On The Road Again?

Yesterday, nine days after returning from the lengthy tour of Europe, I figured: well, I've been in one place long enough. The urge to jump in a bus and move from city to city, country to country, was simply too strong. I needed to see mountains, or landmarks, or both. So I grabbed my passport, headed toward the airport, and...

...no, no, that is not what happened. (I shudder a little at the thought, actually.) But I did take a short trip yesterday with my oldest son, Jackson. This trip was not all about me or what I wanted to see or do--this was the continuation of a birthday present Jackson received last week.

We gave Jackson two tickets to see one of his favorite bands, The Postal Service, in Kansas City. Since I have not seen Jackson for more than five of the last nine weeks, I was very happy to be the one to accompany him on this trip. Jackson did most of the driving, so he could get the idea of what it is like to drive around KC. After a stop in Waldo (could not get through KC without a quick stop at Waldo Pizza), it was time to go downtown. We were parked in a garage that had us both laughing at the maze-like route people had to take after parking--several winding halls and eight "EXIT" signs later, we emerged. (Yeah, we both took photos.)

Then it was on to the Midland Theater. This is a beautiful 1920s era theater in the heart of downtown Kansas City, on the north edge of the Power and Light District. Crowds of people were all around downtown--in addition to this concert, there were several events in the area celebrating the Major League Soccer All Star Game. But there was no greater buzz in KC than around the entrance to the Midland. Jackson stopped for a photo inside the lobby:

A short while later...it was time for the Postal Service! What an amazing show. Their music is fairly quiet and electronic/keyboard based, so I was worried about how it would translate live (I think Jackson was as well). But they were energetic, crisp and--in a word--fantastic.

Jackson was in heaven! What a great time. Afterward, we walked around the streets along the busy Power and Light District. One of Jackson's other favorite bands, Silversun Pickups, was just finishing up playing a concert on the P & L stage, and we stood on the perimeter and listened as they ripped through their encore (grainy photo of it below). A great way to finish the evening!

This morning, it was breakfast, back in the car and home.

The Tour Review Continues: More Videos

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon here in Andover...a good time to share some more videos from the Sound of America Tour!

We will begin with a video featuring two songs from the choir. These two songs were the traditional opening numbers of the concert (not counting cathedral performances). Both feature lyrics in Swahili. The first one is "Amani," which primarily featured the ladies of the choir. It was a nice way for the choir to assemble in stages, with portions of the choir passing through the auditorium on their way to the stage. The second song in this video is "Baba Yetu," which may be familiar to video gamers. This song was written for and heavily featured in the video game "Civilization IV" (Jacob recognized it immediately). Two things you may not know about the song: its lyrics are a variation on the Lord's Prayer, and the song became the first piece of music composed for a video game to win a Grammy Award. Here is the video, taken in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland:

Finally, here is a video of just the band. Much of the focus in this blog has been on Jacob and the choir, or on the performances that featured both the band and the choir. However, there was a portion of each concert that featured just the band, and they were fantastic every night. Most of the band's selections were a bit longer, making them harder to upload for the blog. But I have a nice video here from Luxembourg, albeit with a side view of the band and Mr. Barr (the band director and SOA Founder). This is a medley of Glenn Miller songs, a pretty challenging selection. Enjoy:

Random Thoughts

J Blog advertises: "Music * Travels * Food * Random Thoughts." Well, I have given you plenty of music and travels, and even a little bit of food. (I regret not taking more pictures of food...would have been a good way to remember certain parts of the tour. Maybe next time.) However, I have yet to give a post of "Random Thoughts"...until now.

**When we first arrived at the Harrisburg, PA Airport, we met a couple of SOA volunteers who were there to take us to Elizabethtown. One of the volunteers (Robert) traveled with us to Europe and helped load/unload the equipment truck, and I got to visit with him from time to time. The other gentleman, whose name I cannot remember, had made the trip several times in the past, but did not go along this time. While we were riding on the shuttle bus, he was discussing the instruments he played, and some of the music jobs he had held in the past. He mentioned that he was probably best known for his bass drum playing, and that he had played the bass drum on the soundtrack to the movie, "Backdraft." That is about as 'random' as it gets.

**While we were in Innsbruck, Austria, Macklemore (of "Thrift Shop" fame) was staying in the same hotel. (Rumored--not confirmed.)

**All of the countries we visited use the Euro as their form of currency except Switzerland, which still uses the Swiss Franc. I can only imagine what this tour was like in the past, when every one of these countries used their own currency.

