I checked out of the Premier Inn only after indulging in an all-you-can-eat full English breakfast which was included in the price of the room. This was such a fantastic deal at 55 GBP per night—I will look forward to staying here again at the end of my trip. For people who noticed baked beans were missing from my plate, it’s just that I didn’t decide to take any.

But first, the big hurdle: wheeling my bags from the hotel in Terminal 4 to Terminal 2, not a small walk and including a train ride. I found a luggage trolley just outside the entrance to the hotel which helped a lot, and I was pleased to just follow the signs to my destination. I left the hotel at 9:00 am in anticipation of getting to the gate early for my 12:40 flight to Vienna. However, the gate was not going to be announced until 12:00 pm, so I had a bit of a wait ahead of me. As the time drew nearer, and then passed, I was joined by another woman on the Hawaii Masterworks tour, and then we realized that our flight was going to be delayed. First it was announced that we were not leaving until 1:10, then another announcement came that it was going to be 1:40, then 1:50.

Our scheduled arrival in Vienna was supposed to be at 4:00 pm, but it was not until after 6:00 pm that we passed through the border. By this time, we were excited to find our tour director contact holding a sign ” HAWAII MASTERWORKS CHORUS”and stayed to wait for a large contingent of our group to arrive from Munich.

Dinner was planned for 8:30 pm, and some people chose to go straight to bed rather than go to the restaurant, which looked like an underground cellar. Here, though, is where we saw so many familiar faces!

People at my table were taking bets on what the menu would be, and we guessed right! A typical Viennese menu consisting of wienerschnitzel, potatoes, composed salad, and an apple dessert. It was delicious and I was hungry!

During dinner, we were serenaded by an accordionist, and people in our large group started singing along to many popular show tunes. The choir sounded just fantastic, boding well for our concerts on this tour! I think the accordion player was a little surprised to find such a large bunch of musicians in the restaurant.

It was not until 11:00 pm that I finally retreated to my hotel room, and I was tired. I had been up since 1:15 this morning and I was beat. Wouldn’t you know it, I woke up at 1:38 am, and again at 4:30 am to write this blog!

After a walking tour this morning, we’ll drive to Eisenstadt for a rehearsal.