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| In Munich airport, playing cards and spending our last Euros until we can begin boarding. |
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Day 10: Munich to San Antonio
What a fantastic tour and fun group of travelers. Auf wiedersehen Munich....San Antonio here we come!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Day 9: Mozart Missa Solemnis, K. 337 at the Salzburger Dom, Shopping and the Market, Lake Koenigssee
Attending mass with chorus and orchestra at the cathedral.
Mozart chocolates!!!!
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| "Christian, get down from there!" |
Day 8: Walking Tour of Salzburg's Old Town and Rhapsody Festival Concert at St. Andreas
Following our rehearsal, Horst gave us a very thorough tour of the city
including Mozart's house,
including Mozart's house,
the center square of Salzburg,
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| "Christian, get down from there!" |
St. Peter's Abbey and burial ground (the inspiration for the famous escape scene in The Sound of Music),
and finally we got to go up in the funicular to the majestic fortress Hohensalzburg which overlooks the city. What a view and wonderful place to sit and enjoy lunch!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Day 7: Melk Abbey and Salzburg!
We left Vienna this morning and drove west to tour Melk Abbey in Lower Austria. The Melk area has a long history, beginning with Bronze Age settlements and surviving numerous times of war, reform, reconstruction, and changes of ownership. Today the abbey remains an active monastery with about 30 Benedictine monks who, among other things, teach about 900 local boys and girls.
We performed an impromptu concert while in the church!
After a tour of the abbey and a quick lunch, we were back on the bus and heading to Salzburg. Once there, we checked into our third hotel, and after a break to freshen up, we headed to dinner at a local restaurant. There we met three other choral groups from China, Canada, and the United States visiting Austria for the Rhapsody International Music Festival! Each group was called up to introduce themselves, sing a song, and answer some trivia. While this was one of SACS’s final evenings, these groups had just arrived and were beginning their respective tours through Europe. We also met Nita and Valerie from Classical Movements, who helped to plan our whole tour.
-Megan : )
Day 6: St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Tracing Footsteps of Famous Composers, and Dinner on the Danube
Following the mass, we gave a half-hour concert. Here is Seth playing some Bach on the organ at St. Stephen's!
That afternoon we visited Beethoven's House in Heiligenstadt, then had wine spritzers in the biergarten.
Lastly, the day concluded with an amazing dinner cruise on the Danube.
Day 5: Vienna Fun Times and Mariahilf Concert
Though our beloved U.S. Men's Soccer Team lost to Belgium the night before, we were very much excited about exploring Vienna on this day. In fact, when asked what she was most excited about, Soprano I, Allyson Phillips, replied, "The palaces. 'Cause I'm a princess!" Vienna certainly did not disappoint in this regard. A city of almost 2 million residents and 23 living districts, Vienna is a city peppered with modern buildings, classic stucco exteriors, and Greek influences. We were able to see this on our bus tour of the city center, along with various universities, the opera house, museums, and even where Freud had his coffee!
While on our bus tour, we were able to take a walking tour of the Hapsburger winter palace, where the royal family spent their time from October to May. Here they train Lippizaner horses for performances, but school was out for the summer for these stunning stallions. Following the winter palace, we visited Schonbrunn (the summer palace), where we naturally took a group picture in our Spurs gear before entering the palace for another tour.
It was here we learned about the Hapsburger family tree (which included Queen Maria Therese having SIXTEEN CHILDREN), the different rooms and how there was a room made of Brazilian Rosewood just 'cause, and various celebrity appearances, including John F. Kennedy.
After our tour of the palace, we were given the opportunity to explore the city circle or go back to the hotel. A few of us went to the shopping street and visited the department store, Steffl. Following the realization that we couldn't afford the 1,089.00 Euro Jimmy Choos, we took the metro back to the hotel, and prepared for our next concert.
This time, SACS and Conventus Musicus each performed a set at the Mariahilf Church (aka Haydnkirche), and also performed Locus Iste and May The Lord Bless You And Keep You together. Between sets, we had the opportunity to watch Conventus Musicus perform various songs in different languages, such as French, Latin, and German. We ended our set with Deep In The Heart of Texas, and even had audience members clapping along with us! Seth played some organ pieces for Flute Clock by Haydn.
Listen to us sing some of our selections from this concert: Sing to the Lord, Super flumina Babylonis, MLK.
Finally, we ended the night with a delicious late night dinner and numerous memories!