**While in Cortina and Venice, Italy, I heard multiple songs by Sting on the radio. I mean, like five or six different songs from Dream of the Blue Turtles (released 1985) and ...Nothing Like The Sun (1987). In multiple shops, over the course of three days. The songs were so old and so pervasive that I had to check on the internet to see if Sting was still alive, since it seemed like there may have been some kind of tribute going on. I was happy to find out Sting is not dead, and I'm happy to report that his mid-1980's albums are still very popular in Italy.

**We visited two cities that had hosted the Winter Olympic games: Innsbruck (1964 and 1976) and Cortina (was scheduled to host in 1944, cancelled due to World War II, and did host in 1956). Paris has hosted the Summer Olympics twice as well.

**James Bond came up from time to time during our travels, as Grindelwald was the shooting location for several scenes in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and Cortina was the site of filming for the ski resort scenes in "For Your Eyes Only." As for Rothenburg, Germany, it served as the village setting for the movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and was also a shooting location for the last two Harry Potter movies. And of course, Venice and Paris have been popular shooting locations for a large number of movies. When we came home this week, one of the things we did was to go as a family to see a movie. We saw "Red 2," and I'm sure I was very annoying in pointing out the places in Paris that were in the movie.

**Stresa, Italy is on the shore of Lake Maggiore. This lake is featured in the Ernest Hemingway novel, "A Farewell To Arms." The protagonist in the book travels north on the lake because he is being pursued by Italian military police (the north end of the lake is in Switzerland).

**I watched "Les Miserables" on both the flights to and from Frankfurt. I also finally got around to watching "Zero Dark Thirty" on the flight home; I highly recommend it if you have not seen it. As for the flights themselves, I also highly recommend Singapore Airlines. They do a fantastic job.

More Photos: Paris

The process of sorting through photos and video takes another step forward--this will be my last post on our visit to Paris. Having visited Paris in July 2012, I frequently found myself bypassing photo taking and just enjoying the experience this time around. It is an amazing city, and having a bit of familiarity from a previous visit gives you a new perspective on things (instead of worrying about traveling in the right direction). Outside of planned SOA visits to Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and a nighttime river cruise along the Seine, tour members had some freedom to choose what part of Paris they wanted to see. I am very grateful for that opportunity.

 A brief rundown of what is shown here: (1) the chapel dome at Les Invalides, the complex which includes the military history museum for the French Army and the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte (which lies directly beneath the dome). This dome inspired, in part, the dome at the U.S. Capitol; (2) interior of the Musee D'Orsay. I did not visit the Musee D'Orsay on my last trip to Paris, so I wanted to make sure to visit this time (Jacob went with another group to the Louvre). I am so glad I made that decision. This is a mind-blowing collection of art, including many of the best known works of Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, Gauguin, Pissarro, and many others. (Sorry--no photos of artworks were allowed!) The building itself if a converted train station, and this photo is from the top floor looking back across the center of the gallery. It is hard to believe that they were all set to tear this building down and build a hotel on this site! Thankfully, that did not happen. This museum opened in 1986, and is one of the finest art museums I've ever seen; (3) an exterior shot of one of the two clock towers of the Musee D'Orsay. When you visit the fifth floor of the museum, you can (4) look out from behind the face of this clock. (Behind the other clock tower, you can dine in the museum cafe.); (5) View from inside the clock. Looking across the Seine, you have a view of the Louvre (to the right) and the Tuileries Gardens to the left (including the giant ferris wheel);

(6) Jacob and friends waiting in line to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Yes, this photo is taken from outside the winding line to the elevator--I stayed on the ground! I figured that Jacob could take some photos from up top; (7) a view of the Eiffel Tower from our river cruise; and (8) one final shot from the river cruise. The Eiffel Tower is on the right in the distance, the American Church in Paris is the steeple on the left, and the moon and the clear night sky made their way into the shot as well.

 Au revoir, Paris!

A Look Back: Notre Dame Cathedral

Good morning! The transition back to life at home continues for Jacob and me. I must confess, it has been more difficult than I anticipated. (Let's just say that my sleep schedule remains a work in progress.)

Yesterday was Jackson's birthday! Blog posts took a backseat to celebrating Jackson's big day and preparing chicken enchiladas for his birthday dinner (yum!). Today, it's back to catching up on videos and pictures from the trip.

