Some of my favorite moments as a tour leader are watching the expressions of our travelers as they first encounter some of these wonders. There is a particular corner where I like to skip ahead just a little so I can savor the expressions as the group rounds the corner and sees the magnificent Eiffel Tower towering above them in all its glory.
How much music do you listen to? Do you wake up to it in the morning? Do you listen to it as you drive? Do you like going to concerts every now and then? The city where I live, Nashville, is not called Music City for nothing; the city is awash in recording studios, live music venues, and singer songwriters practicing their craft.
Now imagine a life, a country, where music is outlawed.
I was amused this week at the news coming out of New Zealand, generally known as a peaceful, forward-thinking country. Apparently the protests in Ottawa and then at the Ambassador Bridge linking the US and Canada have inspired more than one copycat incident, including in Paris. There, protesters were met with fines and arrests. How did the New Zealand authorities deal with the crisis? They played Barry Manilow.
