Days 1 + 2: Departure Day, Vienna, and Nivnice

Day 1: Departure Day, Vienna and Nivnice

Today is the day we left for our much-anticipated tour to Central Europe! Excitement was in the air as we all started to arrive at Logan Airport, check in and say our goodbyes to our families. Getting through security was not a problem at all. The plane boarded on time and we were off on our Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 aircraft! Once we reached our cruising altitude, we received a choice of either chicken and vegetables or pasta and tomato sauce for dinner. Afterward, we all tried (with varying amounts of success) to get some sleep. With about one and a half hours left we crossed over the English Channel and were served a breakfast consisting of a muffin and fruit. We followed the Rhine River for a while before descending into Munich.

At the Munich airport, we took a convenient airport train to our next terminal. The airport is very modern and has huge glass windows on both sides of the building. German engineering and modernism at its finest. We filled our water bottles and changed into shorts before taking a bus to board our next flight. Despite a brief delay, we were soon airborne for our short hop from Munich to Vienna. After having such a smooth journey, we were surprised when only half of our luggage emerged onto the belt! After a long wait we discovered that all of our luggage had been offloaded from our plane onto two carts, but only one of those carts had dropped off our bags. Eventually, our remaining luggage was retrieved and we walked out to our tour bus, ready to begin our tour!

Vienna! The architecture was beautiful: we drove along the Danube River for some time, seeing outdoor lounge areas and murals along the water. When we stopped, we left the bus with sunscreen, hats, and water bottles in tow, and walked to a park for lunch/early dinner. Despite the heat, we made our way up a few cobblestone streets to the St. Stephen Cathedral, or Stephansdom.

Stephansdom was built in the 12th century. The intricate designs, decorations, and pillars were all carved by hand – talk about overachieving! Multi-colored shingles created a mural on the roof, and a tall tower reached well above the neighboring buildings. The place was so old, you could almost feel it when you went inside the cathedral. It was massive and geometrical and a work of art itself.

As Kimani says, we have to “share the sidewalk with the locals.” Navigating tight city streets with 40 red-T-shirt-clad people isn’t easy, but we managed. We posed for pictures and took attendance whenever we had the chance. Everyone stopped for water at an oddly ornate drinking fountain, and hopped back on the bus to get to Nivnice, in the Czech Republic.

W passed through multiple quaint towns, full of pastel colored homes and terra cotta roofs. In between the towns were rolling hills and fields. It was a beautiful day. When we arrived at our retreat center, we were greeted to a delicious meal of chicken noodle soup, chicken schnitzel, scallion mashed potatoes, and cucumber salad.

After dinner we walked down the street to where the Nivnicka Youth Ensemble was rehearsing. We sang a Czech song with them; a trio in their choir sang a solo that was beautiful and chilling. We then performed our own South African Folk Song Medley for them – so much fun! They sang two more songs for us, and we all said goodbye. We can’t wait for tomorrow’s rehearsal and workshop with them. We walked back down the street at sunset to the retreat center and got our room assignments. After a quick meeting it was time for some much needed sleep. All in all, it was a great first day!

Singer of the Day: Caleo, for his willingness to help with luggage on the bus and his awareness of group needs.

-Sophia and Luke

(p.s. follow Boston City Singers on Instagram for more pictures and videos as they happen throughout each day!)