The visit to Notre Dame Cathedral was one of the major highlights of the Sound of America tour. Construction on this cathedral began in 1163 (completed in 1345), and they are in the process of a year-long celebration of the 850th anniversary of the cornerstone being laid. Recently, nine new bells were dedicated for the bell tower. The crowds of visitors are as large as ever. And amid all of this activity, the SOA Choir was allowed to perform in front of the altar. This special opportunity is one of the things that caught my attention when Jacob was applying to join the tour. When I woke up the morning of the performance, my first thought was: my son is singing in Notre Dame today. Wow! What an amazing feeling.

First, here are a few photos from our visit: (1) an exterior view of the back of the cathedral. Behind the fountain in the foreground, you can see the flying buttresses supporting the exterior walls of the church. Notre Dame was one of the earlier buildings to use this feature, which allowed for walls to be built higher (an essential feature for church construction from that point forward); (2) the high altar area. It is fairly dark in this area unless mass or some other event is taking place, as evidenced by (3) a photo of the choir assembling on the side of the altar area. This is where the choir warmed up, drawing the attention of the numerous visitors to the cathedral. (4) A view from the front of the altar back down the length of the sanctuary. The pipe organ is visible in front of the stained glass window at the top; (5) the choir assembled on the steps in front of the altar. All visitors to the center of the sanctuary (where services are held) were asked to move to the pews, although tourists continued to move about along the sides of the cathedral.

And then it was time for the choir to perform! I shared one video from Notre Dame earlier in the blog (the song was "Festival Sanctus"), and here are two more. First up, a beautiful arrangement of "Ave Maria":

And finally, this is "And Peace Shall Guard You":

More still to come from Paris, and more video to come from other concerts as well. Check back later!

Greetings from Andover, Kansas!

Today, I'm in beautiful, sunny Andover, Kansas. While the view is not nearly as exotic or breathtaking as some of the locales in previous posts, I must say that it feels really, really good to me. On Sunday, Jacob and I spent 23 1/2 straight hours in airports and airplanes--from Frankfurt to JFK to Atlanta to Wichita--and that was quite enough of that nonsense for a good long time. (My suitcase decided to stay at JFK an extra day--I guess he did not want the trip to end???) When I woke up Monday morning, I opened my eyes and saw this painted design on the ceiling above me. My initial reaction was, "Wow, I have to take a picture of this.  This design looks so much like the design on the ceiling in my bedroom. (For some reason, I thought I was in Fontainebleau, France.) Jane won't believe it!" True story.

After getting a good night of sleep last night, I figured it was time to catch up on a few missing pieces on J Blog. There are videos and photos that I wanted to post during the trip, but either poor internet service or a lack of time prevented it from happening. It probably will take a few days to sort everything out (I have over 1,800 photos/videos from the trip!), so I'll try to submit a post or two each day this week while the details of the trip are still fresh in my mind.

First up: last week, I posted a video of the first half of the "Les Miserables" medley, which was about seven minutes long. Here is the second half of the medley (also about seven minutes long), recorded in La Chaux de Fonds:

Next, here is a video of one of my favorite choir songs. It is "Little Innocent Lamb," and it features the men of the chorus. The recording here is from Stresa, Italy, which is the same night Jacob filled in on the solo for "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables." Jacob is to the far right in the video. (My apologies for the "bumpiness" of the video near the beginning. I had to shift a little for the person sitting next to me.)

I'll post more tonight and in the next few days. Enjoy!

One Video And A Few Photos...Before Leaving Europe!

Guten Abend from Frankfurt! We are back in the city where we first arrived for our European journey. The tour heads to the airport tomorrow morning (in just a few hours, actually...yikes!) and we fly back to JFK. From there we all will scatter back to our hometowns, some by plane, some by bus back to Elizabethtown, some by car or with family meeting them in New York. What an amazing experience this has been.

It really is late here, but I wanted to give you one more post from Europe. I'm sure that in the upcoming days I will be able to upload more photos and videos from my home, so do not forget about the blog just yet. However, Jacob and I will be flying almost the entire day tomorrow, and we have been sleep deprived for about three weeks now, so...if I did not get something posted now, it might have been a few days before you heard from me again.

So here are a few items I can share before heading back home. I will start with some video from one of my favorite moments on the tour, without question: the choir singing in Notre Dame Cathedral. What an incredible opportunity, and what a wonderful performance. I can and will give more details about this a few days from now (probably in its own post), but here is a video of the choir performing "Festival Sanctus":

In my previous post, I mentioned that we would be visiting the U.S. Cemetery and Memorial in Luxembourg. Here are a few photos from that visit, which included seeing the gravesite of General Patton, having the choir sing a few solemn hymns, presenting two new U.S. flags, and having three of our trumpeters play "Taps."

