Day 19: Stuttgart, Germany

Our last full day in Europe! :( Tomorrow we leave Stuttgart early in the morning to catch our flight in Frankfurt to head back to Iceland. We have a small layover at Keflavik before flying to Minneapolis.

Today was kind of a fun day for the boys. We started the day off by going up into the television tower, here, in Stuttgart. It was sprinkling, windy, and a little chilly but the experience was pretty sweet!

From the tower, we went to the Porsche car factory and museum to take a look around. We ended up spending about two and a half hours in the museum! The boys loved it!! We were given self-guided tour headsets for the boys to use...but most just tried to find the sportiest looking car in the museum.

Afterwards we went to the plaza in town to eat lunch and hopefully find some souvenir shops. We were very unlucky--there weren't many stores that sold Deutschland souvenirs. We found a small shop that sold a few things the boys were looking for so we brought the boys in six at a time to look around. We then gave up on shopping and went back to the bus to get a rest period in before tonight's concert.

We arrived at the church around 4:30 (7:30 concert) and warmed up/rehearsed with the Knabenchor collegium iuvenum Stuttgart. The boys got a small bite to eat before the concert (more bratwurst) and began preparing for the concert. They sang one song outside the front door of the church to lure some more people into the church and then finished the remainder of the concert indoors. The boys sang beautifully and so did the Knabenchor collegium iuvenum! They were magnificent! We're all hoping that they can come visit us in Minnesota sometime soon!

The boys went home with their host homes after the concert. Most of the boys are sad tour comes to an end tomorrow, but they're still eager to get home. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "I want a cheeseburger!" in the past few days...haha Well they'll get one soon enough!! ;) See you all tomorrow!

Day 18: Stuttgart, Germany

We had an early morning breakfast with our host families today and then met to leave for Stuttgart. The trip would only be about 2-2.5 hours, but we had something like 7 hours to get there. We made two stops: one to buy lunches for some boys who forgot to pack one and a second for lunch. After lunch we let the boys lay low and play soccer for about an hour. (The soccer game quickly turned into a game of full-tackle Rugby.)

We arrived in Stuttgart a little early and decided to find an ice cream shop. We walked around downtown Stuttgart and found a little Italian Ice Cream shop. The boys had authentic "Italian Ice" and enjoyed every bit of it--including the homemade sugar cone.

We then went into the church where we would be giving our final concert (sacred repertoire only) tomorrow night. We were amazed to see that from the outside, it looked like a modern building--almost like a mall! It was rather odd...

Our hosts, here, in Stuttgart are the Collegium Iuvenum Boy's Choir. We met up with them and rehearsed the joint pieces for the concert tomorrow. They were very good, just like the St. Florianer boys. This is always a nice experience for our boys--to see what other choirs sound like! Once the rehearsal was over, the boys were split into host homes and left for the night.

Tomorrow we are sightseeing in the morning (going into the Television Tower and visiting the Porsche Museum), and performing a concert in the evening with the Collegium Iuvenum Boy's Choir. It should be a fun way to end the tour--hopefully the weather will cooperate!!

Day 17: Eichenau, Germany

Today we departed St. Florian, Austria for Eichenau, Germany. We made a 'souvenir shopping' stop in Salzburg so the boys could get some things from Austria. They were all happy to spend their money on the little trinkets around town. Some boys bought beer steins, others bought shot glasses, and who can forget, of course, Mozart Balls! We walked through the city and made a quick stop at Mozart's birth-house and snapped a picture. We only had a couple of hours to walk around and shop because we had to arrive in Eichenau by 4:00.

One of the things I noticed is that the boys are very easily amused by street performers--mimes. Everytime we passed one we had to stop, take pictures, and pose with him/her. It gets pretty comical, really. Anyway...there was one man who was levitating and was convincing quite a few people (including Andy)! He was sitting cross-legged, holding a wooden cane, and was 'levitating' over the rug. But the boys, being their typical mischievous selves, decided to go pick up the rug and expose the metal plate below the rug... Boys will be boys, right?