XOXO,
Christina
While on our bus tour, we were able to take a walking tour of the Hapsburger winter palace, where the royal family spent their time from October to May. Here they train Lippizaner horses for performances, but school was out for the summer for these stunning stallions. Following the winter palace, we visited Schonbrunn (the summer palace), where we naturally took a group picture in our Spurs gear before entering the palace for another tour.
After our tour of the palace, we were given the opportunity to explore the city circle or go back to the hotel. A few of us went to the shopping street and visited the department store, Steffl. Following the realization that we couldn't afford the 1,089.00 Euro Jimmy Choos, we took the metro back to the hotel, and prepared for our next concert.
This time, SACS and Conventus Musicus each performed a set at the Mariahilf Church (aka Haydnkirche), and also performed Locus Iste and May The Lord Bless You And Keep You together. Between sets, we had the opportunity to watch Conventus Musicus perform various songs in different languages, such as French, Latin, and German. We ended our set with Deep In The Heart of Texas, and even had audience members clapping along with us! Seth played some organ pieces for Flute Clock by Haydn.
Listen to us sing some of our selections from this concert: Sing to the Lord, Super flumina Babylonis, MLK.
Finally, we ended the night with a delicious late night dinner and numerous memories!
Christina
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Day 4: St. Florian Abbey, Linz
This morning we left Munich and headed to the Abbey of St. Florian, located in Linz, Austria. Along the way, Alexandra gave us a brief overview of the life of an average German- from school to working life to retirement!
We arrived at the abby in the early afternoon, and after lunch we were given a guided tour of the main abbey complex. St. Florian is the patron saint of both fire and water related dangers, and was martyred for his conversion to Christianity in 306 AD. The highlight of our tour was visiting the crypt of the famous composer Anton Bruckner, who was buried there in 1896. Bruckner chose this location of his burial because it was his boyhood home, and because the church’s main organ can be heard from his resting place.
Following the tour, we performed our second concert inside the church. We performed the first part of our concert in the choir loft, with the assistance of the beautiful organ and the masterful playing of Seth our accompanist!
We completed our concert in front of the altar of the church. Here is a recording of us singing Bruckner's motet Locus iste at St. Florian's.
Once our concert was over, we climbed back onto the bus and continued on to Vienna and dinner!
-Megan : )
Day 3: Sightseeing in Munich and Concert with Munich International Choral Society
Day three in Munich was incredibly interesting. We began the day sightseeing in downtown Munich, splitting up after listening to the historical sounds of the glockenspiel in the center of the old part of the city for sightseeing and lunch on our own. "I can't decide if I should wear sunglasses or have my umbrella." Jennifer could not have described the weather more accurately. It would rain, then it would shine.
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| Infamous Apfelstrudle! |
However, rain or shine the concert with the Munich International Choral Society was going to happen. Both choirs performed together in perfect harmony as if we were one big long distant singing family, performing Abendlied by Rheinberger and Locus iste by Bruckner.
After the concert, all the performers met at a pub called Ratskeller and shared many laughs and stories, ending the night with singing and a unique friendship.
Joseph
Day 2: Freising Cathedral and Neuschwanstein Castle
Today we touched down in Munich and met our tour guide, Alexandra and our coach driver, Hans Peter! We then traveled about twenty minutes away to a town called Freising, where we attended a German Mass in the beautiful Freising Cathedral. This is the cathedral in which all German priests are ordained, including Pope Benedict XVI in 1951! The cathedral consists of several sections, the oldest of which is a Romanesque tomb dating from 1159. The main hall of the cathedral was done in stunning Baroque Rococo style and was truly amazing to behold!
That afternoon we traveled about two hours to reach Neuschwanstein Castle, which was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria between 1868 and 1886. Although construction on the castle came to a halt after the king died under mysterious circumstances, we were able to tour the finished rooms of the castle. Each of the rooms were astoundingly beautiful and intricately crafted to depict scenes from the operas of Wagner.
Following our tour of the castle, we headed back to Munich for dinner at a local beer garden, followed by some well-earned rest. So, despite the day-long drizzle and less than balmy temperatures, we managed to have a fantastic second day!
