germany, at last!

Hullo peoples, I've finally got some time to blog. Things have been pretty crazy since I left, especially in Germany. But I had such an awesome time. It was so much fun to be with the other players and make music with them. Our host families were so, so nice to us. And we saw some pretty amazing things. Here are some photos, I hope you like them!! This one is a
fountain in Schlossplatz in central Stuttgart, with a palace in the background (can't remember the name!!). Let's just say this place was... rather big.




This was in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart... for some reason Bede and Ji Man decided to play with giant Lego in the kid's corner instead of rushing off to see amazing cars etc.










Also in Stuttgart we went to Fruhlingsfest, which is the spring festival. It was an awesome old-fashioned festival and this was my very first roller coaster! It was called the Olympic something-or-other because it had 5 loops. It was so much fun I went on it twice.








The second place we stayed at was Freudenstadt in the Black Forest. Our hosts were from the school there. They put on a lunch for us at the school and, as you might expect, we had Black Forest Cake. Each family was supposed to bring a dessert and I think they all had the same idea. Needless to say we ate Black Forest Cake until we couldn't eat any more.






Cologne Cathedral was definitely one of the best things about the whole trip. We were fortunate to be able to attend Mass in the cathedral, which I found really beautiful and a really special experience. Then we were about to roam around and take photos, and finally we climbed the tower. I'm not going to post a photo of the cathedral simply because it was too huge to fit in one photo. Find a photo on the net if you don't know what it looks like. It was mind blowing... so hopelessly huge and ornate, it's incredible to think that it was built so many years ago. But here's a photo of the organ. It is a hanging organ- it weighs 40 tons, I think, and it's suspended from the ceiling by four chains. I didn't sit under it!!

Well, I think that's about enough for now! Oxford photos coming soon :)

Amy

Itinerary

Here's the itinerary for the tour of Germany:

Friday 11 April: Depart Auckland at 2355. We have a 7 hour layover in Singapore and will be doing a bus tour of the city.

Saturday 12 April: Arrive Frankfurt 2030

Sunday 13 April: Coach to Stuttgart. Staying with the Christophorus Orchestra at Esslingen.

Monday 14: Sightseeing in Stuttgart. Concert in evening

Tuesday 15: Sightseeing in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Wednesday 16: Guided tour of Bebenhausen (www.kloster-bebenhaus.de). Sight-seeing in Tubingen. Farewell party.

Thursday 17: Depart to Freudenstadt (Black Forest/Schwarzwald)

Friday 18: Sightseeing to open-air museum of Schwarzwald culture. Snow predicted. Public concert.

Saturday 19: Coach to Bonn. Rhine river cruise from Rudesheim to St Goar via die Lorelei.

Sunday 20: Visit to Cologne Cathedral. Sacred concert in a church. Evening concert in a school.

Monday 21: Visit to Beethovenhaus. Reception by Lord Mayor. Visit Klais Orgelbau (where the Auckland Town Hall organ is being repaired). Tour of factory and concert for special guests.

Tuesday 22: Public concert in Bonn with a school orchestra.

Wednesday 23: Coach to Frankfurt. School concert.

Thursday 24: Visit school, concert and sightseeing.

Friday 25: Depart Frankfurt for London.