Back on the bus, we had another journal check to make sure they'd all be caught up by the time we get home. When we finally arrived in Eichenau, we split into host homes to settle in and eat some dinner. The boys reconvened around 6:30 at the church to warm up for the 7:30 p.m. concert (last full concert of the tour)! The boys sang very well and received a rating of "10" from Francis. The boys keep reminding the staff that we owe them Ice Cream--hopefully we can find a spot in Stuttgart to get some for the boys. They've been working very hard this whole tour, and they really deserve it!

Day 16: St. Florian, Austria

Day Two in St. Florian! This place is so awesome! There has been a monastery here for almost 1,000 years…built around 1071. The current monastery (building) was only built about 250 years ago, but is built upon the original foundation. This is the same for the Basilika… In fact, you’d be interested to know that the walls of the Basilika, at its foundation, are 5 METERS thick!! (Yes, that’s right; meters…that’s around 15 feet!) The walls get thinner near the top of the church to about two meters in depth.

Today will be a really easy day for the boys—basically a free day. We had a tour around 11:00 this morning which brought us through the monastery (which has basically been turned into a museum—a tourist trap of sorts. There are still monks in St. Florian—but not in the monastery. They are dispersed among the area parishes. On the tour, we saw the library, the Imperial and Papal Rooms, including Anton Bruckner’s deathbed. Anton Bruckner was the organist at St. Florian for many years—he is a famous composer known to most worldwide. In fact, the boys sang a song this year composed by him called “Locus Iste” with the Schola Cantorum. On the tour we also saw the Basilika, and toured the crypt and Bone House. Anton Bruckner is buried in the crypt directly below the organ (now called the Bruckner Organ)...His sarcophagus is pictured below with the bone house in the background--YES! Those are real bones. There are about 6,000 human remains stored in the bone house. All in all...It was AWESOME!!! The boys were a little creeped out at the time, but said they loved it afterwards...

The boys then ate lunch, and had free time until 2:45 when we all went swimming! We did some gift shopping in the gift store around 4:00—and warmed up shortly after five o’clock for the 6:00 ‘concert’. The concert in the evening was just an informal private performance for the host families. The St. Florianer Sängerknaben sang a song for us and then we sang a set of songs for about 45 minutes. There was a barbeque fit for a king to follow the concert at which time the boys gorged themselves on pork chops, bratwurst, Kaiser Rolls, Potatoes, Kraut, Fanta, and Sprite.

After dinner, the boys set up a friendly game of Rugby with the St. Florianer boys and played until their host homes had to leave. The boys have long deserved a day off like this, and I think they really enjoyed it. Our stay here in St. Florian has been such an amazing experience. These people are just so nice to us!

Tomorrow we have some shopping time in the morning in Salzburg before we have to be on the road to Eichenau, Germany (near Munich). But it really is too bad we couldn’t spend more time in Austria, but I’m sure we have a lot of fun awaiting us back in Germany!

Day 15: Ellwangen, Germany - St. Florian, Austria

The boys came to the Ellwangen Basilika at 9:00 this morning to sing at the 9:30 church service. They sang BEAUTIFULLY! They pleasantly surprised the priest—he was smiling at the altar as he was preparing for communion. In fact, the boys even received a standing ovation from the congregation DURING the service (that has to be a first)!! It was quite incredible!

Following the concert, we had a spaghetti lunch with a blackberry ice cream for dessert. We said our goodbyes to our gracious host and we hit the road!

We made one twenty minute rest stop near the Germany-Austria border. We had authentic Bavarian Pretzels that were given to us by the families in Ellwangen, and let me tell you—they were SO good! We loaded the bus and continued on to St. Florian—we even drove through the city of Salzburg (birthplace of Mozart). We are hoping to have some time on Tuesday to stop in Salzburg to let the boys have some shopping time!

We arrived in St. Florian around 6, and the boys were immediately distributed into host homes. Tomorrow we’ll see more of the Monastery, here, in St. Florian—but for now we’re off for the night.

Day 14: Ellwangen, Germany

We left France shortly after 9 am to get to Ellwangen, Germany by 1:30. We ended up stopping twice (one rest stop and one lunch break) which resulted in running a little behind schedule.

