Even the most beautiful journey comes to an end

The tired and sometimes sad faces were written on their faces: today it's time to say goodbye to L.A.. A long journey back awaited us. One last breakfast in the beloved Howard Johnson's on Colorado Boulevard in Pasedena and then it was time to pack our suitcases. Care had to be taken to ensure that the suitcase did not become much heavier than on the outward journey. A wild repacking and distributing in the parking lot suggested that not everyone had succeeded in this :).

Now the existing suitcases were arranged in a "LJC" and the "Simply Saxony" letters were distributed. The last group photos are supposed to capture this moment for the memories. A few minutes later, the bus sets off towards the airport. We allow ourselves a little detour: the Griffith Observatory has the best view of the city. Goodbye L.A.! A little "summer fairy tale" comes to an end.

It was eerily quiet on the bus on the way to the airport. Many slept, some pondered with a fixed gaze out the window, reminiscing about the 10-day concert tour. When the airport tower appeared on the horizon, it was time to say goodbye to "Happy", our bus driver, and to Maury Schulte, our tour manager. With the last stanza of Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "O Täler weit, o Höhen" (with the fitting text: "Soon I shall leave you, going to a foreign land. On the bustling streets, witnessing the spectacle of life") we say thank you for the great organization of this wonderful trip, where we wanted for nothing.

The rest is quickly told: check-in in Los Angeles, boarding an A380, 10 hours of flight into the morning, a short stopover in London and onward flight to Frankfurt. We landed safely in Frankfurt around 4pm. Everyone is happy and well, although a little tired and exhausted from the journey. Now we are on the bus to Leipzig, from where the choir will spread out in all directions of the Free State. The reunion won't be long in coming, next week we will have the next joint concert project.

Our great thanks go to everyone who made this trip possible for us, all supporters, sponsors and donors, the Saxon Choir Association, the Goethe Institute and TRC Tour Resource Consultants. A special thanks goes to the LJC preparation team. The trip will remain in our vivid memories. Thank you for these moving 10 days on the West Coast!

Report: Ron-Dirk Entleutner | #LJCgoesUSA #LJConTour #saechsischerchorverband #simplysaxony