that they were ready to quit their pilgrimage after having walked many miles over the Pyreneese.  However, they were filled with new resolve after hearing the song, "You Raise Me Up."  Now they planned to continue their journey all the way to Santiago de Compostella.  We were all gratified to hear that our singing made a difference in the lives of others.