My last week in Sweden was a lot of saying goodbye to all my friends. We had a few BBQ's, one of which was rained out. It was really great to hang out with everyone and a little sad to know that I was leaving so soon.
The orchestra packed up all the instruments and flew to the United States! The flight went really well, I slept most of the way. Once in Washington D.C. we went to the hostel, and then walked around for the evening. I met up with my friend Federico (a pianist from Apple Hill) for a drink that evening and he offered me a place to stay while I was in D.C. It was great to catch up with Federico, and so awesome to be able to stay with him instead of in the hostel.The second day in D.C. we went to play a concert at the House of Sweden for the Swedish National Day. Then we packed up all our gear and moved to the Swedish ambassadors house for dinner and another concert.
That night I took a bus to New York, which was an experience. The overnight bus is not the easiest place to get some sleep. But I made it! And I had a great time there, exploring Central Park, and just walking through the city. I stayed with my friend Holly, and I also got to hang out with my friends Alexandra (friend from work) and Leila (violinist from Apple Hill). I also saw a broadway show called Promises, Promises which was really good!Back in D.C. we took a bus to Delaware to play a concert at the University of Delaware, which was poorly attended. It was fun, but a little discouraging to only have 23 people in the audience. We stopped in Baltimore for dinner before going back to D.C.
We had one last concert at the Kennedy Center, which went pretty well. It was fun to play there, although the stage was far too small for our orchestra. The concert was a lot of fun, and it was sad to say goodbye to all my Swedish friends after.
The picture above is of me and my friend Anna-Cecilia, another bass player.My flight back to Los Angeles was a little bit crazy. I got to the airport in plenty of time, but the baggage rules have changed since I flew to Sweden. I had to repack a bunch of stuff because both my bags were too heavy. Because of that, I was running late, and then the security line took forever. So I got to the gate just as my plane was pulling away.... which was a big bummer. Then I had to run to another terminal to try and get on the next flight to LA. I made it there just as the agent was leaving and she was able to put me on the standby list. I managed to get a seat and made it back to Los Angeles only 2 and a half hours later than I planned. But I made it home!!
It has been great to be back, and I plan on keeping the blog going for my time at Apple Hill starting soon!
