The Best Stuff: Singing our way through our nations capitol

There's something different about traveling with a choir tour... the tour itself making it possible for said travel to occur. And not just because there are a whole lot more people, though of course that is definitely true. Sure, I could book my own trip. But when music is a very big and important part of your life and in some ways, even partially defines who you are, there is something to be said about having the opportunity to not just travel to incredible cities and countries, but to sing in those places...in cathedrals and at monuments and for different cultures or groups. The music/singing enhancing the experience in a different sort of way. I'm up for travel in any shape or form, of course. But some of my favorite trips have been combined with singing.

As The Sally Byetheway Chorale, we recently traveled to Washington D.C. Besides a choir tour, this also ended up being a family vacation. My parents, Katie and Melissa were singing with the choir (as was also Carolyn and Treg). Mary flew out with us as a travel companion, and Rachel who lived in Richmond, Virginia, met us once we were there. Mom, Dad and Melissa decided to make a road trip of it, and started their journey a few days earlier. Katie, Mary and I took a red-eye the night before the rest of the choir was supposed to fly out. We arrived at super-early-o'clock in the morning and had an eight hour wait for everyone else to show up. We brought card games, chocolate and books, figuring between that and the sister chatter, we'd fill up the time well.

Baltimore Airport is not the most exciting hot spot, but the time went by fairly quickly and soon we met up with not only our road weary parents + Melissa, but also had happy reunions when the flight with the rest of the choir arrived.

(I have no idea why really, but this is a thing we do. Maybe because we did it on our last choir tour in Budapest? I think in that case we were trying to show off our cute pedicures and sandals. Here, well...maybe because now we've decided it's tradition, or something?)

Aww... I love my sweet friends Linda and Sally!

After meeting our tour guide and bus driver, we drove to Alexandria, Virginia where we had dinner and then off to the Mall to take in some of the monuments and memorials.

Side note: there were two buses and I have to say, we got the "fun bus." We laughed so hard my cheeks ached.

While on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, it was decided that maybe it would be fun to sing our arrangement of The National Anthem, kind of flash mob style. I always feel a little weird when we do that....will it be cool or just awkward? We started singing. It was crowded that evening there at the Memorial, lots of people around. Lincoln behind us, the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream..." speech directly in front of us with the Washington Monument just slightly off in the distance. People stopped what they were doing to look and listen. They pulled out their cell phones to take recordings and pictures. Some people even joined in singing with us. when we were done, they burst out in cheers and applause. And I realized that I was a bit teary and had a lump in my throat. I've been so discouraged with this country of ours lately. It was nice to be reminded of why I am proud to be an American.

Two per hotel room was the norm, but we sisters weren't about to be split up! Melissa, Katie, Mary and I all shared one room. We scheduled our showers and bathroom time accordingly, and laughed a lot. Mom and Dad had a room on another floor, and when Rachel and her little boys came up on Saturday from Richmond, they bunked with them. We had breakfast each morning with the rest of the chorale, and often many of us would play card games in the lobby till late into the night.

The morning after our arrival we we to Arlington National Cemetery. We had received the very rare invitation to sing a few songs at the amphitheater there. One of the songs in our repertoire was Ukrainian Alleluia by Craig Courtney. It is incredibly difficult, but one of the most gorgeous songs I have ever sung. And it was what got us that coveted invite. Along with that we also sang The National Anthem and My Country Tis of Thee.

Afterwards we had the opportunity to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider which was right behind the amphitheater. It's kind of hard to put into words the feeling there. Reverence, respect, peace, pride, soberness, beauty. 24/7 those soldiers stand at attention and honor the dead. Through rain, snow, heat, cold, wind, day, night, insects, taunts...they continue their vigil. I knew this of course. But I'd never seen it before in person, and it was incredibly moving.

After singing and watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we had the opportunity to wander around the rest of the cemetery for a bit, and also see JFK's burial site. I'm quite glad, because the whole place was quite fascinating and very beautiful. Did you know that only two presidents have been buried at Arlington? Most are buried in their home states. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated while in office, most assumed that he would be laid to rest in Massachusetts. But his wife said, "He belongs to the people" and had him buried where Americans could come visit and grieve their fallen president.

I love this picture of my Daddy hold hands with two of his daughters.

On our way to dinner later that afternoon, we stopped briefly by the Holocaust Museum. We were not able to tour the whole building, only taking in one exhibit. It was beautifully done, but I was a little sad we didn't have time to see the rest. Melissa and I had been there before, many years ago. It had been one of the most memorable parts of that particular trip. Maybe because it packs such an emotional punch. Maybe because in my college history classes I'd studied WWII and the holocaust so intensely. I would've liked to see it all again.

One of the highlights of our tour for me was our concert at a veterans retirement home. These were men who had served our country, and women, many of them widows of veterans. They were especially appreciative of our Americana concert, of course and seemed to be enjoying themselves. But when we started to sing the National Anthem, oh my what a reaction! Not a single one of them hesitated to stand. They were old and infirm and had walkers and canes, many of them. Some needed help to stand, but stand they did, immediately. A few even standing in salute for the entire song. I got so emotional I could hardly sing.