And then there was one

All the concerts are over now and the vacations have officially begun. Our performance of Schnittke's Requiem in a church some way out of town was surprisingly well attended and something of a success. The most notable glitch was the "Sanctus" movement where a stray tenor soloist dragged the choir into a different pitch than the accompanying marimba and electrical bass - an unmissable opportunity for choral conductors to practise keeping up appearances in the most desperate situations.


The aftermath of the concert was celebrated in a charming restaurant called "Brot & Spiele" (not, as I first understood it, "Blut & Spiele"). The fact that it was situated in Graz's red light -district did nothing to disturb the ambiance. I had asked Thomas to wake me up before he left for France early in the morning yesterday. He did wake me up - to ask whether the cheese-slicer was in my room (probably one of the most absurd questions I have heard at seven in the morning).

Forces unite to find a missing resident of Merangasse.

Later in the day, the Romanians were picked up by Silvia's relatives living in Wiener Neustadt. To say they were reluctant to leave would be putting it mildly, but in the end they braved the task of carrying a neverending amount of bags down the stairs and said goodbye to their temporary home. Their 30-hour bus trip to Bucharest is about to begin - according to rumours, one of our double rooms is to remain a Romanian one.


And so I am left to guard the homestead - but not for long! Petra will come back before the 5th of this month and a friend is staying in Thomas's room temporarily until she finds a new place. Our holiday plans for tomorrow include scrubbing the floors. Hooray. Besides, what with our most non-cooperative landlady, nobody knows when the new exchange students will arrive. Hopefully tomorrow - we could use a helping hand with the cleaning! *Devilish laughter*........