JULY 3 & 4, TRAVEL AND DAY 1
Waiting in the Winnipeg Airport.
Driving along the 30 km dike that reclaimed the land. The water on the left is fresh, the water on the right is salt.
Being welcomed into our first host church, Doopsgeminde Sneek
The beautiful staircase in the church.
That's us!
Singing "In Christ There is No East or West", in both Dutch and English. Very appropriate and quite moving!
JULY 5, DAY 2
The hotel in Sneek that some of the choir members stayed at.
Some of us walked back to the church in the morning......
...and some traveled by boat on the canal!
This model of an early Mennonite church was found in Witmarsum. More information in the photos below.
The Faith and Life Women's Chorus by the Menno Simons monument.
Our full touring group.
The hidden church in Pingjum. More information below.
The interior of the hidden church.
The church where Menno Simons was first ordained as a catholic priest, and where he began to explore the Anabaptist faith.
Singing our first song together in Europe, as the Faith and Life Women's Chorus.
Joined by everyone, singing Great is Thy Faithfulness.
Our lovely lunch at a tea garden.
The beautiful sights of Sneek.
Biking is the preferred mode of transportation.
Cheers!
Our first formal concert at the Doopsgezinde
Gemeente Sneek. What a wonderful experience!
JULY 6, DAY 3
The Royal Delft Museum and factory
The painter at work.
The beach at the shore of the North Sea.
The working windmill in Ouddorp.
The former Mennonite "hidden church" building, which is now a clothing boutique.
July 7, Day 4
The hotel that some of the choir members stayed at in Goedereede (nearby to Ouddorp). It was built in 1490.
The hotel group.
The windmill in Goedereede.
Singing at the worship service at Doopsgezinde
Gemeente Ouddorp.
Jack and Irene sharing at the service.
Brave souls! Theresa...
Robyn...
and Ed & Millie!
Our lovely lunch by the water at Expo
Haringvliet.
The sluizen gates.
July 8, Day 5
The residence of the Prince.
The former Mennonite church building, across the street from the palace.
The Jewish memorial.
One of the Stumbling Stones.
Beautiful Marksburg Castle.
Walking where the knights on their horses used to ride.
The coat of arms of the first owner of the castle. The date on the plaque reads 1283.
Such a beautiful garden!
The view of the River Rhine from the castle.
This is the original chimney of the castle.
Robyn and Ernie look hungry!
The kind of bed that the people of the time would sleep in. The bed was very short, because the average person then was much shorter than they are now, and they all slept sitting up. The heads were raised while sleeping because they believed that lying down was the position of the dead.
The music room!
The gorgeous ceiling of the chapel.
The progression in armour.
Some examples of what was used to torture.
Our concert in Neuwied. Lothar introduced us to the congregation.
July 9, Day 6
Ernie, our Jester.
Hmmmm....
The boat cruise on the River Rhine.
Otto's thirsty!
The famous Lorelei.
Countless vineyards on the side of the hills.
Our group dinner at our hotel in Rothenburg ob
den Tauber.
Always stop to smell the roses.
Our beautiful concert venue, Kirche Heilig Kreuz in Neusitz.
The reception following the concert.
July 10, Day 7
The hotel that the full choir stayed at, Hotel
Schwarzes Lamm in a little village outside of Rothenburg.
The sights of Rothenburg.
This is one of the only pieces still standing of the castle in Rothenburg. It was built in the year 800!
The gate into Rothenburg. The inner city is surrounded by a wall.
We had an impromptu performance in the Franciscan Cathedral Rothenburg o.d.T. We sang parts of Gott ist die Liebe, Abendlied, Great is Thy Faithfulness and Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (606). It was a beautiful moment.
The ceiling in part of the cathedral.
Another beautiful church in Rothenburg.
Leanne's souvenirs for her kids...they're engraved!
July 11, Day 8
The Ludwigsburg Palace.
Some sights in the gardens of the Ludwigsburg Palace
The carousel that many choir members took a spin on!
Rapunzel's tower in the Fairy Tale Garden.
The Mercedes-Benz Museum.
These are the tour members who are under 60 years old. There was a discount for those over 60!
Mercedes-Benz, old and new.
Our concert at the Johannes
Kirche.
July 12, Day 9
The breathtaking Strasbourg Cathedral.
We were blessed to be able to give an impromptu performance here. We sang "Non Nobis Domine", "Abendlied", "Gott is die Liebe" and "Great is Thy Faithfulness". Crowds of people came in to hear us sing. It was a phenomenal experience for us all.
The outside of the cathedral. It's so massive, you can't take a picture of the whole thing!
A few people climbed to the top of the tower. This is the view of Strasbourg from up there.
The bell tower from the top of the cathedral.
Beautiful Strasbourg, France.
Hildy making friends with the nephew of our waiter tonight.
July 13, Day 10
Lake Titisee
Some went on a paddleboat...
Some went for a row...
And some went for a short cruise around the lake on a boat called Ingrid!
Theresa & Leanne.
Sarah, Janet & Ingrid.
Irene & Jack.
Alma, Kathy & Marlene.
Ingrid & Lothar.
Elaine, Ken, Esther, Marj, Dora, Art, Allen & Leona.
The Monastery in Sankt Blasien.
Saint Theresa!
The view from The Church of the Tender Heart.
"The Hills are Alive....."
Eating dinner with stunning views.
Our final evening concert.
July 14, Day 11
The beautiful Ludwigskirche in Freiburg. We sang at their worship service this morning.
Not only is she a phenomenal pianist, she's an amazing organist too!
We sang behind the congregation, up in the balcony with the organ.
Our final time together as a group, as some members deviated from the group during the day.
July 15, Day 12
The vineyard entrance, right in the middle of town.
Ed & Millie showing off their light packing skills!
The wine cask.
So much wine, so little time!
Ready to sample the wines.
The wine master.
Our final hotel in Europe.
July 16, The Last Day
7 comments:
You have just sung in the first church, in Pingjum,
I always found it to be a very thrilling, emotional
and spiritual event, to sing in those ancient churches. So I am remembering that time I spent in that same church, thanks to Ingrids work
You guys must be busy beings tourists, eating, drinking, sleeping and visiting. I am waiting for the next concert experience
Oh, sorry, I missed the morning service pictures.
And now I'm going to have to prove I'm not a robot again. I guess I'll have to do this each time I send a note. I should just be a robot already. I don't know how many times I can pass that test.
I love all your pictures. My Neuwied experience was in 2007. Memory is refreshed with your wonderful reports and pictures. Thanks.
Keep on sharing your love and song to brothers and sisters in Europe
Rothenburg is a dream, isn't it. You must love the Schwarzes Lamm and roaming the village there. But still, the opportunity to sing in those buildings with "natural sound" is the real pleasure.
Beautiful pictures...beautiful memories....thanks so much for sharing. ...am thoroughly enjoying the tour "with" you!
Wow! Great job on the pictures and the blog. I enjoyed every moment of it. I didn,'t hear about any health problems, I hope that means there weren't any. God bless you and keep you.
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