We stayed up all night with some Schilcher champagne at Irmtraud's place, leaving with a van at 1am, arriving before the airline opened our check-in line. We waited. Klaus was exhausted and sick. Our singer, Birgitta, came later on her own. It felt so strange to be completely dependent. I had no ticket, no information. We had a group ticket, and all the details and assundries had been taken care of by Irmtraud and the Austrian embassy.
L to R, me, Barbara, Belinda, Klaus, Irmtraud at the airport in Vienna.
A quick glimpse of the Mediterranean on our way to the hotel. This was all we saw of Algiers for now. We grabbed a quick dinner, but all I wanted was coffee, I was nearly falling over from lack of sleep.
We looked at the borrowed instruments. Poor quality student instruments falling apart at the seams with old disintegrating strings. We went to sleep around 5pm, and met again at 5am at the lobby. At the airport again, we met the Austrian consulate and his wife, and the Austrian ambassador and her husband, with whom we made the other passengers wait until we had boarded the bulky but fragile instruments, and then we were on our way to Arar - the first leg of our journey to Timimoun.
Adieu for now, Algiers.
We watched the desert appear, fascinated by the way signs of life came in tiny seemingly unconnected flashes.
We were met by a surprise reception for honored guests, in a part of the airport reserved for important visitors. The airport here is a bit more fancy than the Vienna one, or?
They served us special sweetened black tea with mint that is poured from a foot and half or so above the glassware, so that it froths and foams.
I can honestly say it was the most beautiful airport I have ever seen.
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