July 16, The Last Day

Today was an early morning, as we had to be on our way to the Frankfurt Airport at 7:00 am. The hotel was kind enough to have breakfasts packed for us to eat on the bus.

The group was spread out on the airplane to Toronto, since we were only 25 or so of over 400 passengers. It was odd to leave Frankfurt at 10:00 am, fly for 8 hours, and arrive in Toronto at 12:00 noon. Then it was through customs, a bite to eat, and back on a plane to Winnipeg for the rest of the journey. We continued to say our farewells on the way, with some staying in Europe, some staying on in Toronto, and others taking a later flight to Winnipeg,

For many this has been the trip of a lifetime. The experiences shared, the music created, and the closeness gained amongst all who travelled together are things each of us can take from this. As we look back at the pictures and videos we have, the emotions they generate will continue to draw us to the choir’s closing song at all the performances in Europe. How Can I Keep From Singing?

Each day of our journey I had provided a joke of the day that I shared over the PA system on the bus. For this our last day, I’d prepared my own words to the tune I Dreamed of Rain, one of the songs performed by the choir. I was asked to include the words in today’s blog. Here they are. They’ll mean much more to those on the tour than others.

I Dreamed of Europe

I dreamed of Europe and the choir went
I got to go along and it was totally awesome
I dreamed of bratwurst and Mirco made them
And they were tasty with the fruits and veggies 

I dreamed of humour and the hat came

And the bells they jingled and the jokes were funnier

I dreamed of Friesland and the shorts came

Ken and Otto they got them too

Chorus

And I now have more friends that I care for

And I now know all their names

I dreamed of Europe and the choir went

And I got to go along

I dreamed of castles and we saw a few

the villages all were quaint and historic

I dreamed of photos and we took a ton

But Sharlyne’s were all of trucks and trees

I dreamed of Menno and I learned more

And walked where he walked and it was very real

I dreamed of cathedrals and the choir sang

And we all became verklempt

Chorus

And I now have more friends that I care for

And I now know all their names

I dreamed of Europe and the choir went

And I got to go along

I dreamed of Europe and the choir went

And I got to go along

Submitted by: Ernie Epp