It comes with the usual caveats.... my travel letters may jumble some of the facts. Not intentionally, but because my memory is not terribly reliable and of course selective. But the tour was musically very successful, a tribute to our conductor and management, our soloist Joshua Bell, but most of all to the musicians themselves. The Tonhalle has become a very good band, and even in places like Vienna's Musikverein concert hall, where the public listens to one world class ensemble after another, we were well received.

Ljubliana, Slovenia was our first stop. We had only one sunny afternoon to check out the town. Most pleasant, with a nice old town straddling a river, a big castle overlooking the city and affording a panoramic view of the city of around 300,000. Flat, fertile farmland plus the heavily forested hills and the steep rocky mountains to the north. The air and land has a northern Italian feel to it. The fusion of Slavic, Austrian and northern Italian, added to its pride in being the hustlers of the Balkans economically and culturally, Slovania is even more western oriented than its neighbor Croatia. In spite of its "mini-me" (Austin Powers) impression, it is charming. Its concert hall is modern, but offers very good acoustics.

We got off to an odd start. Our first concert of the tour. The orchestra tuned, lights dimmed and suddenly a middle aged man walked briskly to the podium. Our concertmistress rose from her chair and the rest of the band dutifully followed her lead, in an age old tradition when the conductor enters, a sign of respect. The audience applauded vigorously. But alas, it was one of our orchestral stage hands. He suddenly remembered that the good maestro conducted the first piece by memory and dashed out on stage to clear the music stand and music. A spontaneous and noble gesture that set the orchestra in motion, the audience ready for the Dvorak "Carnival Overture". Needless to say, our concertmistress and many of the musicians burst out laughing, and the confused public upon seeing their error, laughed with us. The air cleared. Then it was show time.

Our concertmaster, Primoz Novsak, is a home town boy. He invited us out after the concert to a restaurant that stayed open exclusively to serve us. We ate and drank until 2 AM. Excellent local red wine, delicious meat (goose, beef and pork), the omnipresent dumplings, and local mushrooms. None of the Swiss "klein aber fein" on this tour. These folks like to eat qualitatively and quantitatively. My style!

Then we moved on to Prague (Praha). We spent 3 nights, played two concerts, and walked and walked.What a fantastic city. I was there in '92. I liked it then, but I can only say that it has improved. The old buildings are cleaned up, spot lights at night, clean sidewalks and cleaner air (the typical old east-block air quality was gone). Restaurants of ever stripe. (Mexican and Middle Eastern included). Some of the best beer in the world. Check out the "Philanthropists" restaurant, Mensior (sp) might be the Czech name. The food is superb, and a table is prepared for the executioner. During the "good old days", the executioner was fed a good meal before going to work hanging or hacking off the head the condemned criminal. His table is there, with the axe on the wall above his chair. A well nourished killer performed his duty well. And quickly. Just when you think you have seen the highlights and decide to turn off the main street, voila', the side street offers some gem of a building to admire. The Prague Castle complex up on the hill on the west side of Moldau is magnificent (a stroll late at night is worth taking), the Charles Bridge, the oldtown and Jewish Quarter---all afford sights to marvel.

For the tourist with an interest in Ashkenazi Jewish history and culture, Prague just may be the best spot on earth. The population was never huge (118,000 pre-WWII), but it was reknowned for scholars and intellectual activity. The Jewish community existed since the 12 century (or earlier). It survived the pogroms, double taxation, plagues and the mob violence following, the Habsburg's attempt to limit growth by allowing only the eldest son to marry (a crude attempt in the mid-18th century at population control). Yet, the physical evidence remains. Synagogues and the famous cemetery, now well cared for, with excellent guides or written commentary for the curious. For Jew and non-Jew, a rich heritage well preserved. Just another aspect of the already overflowing historical treasure that is Prague.

A former colleague from Prague arranged a tour given by a professor of violin at the Musical Academy. The good professor was a wealth of musical and historical information (most of which i have forgotten). After a most interesting tour of the grounds and descriptions of the famous musicians who had graced the halls, he and I climbed the tower of the St.Nicolas church. Another marvelous view. The Prof rattled off the names of buildings and focused on the bureau where the fortunate few who were allowed to leave the communist country reported back after going abroad. And paid a hefty tax for the honor of returning. But as he said, the worse was the humiliation. For those of us who might hope to find a wiff of nostalgia for the "good old days" of Russian domination (excuse me, i should have said liberation.), Prague is not the place to visit. Though the people are by nature logical and pragmatic, hard working and fair, there is no love lost. The older generation tolerates the Germans, detests the Russians, and seem to love Americans. I even heard a woman (roughly my age) refer to Americans as "our saviours". There ain't too much of that to be heard in Western Europe these days. Are there still traces of the bad old days of communism? Yes, but in Prague itself they are fading fast. The Holisovice Train station offers a glance, and the countryside is still behind the times. Add to that, the salaries are still extremely low (400-500 Euros a month is a good salary for a musician!!). There still is a ways to go and the risk of discontent over time. But the Czechs seem organized, patient and hard working. Corruption is minimal. I am betting on them making it. Slovenia also.

The Smetena Hall was our concert venue. Superb and unique art nouveau designed by MUCHA (pronounces muka). I ran into my neighbors from Hewett Blvd., Portland Oregon, Ted and Gloria Reich. What a surprise. They just happened to be at our second concert. A real treat. Ted Reich had been to Prague in 1948. He really noticed a change!

Then it was on to Vienna(Wien) by train. Lovely countryside, historically rich, and worth another trip. Vienna is......Vienna. Before WWI, *1914, Vienna was the seat of an empire that included close to 50 million people. Like Paris or London, it is an imperial city. Now it is the capital of Austria only, and that means only 10 million people. (Vienna is 2 million, with the greater area around 3 million.) The Concert Hall in the Musikverein is still, in my opinion, the best concert hall on the planet. The history and culture in this city is too much to describe. What I did see for the first time was the old National Library. Even Harry Potter movie fans would be impressed.

We were invited to the "Heurigen", an area near the vinyards north of the city, where the new wine is served with water and food is provided in a veritable orgy of meat, vegetables and dumplings. Quite an experience.

My relatives through a marriage of my cousin Tim Newman, Robert Schwab and Senta Feldl, wined and dined me, took my to the Volksoper, and gave me a glimpse into the rhythm of life in the big city, Viennese style. A real treat.

Music, food, socializing, culture and walking (a bit of sleep). Yes, rehearsing and performing is demanding work, especially after travel, irregular hours and fatigue from lack of sleep. But that goes with the job. It is also part of the fun.

A first class excursion.