its been a few days

Well, Internet has been very slow or non existent the past few days so sorry I have not written. Things are well. We are now in Munich, after traveling today from Berlin to Nuremburg with a stop at the museum there. VERY interesting as it was focused on the Nuremburg trials at the end of the war. We also went to the Zeppelin Stadium where they held their Nazi Party rallies and I stood in the very spot that Hitler stood some 80 years ago as he addressed his followers. Kind of spooky actually. Berline was great but the rain is just killing us. EVERYDAY it has been 50-55 and raining. We are so tired of rain but the kids are hanging in there. Tomorrow is our trip to Dachau and a guided tour of Munich. Should be a great day. All is well and I can't wait to share more with you when we return. Have to run now as there are others waiting to use the computer. Talk again soon

Guten Morgen

Well, we were all able to get a great night sleep last night. We had dinner at 730 and had nothing for the rest of the evening, so I am guessing most were in bed by 930 or so. We don't leave until 930 this morning so everyone should be well rested. Again, today we will visit the Henry Chappel cemetery where both Americans and Germans are buried. It will be neat to compare the differences in the way the soldiers are remembered and honored. Then to Cologne. We take a train from Cologne to Berlin, but we don't leave until 645 and get into Berlin around 1130 so we will get to the hotel very late. Hopefully we can get some sleep on the train as well. I think this trip has been everything we hoped for and even more. Despite the airplane problems and missing a day, I think the kids are getting more than their money worth. Ciao

France to Belgium

Well we have made our way from Paris to Belgium by the way of Bastogne. We left Paris at 730 this morning, stopped in a wonderful little village named Boullion for lunch, then moved on to Bastogne, where we were met by Henry. He was born in 1936 and was 9 years old when the Germans came and took his city for the first time. It was vey fitting that as we were standing and listening to him at the beginning of his first presentation, the winds blew up and it began to snow. Yes, SNOW!!! Pretty amazing. We went on a quick bus tour of the town and then out to the old barracks area where the famous "nuts" response was made in response to Germany's request for the allied surrender. They have a museum of old tanks and other jeeps, etc. so that was cool. We then went up to the Bastogne Memorial, then to a German cemetery (much different that the beautiful American cemeteries) and even found a soldier buried there by the name of Josef Fuchs. We then had probably the most poignant moment of the trip and that was to stop and see fox holes that had been dug in the Ardennes Forest. We had read and learned so much about that and it was quite amazing to stand around a real foxhole to see what the soldiers had to deal with. Our 3 hours in Bastogne were amazing and what the trip was all about. We had a bite to eat before we left and then drove on to Liege where we are now and will spend the night. Tomorrow we will stop by another cemetery, but this one has both American and German graves in the same place. We will then move on to Cologne for about 5 hours there, including a tour of the Cathedral, and then catch the train at 645 to Berlin. All is going well and the kids are wonderful to travel with. I will write again when I can.

A Great Day in Paris

Today we had our first sunshine since we left KC/Chicago. A beautiful day in a beautiful city. Students were on their own to explore the city as they wanted to. Many went to mass at Notre Dame at 8am. Other sites included the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe, Latin Quarter, and of course the Louvre. Some are back at the hotel by now but many are still out enjoying their last night in Paris. Things are going well. You may have heard about the suicide yesterday at Notre Dame. It happened right before we got there to go in so we could not get in, but many including myself chose to go by today on their free time. Such a wonderful place. Tomorrow we leave at 730 for our 4 hour drive to Bastogne for a guided tour and visit to the Museum there. It will be a war focused day for us which I look forward to. Be in touch next time we have wifi. Craig

Viva la France

We are in France again today with a guided tour of Paris this morning. Most of the group went on to Versailles but some of us stayed behind to spend free time. We are eating lunch and then going to go up in the arch de triumphe and then stroll down the champs élysées. Should be a fun afternoon. Norte dame cathedral, dinner, and the sacra couer on Montmartre in store for tonight. Everyone is doing well!!!!

Well Rested

We finally had a good night sleep last night. It was Sunday night so nothing was open, we were done with dinner by 830 and didn't have to get up until 8 this morning. Yes!!! I went to bed at 9pm and woke up at 730. What a nice rest. Today we will leave Caen and go to Rouen for short visit and walking tour before lunch. We will then drive on to Paris, check in to our hotel, go to dinner at the Latin Quarter and then some will do the night cruise on the River Seine if they want to . Mostly a travel day to get us to Paris. Kids are in good spirits this morning after a good night sleep. Should be a great day.

A good day

We arrived at Caen and got off the boat to meet our bus. We went directly to the caen memorial and it was very cool. we then went to point du hoc which was a military station for the Germans. Some very interesting history about that place. Then we went right down to Omaha beach and walked around. Very strange to walk on that ground. We then did our memorial ceremonies at the Normandy cemetery and I thought those came off very well. Stopped by another German post and them to a place where they still have some of the mulberry harbor pieces. Checked into hotel and now ready to go to dinner. Going to bed early tonight for sure. We are all very tired right now. See you tomorrow.

