Final Thoughts...

3/28/14

Our last full day of the trip! I don't think any one of us is emotionally ready to leave what has been an unforgettable experience. 

We started the day off singing at a school in Vienna. It was a great final performance! After the concert, we socialized with the students. Though they were a bit noisy during the performance, they proved to be nice people who spoke stellar English and had interesting lives, backgrounds, and perspectives to share. 

After our final concert, we toured Mozart's house. Though the house was a bit bare bones and the furniture mostly copies or guesses of the original, the history was interesting nonetheless. How many people can say they've walked in Mozart's shoes?

Afterwards, we went to Schonbrunn Palace, the summer palace of the Habsburgs. It was absolutely stunning, with a ballroom that made me want to start dancing as I walked through it. We had some free time to explore the magnificent gardens and get some last minute souvenirs. 

Finally, we took the journey out into the country for our final night, and had a delicious meal in an 800 year old wine village. Even better than the traditional Austrian food, however, was the view of the stars and the town steeple rising up into the night. My camera couldn't capture the moment, but many other people did!

Hard to believe that we are leaving tomorrow. We have a 5:30 am wake up call tomorrow, so I am signing off for the last time. 

Thank you to everyone who read this blog! I am so glad you enjoyed following our adventures, and that this insight helps you understand how talented everyone is for not only producing 5 great concerts, but for having the energy and spirit for seeing the world in between. 

Best,

Erica

The gardens at the palace. 

Vienna via Edith

3/27/14

Hello everybody!

It's hard to believe there are only two days left of our amazing trip!

We started off the day with our local tour guide, Edith, giving us a bus tour of the city. She was incredibly knowledgable, and knew all about Vienna's rich history. Afterwards, most of the group went to see the Lipizzan Horses, but eight fearless tourists (and Edith) took a stroll over to the Art Museum, which was breathtakingly gorgeous! On our way there, we saw a foreign ambassador being welcomed into Austria, and even got a picture of the president of Austria!!

The museum was wonderful. Edith, having studied art history, was able to give us amazing insight into the art, as well as the rulers who had such collections. She even pointed out an altar painting with an extraneous foot--seems everyone, even great artists, make mistakes. After a relaxing lunch at the museum, we stopped by the church where all the Habsburgs got married. It was simple, elegant, and very, very royal.

Afterwards, we had our second to last (and what I'd say was our best) concert at a Senior Center. The audience was gracious and eager to hear our set (and play our much beloved bells at the end).

We returned to the hotel, had dinner, and are ready for our last full day tomorrow!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Erica

The president of Austria greeting a foreign diplomat.

The art museum.

The church.

Melk and Vienna

3/26/14

What an incredible day!

We started off a little earlier than we preferred (5:30 am) to get a head start on our way to Austria. I fell asleep on the bus ride, and when I woke up, I was greeted by those much-sung-about rolling hills of Austria. For those of you who haven’t been, it’s true: they really are alive. I was singing the whole way to Melk.

Melk, Austria is a beautiful tiny town. The Melk Monastery (known in German as “Shtift Melk”) has been in existence for over a thousand years… there is even a place in the Church that marks 1014 to 2014. Our tour guide was fantastic as she led us through the history of the Abbey, the beautiful views of the town, the amazing library, and finally, the breathtaking church. I finally got to take my “hills are alive” Sound of Music picture! The chorus gave an impromptu performance of Ubi Caritas, as well as the B-Flats, who sang Ave Maria. The acoustics in the church were hauntingly beautiful. I am Jewish, but I felt holy and blessed to be able to sing in such a venue—even if our tour guide was the only set of new ears for the performance.

After Melk, we bussed over to Vienna, where we got to walk around after dinner. The downtown area is gorgeous; the architecture seems to even be enhanced at night. We went into a spooky church—the biggest church in Vienna—which had an organ playing throughout our short tour. It felt more like a haunted house than a church, especially at night.

