Day 15 - The Journey Home
July 8, 2019 | EnsTour Blogger
Today was a busy travel day as we made the long journey home to the bay by ferry, bus, and plane. We met at the ferry terminal in Tallinn, where our hosts from the ETV choirs gathered for a final tearful farewell. Singers from both choirs circled around the homestay families and a number of our own families and sang one last serenade together, including the beloved "Ta lendab mesipuu poole," "Homeward Bound," and "Let the River Run." Many tears were shed as we said goodbye to the hosts who had taken such wonderful care of us this week and shared so much of their music and culture with us. Thankfully, many of the singers will still be there when ETV visits us in California as the featured choir for the 2021 Golden Gate Festival - so we are also looking forward to a joyful reunion two summers from now!
We enjoyed a smooth ferry ride from Tallinn to Helsinki aboard the Star, during which the singers enjoyed socializing, playing cards, reading, and admiring the dark grey waters of the Baltic Sea. After arriving at the Helsinki terminal, we were whisked away to the airport. The bus ride was a nostalgic one, with the kids singing through their favorite Ensemble songs from this year and years past.
At the Finnair ticket counter, we bid farewell to Bob and Sue, who will be traveling to Sweden for a few days to spend time with Sue's relatives there. After one final "Homeward Bound" dedicated to Bob, we made our way through security and passport control to board our nonstop flight to San Francisco. On board, the singers slept, watched movies, read, and relaxed as we arced over the Arctic Circle and down to California.
Upon arriving at the airport, we headed through customs and picked up our baggage before heading out to greet our families in the arrivals lobby and enjoy an enthusiastic reunion after two weeks on the road. After one final rendition of the "Singer's Greeting", "Lauljate Tervitus," the singers finally dispersed home to their families.
Our trips to Finland and Estonia are always such beautiful opportunities to make music at a high level with dear friends, enjoy the stunning natural beauty of the Baltic region, and of course to be immersed in the amazing cultural experience of the Laulupidu. This tour delivered on every count and exceeded our expectations in many ways, and we are so grateful to have shared this journey together. We could not have asked for a better culmination to Bob's nearly four decades of Ensemble tours, in a place that has become so special to the entire choir family over these many years.
