Thursday, May 20

This morning we woke up early to the same weather as before, cold and wet, a weather condition that seems to persist during our time in Europe. After a quick breakfast, we left the youth hostel around 9:30 am and began our give hour bus trip to our next destination, Ingleheim. The rest of the afternoon was spent driving... and driving some more... some slept or read, while others channeled their boredome into more productive activities such as finding secret compartments under the bus. Finally, we arrived in Mainz in the early evening, checked into our hotel, and then headed to Ingleheim for our concert later that evening. I believe that most choir members, if not all, would agree that this concert was the most fun out of the six concerts that we have given. THis is due to the fact that the church in Ingleheim that we sang in, called Burgkirche, is a cathedral that was first built in the ninth century under the direction of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. Also, the church is built into the old city walls of that time period, providing a fascination historical experience. The inside of the church was beautiful as well, having been renovated in the last couple of years. Our concert went well, and we all enjoyed the ring of our voices echoing in the church's vast space after every piece that we sang. After the concert, the pastor of the church informed us more about the history and structure of the church, giving us more cause to appreciate it. We were then able to take pictures quickly before we left for the hotel. For the rest of the night, we will either relax, journal, or socilize until we go to bed. We will all need our sleep in order to fully enjoy our cruise down the Rhine tomorrow. Considering the highlight of today, nothing compares to the feelings of awe and wonder that we experienced as we sang in the oldest church that we have visited on this tour

Rachel Weaver