Short Night

Well, that was certainly a short night!! Finally got to sleep about 2am and had to get up at 6am. Wow. Kids are getting tired but they bounce back once the day starts. Going to Caen, France WWII museum this morning, then lunch, then off to the Normandy Cemetery for a tour and some wreath laying ceremonies. Should be pretty cool. Then back to Caen to check into our hotel and have dinner at 730 tonight, then to BED!!! This will be the first night we get a full night sleep. Weather is supposed to be 52 and 80% chance of rain. So far it has been much colder than expected and the students are running out of warm clothes. They brought SOME along but didn't expect to have to wear them everyday. Sure hope the weather warms up at some point. Gotta run and get Caleb out of bed. Will try to write more tonight if we have wifi at the hotel Bon Journee Fuchs

On the boat

Well, as discussed this morning, we were to have a busy day today in London and busy it was. A wonderful guided tour of the various sites in London, a lunch, a trip up in the London Eye (incredible), a trip to a LLadro store for Joyce (of course), and then aa two hour bus ride to Portsmouth to board the night ferry to Caen, France. Pretty cool ferry. Had dinner and will go to bed in our VERY little cabin. Up at 630 for breakfast and we disembark at 730 for our day at Caen and Normandy. London was wonderful, although very intense and fast paced. The kids are being wonderful and we are having a great time. See you tomorrow.

Quick update

I only have about 10 minutes to write as we are about to leave the hotel. I will write about our trials of travel later, but suffice it to say that United Airlines is not on our top list right now. We lost 26 hours of tour time due to various problems and then they lost one of our bags!! We finally made it safely with everyone in tow and that is the most important thing. Very frantic day yesterday trying to catch up on the lost time, but we did it. Wow, did we walk alot yesterday!!! Saw the Churchill bunker and war room, 10 Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Gardens, Picadilly Circus, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London. Some of the students did the Jack the Ripper tour after all that. Not this old guy. After a good night sleep in an actual bed, we are now ready to head out for a half day guided tour and then 6 hours of free time before we head out to Portsmouth tonight to catch the night ferry across the English Channel to Caen, France. Our time in London has been short, but we will have seen all the major sites before we leave today. Ciao

Departure!

Tomorrow is the big day!! We spent last night getting as much packed as we could. Wow, it is really hard to pack for four people for 16 days. Trying not to take too much, but it is just hard. Everyone is very excited to say the least. We will leave Pittsburg around 730am and head to KC to pick up Gaga. I want to be at my mom's house by 1015 or so. They will take us to KCI where we will check in first before the students get there. They are all to be there no later than noon, but I have a feeling they will get their earlier because of their excitement. Our flight leaves KCI at 145 and we fly to Chicago. It is a very quick turnaround, less than an hour, before our international flight leaves so that will be intense trying to move 47 people quickly through the airport. We then leave around 415 for London. It is an 8 hour flight so we will get in around midnight, but that will be 600am their time. This is always the challenge of flying oversees. The time change can kill you if you don't sleep on the plane. We will then go to our hotel, leave our bags, and then take the Tube downtown for a walking tour of some of the sights. We have an early dinner and then back to the hotel to check in and GO TO BED. Everyone will be exhausted from the long day I am sure. I hope the check in on the blog at that point. We are assuming each hotel has internet service, but you never know. That should get us to the next blog point. Take care and I will be back in touch soon Craig

Europe here we come!!

On May 15, I will be departing on a journey to Western Europe to trace the steps of the Allied Forces in WWII from London to Berlin. It is going to be a life changing experience for those involved. I will blog when I can at this site. Talk soon!!!

Pictures from Concert-ORCEC

My Work is Done

Well, my trip to Brazil has drawn to a close. We had an amazing concert today in a beautiful theatre that is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Tonight was a birthday concert for the hall. It was beautiful. I hope you can see some of the grandeur in the photos.

I would say there were around 700 people in the audience. Very well received concert, although there was some talking at the beginning and they clapped between movements of multi-movement works. Oh well....

The orchestra played great. There was wonderful chemistry on the stage and I think this was the performance we were all hoping before. We had a sound check at 600-630 to check the acoustics. They were GREAT!!! Perfect for chamber orchestra. On the break between sound check and rehearsal, they had a surprise birthday party for one of the violinists. They had me put on a birthday party hat and everything. It was cool to celebrate along with them.

We then played the concert and I was so proud to stand in front of the group. After the concert, they all shook my hand and gave me hugs. I gathered from the reception and warmth I received that this was a bit different from other concerts they played. I think they really played better than they usually do, but that is just a gut feeling.

