After a delicious dinner at the Hotel LaStua, a walk is in order to waft in the essence of this enchanting town. Although traffic is light, local teens gun their moped engines. Every resteraunt I see is busy with late night diners who flock to the candle-lit menus adorning the carved stone walls.
The edge of town is just as intriguing. A river makes its way down a rip-rap of tiny waterfalls in a Zen sense of calmness. Farm tools and firewood adorn every backyard, with every yard bearing the shape of the way its owner carved it from the mountain. Living space is not abundant by American standards; teeny balconies host evening drinks, divided from neighbors by sun bleached strips of fiberglass roofing. An elderly man with a white shirt and black suspenders relaxes in the flickering black and white shadows of a classic movie, and slicks back a full head of gray hair. Young hipsters sip cocktails named after a phrase that my brothers use to describe rich days like this--Carpe Diem.
Muffled music waffles its way through nearby walls, which I don't notice at first, being too enraptured with the church bells dutifully chiming out the hour, and the moonrise. The song is played in little fragments as, I imagine, the bandleader gives corrections at the rehersal hall. But I sort of recognize the tune--a sort of call-and-response between the brass and percussion. Dat dat daaaa, Bump-ba Bumph,
Dat dat daaaa, Bump-ba Bumph, I walk up next to the big wooden doors, and I can hear the bandleader's voice. I don't understand a syllable, but it sounds like there's much to get through, and he wants to get this and move ahead. Like my trepaditious visit to the bavarian restaraunt 25 years ago, I dare not go inside. This time I don't want all the eyes of a brass band on me, or puzzled looks from a bandleader. But here at the doorstep is one of those elusive intersections in life that's only found when you're not looking for it. This event is nothing, but at the same time it's the essence of living. The rehersal was scheduled, but my presence here on this doorstep tonight was happen-stance. This moment cost nothing, but it is priceless, If there's a river of life, I'm standing next to it while drops of its nourishing water splash on me like a cool rain. I finally put on a dumb smirk of self satisfaction in recognizing the tune-- it's the theme song from Mickey Mouse. |
