Tuesday May 29: The departure...

This morning came very quickly for most of us. The thought of getting up early and making sure we were all packed and ready for our departures this morning. Last night after ur debriefing session we said goodbye to Laura, Corey, Alisa, and Neal. They all are spending some extra time in Europe and had to leave for the airport earlier than our bus did. We loaded our bus at 6:45 a.m. With a planned departure of close to 7 a.m. Unfortunately Mindy and Courtney woke up at 6:50 a.m. When we realized that they weren't on the bus and that they were roommates. But within a few minutes we got them all packed and loaded. We arrived at the airport to the pleasant surprise of the cleaning crew striking, so strips of newspaper were all over and they were chanting and blowing noise makers the whole time. After that we started the process of checking in, which also included our first round of goodbyes. We then got everyone in the Atlanta group check in and went over to say our "final" goodbyes to those we had missed earlier. Which was ather difficult seeing that part of the group headed to New Ark was hallways through security. The awesome Atlnata crew got through security and then realized that the New Ark group was a few ates away from us. So our goodbyes actually came later, many hugs were given, a few tears shed, and many promises were made to see each other again. This is the update from Atlanta: Currently it is 6:13 p.m. Atlanta time, which translates to 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday Barcelona time. We are a little tired, not much sleep was had on the plane. Currently we have been to two different gates and are headed to our third momentarily. Our plane leaves at 8:30 p.m. Atlanta time for a arrival into Wichita at 9:30 p.m. Kansas time. More updates to come later! Kaedi LeFevre, Hesston, Ks

Monday May 26: The last full day

Today was our last day here in Europe. We awoke to a nice breakfast provided by the hotel, after which we loaded the bus at 9 and departed for Monserrat. This is a monastery that many people throughout Spain pilgrimage to. After about an hour and a half bus ride around many hairpin turns and drop of hundreds of feet we arrived. We had a wonderful view of several miles in each direction. The group then had three hours before meeting up to hear a choral give a brief concert. We could either explore the shopping area or take our pick of several hiking trails. At 12:30 p.m. we met for the concert which had two parts. The first group was alright and was followed by an all boys choir that was amazing. After this we then again took the long bus ride back. We arrive at the hotel around 3:00 p.m. and the rest of the afternoon was free. Many people took advantage of it to pack, go to the beach, or head over to Gaudi park. This evenings meal will be provided by our hotel restaurant, and will be delicious as always. After the meal we are planning to have one last set group time together. Here we will just debrief over the last three weeks, share stories, and share experiences we have encountered along this trip. Rumor has it that we will have an early morning tomorrow, so sleep will be greatly appreciated. -This afternoons portion written by Kenny Graber, Stryker, OH -This evenings portion written by Kaedi LeFevre, Hesston, KS

Sunday May 27: Meaningful morning worship

After another good breakfast we went to the bus in our concert dress at 9:30 am. W had an hour drive to Iglesia Amor Viviente. This was a church that is held underground where we worshiped, sang, and ate with the members of another church, Iglesia Mennonita Communidad Evangelica. After the meal we made our way back tot he surface and walked through Barcelona taking the metro still in our concert dress. We attempted a flash mob within one of the subways singing "O Sapo" but we discovered that singing in a loud subway car is not an easy feat, we still had plenty of fun doing it though! We eventually made it back to our hotel after plenty of awkward stares from many Spainards. W then had free time to go out to the city until supper. Some chose to go to the Picasso museum and others made their way to Gaudi park. We then had an 8 p.m. Dinner that included salad, chicken, potatoes, and flan for dessert. The. The evening was spent enjoying some typical children's shows, except they were in Catalan. -Broxton Busentiz, North Newton, KS

Saturday May 26: Taking it all in...