THE COOLEST PART OF THE CONCERT-About 25 students from the orquestra sopros de Pindoretama came to the concert!!! Some of them drove in a bus, and others paid 10 real (about 7 bucks) to ride the bus for over an hour just to come see the concert. What a wonderful surprise to look up in the side balcony when I was taking a bow and seeing those faces again. It was so cool. They came backstage after the concert and we talked for awhile, tooks some more pictures (yes more pictures!!!) hugged alot and then said goodbye yet again. It was very special to have them there and know that they would give of their time to come see the concert.

After the concert, we went to Rodizio de massa and pizza (all you can eat pasta and pizza) for our final meal together. Unlike in America where you walk up to the food bar to get more food, here, they continually bring around a variety of Italian dishes and you just keep taking small portions of whatever they have until you are done. The food was amazing and it was a neat experience.

We talked quite a bit about what the future holds for Arley and I. We are both committed to making sure we stay in touch and try to get this book going. I said my goodbyes to Beatrice and Christina as they will not be with Arley when he takes me to the airport tomorrow morning. I will miss them both very much. We talked about how they need to come to the US sometime to stay with my family and see the US.

I meet with the Ceara Cultural Secretary at 10am in the morning. She is the one who made the official invitation for me to come here. At 1030, we are going to leave the hotel and stop by the Mercado market as I need to get just a few more things for the family.

We will be at the airport by 1130 or so and my flight is at 135. I have a six hour layover in Brasilia before heading to Atlanta and then home.

It has been a wonderful trip and I hope you have enjoyed reading about it. This will be my last blog of this trip. Thanks for reading and I will see you soon back in America.

Craig

A Day with Alan

I forgot to write yesterday about my visit to Alan's home for lunch. Alan is about 63 years old and was born in the UK. After he finished high school, he moved to Germany and started teaching english for various corporations. No university training, just his own system. He eventually got a job teaching english for Lufthansa Airlines and worked for them many years. Since he flew for virtually free, Alan has been all over the world. A very interesting man. He was at the concert on Sunday at Drago Mar and came up and talked to me. He invited me to his home for dinner so we went on Wednesday.

He lives in a very nice home by Brazilian standards. He lives by himself with three dogs. He can only stay in Brazil 6 months a year, so the other 6 months he travels the world.

He took a job in Rio about 10 years ago, and travelled to Fortaleza on vacation weekends. He fell in love with the area, so when he retired four years ago, he decided to move here to live.

We had a great time just hanging out and talking. I feel like I have a new friend and I will definitely contact him should I make the trip back to Brazil in the future.

He is going to start travelling to Pindoretama a couple days per week and teaching english to the students in the project. Very cool

A Final Day at the Beach

Arley and his family came and picked me up at noon today to spend one final day at Croco Beach. It was really nice out today. Beatrice and I swam in the ocean for a little while, but mostly Arley and I "held class." He had a lot of questions about various things regarding the american band structure so we talked for about 1 and 1/2 hours while we sat under a canopy on the beach. Had a few snacks and cervejas as well.

I am back in my hotel now at 3pm and they will pick me up at 5pm for the concert tonight. This is my last night in Fortaleza and I am looking forward to getting home soon. I sure miss my family.

It will be a great concert tonight, then some quick final shopping on the way to the airport tomorrow morning.

Hope you are all well.

1st ORCEC Concert

Bom dia
We had our first ORCEC concert last night at the State University here in Fortaleza. It was an interesting concert. They usually play the last Wednesday of each month at the university, but it is usually in their auditorium and at 930am. There was an event going on in the auditorium yesterday all day, so the concert was moved to 5pm and in another building, kind of like a commons area or entrance area for a building. VERY live. They did not set up any chairs for the audience, so they stood the entire time. It turned out to be very informal and very hard to hear our soft spots. I even cut one movement of the Elgar right on the concert as it just would not be conducive to that performance venue.

The orchestra played wonderfully, despite the poor acoustics. The video I am posting is our last piece titled Balade and Bergomask. It gives you an idea of the sound in this room.

After the concert, we went back to Arley's to change clothes. It was his mother's birthday, so we went out to eat in a neighborhood eating place close to his parent's house where he grew up. His sister, her husband, their son, his mom and dad joined us. It was great to meet his family. We went to his sisters home after dinner. His brother in law works with wood so he gave me a little wooden car for Caleb, a wooden house for Kelsey, and a wooden jewelry box for Kel. Not sure how I am going to get them home, but it was awful nice of him to do that.

Then, we went over to Christina's parents home, which is kind of in the same neighborhood. They have a beautiful home. We had some cerveja and watched futbol with her dad. Again, very cool to see where they grew up.

We got home around 11 last night and it was a great day for sure.

Bom dia

Just a quick good morning to all of my american friends. Had a great night sleep last night and am looking forward to today. It is about 1030 and Arley will pick me up at 11:00. Thought I would post some pics while I have time. Enjoy