Aug 9th Bonus Day in Madrid

The craziest things happen....a threatened air traffic controller strike messed up everything, and we waited so long for it to be straightened out, that we missed the connection home from Madrid. Did the kids care? Not much.....here's why.


They rested.....


They hung out in a beautiful modern airport....


They relaxed in Mcdonalds......


They ate wonderful food at the hotel.....


And as much as they wanted ......


Hung out in very comfortable surroundings.....






And came back to the airport this morning, shopped and generally relaxed. That was good after the strenuous week at the castle and about.


If you know any of these kids, ask them about their experiences. We'll be sending out a full report soon. For now, it's a time to reflect and enjoy the experiences in our own thoughts.

Aug 8 Berlin Day Off

A quick impromptu Celebrate at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche in Berlin













Straddling the old Berlin Wall marked throughout the city with white stones along the path it took.













A storm approaches the Reichstag, Germany's Capitol building, and we duck in early for our tour.














The new dome is spectacular












It reflects natural light down into the parliament chambers and you can spiral up to the top












This opening let's out the heat and provides a natural flow of air


















Of course we flash mobbed the dome, which has incredible acoustics. We got a round of hearty applause, as always! Trevor takes over the choir!
















And again on the Capitol steps. We're incorrigible.















Hanging out with the glitterati at the Brandenburg Gate.















A casual dinner at a local pizza joint in Kaulsdorf, near our pension.










A late night concert from the balcony by Paul

Allan writes:

This was a well-deserved day off and everyone was ready for it. The weather cooperated and the kids were allow to wander around, shop and have fun on their own. It was a tremendous change to go from the peace and tranquility of Schloss Mansfeld to a world city like Berlin, but the kids took it in stride, soaked it up like sponges and will never forget it. Neither will the adults. It was wunderbar.

Aug 7 Leaving the Castle Ain't Easy, but on to Berlin

After a week at Schloss Mansfeld, it was really hard to leave. Most vowed to return again...perhaps in 2013! We'll especially miss our new German friends including Volker, our host, and 'Goli' (Goliath), our castle mascot.















We'll all remember Sarah and she will really miss us!






























Sunday church in the monastery church in Kloster-Mansfeld near the castle. Todd is the organist for the service.















The acoustics were fantastic.














Pastor Conni was thrilled.















Thomas' father, the mayor of the town of Mansfeld congratulated us and wants us to return in 2013.














The Heilige-Kreuz-Kirche was our Berlin venue. It is a beautiful, modern (mid-19th century) church and concert venue inside.















Todd gets the American-made Hook organ ready for his prelude. It's the only American organ in Germany.















We practice our procession for Heleluyan.















Finalizing our logistics in this big space.
















We sing our hearts out as our last formal concert draws to a close.
















We will miss some of our friends, but we do our professional best.



Kenny soars ........




























And so does Paul!















Dave almost gets lost behind the Estonian concert grand.
















Holding it together....















we Celebrate for the last time ...well, not quite...















We thank our new friend (and German marketing and development manager!), Volker. His T-shirt says it all .... Jesus lives! Many of us believe he lived through us at our concerts, where people were clearly moved, some to tears, by our beautiful, inspired singing.
















We 'celebrate' with a meal at a nice restaurant to end our formal tour.
















Our home in Berlin, away from our home in Mansfeld.


Thoughts from Allan:

I, for one, was very moved by the music today ... From a little monastery church in a rural part of eastern Germany, to a large, sophisticated concert venue in a world city, Berlin. The kids did excellently in both places, despite already missing some of their new friends, and knowing that soon we would be just Americans again, as the rest of the German kids left to go home. More surprises to follow.

Aug 6 Leipzig, Wittenberg, Last Night in Mansfeld

Today was all about Luther, Bach and the choir talent show.








We Celebrated in front of Bach's statue at the Thomas-Kirche in Leipzig.










Paul played a Bach partita at Bach's feet to a big crowd and applause. It was wonderful.









The Bach window.









Bach's grave facing the altar. The spirituality that comes though his music makes him a consummate musician and theologian in many people's minds.









On to Wittenberg for a concert in the Stadtkirche.










Another great concert space










This Little Light of Mine, I'm Gonna let it Shine!



















The Schlosskirche where Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door, which started the reformation.









Now for the fun... Thomas and Lisa









Adolfo pays a visit.










Kenny leaps for joy.










Max and Gesine













Sarah and Phil play a duet.










The choir thanks the staff with a special song. We were all verklemmt!