Ellwangen is a smaller city in the south of Germany (a part of Germany called Bavaria). Here the boys will be singing a full concert (sacred music only) and a church service on Sunday morning in the Basilika St. Vitus.

The church where the boys will be singing is rather unique. It is, obviously, a catholic church but it is connected to a Protestant church! The door has been kept shut for over 200 years, but was just recently reopened to reconnect the two. When the churches were originally built, the (now-Protestant church) was built by and for the Jesuits; but after Napoleon conquered the area it was overturned to the Protestants.

The surrounding area of Ellwangen now hosts several beautiful churches—including another GORGEOUS Jesuit church in the neighboring village (just up the side of the mountain—2 or 3 km away). This church is rather unique for a few reasons. First of all, it is situated on a mountainside nestled amongst the trees. Second, there are 12 buildings, shelters or “stations” if you will that house each of the Stations of the Cross. They begin in order at the foot of the hill and finish at the entrance of the church—it was quite impressive to see. Behind the altar on the balcony is a model of the Nativity scene—it is about 25 feet long and just breathtaking. It almost looks real (aside from the people being about 18 inches tall)…

Ellwangen also had something special to offer the monarchial enthusiast. Ellwangen is home to one of Germany’s numerous castles. In fact, Ellwangen’s castle is “world famous” because it was--for several years--the castle pictured on the German stamp (Deutsche Post).

As soon as we arrived in Ellwangen, the boys were split into host homes and left to get settled in. The boys arrived back later (at the church) fully dressed in concert uniform because there wasn’t a place for the boys to change. They didn’t have much time to warm up, but the boys still sang VERY well and impressed the audience. The Basilika was PACKED!!! It was completely standing room only. The pews were packed—even the aisle and the back of the church was full! I wasn’t even able to get pictures of the boys singing! It was by FAR the best concert so far, and Francis gave the boys a rating of a “10+”. Now someone promised the boys ice cream if they got over a ten rating **ahem…ANDY…**, well little did he know it was actually going to happen! The boys were VERY well received! The other concerts the boys have put on so far have been full as well; however, none of those churches have been this large! This was quite an impressive sight to see!

Following the early concert (4:00 pm), the boys left with host homes again and did their own thing. Many boys visited the Castle and went sightseeing around Ellwangen, while others went to a local park and played soccer, while a few went right home for dinner (BBQ and things like that).

Ellwangen has been a great stop for us—too bad we leave tomorrow already! We have been treated like superstars, here, and that’s probably an understatement. They truly love us here—it’s pretty sweet!

Tomorrow we’re off to Austria! Third country in three days! ;)

Day 13: Sarreguemines, France

Bonjour! I thought I would give Kenny a break today and try my hand at writing the blog. Here goes it! All the pictures were taken from my tiny, iPod Touch camera... so I apologize for the low quality. It is kinda hard to compete with Kenny's.

Today was a day of rehearsal, visits, and exploration. We got up relatively early. Arriving at the church, we found that some small breakfast had already been prepared for us. Smells of sweet breads, tea, and coffee filled the air. Once the boys settled in they had a small rehearsal at the church. They practiced for a good hour, and really polished up a few of their pieces. The church is a decent sized building and promised to have excellent acoustics for the concert later on that day. At around 11:30 am, Francis wrapped up the rehearsal and we all piled on the bus for a short ride to a local school.

Just like at school visit at back in the states, the boys performed in a large cafeteria before a large audience of French boys and girls. Having sung for their meal, they got to enjoy the school lunch. It was almost universally agreed upon to be one of the best school lunches they had everhad! It consisted of a small salad,chicken breast with white mushroom gravy, French fries (How appropriate!), and a chocolate moose for desert. It wascertainly one of the best school lunches I’ve ever had! The boys then had a fun time relaxing and intermingling with the French children. With the music teacher and principle serving as last minute interpreters, many of the boys were quickly overcoming the language barrier and having a fun time socializing. Just before leaving, themusic teacher brought us all upstairs and had a few French children demonstrate some of their own more contemporary music (Queen's "We Will Rock You" and others).