An amazing experience. Almost everyone was deeply moved by the visit, and it was a terrific reminder of the sacrifices that have been made for everyone on tour to enjoy the freedoms they do.

I am going to keep this post short so I can pack and try to get a few hours of sleep. Au revior, auf wiedersehen, and arrivederci from Europe. The blog will continue, but it will be from my home. I cannot wait to see Jane and Jackson (and Chester)! Good night!

Paris, France ---> Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Greetings from Luxembourg! My apologies for the lack of posts/photos, but the run through Paris was packed as full as possible, with very little downtime (especially at the hotel), and chaperone duties on the final night there prevented any further posting. But we'll begin this morning with a few more photos from our time in Paris: (1) SOA made a trip to the Hard Rock Cafe in Paris, which was a huge hit with the kids. (And I will admit to enjoying a cheeseburger.); (2) The evening outing was a trip to the Eiffel Tower, where most of the kids took a trip to the top. I stayed below and caught a few pictures of the sunset and (3) the bright lights on the tower once darkness fell.

Yesterday morning we made the drive across France to Luxembourg. This small country is the traditional end point of the concert tour. Hard to believe that we have reached the final concert! It was a very emotional evening, and the crowd in Luxembourg was wonderful and enthusiastic. This is the home base for the crew that drove the buses and the equipment truck for the tour. They were really amazing in getting us around Europe, and many of the same men have been working with the SOA for decades.

Here are a few photos from last night: (1) Jacob strikes a pose as the choir warms up before the concert; (2) Jacob helps Cameron adjust his SOA pin on his lapel; (3) the flags come out during the performance of the "Les Miserables" medley, which received a standing ovation; (4) Jacob moments after the concert. You could tell he was excited/happy/exhausted because he did not make any of his normal 'faces' during pictures after the show, and was happy to pose for numerous pictures.

Today we will visit the American World War II cemetery in Luxembourg, where the SOA will present flags in honor of relatives who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Then it is on to Frankfurt to spend the final night before our flight back. Look for another post later today (this evening on Europe time)!

Fontainebleau, France ---> Paris, France

Greetings from Paris! With the run of three concerts on three consecutive nights behind them, the kids were ready to take on Paris and all it has to offer. But before we go there, let's close the book on Fontainebleau...

Wednesday morning, we visited the Chateau de Fontainebleau, which served as the hunting lodge for the royal family. Of course, it was no ordinary hunting lodge, and it was one of the longest lived-in royal buildings in France. A few photos: (1) Jacob in the courtyard outside the main entrance to the chateau; (2) one of several fountains. Being a hunting lodge, there are many representations of dogs around the chateau. This one has a...a unique water feature; (3) the main entrance to the chateau (building, not the front gate). It features two winding stone staircases, and the photo (with several people at the bottom of the stairs) gives some idea of the scale of the building; (4) the ballroom; (5) is that Chester in one of the paintings depicting the royal hunt? and (6) tapestries in the empress' room.

 Afterwards, we were on to Paris. On Wednesday afternoon, we drove in to the center of old Paris for lunch, and the kids were allowed to do a little exploring, while becoming accustomed to where the group would meet for bus pickup in the Latin Quarter. Here are some descriptions for the following photos: (1) Our first rendezvous was behind Notre Dame Cathedral. This is one part of the tour where I was strangely comfortable with Jacob being free to roam, because we had spent much time here when we visited last July. This is a rear view of Notre Dame; (2) Jacob and his pals at the playground behind Notre Dame. This will look very familiar to several readers of this blog. (Aside: I told one of the other chaperones that I would either find Jacob eating Berthillon ice cream or playing on that spinning disc in the picture. Turns out he was at the disc...after stopping for Berthillon ice cream. 2 for 2!); (3) A side view of Notre Dame's exterior; (4) Jacob in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Well, that will have to be all for now, as Thursday has become early Friday morning here, and I have to get some sleep. More to come tomorrow I hope, as the end of the tour is near! Au revoir!

La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland ---> Dijon, France ---> Fontainebleau, France

Bon jour! We are just wrapping up what is probably the busiest part of the tour: three full concerts (band and choir) in three nights, in three different cities (as well as three different hotels). Everything has been on a very tight schedule, and sightseeing (and the picture taking) has decreased accordingly.

Before the blog leaves La Chaux de Fonds, here is one more video. This is the first half of the "Les Miserables" medley, and runs about seven minutes long. I'll try to upload the second half of the medley before the end of the trip (also about seven minutes), but that will depend on internet capabilities down the road.

