The Chattanooga Girls Choir

Day 4
Thurs., July 1, 1999

After waking up at 6:45 this morning, the tour group ate a quick breakfast, finished packing, and by 8:30 we had boarded the buses. We arrived at Salisbury Cathedral by 11:00. What a magnificent structure! Built between 1220 and 1258, it is one of the ancient holy places of England. It has the tallest spire in England, and the inside has been beautifully preserved. In addition to the original stone structure, much of the original tile decorations, stained-glass windows, and wooden structures remain. The Girls Choir sang a full concert in the nave right after the noon prayer service. They were then given a guided tour of the cathedral as well as the adjoining "Chapter House", where they saw one of four surviving original texts of the Magna Carta (the famous agreement made in year 1215 between King John and the barons at Runnymede).

Following the tour, the choir broke up into chaperoned groups for lunch and a little browsing in the town of Salisbury; then it was back onto the buses to head to Bournemouth. On the way, we made a quick detour to see Stonehenge -- although once we were there, many of the girls seemed more interested in making friends with the sheep in the neighboring field! Stonehenge itself was a very impressive sight -- huge stones in a ring, only maybe 100 feet from the roadside. Our time there was all too short, and soon we were once again heading for Bournemouth.

When we arrived at the Durley Dean Hotel, we were greeted by a friendly staff and a warm meal. The girls settled into their rooms, some with an additional roommate due to room configurations at this hotel. Some of the rooms even have four-poster beds and Jacuzzis! Later, Mr. Huey led the choir on a mystery outing which ended up at the beach. The girls had a wonderful time romping at the ocean's edge (though they said the water was freezing!). By the time they had played for half and hour and walked back to the hotel, they were more than ready to go to bed and get a good night's rest. (Perhaps Mr. Huey's plan!) Sleep well, girls. Competition day tomorrow!

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Salisbury Cathedral.

Performing inside beautiful Salisbury Cathedral.

Taylor, Maddie, Meredith, and Amanda with their chaperone at Stonehenge.

Frolicking at the seashore.

Amy Campbell is obviously thrilled to begin ironing the first of her girls' dresses at 1 a.m. Most of the chaperones were up late making sure that their girls would look crisp and neat in competition tomorrow.

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