Today provided a welcomed opportunity to sleep a bit later than usual or head our for a morning jog: both popular activities among pockets of this group! We gathered at 10 a.m. To take the metro to La Rambla, a historic district loaded with Artisans selling their wares. La Rambla extends from the city center on south to the Mediterranean and includes a monument marking the cite of Christopher Columbus' departure in 1492. After 3 hours of scattering for sightseeing and lunch, we gathered again and took the metro to Basilica Sagrada Familia (Basilica of the holy family). Here we encountered the breathtaking architecture of Antoni Gaudi. Begun in 1882, the cathedral is scheduled for completion in 2026. It is an active construction site, but also is already a house of worship, not to mention one of Barcelona's premier tourist attractions. Many of our members lingered here, taking in the grandeur and intimacy of the place. Under the cathedral, a museum (spanning the footprint of the massive exterior) tells the story of its progressive design based on the anatomy of plants, leaves, and especially trees.  Tomorrow we have the privilege of gathering for worship with two Anabaptist congregations that have altered their individual routines in order to welcome us. We will have a time of worship together followed by our concert and then a "pica pica" (fellowship meal). One congregation is native to Barcelona, the other is a group of Honduran immigrants. With all it has to offer, Barcelona is proving to be an exciting culmination point for a wonderful tour.  -Bradley Kauffman, Newton, KS

Thursday May 24: Historical stops!

Today we traveled on the bus to visit Glanum, outside of St. Remy du Provence. Glanum contains ancient ruins that we got to walk through and explore. After that some of us got to walk through the small town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provedence and the hospital where Vincent Van Gogh spent the last years of his life. If was awesome to be able to walk around and see things like the olive trees that he actually painted. We also say the room where he stayed. Then we continued to walk into two to meet the rest of the group. There we caught a bite to eat and did just a little bit of shopping. The. We hopped back on the bus to head to Pont du Gard. This is the highest Roman bridge aqueduct in Europe! Walking on that and seeing how it worked was pretty awesome! Some of us also soaked our feet in the ice cold water! Many great photos were taken here at the bridge. Then we drove back to the hotel where we had free time until supper. A couple of people swam in the pool, which seemed to be kind of cold since the hot sun went behind the clouds. Oh, did I mention the whole day was extremely hot, probably around the mid 80's (degrees F). Much warmer than the rest of the trip! After supper, Kayla Kauffman, and I watched the movie 300, except it was in French! How exciting! Then after a long, warm, and tiring day we hit the hay! -Lauren Weaver, Hesston, KS

Friday May 25: Medieval cities, along with culture shock...

Today we left the city of Arles, France and began our trip to Barcelona. It was the last long leg of the journey, as well as the final destination of the trip. After two hours on the bus we arrived at the medieval castle city of Carcassonne. We were given three h to roam around, shop, pillage, eat, and explore. Upon entering the city, the feeling was like going into a castle, during medieval times. We were filled to the brim with knowledge from the excellent presentation from Kaedi LeFevre. Roaming down the maze of alleys and streets we found exciting shops and fine cuisine. The three hours flew by and the end of our time the group had accumulated a fin time and some interesting purchases. Including several swords, daggers, and ninja swords, all of which would kill dragons, pillage villages or cut meat depending on your preferences, we're bought. Our adventure in Carcassonne was cut short by our return to the bus. We drove for several hours through Soft southern French countryside until finally reaching our destination: Barcelona, Spain! We weaves our way through the city and found our hotel where Jean-Paul received a parking ticket due to bus parking drama from the police, and Ken Rodgers had one of his bags stolen in the lobby. "Welcome to Barcelona everyone!" but regardless of these setbacks, we enjoyed a lovely meal in the restaurant and explored the local area, preparing us for the day ahead. -Neal Brubaker, Goessel, KS

Wednesday May 25: On to Arles!

We left from Altkirch at 9 AM for a day loaded with traveling on our way to Arles, France. Our first stop was at 12 PM for a lunch break for about fourty-five minutes. The afternoon was filled with various activities like reading, sleeping and listening to music. The guys in the back of the bus even started to color some beautiful pictures of Disney princesses with their own twists. A highlight for those of us sitting in the back was watching Kaitlyn Miller in a rather deep sleep. We made one last stop around 4M for fourty-five minutes so that we could continue the last two hours without a stop. A lot of us got ice cream at the rest area where we stopped. We reached our hotel around 6:30 PM where we got our room assignments and then went to supper at 7:30 PM. When supper was over, we went on a walking tour of the town and then a lot of people went back to the hotel while some chose to continue to explore.  -Libby Waltner, Hurley, SD

Tuesday May 23: 100 Tunnels!