Once again, aftermany goodbyes and “Au Revoir’s!” the boys boarded the bus for some sightseeing. After a short 30 minute drive we arrived at our destination: Ancient Roman Ruins at Bliesbruck-Reinheim! The boys were quickly submersed in

the more “Touristy” type area. Gift shops, tour guides, and monuments surrounded them.After getting n explanation of Roman Culturefrom a tour guide (Did you know the Romans were the first to invent in-floor heating?), the boys got to walk around the grounds. There were many opportunities here for fun and adventure!Old stones, long forsaken walls and foundations were quickly observed and scaled. It was actually encouraged by our tourguide to walk on the ancient low walls! I guess “when in Rome,do as the Romans do”! The boys had a great time wandering around the site, and upand down some large hills. Finally, they got to visit an old Celtic burial Mound of a Gallic Princess, and actually go inside it! In a little bit of a rush, we had to cut short souvenir shopping time and get on the bus again.

The acoustics for the concert turned out to be as good as was promised. The 6:00 concert was excellent. The church was of medium size, and perfect for the boys to sing in. At last, all their hard work practicing this morning got to pay off! There was a decent sized audience and they were quite enthusiastic for the concert. Afterwards, they all got a chance to try some more sweet coffee cake before heading back to their host homes for dinner.

Overall, it was a very fascinating day. Music, school visits, and even some sightseeing. France has rendered itself to be an excellent experience for all.

Well, as the French would say it,

Au Revoir! (Till we meet again!)

Adam

Day 12: Püttlingen, Germany

This morning we left Schlitz shortly after 10:00 a.m. The bus ride was a typical trip—the boys caught up on journals and wrote their second letter home (to be mailed in France). We stopped twice—once for a potty break and once for lunch. We tried to find a nice place to stop for the boys to eat lunch, but it wasn’t until after 1:00 that we found a place that would work—so you can imagine how hungry the boys were! To top it off as soon as we sit down, it started to rain so we ended up eating on the bus anyway…

We continued the trip to Püttlingen and arrived at St. Sebastian Church around 4:15. The church was BEAUTIFUL! The acoustics were wonderful (5 second echo) and the architecture was so kinesthetically pleasing! The boys sounded amazing in there! We had a brief warm-up in the church and quickly scurried off to get changed for the 5:00 concert. The concert went very well and Francis gave them a rating of 9.5.

Following the concert, we were invited to a barbeque at a nearby Abbey. We were treated very graciously and generously! The boys had more bratwurst, Coca-cola, and Fanta than they knew what to do with! We sang one last song for them (Sitting on Top of the World) as a thank you and “goodbye” song. They were snapping and clapping along with the boys during the song—it was a really neat experience! We then gave them our banner and “thank you” gifts and were pleasantly surprised to receive a banner from them in return! They loved the boys so much that they also gave each of them a postcard. As we drove away on the bus they were waving towels and blowing kisses to the boys—they already told us they want us back!

The biggest lesson we are trying to teach the boys on tour is that good people are everywhere in the world. While some countries may not always see eye-to-eye and create conflict—most of its people don’t want war. War is all political—they are still good people.

So, on the road again… We finished our bus ride to Sarreguemines, France (about 45 minutes) and arrived around 9:15-9:30. We divvied up into host homes and left for the night. Tomorrow the boys have two concerts—one in a school and a full concert in the Protestant Church in Sarreguemines—and some free time for sightseeing.

Day 11: Schlitz, Germany

Our morning in Hannover began with host family hugs and goodbyes. The boys sang a “thank you” song before getting on the bus.

Before leaving the city, we had a walking tour of the city which was rather interesting. They had ruins from a church in WWII, the city hall (which almost looks like a church), the old city hall building (right next to the main church in Hannover). The tour lasted about 2 hours, but barely scratched the surface of what Hannover had to offer. We would have stayed longer, but we had to depart for Schlitz. It would be about a 3 hour bus ride, and we still had a concert to sing!

A few of the older Viking Choir boys went to Schlitz in 2008—for those boys, this was the most anticipated stop on tour! Yet again, we arrived over an hour late at our destination (everywhere we go there is road construction). As soon as we arrived, it began to downpour and storm. As soon as it lifted, we exited/unloaded the bus and went with host homes to get settled in and eat dinner.

