Day 4 - Champagne

Today was an early day. We traveled to the Champagne region. It was about 2 hrs East of Paris. Most of us slept on the bus ride there, due to the early morning, and late night :-P

We got a tour of the G.H. Mumm champagne brewing company. It was so cool to see how champagne was made. I didn't know how much work there was into making good booze. We got a testing of two different kinds and it was amazing! They were both delicious. I got 2 bottles to give as gifts so they better like it or I will drink it!!


After the tour we went to Reims. We did a full concert at Notre Dame de Reims. This is where all the kings of France were coronated back when royalty ran France. It was massive! The length of this place was at least 3 football fields. The stain glass and just the detail of the whole thing was amazing. We all walked in and just stopped in our footsteps, and awed. It was really one of the most amazing expereinces that I have had on this trip thus far. We would be singing our songs, and reach the end. We would still hear our voices for another 10 seconds. It was incredible!!!!!!! Being in that church alone was just a feeling of excitement, and thankfulness.

We then drove back to the hotel, where we had dinner, and spent the night here. We were told to rest and relax for the evening. None of us have made it on the bus without falling asleep. Im loving being able to stay in the hotel tonight and just relax and rest!

Notre Dame de Paris, the Louvre, and then free time is tomorrrow!! Oh boy!!!!!!!!!

Day 3 - Paris

Today was our first full day in Paris. It still seems so unreal that we are here. There is just something magical and surreal about Europe and France.

Today we got a tour of the city on our bus. We drove around on the bus and all saw all the major sites. Seeing the Eiffel Tower up close was so spectral. Its so different seeing it up close and real, rather than in movies or pictures. It's so huge and amazing. It something you just can't stop looking at. This is a Phi Mu Alpha picture + PM.

While on the tour, we saw the Moulin Rouge. That was pretty cool. It was just funny seeing something that is so famous, and yet so raunchy. I thought it was pretty cool!

After our bus tour we went to The Church of the Sacred Heart. We couldn't take pictures inside, but we got to view it. It was amazing!!! So old, and yet so beautiful. The amount of things that were in there was incredible. The Church is on top of a mountain in Paris, and it overlooks the entire city of Paris. It was so pretty!!!! We got to watch some street entertain, where MG, and Simon both got up and did a number. The picture below is The Church of the Sacred Heart. This is the Church of the Sacred Heart.

Sitting there overlooking Paris made me realize that I was in France now. Being here and having the experiences that I have had thus far, have been something that I will never be able to recreate.

We sat there looking at the city for over and hour. We then had to get ready for our 3rd full concert at Madeline Church. This is where Faure was the church music director for many years. His requiem was composed there, and it was amazing to sing in the same place that he had been. The church was very dark, and was made of mostly brown wood, and stone. But the church was huge!! It was so long! There was about a 6 second delay in the sound and we just grew in sound with the vibration of sound. It was a concert to remember that is for sure!! But they all are. These are two pictures: one of the Madeline Church, and then of the choir at the Altar during the concert.

After the concert, we got the rest of the night to ourselves. Myself and a few friends went shopping around the main shopping area, just to look around and such. I didn't buy anything just because I didn't find anything. We then came back to the hotel a little early, and went out to some bars and had a few drinks. Was another wonderful day, and I can't wait for the other days to come!!

Day 2 - Normandy

So today we went to Normandy. We were up at 5:45am, and that was rough!!! We got up and had a wonderful breakfast that I had way too much to eat at. But was totally worth every minute!!

We finished breakfast in Bayeux, and left our hotel to travel to Normandy. We stopped for our recital at Mont Saint Micheal. It was amazing. It was this cathedral that was built on a little rock that St. Micheal had said to build a church. It was beautiful. It was a little island that was jammed packed with old buildings, and the cathedral at the very top. The picture attached to this, is the Mont Saint Micheal. We got to sing in the little church there and it was amazing. The feeling of being in there was just unforgettable. After our recital, we got a tour of the cathedral from the inside out. Talk about a lot of walking, and ability to get lost!!!

While on the tour we got to sing in a place where the monks used to have their meals. The acoustics were the best I have ever sang in. There was at least a 7 second delay of sound till we ended. It was incredible. They made the hall that way because, while eating, the monks were not allowed to talk, but there was one monk who read from the gospel.

After we had the tour, we had lunch on our own. Kyle, Simon, and I made our way to a little hole in the wall place where we had a wonderful salami and cheese sandwich. Along with a nice cold beer. Wonderful lunch!

After Mount Saint Michael, we got back on the bus and headed for Poc du Hoc (Hock Point) where D-Day occurred on June 6, 1944. It was an amazing site to see. There were the bunkers from the Nazi Empire still standing. You wonder what the Nazi soldiers were thinking while sitting in those awful places? Were they praying for the men they were about to kill? Who knows! At Poc du Hoc, there were still the sites of bomb craters present. It was very hard to look at and take everything in. But the next site we saw was nothing compared to that.

The American Cemetery was nothing like I have ever seen. We sang “My Lord What A Morning” on the monument steps. It was one of the most moving experiences I have ever had. People stopped from far away because they heard music from the distance. People started to cry because of the emotions that were going on. Having that feeling, of thankfulness, praise, and pride was an amazing feeling while singing this song.

There were just rows, and rows, and rows, and rows of tomb stones. Some of them christen, some of the Jewish, some of the men, some of the women, some of them known, and others not. All of these people were in one place. We got to go down to the beach and collect some sand/water from there. It was very emotional, and also very rewarding. We now have a part of the place where soldiers gave up their lives, to help others and defend freedom.

After Normandy, we headed back to Paris to our new hotel. We got settled in, and then had dinner. The rooms here are a little small, but we will deal. After dinner a few of us went out for some drinks at a local bar. The bartender was very nice, and cute! He gave us way too much for what we paid for! It was a very nice ending to a very busy day!!!!

Paris exploration tomorrow!!! More to tell then!!!

Arrival in France

So today we flew into France. Or was it yesterday? I don't even know!!! My biological clock is so screwed up that I don't even know if its day or night right now!

We  left the United States on Saturday March 5 at aprx 4:30pm. The airplane ride was long, and not that exciting :-P However, Air France is defiantly the way to travel to Europe in. They have personnel TV monitors for each passenger, and they have more leg room than other flights I have been on!

We arrived in Paris Airport aprx 5:30am March 6. With the time laps it was a little rough. We then got onto  our bus and drove to Bayeux. This is where we are staying tonight for our first night in France.

We did a concert this after noon at the Cathedral of Bayeux. It was beautiful inside! The sound was amazing and the building itself is just gorgeous! I forgot how amazing the buildings are here. They are so old, and have so many stories to tell. Our concert went well, and was very highly attended. We didn't think we were going to have that many, but we did! It was pretty awesome to see all the tourists, and locals coming out to see our concert :-)

After the concert we came back to our hotel, and just hung out and relaxed. We had been going for over 2 days straight, and we just needed to rest!

The picture below is the Cathedral that we sang in today :-)

We are off to the beaches of Normandy tomorrow, where D-Day occurred. Should be a very powerful moving experience.