Landed!

We're home! Safe travels to your own homes, ladies and gents of Europe 2009! Have a great summer! Watch your email for updates about sharing photos and check out the blog of YOUR great trip! Thanks for a wonderful tour! Dr. Wis

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The last leg to Chicago!

We are boarding and getting situated for the long flight home. Watch one of your favorite flight trackers to see our progress -- blue skies for take-off! Everyone is talking about the foods or restaurants they are planning to head for as soon as we land: Liz Kelly (Taco Bell); Sarah Homan (Chipotle); Hannah Toriumi (Portillo's); the Wis ladies miss Corner Bakery (and real size cups of coffee)-- Amanda Dominguez is planning a banana and peanut butter fix soon:) -- be prepared for special requests when you pick up your WC-er!
See you all soon!
Dr. Wis

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In Frankfurt

Arrived easily in Frankfurt. Killing time until we board at noon. Skies are sunny:)

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On the plane to Frankfurt

Sleepy and ready to come home. We stop in Frankfurt for about 4 hours and then board the long flight to O'Hare.

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Our very last day.

Today was our very last day in Europe. It was a day of last minute shopping, sentiments , and thanks. We started off the day by going on a tour led by our fantastic guide, Maggie. She's a great tour guide because o f how real she is. The other day, in a palace, she said in all honesty that the next room would be boring and that we should quickly pass through it to get to the next interesting one. Everyone really enjoyed recognizing her genuine attitude. She met us in the downtown area this morning. Again, it rained, but it wasn't as cold or windy as it was yesterday, which made walking around on foot manageable. We went to see the gilded statue of Johann Strauss in the park, took a quick picture, saw the Vienna River and escaped the rain (yes, it's still raining here).

Then we went to see Mozart's house in downtown Vienna. We walked around, glued to things that seemed to b e a cross between a cell phone and a walkie talkie. In every room, on the wall there was a number. We'd punch that number into ou r little device and listen to information about Mozart. It was a very different type of tour than we were used to. Usually, we are led around by someone who talks about one subject and then leads us into another. Here, we could choose which subjects we wanted to listen to, and which we'd rather pass up.

After the tour, we had time to wander around the city on our own. We all had our separate adventures. Now that we're "seasoned travelers" we knew how much we could accomplish in the city in four hours. I loved hearing all the stories from the different groups and their activities. Be sure to ask your singer what she did in her free time! We all met up for dinner in a little, and very authentic, Austrian restaurant to experience Wiener schnitzel for the first time. The roaring majority had to keep from asking for seconds.

Our final concert was at the beautiful Charles Church, or Kalkirche. It's beautifully decorated with marble and gold leaf in every possible direction you look. By this time in our trip, we were extremely well rehearsed in our repetoire and felt free and accomplished in our singing. The family members and faculty all agreed that it was our best concert of them all. I think that much emotion was packed into this performance, as it was the very last Women's Chorale concert for some of our graduates and alums. It was, yet again, an amazing experience. When we come home, poor Wentz will seem so small compared to the gold gilding, exaggeratedly tall ceilings, and marble decoration. We'll be glad to be home, though.

Tonight at the hotel, we had a good-bye dessert party. We had to discuss some business issues, but most importantly, we wanted to celebrate the experience we had. We took some time to thank everyone for their individual contributions, shared sentiments and stories, and toasted the cheese-stuffed sausages that many of us tried for the first time today! We couldn't bear to let the last concert be our last singing endeavor of the year, so we stood in a huge circle in the hotel lobby and sang one of our signature warmups, "Yonder Come Day."

We've been extremely privileged to go on such an amazing tour to such amazing locations, with amazing people with amazing talent, an amazing director, and amazing guides in the city. They say that you go to Europe and come back a different person. I never believed it until going on this trip. I'm not going to come home with a different name and personality, but I have gained immense knowledge about myself and learned a lot about those close to me (and those who weren't close but are now!). This group now, more than ever, feels like a family. It will be very interesting to see how we all interact in the fall after having had this profound experience together. Thanks for following the Women's Chorale on our journey through Europe, and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow!


Your blogger,
Emily

P.S. I have some flight information for those of you who are interesting in obtaining it.
Arrival and Departure times
Flight: LH 3543 - Vienna International, Austria Frankfurt/Main International, Germany
Depat 6:35am
Arrive: 8:00am


Airline Flight Departure Arrival

United Flight 941
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Wed, Jun 24
Scheduled: 12:45 PM
Estimated: 12:45 PM
Reason: --
Gate: --

Chicago, IL (ORD)
Wed, Jun 24
Scheduled: 2:53 PM
Estimated: 2:53 PM
Reason: --
Gate: INTL2
Baggage claim: IT

Final concert at the Karlskirche

I did not think it possible that we could have found a more spectacular church but tonight, we sang at the incredibly beautiful, majestic, and best-acoustics-ever Karlskirche in Vienna. (It is worth Googling to get an idea of what we experienced.) The women were impeccable, the large audience very appreciative, and the hosts delightful. Every reason for which we sing was made clear tonight: the sound itself, the meaningful text, the spiritual experience, the connection with the audience and each other, and in a collegiate environment, the connection to an institution and a heritage. We count ourselves very lucky indeed!
We had a rousing final dinner before the concert and a dessert and wrap up at the hotel after. Just a few hours sleep before we get on the bus for our early flight. Right now, all flight info appears to be the same as our latest itinerary but check O'Hare and United for updates. We will see you soon!
Dr. Wis

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Lunch near St. Stephen's

I am finishing my lunch of wurst und kraut and it never tasted better! We are enjoying free time in the heart of town near St. Stephen's--many shops like Swarovski, many cafes . . . you name it. Something for everyone:) We enjoyed our touring this morning and were able to catch about 30 minutes of St. Charles North's performance at Haus der Musik. They were impeccable, as always! Dr. Wis

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