We left Moron this monitor after saying goodbye and "merci beau coup" to our hosts and drove back east to spend our last few hours in Switzerland visiting Zurich. On the way there, our bus drove throughout 100th tunnel of the trip! Once we arrived, we navigated through the train station, and managed to find bathrooms, Ken led us on a walking tour of the city to see the places where the Anabaptists movement began. We visited Grossmünster, the home of Conrad Grebel, and the streets here Felix Manz lived which was where the first adult baptisms took place. Some of us dipped our hands in the old fountain there and wondered if that water might have been used for those baptisms. Our last stop was on the bank of the Limmat River where Felix Manz was drowned. All along the tour we heard presentations from Lauren, Neal, London, Tyler , and Mindy, who all researched topics related to Zurich. At least forme, it was almost a surreal experience to actually see the places I've heard so much about. We left Switzerland after lunch and drove to Altkirch, France, for our second-to-last concert. At one point while driving through a town, the pavement suddenly stopped and it turned into a dirt road, for the first time we heard Jean Paul say "Oh, that's not so good!" Which is pretty impressive considering some of the roads our buss has been on. After backing the bus all the down the the narrow street and making are ally tight turn around some scaffolding, we were on our way again. After we practiced for a little in the church, we were served a delicious meal of chicken and rice, salad, and bread. Many of us were exhausted since tonight was our fifth concert in a row, so the meal gave us the energy we needed to push through. When the concert was over and after being called back in twice for encores, we made our escape into the room behind the stage to hide for a few minutes until the clapping stopped. The audiences at our last few concerts have been especially enthusiastic, so 606 has become our official second encore. Tonight I even noticed a few audience members singing along. Our hosts took us home then for our last home stay of the trip to get some sleep before our long drive to the south of France tomorrow. It's hard to believe that in a week we will be on our way home. - Maria Martin, Harrisonburg, VA

Monday May 21: Anabaptists history

We started off saying good bye to our wonderful hosts in Wattenwill. We once again all loaded the bus to visit one of the caves e early Anabaptists met and worshiped in to stay hidden. Our bus driver Jean Paul impressively maneuvered our bus up the mountain side one lane road and around hair pin curves. We still had to hike back a little ways through a cow pasture to the cave. The time spent at the cave was great for reflection and praying. We had a short time of worship and taking communion. We then traveled a short ways to Thun where we climbed the tower of the Trachselwald castle where Anabaptists were held after capture and before they had been help in shackles. Our next short stop was at the oldest Mennonite church that is still active. Our trip ended for the night in Moron. Short rehearsal and delicious supper prepared us for our largest concert so far. Host stays were a great joy for most of us. -Hannah Bachman, Tiskilwa, IL

Saturday May 19th and Sunday May 20th: Concerts, concerts, concerts....

Saturday May 19th On Saturday the group didn't have to leave Wengen until 12:37, so most people chose to sleep in and grab a bit of breakfast before it closed at 10. After that there was some last minute shopping and hanging out around the town of Wengen. As web traveled down in the train we caught our last glimpse of the picturesque Riverdell landscape and got our last pictures. We loaded the bus a d traveled to Wattenwill where we we met by a cold church to rehearse in and an eager and friendly Johannes, who went through a lot of work in getting us places to stay. Then we traveled to our host homes, some spoke English, some didn't. After a couple of hours at the homes we went back to the church for our concert and the place was packed! We found out that they did a lot of advertising for the concert and it shed. We had a fun concert and for to sing all of our pieces since we finally had a piano. The we went back to the host families for some interesting communication and sleep. On the way back, some saw that the beacons of Ammon Den were lit, Gondor was calling for aid and Rohan. Would answer. It was a good day. On Sunday we went to church at 9 am and sang four songs there. It was really neat that the pastor included our chorale theme, Meditations and Illuminations in his sermon. He spoke about those two things in English and another guy was translating into Deutsch for the rest of the congregation. Then we went back to our hosts and they had an afternoon of activities for us before our concert at Blumenstein, 15 minutes away. At Blumenstein we got to sing in a very old church that was simply beautiful. There was also a nice waterfall nearby that unfortunately, was being made into a controlled stream because of flooding so the landscape was ruined a bit with construction equipment. The concert in Blumenstein also had a big attendance, including a father and son from Pennsylvania who were touring Switzerland. That concert included 3 encores, Let Me Fly, Praise God from Whom (606), and Bonse Aba. We didn't have a piano so we had to improvise a bit, but it was a lot of fun the. We went back to our host families for a night of relaxing, eating, talking, and sleeping. -Tyler Yoder, Bay Port, MI

