Detroit, Michigan was a fun stop for the Boyne company. One of the troupe dancers, Paddy Quinn, lives about two hours outside the city and he organized a barbeque for the cast the day we got in. In the late afternoon we piled into several rented vans and made the journey. After a tour of his hometown and a stop by his house to meet his parents (and pets!) we headed over to a friends' house on a lake.
They prepared an absolute feast of steak, veggies, salads and sides for us. It was wonderful to be able to sit down on the shore of the lake and enjoy our dinner around a bonfire. After eating there were all sorts of things to do like ping pong, Frisbee, karaoke and paddle boats on the lake. We all spent the night there and drove back to the city the next morning.

Our hotel was actually a part of the world headquarters of General Motors. It was a complex of five huge buildings all connected by walkways and the 77 story hotel was in the middle. In the basement of our building there was an impressive display of current and upcoming models of GM cars which was fun to check out in our spare time.

The new Detroit Tigers baseball stadium was just a short tram ride away. They had a baseball game on one of the days we were there which was reason enough to head over to the stadium but as an added incentive our singers were singing the national anthem before the game. Only one of the six person choir was American so they had to go through several rehearsals to learn the words, tune and different harmonies for the song. In the end they sounded amazing at the game and we were all very proud to see them out there.

Choir leader Mary Sexton gets ready to sing on the baseball field

Singer Tim Jay enjoys the baseball game after singing the national anthem

Another fun stop on the tram loop was Greektown. This area was home to a casino, small shops, authentic Greek restaurants and an amazing bakery. It was easy to pop in on a daily basis and try out all the different pastries.

The main street in Greektown, Detroit

After Detroit we went to South Bend, Indiana, home of the college of Notre Dame. While we were there we were able to take a tour of the college campus which was very interesting. Our guide was a student at the university so she was knowledgeable about the campus landmarks, school history and general school spirit. The football team is one of the things that Notre Dame is best known for and the students and faculty are obsessed with football. Every story and description our tour guide gave us seemed to revolve around football, the team and their winning record or going to games. They are very proud of their success and rich tradition. The university itself is a beautiful mix of both new and old buildings, a towering cathedral, lakes and open grassy areas and of course the famous "golden dome" which sits atop the main building on campus.

The main cathedral at Notre Dame

Aislinn Ryan with the tour guides at Notre Dame

Although we were only in South Bend for a few days we took full advantage of the apartment style rooms we were staying in. They had fireplaces, full kitchens and some were even two stories. The main building of the hotel had a lovely deck outside in the back which was equipped with a large barbeque grill. This was perfect for Monday night when we arrived and several people bought steaks, hot dogs and chicken to grill. Others contributed by preparing side dishes and desserts and we had a wonderful feast for the evening.

Our last day in South Bend we had two shows but the matinee didn't start until 4pm so we organized a volleyball tournament to be held that morning on the court in the middle of all the buildings. The event was attended by nearly the entire troupe (about 20 played and the others came to cheer the teams on) and lasted for several hours.
It was great to get out in the sun and have a friendly competition before having to go into the show in the evening.

The volleyball tournament in South Bend