Tuesday morning, it was time to head down the road and leave Switzerland behind. We spent most of the day driving across the beautiful French countryside, through the Burgundy region. Our lunch stop was in Dijon, well known for its mustard. The stop was very brief, but there was enough time to snap a few photos of the town center, which includes a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe, and a very nice pedestrian district:

The afternoon took us further north to Fontainebleau, France, which is about an hour outside of Paris. This was the sight of the third concert in three nights, at the lovely Saint-Louis of Fontainebleau Catholic Church. The photos below, in order: (1) a poster for our concert in Fontainebleau; (2) a view of the altar area of the church, directly behind where the choir assembled; and (3) a photo of the band and choir performing the ending of the "Les Mis" section of the concert.

This morning, we will tour the Chateau of Fontainebleau, which served as the royal hunting lodge. After that, it is on to Paris! Au revoir!

Grindelwald, Switzerland ---> La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland

Monday we said goodbye to Grindelwald and drove out of the Alps to La Chaux de Fonds. While we remain in Switzerland, we have moved from the primarily German speaking Alpine region to the French speaking part of Switzerland (we are only miles from the border of France). La Chaux de Fonds is known as the largest watch/clock making area of Switzerland.

This is a relatively quick stop on the tour, with almost no free time in the schedule. We arrived late afternoon, cleaned up, had dinner, and went straight to set up for another concert. Thus, I do not really have any photos to share with you, and all my knowledge of La Chaux de Fonds was given in the last paragraph. (I can tell you that this city looks more like France than Switzerland.)

However, I do have some video to share from the concert. This is a song the choir really has fun with, and features both dancing and a portion of the band. It's "Bandstand Boogie":

Stresa, Italy ---> Grindelwald, Switzerland

Guten tag! (Actually, as an aside, I keep getting confused about which language to speak. Thankfully, everyone I have encountered locally has been patient and helpful, and the trip has gone very smoothly from that standpoint.) I am writing to you this afternoon from my hotel room in the heart of the Swiss Alps in Grindelwald, Switzerland.

Many tour members were a little sad to leave Stresa, but those who have been on the tour before (yes, there are several tour members and chaperones who have toured with SOA before) assured us that Grindelwald was one of their favorite stops on the tour, if not the favorite. Sitting here now--with the day I have just experienced--I understand what they mean, and I agree 100%.

Grindelwald is a ski village that sits at the base of several large mountains, notably Schreckhorn (13380 feet), Eiger (13026 ft.) and First (pronounced fee-rst, 7113 ft.). Grindelwald sits in the valley at 3393 feet above sea level. The drive that leads to Grindelwald is beautiful, but to some who are afraid of heights (yours truly), the word terrifying also applies. As you climb the mountains, you reach Grimsell Pass, which is where we stopped for lunch. Snow is all around, and there are a few Alpine lakes by the highway. Here is a view from the parking lot of the roadside restaurant:

After driving another ninety minutes or so, winding along several switchback roads, we reached Grindelwald early yesterday evening. It is a picturesque Alpine ski village, filled with hotels, chalets, ski shops, and cafes. This photo is a view from the balcony of my hotel room, looking back toward the train station:

Today, the most popular attraction among the SOA crowd was to take the cable car up from Grindelwald to the top of the mountain First, about 3000 feet up. I was told that this is the longest cable car trip in the world, and at about 30 minutes from bottom to the top, I tend to agree. The remaining photos are from the trip up the mountain, or the hike from the lift station further up the mountain to an Alpine lake. In order: (1) a paraglider soaring in front of Schreckhorn. There were numerous paragliders all around these mountains; (2) Jacob just outside the lift station after we reached the top; (3) a cliff on the opposite side of the lift station, as you head down the trail toward Bachalpsee, the Alpine lake mentioned earlier. The hike is a good 50 minutes each way from the station, closer to an hour when you factor in stopping for photos or to take a drink; (4) one of the spectacular views along the trail; (5) Are we there yet? which soon turned into... (6) Yesss. This is actually three separate lakes that trickle down into each other. Amazing; (7) there is always some goofball that gets in the way of a perfectly good picture; (8) The Money Shot. Delicate lakeside flowers in the foreground (you can have a word with the Swiss government if you pick these), one of the Alpine lakes behind that, with an open view of Eiger and numerous other mountains in the distance. As I said, spectacular.

 Time to go get ready for the concert. Hope you enjoyed this look at beautiful Grindelwald!