Arrival at Hogwart's

Dear Friends,

Sunday was moving day. The Choir's stay in London has come to and end. It is time to head to Oxford to do what they came here to do, and begin their duties as Choir-In-Residence at Christ Church Cathedral.

The Georgia Boy Choir at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, England

Oxford's "dreamy spires" were somewhat obscured by clouds and rain as the bus pulled in to town. But this did not affect the boys' spirits. They were quite excited to be here. During their stay, the majority of the boys are accommodated at the Christ Church Choir School, in the residence rooms of the Cathedral's regular choristers, who are now on their summer break - or holiday as it is called. The boys from Georgia couldn't be more thrilled. No sooner had they lugged their luggage up the three flights of stairs than they began taking advantage of the amenities, such as a pool table, a foosball table, numerous pianos to play, several shelves full of board games and puzzles. It is a dream come true.

But they were also eager to see the town of Oxford, so they pulled themselves away to take a walking tour of the city (thankfully, the rain had subsided). It is really more than one can absorb in a few hours' time. There is so much to see. But thankfully they have several days in which to see it.

As their walking tour concluded near the Christ Church Meadow, they sight of the College athletic fields and running paths was too much for them. They simply had to have a race. Actually they had a couple of races. It was wonderful to see the unbridled joy they experienced as they finally were able to stretch their legs and run. It didn’t matter who won. Everybody had so much fun. A couple of the boys ran into their English teacher from their school back home. She is in Oxford studying for the summer and was so surprised to see some of her students here. She will be attending the Choir's Evensong tomorrow evening.

The highlight of the day though, was dinner. Dinner was held in the College's Great Hall. The Hall is really a sight to behold. There are immense wooden tables running the length of the sizable room. These hold numerous lamps and hundreds of place settings. The mahogany-paneled walls are lined with huge portraits of great men and women in history who attended the College. And what's more, this is the very room which was used for the filming of all of the dinner scenes in the Harry Potter films. The boys felt as though they were at Hogwart's, even though the portraits did not speak, and there were no owls, and no candles floating in the air. Nonetheless it was pretty cool, and nothing at all like anything any of them had ever experienced.

Monday will be a big day - the Choir's first Evensong in the Cathedral. A good night's rest is needed.

Until next time,

The Georgia Boy Choir England Tour Team.