Friday May 18: Free Day

May 18th was a free day in the Alps for the choir. W all had a well needed rest in the wonderful Victorian style hotel in Wengen. Some people woke a bit early for a day of hiking in the mountains, while others slept in and spent the day "hiking" a.k.a shopping around the town. A fewer people hopped on the train and went to "The Top of Europe". Which is an observatory and research center on the top ridge of Jungfrau. It is the highest building in Europe at 3453m (11132 ft). From the top you can see Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and of course Switzerland. Many of the hikers put in long days, hiking up to 12 miles, but rumor has it that the views were worth the sore muscles. For those that stayed closer to home, there were still plenty of breath taking scenery to be enjoyed from the comforts of civilization. Over all, the day was full of adventure, recuperation, relaxation, and wonder at God's beauty. I think most of the choir would agree that Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places they have ever experienced. - Jacob Landis, Sterling, IL

Thursday May 17: The Swiss Alps

Today we started another day on our tour with breakfast in the hotel and the proceeded to load our bus for a departure of 8:30 am. W took a short drive from our town of Singen to Schaffhausen where we took a 30 minute stop to admire the Rheinfalls, an awesome waterfall. From here we continued on to our destination for the next two nights. As we began to get closer to the base of the Alps the excitement began to build. We drove through a few tunnels and note other side of one tunnel was the beautiful scenery of the Alps and at the foot of them was a gorgeous lake. As we continued to wind up the mountain the sights of God's creation became even more visible. Everyone had their cameras out trying to catch these moments. Multiple times it was said that no picture could ever describe how truly amazing this was. Jean Paul was nice enough to stop for about 2 minutes so everyone could file off to capture the view of the blue water surrounded by the push green of the valley and the snow capped mountains. We continued to drive up until we hit the point where we could no longer drive. Here we got on the train to continue the up ward climb. Along our way the group saw natural waterfalls flowing out of the mountains. The Falcon Hotel was where we would be staying for the next 2 nights. This hotel is located in the small town of Wengen. At this hotel we were graciously greeted by Sena the owner. The quaint hotel has been serving Hesston College for a number of years. The rest of the afternoon was free for us to do what we wanted. Som walked around the town, took pictures, napped, sat in awe of beauty, read, and visited with others. We had the privilege of giving a mini concert for the other guests this was held in the garden area. After our concert we listened to Kara Stutzman present about Wengen and we also had a little jam in the salon. From here we proceeded to enjoy our three course meal provided by the hotel. The wonderful food and fellowship with one another were greatly appreciated. Today was truly an amazing day. We got to witness the hand of God's creation in a land that is filled with many wonders. For most of us we are still in complete awe of the sights and it feels as if it is surreal. Tomorrow many will continue to explore and take in the sights. God's glory is truly shown in this place. -Sarah Unruh, Hillsboro, KS

Wednesday May 16: Bus Day

Today was a long day of traveling on the bus. There were periodic stops for bathrooms and to just get out of the bus. We left our hosts at Neuweid where they sent us off with a blessing and travelled through Germany, France, Switzerland, and back into Germany for one night at a hotel in Singen. We arrived at about 7:30pm. This was a few hours later then planned due to traffic and paperwork done at the Swiss boarder. -Sarah Unruh, Hillsboro, KS

Tuesday May 15: Rhine River and churches!

