Day 1-2:

Getting There

SFO-FRA-HEL-Jyväskylä

Days 1-2: Getting There

We said our traditional musical farewell to our families at SFO with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Chaperone groups moved together through the airport, and some came up with group names: the Tuaninators (Eric); Linda’s Veggies (first initials spell VEJIE); Liz’s Choral Maniacs, Kymry’s Cymrus; and Marina’s Mermaids.

It was a LONG flight to Frankfurt! Coincidentally we happened to be on the same plane as another Bay Area music group, a youth orchestra on their way to Hungary and Austria.

We landed in Frankfurt at 10:30am on Tuesday, passed through customs, and trekked what felt like miles through the airport for our connecting flight. Once we found a spot to hang out, we released the singers in groups to find lunch during the layover. Some singers tried German soft pretzels, and Avi, Josie, Isaac and Felix found a LEGO store. Froosh bottled smoothies were a popular choice for many singers. Keanna was surprised to find a classmate from her school at the same gate as us—what are the odds?!

We boarded our slightly delayed plane to Helsinki, and most of us slept during the two-hour flight.

Once deplaned, we collected our bags, met our courier Leena and boarded the bus for a rainy drive to Jyväskylä. Leena fed us yummy sandwiches for dinner and gave a fun talk about Finnish culture and language. Finland, known as the Land of a Thousand Lakes, actually has over 180,000 lakes! We passed several beautiful lakes on our way, and enjoyed seeing lots of purple and pink lupins growing on the side of the highway. If we’re lucky, we may see a moose!

We made one stop to stretch our legs, use the restroom, and check out a Finnish truck stop. Loki was excited to find Moomin juice boxes! The singers admired—but did not purchase—Finnish candies.

Even though we arrived in Jyväskylä at 9:30pm, it was still quite bright out, as the sun doesn’t set until close to midnight here during the summer months, and it never gets fully dark.

Exhausted and ready for showers and bed after nearly 24 hours of travel, we were greeted by our host families in Jyväskylä, and parted ways until Wednesday afternoon when we will have our first rehearsal with Vox Aurea!