Tonight the suitcases opened, and clothes that had been hanging in hotel closets came down. After three days in the balmy, summer-like weather of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Cleveland Orchestra began preparations for the tougher leg of the tour.

Tomorrow morning, the orchestra will leave for Madrid and a series of three concerts in that city, Barcelona, and Valencia. They won't get a day off until the end of those concerts, and each day will end with repacking those suitcases.

Most of them spent their last day in Santa Cruz enjoying the weather. It was a free day -- no concert -- so quite a few took in Teide Mountain. Some took bus tours. Others rented cars and watched nervously as the tour busses edged past them on the narrow road. They quickly discovered one reason that so many Europeans drive small automobiles.

Others were tired enough that mountain climbing just didn't appeal. They walked around the city one more time, enjoyed one more Spanish meal, played tennis, or just sat around the hotel pool.

As they drifted back to their hotel that night, I heard a few remark that the Canaries seemed like an attractive spot for retirement. One person even mentioned seeing a sign offering real estate for sale. She looked a bit wistful.

David Roden
WKSU Assistant Program Director