Greetings from Germany! After a night's sleep at our Neuwied host homes, we loaded up the bus again to make it for a four hour Rhine River tour. The section of the Rhine we boated along included a significant number of medieval castles built along the cliffs. The ride was relaxing with talking, hanging out, playing games or just enjoying the scenery then going outside to take pictures when a castle came up. Once we got off the boat we drove to the town of Bad Kreuznazh and had an hour and a half to walk around and shop. Next stop was the castle church in Ingelheim. This church was from medieval times but there is still an active congregation worshipping there. Once we begun rehearsing I think we all realized what a special space this would be to sing in. The reverb was 2-3 seconds. Singing there is pretty much an indescribable experience. The sound for voices singing just swallows you in such a special way. After rehearsing we walked just across to a winery for dinner. They served us bread, meat and cheese, a bit of fruit and dessert. Bread, meat and cheese is what we've had many times so far. There weren't many people at the concert but Ken told us they were very appreciative. It was defiantly a night to remember for the choir though. The concert went really well! Later, after a long drive we arrived back in Neuwied and left with our hosts to go to sleep. Long drive tomorrow! - Erin Hersey, Mechanicsburg, PA

Monday May 14: Cathedrals

This morning we left the hotel and headed for the city of Köln. When we arrived we visited the 12 Apostles church. There were are many statues in this church and the altar had a very interesting piece hanging over the top of it. The church is a good example of Romanesque architecture. The arches were rounded and there were few windows. The windows were all very small stained glass. We were able to able to sing in this church and the acoustics were wonderful. We then walked through downtown Köln. The sidewalks were very crowded and clothing stores lined the sidewalks. As we headed toward the Kölner Dom (The Cologne Cathedral) we couldn't see it because all the buildings were so tall. As we came out on the square surrounding the Cathedral everyone was in shock! It is an awe inspiring sight. This cathedral is a wonderful example of Gothic architecture. The arches are all pointed at the top, there are numerous flying buttresses. This Cathedral was designed to teach the Bible to those who couldn't read. Inside the cathedral the stained glass windows depict Bible stories as well as the statues and hanging rugs. The choir was given the privilege of singing in the cathedral as well. The acoustics were incredible! I believe everyone of us had goosebumps as we sang. What an amazing experience! Many of us also climbed to the top of the south bell tower, it was quiet a work out. The view from the top was beautiful! We then left Köln around 2:30 p.m. and headed to Neuwied, Germany. We gave a concert at the Ev. Mennonitengemeinde Neuwied church there. The people loved it and I think it was our best concert yet! - Katie Miller, Alburquerque, New Mexico

Sunday May 13: Aachen

After eating our breakfast with our host we attended what was, for most of us our first Church Service in Frisian once the church service was over we had to say goodbye to our Jouren friends, which was a little harder than I think most of us had expected. I think I can speak for the rest of the group in saying that we all loved our time in the city and village of Joure. After our final goodbyes we drove off to our next destination of Westerbork, a World War II Museum where Dutch Jews were eventually transported to other concentration camps. The museum was difficult to take in, but after we discussed our emotions and briefly recognized current hate-war and other situations similar to the Holocaust, I believe we all left with a better understanding of what this time meant to people during the time of World War II, and also how it affects our current lives. After leaving the museum we traveled to Aachen, which allowed for some much needed rest. After supper we went for a walk around the city so we could see one of the most breath-taking sites I've ever seen. The Cathedral in the center of Aachen. It is neer impossible to describe the magnitude of this Cathedral, but I was truly in awe looking at this Cathedral. After that we went our separate ways and eventually went to bed. I think most of us have conquered the jet lag, which is great. -stay classy Michael Darby

A Free Day in Joure - Saturday 12 May

Last night we gave a concert in the Joure Mennonite Church, to an enthusiastic audience.

After an afternoon rehearsal, we went to host families for an evening meal and then back to the church for our concert.

At the end of the concert, they gave each person a rose. How memorable!

Saturday was a welcome free day spent catching up on sleep, visiting with host families, biking and watching sporting events, and enjoying the area. In the evening everyone gathered together at the church for a wonderful pot-luck.

Sunday morning it was back to the church to sing in the morning worship service. Another great visit to Joure for the Hesston College choirs!