At 6:30 we returned to the Music Academy to warm up for the concert (at 8:00). The concert hall was packed—nearly every seat was filled. The boys received two standing ovations overall—not including a request to repeat a song (Sitting on Top of the World) mid-program. The boys sang beautifully and again, touched the hearts of many! At the end of the concert, each of the boys and staff were presented with a medal from the city of Schlitz. As the boys were getting awarded the medals, Francis said to the audience “Everyone’s a winner.” The boys had smiles as wide as their face, and proudly walked off stage sporting the medallions.

The concert ended around 10:00 at which time the boys quickly shook hands with the audience, changed, and went with host families to get some much needed sleep. It had been a long day, and the boys were exhausted! Unfortunately this is the only night in Schlitz—tomorrow we drive to France. We were treated very well in Schlitz—they were very generous and gracious hosts! They already want us back!

Day 10: Hannover, Germany

Early to rise? Easier said than done. We had a long trek to Hannover to undertake today, so we had to leave a little earlier than normal. We ate breakfast, packed lunches, cleaned our rooms and off we went…on the road again!

The bus ride lasted about 5 hours because we had to take a small detour due to some road construction. It put us behind about an hour and fifteen minutes. The boys adapted well though, and warmed up on the bus so they could still make their 3:00 concert at the GOP (Georgspalast). We arrived at the concert site around 2:50 so we basically had a quick view of the space and lined up to go right on stage. The boys sang a half hour set before we left and walked to the music school (Haus der Jugend) so they could get acquainted with the space/acoustics for the concert.

We ate supper at the school which was excellent! It was noodles with a choice of tomato or mushroom sauce. It was a hit with the boys—we had to end up ordering more noodles! ;)

The concert went very well for the unusual setting they had in the hall. There were no risers for the boys and the piano was in such a position that it was nearly impossible for a majority of the boys to see Francis. Nevertheless, Francis was happy to once again have a “real” piano to play, not just a “children’s keyboard.” The boys overcame and sang beautifully and were well received. Following the concert the boys were split into host homes and left to meet their new “parents” for the night.

Tomorrow will be another day of travel—hopefully without the construction this time! ;) Most of the boys are eagerly anticipating their stay at Schlitz—they’ve heard too many stories from alumni and staff! Well, I’ll catch you later! Blessings!

Day 9: Strehla, Germany (A Free Day)

Today was totally a free day at the hostel. There really isn’t too much to report today. The boys enjoyed having time to run around outside, play in the sand, and play soccer. Breakfast was the typical bread rolls, meat, cheese, and tea. For lunch, the boys had noodles and a tomato sauce—which they ate to no end.

Today was a special day for one of the choirboys. Jake Mester turned 14, so we celebrated by having some birthday cake and good laughs. Andy found a birthday hat at a local grocery store and purchased it for Jake. We made him wear it—and he couldn’t stop laughing about it while we were singing Happy Birthday to him. We had two different types of cake (both homemade) from the bakery in the village: an orange gelatin cake, and a type of banana cream.

The boys took a short nap after having their birthday cake and had a mini rehearsal—just to polish up a few things. Then came MORE free time! Some boys stayed at the hostel to play kickball and soccer, while the rest went into the village to go bowling! It was old-fashioned bowling—littler balls with no finger holes and nine (instead of ten) pins.

Dinner was, yet again, another barbeque! The boys had more bratwurst and (as I’m told) German-style potatoes. Following dinner the boys had some more free time and packed their suitcase before an early bedtime. We have an early morning tomorrow because Hannover is about 340 kilometers away and we have a concert at 3:00! Until tomorrow…bye!

Day 8: Lauchhammer, Germany

Today was another typical morning at the youth hostel--a European breakfast with tea. The boys had a free morning to play soccer, table tennis, and basketball at the youth hostel once their journals were caught up. It was a good chance for them to expel some excess energy and have fun in the process. Lunch was around 12:30 today and the boys had a local favorite: schnitzel! They LOVED it!!! They all cleared their plates and wanted more!

