Day 3 - Horses, Oil & First Concert
We got an early start today, meeting at the HIB by 8:00. A majority of the kids were still trying to get over jet lag, but all arrived happy, well fed, and ready for todays adventures. Gavan shared how her host family made them the most delicious bread, the type of bread they make for special occasions like Easter. Elka's homestay was celebrating a birthday and they tried three different types of cake! They were in heaven! Kay and Genevieve went on the trampoline in the backyard and had fun bonding with their Austrian sister, and Abby and Mia enjoyed some fresh popcorn and a movie. The overall experience was very enjoyable and the warm, comfy bed and good company was appreciated by everyone!
We loaded the bus and were off to see the very famous Lipizzaner Stud of Piber, the only federal stud in Austria exclusively authorized to breed the world famous baroque stallions for the performances inthe Spanish Riding School of Vienna. On this tour, we got an insight into the
breeding procedures, met a lot of the Lipizzaners, including the oldest living Lippizzan born in 1979, Neapolitano Nima. We rounded the outside arena, heading indoors to the stable, where there was an indoor arena filled with fouls and their mothers about 4 months old. The white Lippizan horses are born either dark brown or black and they lose their dark hair and turn white eventually. The babies were very friendly and really enjoyed the company of all 44 of us oohing and aweing over how cute they are! We also learned a little about the training process these horses go through before they become dancers, and how they listen to classical music a majority of the day, because that is what they dance to. They are fed a very special, organic diet, producing their very own hay and other snacks for them to munch on, and spend some of their summer time frolicking in the Alps, getting strong and healthy.
After saying goodbye to the Lippizans, we stopped off at the Hartlieb Pumpkin Seed Oil factory in South Styria. For those of you that don't know, Pumpkin Seed Oil is a staple garnish of Styria, and referred to as "gold." They use it as dipping oil, salad dressings, and much more, and everyone that has tried it, just falls in love with the taste! We learned about the whole process of how it is made, and how it has evolved through the years, for they say that today, in the making process, there is no more need for muscles because the machines take care of all the hard labor! We all enjoyed sampling Pumpkin Seed Oil and other goodies as well as making some purchases for you to try back at home, if it makes it!
We met our families back at the HIB school for a lunch of green eggs (onions sautéd in Styrian gold) and cooked in eggs. It was delicious and reminded everyone of the favorite childhood story, "Green Eggs and Ham." They went off to a brief joint rehearsal where Maria taught the singers how to yodel and then we learned 2 traditional Austrian polka dances, the first one from the upper Styrian region and the second dance was from south Styria. Lots of laughs and fun, then it was time to get back to some serious rehearsal business. Marisa, Suzie, Katrina, and went off to the grocery store to buy the kids some Coke... yes, we know… but it was just a little sugar kick for the kids to get through the day.
Piedmont sang beautifully, as well as the HIB choir. The church was packed with a wonderful audience. Both choirs sang the yodel that they learned together at the afternoon rehearsal and finished the concert singing jointly, Sing All Ye Joyful and A Journey of Song. To all of our surprise, Maria arranged an amazing rendition of Homeward Bound. Needless to say, we were all in tears! One of the biggest surprises ever. We sang this song to the HIB choir two years ago upon our departure and since then, they had been begging to learn it. We all had chills and tears. Very touching way to end the joint concert. Even though goodbyes are always hard, it is very nice to know that we will be seeing them in San Francisco during the festival! Great day had by all. Still tired, but able to go to sleep on a high note!
Click through the slideshow below to view some highlights from today:
