Wartburg Choir European Tour 2014

1. Wartburg Choir European Tour 2014 By: Beth Moellers

2. Day 1: Chicago Going on my first plane ride ever, and it just happens to be an 11 hour flight! The take off and landing were scary, but we arrived safely with the help of our pilot!  Photo: Beth Moellers

3. Day 2: Bucharest, Romania Off one plane, onto another! We arrived in Bucharest Romania late at night to collect our luggage and head to the hotel. Everyone except me received their luggage, but I met two very nice people that also lost their luggage. After not getting much sleep over lost luggage, my luggage safely arrived at the hotel before leaving the next morning thanks to the awesome people at the International Airport! Photo: Beth Moellers

4. Days 3-5, Sibiu, Romania Sibiu, Romania was a beautiful town full of amazing people. This picture is of the beautiful town square that held the church we sang in. Many of the buildings in the picture contain windows that look like eyes, which was scary yet very cool. I got the chance to stay at a Parish House off of the square with other choir members and got to experience many Romanian meals. Each person in Romania was very nice and I hope to once again visit Sibiu in the future. Photo: Beth Moellers

5. Days 6 & 7- Budapest, Hungary Budapest was by far one of my favorite places to visit. We got to listen to a local Christian band that sang “Mighty to Save,” a song we sing in America which was very moving. Being able to connect with people that do not understand our language, but are able to sing the same song was amazing and will be a moment I will always remember! Photo: Ali Brown

6. Day 8-Modra, Slovakia This painting was in the German Lutheran Church that we had our concert at in Modra. The painting reminded me that we are all on a path unknown and that I am so thankful to have gotten to experience this tour with these amazing people on my path. Photo: Beth Moellers

7. Day 9-Vienna, Austria We got to experience many different artistic abilities such as the one shown in this picture. This apartment complex was by far one of coolest places to see on the tour. On our walking tour, I found out that the streets of Vienna were made out of cobblestone and were made uneven in order to help your spine, which was very interesting. Photo: Beth Moellers

8. Day 10-Salzburg, Austria Salzburg was a beautiful town in Austria where the “Sound of Music,” movie had been filmed. We got the chance to see the garden which was very beautiful and we got to see almost the whole city from this amazing view on top of a castle where the picture was taken. Photo: Beth Moellers

9. Days 11 & 12 Venice, Italy We got the opportunity to explore this beautiful town full of rich history. Getting to participate in the Noon Mass at San Marco Basilica was one of the highlights of the visit. It was amazing how big the Basilica was inside and how different mass can be in a different language. Photo: Beth Moellers

10. Days 13 & 14- Florence, Italy We got the chance to go on a walking tour around Florence and visit the many highlights. There was such rich history in all of the places we visited along the way that made the tour very interesting. We also visited the Galleria degli Uffizi which had many beautiful paintings. Photo: Beth Moellers

11. Day 15-Regello, Cascia During our visit to Cascia we got some free time to walk around before our concert. I stopped at a local café and ordered a cappuccino. The barista had a hard time understanding what I was trying to say, but put this design on the cappuccino. It was a friendly reminder that there are people half way across the world that can show love to someone they don’t even know. Photo: Beth Moellers

12. Day 16-Pisa Getting to see the leaning tower of Pisa was by far the highlight of my day. We always hear about the leaning tower of Pisa in school and it was awesome to actually get to see it in person! Photo: Beth Moellers

13. Day 17-Milan, Italy One of the highlights of visiting Milan was being able to sing at the International School of Milan. It was really fun getting to sing for younger children since there are not a lot of children that attend our concerts. We also got to spend some time after our concert to hang out with the kids and I learned many things about how they attend school that is different from the way we go to school. Photo: Wartburg College Choir Facebook Page

14. Day 18-Stuttgart, Germany This beautiful statue was one of the only things left standing after the war in Stuttgart. Many of the church walls were also destroyed and where the church is now is where the choir room use to be which was very interesting to see. Getting to learn such history in a place that was destroyed was amazing. Photo: Beth Moellers

15. Day 19-Ohringen, Germany I got the opportunity to stay with an amazing family in Ohringen who lived on a farm that made many things such as wine and bread for their store. When we were driving to our concert this beautiful rainbow appeared! It was just what we needed after a rainy day to get us excited about the concert. Photo: Beth Moellers

16. Day 20-Colmar, France We got the opportunity to visit France!! The highlight of the day was when Jeremey Corbett got to be the translator for Dr. Nelson at the concert. The choir members are all from many places around the world and it is amazing to see all of the different backgrounds of people. Photo: Wartburg College Choir Facebook Page

17. Day 21-Neuendettelsau, Germany The St. Laurentius Church that we got to sing our concert in was full of Wartburg history from Wilhelm Lohe! The biggest thing that struck me at this church was the story behind St. Laurentius. He was so dedicated to the people of the town instead of any riches he could have had and he was killed for having devoted his life to the people. It is sad to think that many people have died for trying to do something good. Photo: Beth Moellers

18. Day 22-Leipheim, Germany This beautiful church was amazing to sing in. The highlight of the day was when the choir decided not to sing “Elijah Rock” at the concert and then it got requested by someone in the first row after we walked out for “Hark I Hear.” It was really cool to see how much each song meant to the people of Leipheim. Photo: Beth Moellers

19. Days 23-25 Eisenach, Germany The highlight of my stay in Eisenach was getting to stay with this amazing family. The dad even looked like the actor Johnny Depp! They were so kind to welcome Ali and I into their flat and they made us feel right at home. Even though our stay in Eisenach had many amazing adventures and rich history that brought us back to Wartburg the home stay was by far the best part! Photo: Beth Moellers

20. Day 26-Frankfurt, Germany Having to leave Eisenach was sad, but we had adventures waiting for us! Here is a picture of Frankfurt from the plane! Off to Turkey we go! Photo: Beth Moellers

21. Days 27 & 28-Istabul, Turkey We got to see amazing places in Istanbul such as the Blue Mosque. The highlight of my stay would have to be the last concert! Even though many events were cancelled in Istanbul from the tragic events that had taken place, our concert still took place. The way the audience reacted was one thing I will never forget! Photo: Wartburg College Choir Facebook Page

22. Wartburg Choir European Tour 2014!