Monday, May 5, 2014

SightSEAing!

Today began with an early breakfast and a Mozart-intensive rehearsal for several hours under the shade of the palm trees. Due to a rather unfortunate electrical situation with our only available keyboard, the choir has been learning an entire Mozart mass with only a tuning fork and our own senses of pitch!  We like to pretend that we're good sight-readers, but it's entirely possible that we're just ignorant of how completely lost we are. Optimism reigns, however, as we continue to work through our repertoire.

With David (and Mozart) temporarily satisfied, we hopped on the bus and headed out to the 5th largest Catholic cathedral in the world, located in central Fortaleza.


Despite the fact that none of us come from a Catholic background, a reverent hush fell over the choir as we entered the sacred space. After meeting one of the staff members, we were invited to "test the acoustics" of the church, and spent several minutes filling the rotunda with as much choral sound as we could muster.



Finished touring the cathedral, we headed to a city square in the shopping district for pastels, a traditional Brazilian meat or cheese-filled pastry. There was also a stop at several stores, where souvenirs and gifts were purchased for friends and family members, and as such must remain unnamed.



In the afternoon, we boarded a schooner via local fishing boats...



 and set sail to view the coastline of Fortaleza, and experience the sunset at sea.



The boat, Philosopher, sailed for approximately an hour, following the coast across the city, and pointing out several landmarks along the way, such as rock formations, famous ships, and infamous shipwrecks.



Before turning around, the Philosopher stopped to allow passengers to take a dip in the ocean and enjoy the warm ocean air!



Splitting up for some tourist-y dining and shopping, once again gifts were purchased that necessitate secretive blogging. Therefore, let it be known that fun was had and food was eaten by all, and if you desperately need to know what was purchased, you'll just have to wait until we all get home. ;)

We remain primarily happy and healthy, with mercifully only mild travellers illness occasionally rearing its head. Kindly keep us in your prayers as the students continue to work on our repertoire, and professors get ready for master classes and joint rehearsals in the coming week!

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