The highlight of my day, however, was waiting for the subway back to our hotel. The B-Flats gave their second spontaneous performance today of Unwritten. I happen to solo for that song, and smiled cheerily (as did my fellow B-Flats) as passerby whipped out phones and cameras to record the moment. We can truly sing anywhere!

Tomorrow, we are walking around Vienna some more (in the daylight), as well as either seeing horses or going to the art museum. We also have our second to last performance.

Vienna Tomorrow (See you tomorrow—I know, it’s not as good as BudaBEST),

Erica  

The church at Melk

The altar, where the chorus gave a fantastic impromptu performance. 

The summer palace for the royal family; Downtown Vienna

The Kodlay School

3/25/14

Thus I lay there, silent praying... silent praying.

Nothing was more fulfilling than hearing the students of The Kodlay School accompany us with the Hungarian lyrics of Esti Dal, or Evening Song in English. Kodlay, who wrote Esti Dal, left a legacy of truly gifted music students. We spent the day at the Kodlay School, first going to music classes and choir practice, followed by a presentation of both Baldwin and the Kodlay School about our typical school days. After lunch, we prepared for the concert of a lifetime.

I hate to brag on this blog, but... you're kind of talking to a local celebrity now. Fellow senior Logan Jones-Merrill, as well as myself, were interviewed by a local Hungarian newspaper about our chorus, our school, our performance, and what we think of Hungary. The mayor of the local district even attended the concert. It was truly amazing! The concert started with the Kodlay school choir, followed by a full set of Baldwin's finest musical talents. The church venue gave the whole afternoon a holy feeling.

Finally, we ended the day with the best night of the trip thus far. We ate at a "traditional" Hungarian "house," filled with Hungarian food, dancing, and instruments. We were eager to sing, get on stage, and dance. The evening provided many laughs and much fun.

We are off to Austria tomorrow, so this blogger has to get to bed to be able to wake up for her 5:30 wakeup call tomorrow morning!

Wishing you for the last time the BudaBEST,
Erica

The church venue and our bell choir.

Traditional Hungarian dancers.

Dinner music.

Rachel Sutor takes the stage!

A Panorama Sunset

3/24/14

Hello everybody!

Today was a very exciting day! We started off touring the house/academy of Franz Liszt, an incredibly famous Hungarian composer. We learned that he not only taught his pupils for free, but that he also gave free concerts in his personal concert hall. Talk about a legend! The tour was an emotional one for our fabulous teachers, who even got to play one of Liszt's glass pianos--a piano the great composer touched himself. The singers also took advantage of the space, and gave an impromptu performance in Liszt's concert hall. The acoustics were beautiful, and we all enjoyed singing both "Ubi Caritas" and "Ave Maria"--two group favorites. Most of us then helped ourselves to purchasing some of Liszt's music in the gift shop--if we're going to splurge on a music trip, it might as well be in the house of one of the greatest composers of all time!

After lunch, we found ourselves winding up the hills of Budapest, headed to a senior center for our second performance of the trip. After a bit of difficulty setting up those world-traveling bells, the concert was underway and was a huge success. Afterwards, one of our audience members pulled out her own Hungarian old-fashioned guitar, and treated us to a performance of her own. We then enjoyed socializing with the audience over cookies and a gorgeous skyline (pictured below).

Finally, we ventured to dinner, served in an old Hungarian military fort. The breathtaking view of the city was enhanced, as we arrived to dinner just in time to take many pictures in front of the sunset. As we ate our delicious meal, city lights soon found their way into the dimly lit room, making for an unforgettable evening.

Tomorrow, we head to the much-anticipated Kodlay School, a music school. Kodlay, another Hungarian composer, composed Esti Dal, the Hungarian song that our singers sing at every concert (to rave reviews)! We are currently preparing our short speeches about going to Baldwin to present to the students tomorrow.

Hard to believe that our time in Budapest is drawing to a close. Wednesday morning we are headed towards the hills of Austria!

