Attuned

Through faults of stone
These human hands
Reach out with
Eager
Calm.
Every face a city
Unto itself.
Every heart a song
With harmonies
Transcending lifetimes.
The cracks that divide
Are interesting
To find
To film
To study
But in the end
We rediscover bedrock
Or the human soul
We never should have
Forgotten.

-BW 2016

Having spent a few days in Edinburgh and run into several types of great human beings, I’ve found a feeling of kinship in new faces that I hoped for but did not expect. Wormwood played a set of music on the top of Arthur’s Seat. Ben insisted we make the trek up that winding path, and I didn’t argue, but I complained heartily whenever appropriate.
Thankfully, it was worth the effort. Playing for a private audience of tired hikers (fifty people or so) with a bird’s eye view of Edinburgh was magic of the first order. It may have been Wormwood’s most satisfying performance to date.

We connected with a group of Germans travelling for school and several American’s as well. We’ve spent a couple evenings chatting with those wonderful people. They are young and smart and complete strangers except that we share one noteworthy experience at the top of a very small mountain. It’s the kind of connection Ben and I hoped we could make via our music and our honesty.
We also found great conversation with a brother and sister from Australia. We sat in the lounge of our hostel and shared a few stories and tips as we all organized bus/plane tickets on extremely slow internet. When traveling it seems planning is a good portion of daily work. Ben and I have discussed feeling pressure to “make every moment great” when on vacation. That isn’t possible or healthy. Just because we are traveling doesn’t mean living stops. Still have to eat. Still have to plan. Still have to take a shit once and a while. Maybe the key is finding joy in every activity. (Yes, that’s right, I relieved myself in two dozen scattered cafés through Edinburgh! What did you do with your summer?)
We spent some time with a pair of women visiting Edinburgh from London. They saw the cello and viola by our bunks and “demanded” that we play for them. So we got the common room bar to shut off the music for a spell and we played a few rounds. The Londoners told us later that they honestly expected us to make up excuses or dodge the situation. We told them that would undermine the purpose of our trip. We came to share our craft with anyone who cares to listen. We hadn’t really stated that explicitly until our two, new friends initiated, though. Thanks, you two, for helping us realize our project! Also, thank you for encouraging us to try haggis. It is quite tasty.
I wish this post came with a video. We have many to share,but they are rather high quality (as we prefer) so it is painstaking to upload them! As soon as we find public WiFi with sufficient speed, we will begin sharing our joy on the interwebs. Until then, stay in touch and enjoy your own magical, everyday moments.

Surprises

The stress of life

Is brought to you

Free of charge.

Everything else

Is extra.

-BW ’16

There’s nothing quite like arriving at an airport, trying to check in and being immediately directed to a “special services” desk. The silent panic in that queue was palpable. From what we could tell, it was a place for travelers trying to check bags big enough to transport livestock, frazzled folks who missed flights, and clueless people like us who booked their tickets on third-party websites that only kind of exist…

Long story short, we stood at the counter for a short eternity while an incredibly patient desk person made several phone calls. We were both just about finished internally evaluating our life choices when she smiled and handed us our boarding passes. Phew! We can laugh about it now!

The next surprise was a pleasant one. We were just about to enter security when Ben leaned down to untie a shoe and a four-sided die fell out of his viola case! He has no memory of intentionally packing any dice, so we must conclude that this cute little stowaway joined us of her own accord. She has been named Dee Four. Expect further tales of this brave polyhedral!

We made it into Toronto without a hitch and through customs. The many colored arrows pointing us down a long series of hallways had the affect of a cattle chute. It wasn’t unwelcome, though! We are both dragging from lack of sleep. (Cheers to those who celebrated our departure with us!)

Then we flew to Halifax. As we boarded the plane we got to chatting with some very friendly Minnesotans also Faxing to Hal. They were brandishing a Ukulele and looking forward to their first busking experience. I hope they won’t be insulted if I quote them. “We’re shooting for two dollars!” Their enthusiasm was infectious and we had a great time laughing and joking. Cheers, you two!

Once on the plane I saw there were adorable tiny monitors in front of our seats that let us track our flight on a little map. (Top speed 585 mph and a cruising altitude of 40,000 feet if you were wondering.) I’ve never watched my little GPS blip float over rivers and lakes. Pretty surreal 🙂

Now we are relaxing in the Halifax airport and trying to pretend that it is 10:30pm when our bodies think it is 4:30pm. Our flight leaves in 4.5 hours. This should be interesting! Here’s a picture of Ben striving to be restful :p

Anticipation

Breathless is a state of mind,

not lungs.

The air that circumnavigates

the globe is ceaseless

in its circulation.

It will drift within and without

without your blessing

or your encouragement

or your wishes.

The ‘breathless’

that you feel is

lack of time to notice

what the world is

doing to you ;

what you do to it.

The interaction is

perpetual.

The feeling is

temporary.

-BW 2016

15 days and counting! We fly to Scotland in two weeks! I’m scrambling to wrap up loose ends and make ready for a two-month sabbatical from normal routines. We were talking the other day about how strange it will feel to spend so much time without a schedule. There will be planes and trains to catch – sure – but overall, the time is ours to waste and wander. That is very exciting and very unusual. I am very much looking forward to the ponderous hours of people watching.

As promised, here is an approximate itinerary. All dates are estimations, and even locations are subject to whims, but this should give you an idea of our journey.

June 15th – June 21st \ Glasgow, Edinburgh, London

June 22nd – June 28th \ Paris, Nice

June 29th – July 7th \ Zagreb, Vienna, Salzburg

July 8th – July 15th \ Munich, Prague

July 16 – July 21st \ Leipzig, Berlin

July 22nd – July 29th \ Hamburg, Copenhagen

July 30 – August 5th \ Stockholm

If you want to tell us something about one of these cities, or you know someone that lives there, drop us an email! wormwoodsound@gmail.com

A long time back we had thought to travel with a cello in the plane seat beside us, but that proved too expensive and potentially disastrous if airlines decided not to let a wooden person on the plane. I have heard some good stories about how pleasant travelling with instruments can be – and then I’ve heard some horror stories. The long and short is that we would probably need a travel agent to ensure my neo-viola da gamba makes it across the pond AND back. Instead, we will buy a student quality cello in Scotland then burn it for warmth before we crawl onto a plane in Stockholm and fly back to the US of A.

Cue meme:

Cheers!