| It's a long way to South America
and when you travel Chile, Argentina and Uruguay on a bus, it
feels like a very long trip. That is what the Edmonton Swiss
Men's Choir did from March 11th to April 3rd. During that time
the choir, under the direction of Elizabeth Anderson gave eleven
formal concerts, concentrating on Swiss ethnic music, Canadian
repertoire and even some songs in Ukrainian. Some of these
concerts were in small communities and some were in major
centers like Valparaiso, Santiago, Mendoza, Rosario, Nueva
Helvecia, Montevideo and Buenos Aires. We felt like great
ambassadors for Edmonton, for Alberta, for Canada and of course
for Switzerland. In each of the places that we sang there was a
sizeable community of Swiss abroad, mostly 3rd or 4th generation
Swiss. They appreciated the visit from us Canadian Swiss and
they loved the taste of Swiss ethnic music that we offered.
In turn, choir members loved the exposure to the different
cultures in the countries that we visited. Visits to wineries
showed us the best that the vintners offered. A trip to an
estancia that concentrated on the breeding and raising of
Chilean Rodeo Horses gave us an insight into the history and
practice of animal husbandry and the training of this unique
breed of horse.
The Parilla showed us a different method of barbequing that
produces tender and tasty beef even from the less expensive cuts
of meat. There was a spectacular trip through the Andes, ending
in Mendoza, a desert city getting the water by way of two canals
originally built by the natives and predating the Spanish
colonization.
When we took the road to Villa Union we discovered that about
sixty kilometers was unpaved and at one point had to ford a
stream where the bridge was out. Not a problem as we had two
very good drivers and a good bus. Usually on a trip like this it
is the people and activities that are remembered. On the way to
La Rioja we stopped at a UN heritage site, a dry river bed
called Talampaya. Like the Hoodoos near Drumheller but much more
spectacular and quite a record of hieroglyphics (petrogyphs).
The trip had everything. We even stayed as guests of the
Missionary Sisters of the Holy Spirit at their retreat house in
Esperanza. After Argentina, it was on to Uruguay which looks a
lot like Alberta, has wonderful people and very appreciative
audiences. Back to Argentina and a premier league soccer game in
Buenos Aires as well as our concerts. One of the highlights was
attendance at a tango exhibition. Another was a side trip to
Iguacu Falls on the Brazilian border. They are perhaps not as
powerful as Niagara but are esthetically very enchanting. |