Wishing you, as always, my BudaBEST,

Erica

A statue commemorating the end of WWII.

The beautiful hills of Hungary.

Sunset River Picture (Group Photo!)

Sunset River Picture Part II

The House of the Heart of the Castle District

3/23/14
Jó estét! (Good evening!)

Day 2! We made it!

This morning we started out at the House of Terror, which is a museum that commemorates the time Hungary spent under the Nazi, Communist, Fascist, and Socialist Regimes. It was a meaningful way to begin the morning, and I know that many people got a deeper understanding of what this country had to go through to get to where they are today. What spoke to me the most was an elevator ride down to the prison chambers narrated by a detailed description of an execution. Its harrowing presence left me thinking for the rest of the day.

After the House of Terror, we took our first (very overcrowded) bus ride to the Buda part of Budapest, and visited the Castle District. The District,  originally a medieval village and home to the Royal Castle of Budapest is now a quaint town with breathtaking views and a church you wouldn't believe could be tucked away so high on a hilltop. After getting lunch (and, if you were in my group, two rounds of what we have deemed the best ice cream ever), and walking around, we then got into another overcrowded bus to prepare for our first concert!

Tonight, we performed at The Church of the Heart of Jesus's Community Center. The program was amazing, and we all performed amazingly! The highlight of the concert was when the chorus sang an English version of Esti Dal (Evening Song), and then sang it again, accompanied by two Hungarian singers who took to the "stage" like naturals. The sound we made was beautiful, and convinced me that it doesn't matter where in the world you are--everyone can speak the language of music. As an aspiring peacemaker, I know first hand how powerful music can be. From silly, nonsense songs to instrumentals to an English translation of a song loved by a country, there is no limit to the power of music's message.

Tomorrow, we are exploring Franz Liszt's house, followed by another (early) performance.

Our feet are sore, but we retain our high energy and spirits!

Wishing you all the BudaBEST (I'll have to think of something clever for Vienna),
Erica

The Church in the Castle District

First Days, First Adventures

3/22/14

Greetings to everyone!

It has been a crazy 24 hours, filled with action-packed airport successes, sightseeing scores, and, most importantly, a dinner view that would take your breath away!

Once we landed in Budapest, we met our guides and loaded up the bus with our bags and bell equipment--the bell equipment making us the talk of Budapest, by the way. We headed into the "Pest" part of "Budapest" (fun fact: it's actually two parts of a city divided by a river and connected by a bridge). We were immediately charmed by the architecture of the apartments, synagogues, churches, opera halls.... you name it, we were impressed by it. After stopping off at a town square for some impressive-looking pictures, we headed over to a Hungarian Market for a full immersion experience. Some girls got Hungarian Hot Dogs (elongated, regular, American hotdogs), others got Hungarian pasta, but all in all we were satisfied with the experience and were glad to get some delicious native food into our stomachs. (As a traveler myself, I must commend the Hungarian Marketplace for being the quietest marketplace I've ever experienced! It helped with the jet lag.)

Finally, after freshening up at our hotel, we dined on an old steamer ship that was right on the water, overlooking the "Buda" part of the city on the beautiful blue Danube. When the sun set and the European skyline lit up, I think the enormity of the experience we were about to embark on hit us simultaneously. It was a perfect welcoming party.

Perhaps the best moment today, however, was unloading all 41 bags, plus about 20 bell bags from the bus onto the street to get them to the hotel. I've never seen such camaraderie amongst people as when we're trying to get out of a narrow Hungarian street with more than enough baggage. We're already beginning to bond, help each other out, and understand that we are all here together.

Considering I fell asleep at the dinner table tonight (thanks, jet lag), I am going to call it a night and get some well-deserved rest. Tomorrow, we are exploring the "House of Terror" (which explains the European history of some communist/fascist dictatorships) and the Castle District, but most importantly, it is our first performance tomorrow! I cannot wait!

I'll attach the picture from dinner below.

Wishing you my BudaBEST,
Erica