- Ken Rodgers -

Today our blog was written my Kendra Litwilller a soprano 2 from Hopedale, Illinois. We met at the church at 10 am and said goodbye (tot ziens) to our host parents. To start off the the full day of our trip we all enjoyed a chance to sleep in. Gathering at the church at 10 am, we said goodbye (tot ziens) to our first host families and walked to the Ten Boom Museum. Here Maria Martin told us the story of Corrie Ten Boom hiding Jews during the Holocaust. Afterwards we visited the Saint Baavo's Church which held amazing architecture and history. We loaded loaded the bus quickly while watching out for bikers and headed in the direction of Friesland. On the way we stopped on the Afsluitdijk , and had time to walk across the bridge over the road to view both the Ijselmeer and the the North Sea. After arriving in Friesland we visited historic Mennonite Smons places in Pingjum and Wittmaraum. Our final destination of the day was Journe, where we ate supper with new host families before performing our second concert of the tour. Yet again the concert was well received by all attending. The church was packed full of people! After our final piece they presented ken with a gift for touring with the choir for 15 European trips. And they proceeded to hand each of us a rose showing their thanks for us performing. Then the crowd started chanting in english "We want more!" So we sang one more piece for them and they were thrilled. The rest of the evening was spent with host parents, relaxing and enjoying each others company. Tot straks

Thursday May 10: Touring and first concert!

Fun fact: the blog site on my iPad is all in a different language. I'm assuming Dutch... But I'm not technically sure. So hopefully what is in Dutch for me is in English for you all! :) It was an early morning for most. The jet lag really hit us today, but we are adjusting well to the time schedule. Today we spent time touring the Rijksmuseum, an art museum in Amsterdam where a few students gave their speeches over our designated topics selected in class. After lunch in downtown Amsterdam, we visited the Anne Frank House for another bit of tourism. After a tired some morning we headed back to the church to practice before our first concert tonight. We then had a little bit of time to go through the streets of Haarlem. Supper is to be served soon here and it smells absolutely wonderful! It turns out supper was amazing! Our first concert went very well, we even got a standing ovation! The crowd seemed very pleased to hear us sing. After the concert groups of us enjoyed another night with our host parents in downtown Haarlem, comparing lifestyle differences, laughter, and traditional snacks!

Wednesday May 9: The rest of the day

Well, sorry it has been so long since an update! This is the first time since the airport since I have found Internet. And just so you know that might happen from time to time! I hope you all continue to keep updated on our journal entries! Here is the rest of Wednesday the 9th of May Alright, well hopefully all of you got the message that we arrived safely in Amsterdam at the Schiphol Airport. We waited just a while to meet up with Jean Paul (our bus driver whose name I butchered earlier). After meeting up with Jean Paul we we headed to visit the Zaanse Schaans, which is an open aired museum. There we saw windmills, how mustard is made, how logs are stripped for carpentry, and the favorite how wooden shoes are made. It was a very long day for us travel wise, so after our sight seeing for the day we headed to the church in Haarlem (Doopsgezinde Gemeente) where we practiced a little and met our host parents for the evening. A few of us were fortunate enough to spend quality time with our host parents going to the supermarket and spending some time on the beach. Many of us had early nights due to the jet lag we are experiencing and the little sleep that was caught on the plane. But we all have had a great day especially with the warm, greetings from our host families!

Wednesday May 9 - The Arrival!

Hello all! Just a very quick short update! We have all landed safely here in Amsterdam. So the groups have been reunited! We are awaiting the arrival of our bus driver John Paul, he could arrive any minute now. A more through update will come once we have more time to write. Just thought I'd let you know that we did make it here in one piece!

Europe Tour 2012

The 2012 Hesston College Chorale tour to Europe is about to become reality! The past eight weeks have passed quickly, with rehearsals, classes and research projects keeping us engaged in academic and musical challenges related to the trip.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is forging a new choir out of two - the Bel Canto Singers and the Chorale. But what a wonderful result! A new, 38-voice choir is taking shape and becoming one musical unit. Director Bradley Kauffman has done a wonderful job of pushing the choir to sing with a high level of musicianship. Despite a very short time together, the choir has nearly 18 selections ready to perform. It is a program which is a joy to sing, and I think will be a delight for audiences - especially in Europe - to hear.

If you are in Hesston, Kansas Saturday afternoon (May 5), come hear our concert in the Hesston Mennonite Church. Concert time is 4:00 p.m., and is free.

The choir leaves for Europe on Tuesday, May 8 and will be in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Spain through May 29. Bookmark this blog to keep up with stories from the tour!

Until then, keep singing!

- Ken Rodgers -