A Saturday Night Concert at Church

We were tired Saturday and decided to keep it local. We wandered the small village taking pictures of one stunning view after the next.

Everywhere there are flowers, tended with love.

The cemetary overlooked the cliff, it was peaceful and obviously people came and looked after their loved ones and the plants often.

There was a small church on the top of the highest point that seemed to have a buzz about it. When we stepped inside we were surprised to see them setting up a LOT of sound equipment, risers, and the organ tuner was even there!

There was going to be a concert that evening. Of course we went and they can really sing. There was an orchestra and 3 villages combined choir doing classical works plus some new works written by the conductor. What a venue, what an evening!

Later that evening, many of the village singers came to the bar below our room and had a very good time. At random moments they would break into traditional songs, in 4 part harmony. At around 2 am, (probably having had a lot of schnapps, the men were very loud, but still on pitch). At 3 am, our first storm of the trip rolled in. It was quite a thunderstorm and all of a sudden the (same) church bells starting ringing and they wouldn't stop. They rang almost an hour. Being in the 3rd floor of the Albergo we didn't know what to do. What does it mean? Will we be blown off the mountain? Well, we stayed in the room, and eventually everything settled down. The last night I asked another guest who has been coming to holiday here since he was a "wee boy" what the bells meant. In the small villages of the Laion, they ring the bells to keep the evil away, and let the storm know that there are good Christian people in the village and to protect them.