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I had the pleasure of joining the NU High School Choir this summer on their European Concert tour to Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.
Since the first trip in 1981, there have been many fantastic adventures in different European countries. The 1999 trip was special for me, because my son was a part of that group. This year was very special again because my daughter, Rosemary, was part of this award-winning choir.
We flew from San Francisco to Prague. Tired and bleary-eyed but so excited, we met Agnieszka Sababady (Aggie as she became known to us) — our courier and friend for the next twelve days.
After getting 71 people and 150 bags onto our double-decker bus with a trailer, we made our way through the beautiful Czech countryside to our hotel on a hill overlooking the city of Prague. At dinner that night the choir sang their first impromptu concert.
Our first full day in Europe began with a walking tour of the beautiful city of Prague. We started at the Castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral on the hill, then walked to Old Town crossing the famous Charles Bridge.
We finished at the 15th-century astronomical clock. After free time we boarded a boat for a dinner cruise on the Vlatava River.
The next day we toured the Jewish Quarter, visiting many synagogues and cemeteries. In the afternoon we drove to Nymbruk, about 30 miles outside Prague for the choir's first performance at a 13th-century gothic catholic church.
After a short rehearsal, we had a reception in a local hotel. Gifts were exchanged, some singing occurred and then the concert started. A local choir sang a few songs, then our children began to sing. There are no words to describe the beauty of their songs in this huge beautiful old church.
Our next city was Krakow, Poland. We began our tour at the Wawel Castle, then visited the cathedral. We saw a statue of a fire-breathing dragon and a statue of the great Polish hero, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who was Thomas Jefferson's friend.
We visited Wieliczka Salt Mine with another impromptu concert in a salt cathedral cavern. All guides stopped their tours to listen.
Then on to the next fantastic concert in the 19th-century large ornate St. Mary of Lourdes Church. A local choir sang first, followed by the beautiful sounds of the NU choir and ending with another reception with both choirs singing.
On our way to Wroclaw the next day, we had a very somber and sobering visit to Auschwitz/Berkinau, a World War II concentration camp.
In Wroclaw we had a boat cruise complete with musicians on the River Odra. The youths sang for the musicians, with them joining in on several songs.
At night the concert was held in the city of Opole outside Wroclaw. The cathedral was built in 1024 with some rebuilding in the 13th century. The youths sang in the Mass and then gave a concert in this beautiful sacred cathedral.
As we drove into Berlin, we were excited to pull up in front of the hotel to see a parent of one of our students waiting for us to arrive. We had a bus tour seeing the Reistag (Nazi headquarters), pieces of the fallen Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the reunited East and West Berlins into one beautiful city.
On our way to the concert in Potsdam at the Nikolaikirche Cathedral, we stopped for a short tour of the Sanssouci Palace and gardens where Frederick the Great spent his summers. There was a beautiful view of Berlin from the hill. The cathedral built in the 19th century had a large double-dome structure with very live acoustics and made for a wonderful concert.
The youths’ final concert was in Berlin in the very modern Gedachtniskircke. The original church was bombed during WWII with the new one built around it.
As the trip ended, I thought about another fabulous tour with the NU choir was coming to an end and how much I had enjoyed it. I had waited for so long to share this experience with my daughter, and I wasn't disappointed at all.
This was my 14th tour with the choir as tour manager, and each time I say it's one of the best. But this year will truly be one of the best because I shared it with my daughter and her friends.
Since the first trip in 1981, there have been many fantastic adventures in different European countries. The 1999 trip was special for me, because my son was a part of that group. This year was very special again because my daughter, Rosemary, was part of this award-winning choir.
We flew from San Francisco to Prague. Tired and bleary-eyed but so excited, we met Agnieszka Sababady (Aggie as she became known to us) — our courier and friend for the next twelve days.
After getting 71 people and 150 bags onto our double-decker bus with a trailer, we made our way through the beautiful Czech countryside to our hotel on a hill overlooking the city of Prague. At dinner that night the choir sang their first impromptu concert.
Our first full day in Europe began with a walking tour of the beautiful city of Prague. We started at the Castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral on the hill, then walked to Old Town crossing the famous Charles Bridge.
We finished at the 15th-century astronomical clock. After free time we boarded a boat for a dinner cruise on the Vlatava River.
The next day we toured the Jewish Quarter, visiting many synagogues and cemeteries. In the afternoon we drove to Nymbruk, about 30 miles outside Prague for the choir's first performance at a 13th-century gothic catholic church.
After a short rehearsal, we had a reception in a local hotel. Gifts were exchanged, some singing occurred and then the concert started. A local choir sang a few songs, then our children began to sing. There are no words to describe the beauty of their songs in this huge beautiful old church.
Our next city was Krakow, Poland. We began our tour at the Wawel Castle, then visited the cathedral. We saw a statue of a fire-breathing dragon and a statue of the great Polish hero, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who was Thomas Jefferson's friend.
We visited Wieliczka Salt Mine with another impromptu concert in a salt cathedral cavern. All guides stopped their tours to listen.
Then on to the next fantastic concert in the 19th-century large ornate St. Mary of Lourdes Church. A local choir sang first, followed by the beautiful sounds of the NU choir and ending with another reception with both choirs singing.
On our way to Wroclaw the next day, we had a very somber and sobering visit to Auschwitz/Berkinau, a World War II concentration camp.
In Wroclaw we had a boat cruise complete with musicians on the River Odra. The youths sang for the musicians, with them joining in on several songs.
At night the concert was held in the city of Opole outside Wroclaw. The cathedral was built in 1024 with some rebuilding in the 13th century. The youths sang in the Mass and then gave a concert in this beautiful sacred cathedral.
As we drove into Berlin, we were excited to pull up in front of the hotel to see a parent of one of our students waiting for us to arrive. We had a bus tour seeing the Reistag (Nazi headquarters), pieces of the fallen Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the reunited East and West Berlins into one beautiful city.
On our way to the concert in Potsdam at the Nikolaikirche Cathedral, we stopped for a short tour of the Sanssouci Palace and gardens where Frederick the Great spent his summers. There was a beautiful view of Berlin from the hill. The cathedral built in the 19th century had a large double-dome structure with very live acoustics and made for a wonderful concert.
The youths’ final concert was in Berlin in the very modern Gedachtniskircke. The original church was bombed during WWII with the new one built around it.
As the trip ended, I thought about another fabulous tour with the NU choir was coming to an end and how much I had enjoyed it. I had waited for so long to share this experience with my daughter, and I wasn't disappointed at all.
This was my 14th tour with the choir as tour manager, and each time I say it's one of the best. But this year will truly be one of the best because I shared it with my daughter and her friends.