- Megan and Christian : )
Day 1: San Antonio to Munich
Subtitle: "Running on High Spirits a.k.a. Adrenaline"
Pack light. That was the message to SACS travelers before embarking from San Antonio to Philadelphia and then on to Munich on Day One of our travels. Members of our choral society were so concerned about what to pack and what to leave behind that many of us had trouble sleeping. The excitement of the trip and adventures unknown combined with worries of missed wakeup alarms and forgetting something important, like our music, made for a rough night of sleep prior to the departure morning. Luckily we all made it on time to the San Antonio airport and checked in with ease. The San Antonio leg to Philadelphia was uneventful, which is a good thing, and so we were off to a great start on our Bavarian adventures.
What to do during a four hour layer in Philadelphia? Try out a Philly Cheesesteak, of course! That was the favorite pastime of many of our members. Most decided to bypass the Philly pretzel and opt for getting the real deal in Germany. The search for power was a popular activity. Will we have juice when we arrive in Europe? Better charge it up while you can.
What to do on a ten hour flight to Munich? Watch movies, of course! There were so many choices on board for entertainment that it seems every chair was showing a different movie. For some travelers, this dedicated seating time provided needed time to catch up on pop culture.
Overnight travel was challenging as we weren't convinced it was night. Our body clocks still read daytime, but we needed to sleep in order to get through the rigorous agenda planned for the day ahead. Sleep was elusive, but pillow pets around our necks proved to be a fun and useful sleeping aid.
The adrenaline and excitement of the tour kept many awake and engaged. Some were thankful for compression socks and Dramamine. Others were enjoying the opportunity to get to know their fellow singers more in depth and personal. We had plenty of time to share our stories of achievement, disappointment, love, loss, and family. The bottom line is that sleeping on the plane was a miracle and it was a blessing indeed to receive two or three hours and four if you were lucky and had a sleeping mask, blankie, and pillow pal.
All in all, day one was a fantastic beginning to the wonderful experiences to come. Some of our folks indicated they were simply too fatigued to remember as the long hours of travel were just a blur. The bonding we did brought us closer together and we learned quickly that we have to look out for one another. The only hiccup in the day was when a suitcase was left in the secure area and there was panic on how to get it back. Truly, it was a smooth day. We landed in Munich to rain. Hopefully, everyone brought their umbrellas and rain boots.
Karen and contributions from singers
Pack light. That was the message to SACS travelers before embarking from San Antonio to Philadelphia and then on to Munich on Day One of our travels. Members of our choral society were so concerned about what to pack and what to leave behind that many of us had trouble sleeping. The excitement of the trip and adventures unknown combined with worries of missed wakeup alarms and forgetting something important, like our music, made for a rough night of sleep prior to the departure morning. Luckily we all made it on time to the San Antonio airport and checked in with ease. The San Antonio leg to Philadelphia was uneventful, which is a good thing, and so we were off to a great start on our Bavarian adventures.
What to do during a four hour layer in Philadelphia? Try out a Philly Cheesesteak, of course! That was the favorite pastime of many of our members. Most decided to bypass the Philly pretzel and opt for getting the real deal in Germany. The search for power was a popular activity. Will we have juice when we arrive in Europe? Better charge it up while you can.
What to do on a ten hour flight to Munich? Watch movies, of course! There were so many choices on board for entertainment that it seems every chair was showing a different movie. For some travelers, this dedicated seating time provided needed time to catch up on pop culture.
Overnight travel was challenging as we weren't convinced it was night. Our body clocks still read daytime, but we needed to sleep in order to get through the rigorous agenda planned for the day ahead. Sleep was elusive, but pillow pets around our necks proved to be a fun and useful sleeping aid.
The adrenaline and excitement of the tour kept many awake and engaged. Some were thankful for compression socks and Dramamine. Others were enjoying the opportunity to get to know their fellow singers more in depth and personal. We had plenty of time to share our stories of achievement, disappointment, love, loss, and family. The bottom line is that sleeping on the plane was a miracle and it was a blessing indeed to receive two or three hours and four if you were lucky and had a sleeping mask, blankie, and pillow pal.
All in all, day one was a fantastic beginning to the wonderful experiences to come. Some of our folks indicated they were simply too fatigued to remember as the long hours of travel were just a blur. The bonding we did brought us closer together and we learned quickly that we have to look out for one another. The only hiccup in the day was when a suitcase was left in the secure area and there was panic on how to get it back. Truly, it was a smooth day. We landed in Munich to rain. Hopefully, everyone brought their umbrellas and rain boots.
Karen and contributions from singers
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