Around 2:00 we left for Lauchhammer in the bus. The boys had a brief rest period on the way to the church (the bus ride was only an hour). Once we arrived, we took a brief stroll through the park to get to the church and dropped our uniforms off in the dressing room.

The church was rather small but from the get-go we knew it was going to be a well-attended concert because they had already set up the "biergarten" outside! ;) So it must have been well-advertised! The church was PACKED!! They set up extra chairs in the aisle of the church, and the balconies were even flooded with people! It was standing room only--and even then, they had to turn people away. During intermission, Francis was interviewed by a television reporter and the boys were videotaped during the second half for the segment (sorry, I don't have any more information than that...). The boys were unable to shake hands with the concertgoers last night because it was down-pouring rain--its summer showers here in Germany. Actually, it has rained almost every day since we've arrived in Germany. The boys recieved another two standing ovations at the concert tonight--we would have sang another song, but the weather was NOT cooperating with us and we had to walk across the park to get to our dressing room.

Following the concert, we went to a restaurant in 'downtown' Lauchhammer for dinner (courtesy of the village of Lauchhammer, Germany). The boys had another authentic German meal, this time it was chicken--well, and french fries. :) The boys ate like kings and left with full stomachs and a BIG smile. The bus ride home was filled with the boys singing and talking about their day. It was the perfect end to the day. The boys sang wonderfully and knocked the socks off the mayor! He was very impressed with the boy's singing.

All of the staff are so proud of the boys!! They truly are reaping the benefits for their hard work over this past year. We're getting treated like rock stars over here...no joke! It's legit!

Well, until tomorrow...ciao!

Day 7: Strehla, Germany

Today we were waken up by Kenny at 8:15 and we changed into travel uniform brushed our teeth and headed to the youth hostels breakfast room. The wonderful stomach filling breakfast consisted of bread, meat, cheese, cereal, nutella, juices, and German yogurt with strawberry chunks. Once we finished we went back to our rooms and brought down our suitcases to load the bus. We left to go to Alexanderplatz to shop for souvenirs. Some people bought authentic leather wallets, some postcards, hat pins, and some other playful souvenirs. After we left that flea market we went to Strehla. On the way we stopped for lunch that the youth hostel provided for us. It had two sandwiches, an apple, a water, and a German chocolate wafer. Then we continued our journey to Strehla while, we took a nap. During the nap it had started to rain. When the bus took a sharp turn Baker fell off his seat and everybody burst into laughter. When the laughing had subsided the bus pulled into the church parking lot. As we were unloading the bus Francis announced that we were 2 1/2 hours late. As we went into the church to warm up people were streaming in so we could not give away our sound. We just looked around at the acoustics so we were used to the sound and we would not be distracted when singing. The church was in really nice condition considering it was built in 1685! Then we went to a back room we changed and warmed up there. When we first walked in to the concert disappointment rose. There was a keyboard that you could barley hear, it was missing 3 octaves, and there was no pedal. Here are some comments from Francis about the keyboard:

"Plinket-plunkety dinkey toy made for 5 year-olds."
"Meant for children to play "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and things like that."
"I found myself playing on air."

During intermission we decided to abandon all pieces with lots of piano including Jack and Josh's solo. Luckily Josh sang a solo last year without a lot of piano (Caro Mio Ben) so he quickly adapted to that one. The concert went so well at the end, they started clapping in unison after we walked off. We quickly turned around and walked back on! Back in the room after the concert we changed back and boarded the bus to go to the Strehla Youth Hostel. On the ride Francis acknowledged that we were in tough conditions and rated the concert 9.5 out of 10! The Hostel was family owned and they have been following the choir since 2002! When we were riding there they were kind enough to make a barbecue of bratwursts. It was really fun! After dinner we went in the back to play soccer and ping-pong. We made teams of hats and no hats and we played for 2 hours! Then Andy brought us around the fire pit for a talk. Then we headed to the showers and hit the sack!

Brought to you by Choirboys Ming Sin and Baker LaMotte!

Day 6: Wir sind in Berlin!

