Final Thoughts

Before this trip, I had never left the North American continent, so I was both nervous and excited when we boarded our airplane just a little over 3 ½ weeks ago. Perhaps I had expected more of a culture shock, which there was in a few small ways: like how you could not order tap water in restaurants, instead you had to ask for either still or sparkling mineral water that came in a fancy glass bottle (which in my opinion was nasty and overpriced, but perhaps I just have a different palette); or how most bathrooms were not free and you were asked to pay either a machine or an attendant for their use; or even how there were hardly any grocery markets for buying fresh produce, and you had to go out of your way to find them in the big cities if you wanted something simple, like a banana. The biggest culture shock however was not being able to speak the languages of the countries. I felt very powerless not being able to ask basic questions, or incredibly senseless trying to order food using a string of broken German words I’d picked up from other students in the group. But as far as basic necessities, living space, transportation, and food, I found everything really easy to adapt to and I would have liked to stay there longer. Being home now and not being able to wake up everyday with the anticipation of hopping on a subway or bus to go exploring makes everyday life seem so boring. In the end, I am just so thankful for the opportunity I had to be able to go to other countries and become more aware of the art, culture and history of each one. I’m also incredibly grateful for the other students of this trip that I had the immense privilege of getting to know and sharing this amazing experience with. GO PLU MUSIC CAPITALS OF THE WORLD 2016!!

Auf wiedersehen!

I'm home now and, as you can tell, have caught up on my blog posts. It was extremely difficult while on the trip to peel myself away from the opportunities presented in each city and sit down to write. I wanted to use up every minute exploring the sites and absorbing the atmosphere. That first night in Leipzig seems like a year away now and I can hardly believe we packed so many adventures into a mere 26 days. Four plane trips, four countries, eight cities, nine train rides, 18 performances, and 215 miles walked makes for an exhausting, busy, fulfilling, and inspiring trip. Hearing Vienna horns and seeing Swan Lake were particularly moving for me as a hornist and former ballerina. Throughout the trip I had chance encounters with the principal oboe of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the personnel manager of the New York Met, a Tonkunstler Orchestra cellist, and a Camerata Salzburg violinist. It was incredible the insights I gained from these people as well as from our tour guides. This trip was certainly a memorable one and I truly hope to find myself back in these cities in the future.

Final Impressions

I've spent a month traveling around central Europe listening to some of the best musicians and ensembles in the world, and seeing the sights of music history first-hand. The moments were my favorite -- the moments that made me stop and stare, or stop and listen. As I mentioned before, I think these moments are some of the more special you can have. Seeing Bach' church, witnessing a beautiflly danced Swan Lake, having Strauss waltzes stuck in my head while walking down the banks of the Danube, and seeing the brushstrokes of Rembrant's self portraits -- these are moments I will long remember.
I don't think that the full weight and reality of what I have just finished doing has settled in yet. I was able to fill in so many gaps in my understanding of music history's timeline, and I experienced new levels of musicianship to which I now aspire to achieve. Every time I think back to one of the cities I visited, I remember something new that had an impact on me, and I imagine that will keep happening for a long time. To say that this trip didn't change my perspectives on music and culture would be a flat out lie, but I believe that the full impact of that change will continue to unfold as I continue my path in music education, and as a person.
Auf Wiedersehen, Europe. Thank you for making me a better person, and for sharing your music.

Prague

Prague was by far the most beautiful city on our trip. Everywhere you looked there were statues, archways, steeples, and stone. To me, this city felt the oldest and most foreign of those we visited. We did not really venture out of Old Town, and I would have liked to see what the more urban areas were like. What I did see, however, was almost like a fairytale. 

Prague Castle from St. Charles Bridge

Palace of the President

St. Vitus Cathedral

City overlook from Prague Palace

Peering Down

I was lucky to have been able to, in each town I visited (with the exception of Berlin and Wittenburg) to hike, take the stairs, or ride an elevator to a point where I could look down on the whole town. I'd like to share some of the pictures from these vantage points. I love the architecture and these cities!

Vienna from St. Stephan's Cathedral south tower

Budapest

Leipzig

Salzburg from the monastery

Behind the castle in Salzburg -- toward the Alps

Prague from Prague castle

Let them eat cake!

While in Salzburg, we were fortunate enough to be there for Mozart's birthday. At six o'clock that evening, a crowd gathered outside Mozart's birth house while a brass quintet played from inside and a huge cake was brought out in celebration of the day. It was rather cut-throat to get up to the front table for a piece of cake, but I persevered and eventually was awarded slice. It turned out there was more cake than crowd, so I'm not quite sure why everyone was so pushy. It was a chocolate cake with fondant on top picturing Mozart's profile, signature, and some music notes. I was handed the slice with the ending "g" of Wolfgang in his signature. While it was not so fun to be shoved around in a crowd, knowing I was going to hear the Vienna Philharmonic perform Mozart's Haffner Symphony that same evening more than made up for it.

A train of thought...on trains.

As I was on my way to Budapest on Tuesday, I couldn't help but think how freakin' cool it is that I could do a day trip to an entirely different country on the Eurail system.
I grew up in Juneau, AK -- a place that has no roads leading out of town. To get to another town you literally have to take a very long ferry ride or buy an airline ticket -- and this is just to get to the next town, let alone a different country or a new culture. Even after living in the I-5 corridor for a few years now, I am occasionally taken aback by the thought that I could drive to Florida if I wanted. But even in the USA, everything is spread out geographically, and you would have to travel a long way to get somewhere that feels totally different. In Europe that's not the case; I can take a 2.5 hour train ride and be in another country, in another culture, a different economy, a different language, and a different history. It is a very cool feeling to have such a different world so easily accessible, and I will miss the opportunity to explore so freely and easily these different countries. I traveled to four different countries and seven very different towns all within four weeks, and I can't get over how cool that is.

My ticket to explore.