Today we had a 9:00 departure from Suhl. The boys sang one last song, Sitting on Top of the World, for them before we left for Berlin. The drive to Berlin was about three hours and was rather enjoyable--beautiful scenery. A few of the boys made comments about the cornfields looking like Iowa...not to mention the windmills! ;) We stopped twice--once for a bathroom break and once for lunch. The boys had lunches from the host homes in Suhl and were surprised to see that MANY had a bag full of snacks foods/candy/chocolate--they spoiled them rotten! haha ;)

When we arrived in Berlin, we took a bus tour around the city and saw most of the more-famous sites including Checkpoint Charlie, the Reichstag (German Federal Parliament Building), and the Victory Column. We exited the bus to walk around the Brandenburg Tor (Gate) and again to see what remains of the Berlin Wall.

The concert tonight was in the Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church. Francis said that the concert was "extremely well received. Many people commented on the variety of the concert. And, as always, they mentioned the purity and the crystal-like clarity of the boy's singing."

Following the concert, we went to the Youth Hostel to finally get some much anticipated sleep! It was a great day full of a lot of fun and interesting history! Everyone is well and in good spirits! Tomorrow we head for Strehla—it should be about a two-to-three hour bus ride. Until tomorrow, “Auf Wiedersehen!”

Day 5: Suhl, Germany

The boys didn't have to arrive at the music school, here, in Suhl until 10:30 am so they had a chance to get well-acquainted with their host homes and a good night's sleep! Once we had all arrived at the school, we placed our concert uniforms in what looked like a choir rehearsal room and awaited further instructions. It turned out we were going to go sightseeing around Suhl! We walked through downtown, and we were greeted by the mayor, himself! It was pretty sweet! We also saw posters for our concert posted on many business doors and windows throughout town! After we got to the outskirt of the city, we trekked up the mountain to a chapel situated beautifully on the mountainside. The boys definitely had their exercise today! ;) From the chapel, we could see the whole city of Suhl nestled in the valley--it was awesome!

After the sightseeing "hike" was over (just past 1:00 pm), we were welcomed back with an AUTHENTIC German "bratwurst" (yes, pronounced braht-voorst) barbeque. Not going to lie--it might have been the BEST thing I have EVER eaten in my life! Most of the boys I think ate about three! Seriously...by the way they eat, you'd think they have never seen food before! haha And to top the bratwurst we had, of course, ketchup...and authentic locally-made mustard! Good stuff!!

Following lunch, the boys went to rehearse with the Suhler Knabenchor in the church (St. Marien Suhl) until about 3:45 pm. We showed them our method of warm-ups, then they all rehearsed the two mass pieces for the concert tonight. When the practice was over, we walked back to the school and had a small snack...which consisted of like ten different types of cake (I think I even saw a cheesecake!!)! These kids are so spoiled! Just kidding, but it seems as though all they do is eat!!

The concert was at 5:30, so once they were done eating their snack, the boys went to go change into their concert uniforms. We walked to the church and were shocked to see that there was a line of people about thirty feet leading from the church entrance! It was a full church--even the balcony was lined with people! The boys sang beautifully tonight and received a standing ovation at the end of the concert and another one as they exited the church. They did a great job today--I was VERY proud of them! They have worked very hard to get to where they're at, and today was just the beginning of their "pay-off" (about two more weeks to go!)! While the boys were shaking hands, it started to downpour, so they were taken by car back to the school to change (about 3-4 blocks away). We went to a restaurant after the concert where the boys got to eat, drink, and have fun with the Suhler Knabenchor host families. The boys loved it because they got to drink as much pop as they wanted! They had Coca-Cola, a local cola, Fanta, Sprite, and a carbonated lemon/limeade that was pretty popular with a few of the boys. I'm hoping that they didn't drink too much so they will actually sleep tonight, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

After the "party" of sorts, we split back into host homes and parted ways. Tomorrow, we leave Suhl and head for Berlin. We have a bus tour planned in the afternoon and a full concert in the evening. Tomorrow will be another full day. Keep looking for posts!

-Kenny

P.S. I got the pictures posted from Iceland--be sure to check those out! OH, and I forgot to tell you...our arrival made the newspaper!! Check it out! :)