Tuesday, May 14
Fly to Amsterdam
Wednesday, May 15
After a flight lasting 8 to 9 hours, we arrive at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, several meters below sea level! After clearing customs, we will meet tour leaders Ken Rodgers, Holly Swartzendruber, and Doug Miller. Ken will provide shuttle service by van to our hotel. Your luggage will be kept in a secure room at the hotel prior to the 2:00 check-in. Use this time to explore the area near the hotel. Lunch is on your own. After finding some lunch, meet back at our hotel at 2:00. Holly and Doug will assist with room assignments. It will be tempting to sleep, but try to stay up as long as possible to adjust to the new time. Russell, Karen and Duane will arrive in the late evening with three remaining vans.
Thursday, May 16
After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, we will tour the Anne Frank house. This is where Anne, her family, and several family acquaintances hid during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Their hiding place was finally found out and her father was the only person to survive the war. After visiting the museum, we will go to the Singelkerk, at one time the largest Mennonite Church in the world. It is also a hidden church, built to look like the surrounding buildings. At the time, Mennonites were not allowed to build churches which would draw attention as a church. After lunch, we will head to Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum. Here we will see how wooden shoes are made, how windmills work, how cheese is made, and see what village life in the 1920s would have looked like. Following this, we head to Aalsmeer to prepare for our first concert! After our final bows, we will return to our hotel in Amsterdam.
This adventure has been great!
Amsterdam is amazing. I have enjoyed everything. Sitting at cafes right on the street to eat something with my friends and trying different food from ours. And of course singing with the choir and laughing with mi gente.
It’s incredible how people use bikes here for transport—it helps them to keep a healthy lifestyle, even though they live in the city.
When I was in Anne Frank’s House, I had a powerful experience, because it made her story so real.
And yesterday in the Rijksmuseum, observing all the art, I got inspired and it made me analyze each color, design, line, texture, and shape.
I have learned so many things and I’m willing to explore more – I’m excited for what is yet to come. Germany and Switzerland are waiting for us! -Ana Espinoza
Friday, May 17
The Rijksmuseum is the Netherland’s National Art Museum. Works by Rembrandt and Vermeer are just a few of the pieces we will see. Lunch in the park outside of the museum is a great place to relax. We will head to the town of Haarlem for the afternoon, first touring the Bavokerk (Cathedral of St. Bavo) and seeing one of the most famous organs in the world. W. A. Mozart played on it when he was a child! Then a short walk will lead us to the location of our next concert, the Doopsgezindekerk (Mennonite Church). This is also a hidden church with amazing acoustics. Professional recordings are often made in this space. Return to our hotel in Amsterdam after the concert.
After more than 10 hours of flying, we finally arrived in Europe! None of us were able to get much sleep on the flights, but that didn’t stop us from exploring Amsterdam on Wednesday. We landed in the morning, then got to the hotel in several groups between 11 am and 1 pm. Once most of us had arrived at the hotel, we took some time to unpack and get settled in. Then we ventured out to a market and food shops called FoodHallen and all got lunch. We split off into groups and explored around our hotel and downtown, and several of us rented bikes to join the locals! After dinner that evening, most of us were in bed around 8 pm just because we were so exhausted from travels. Many of us had been up for over 28 hours, so we slept long and deeply.
Thursday morning, we visited the Anne Frank house in downtown Amsterdam, which was an unforgettable experience. The story touched us all, and we will all continue to think about this throughout the trip. After the house, we visited one of the largest baptist churches in Amsterdam, and got to do some singing there. Next, we split off for lunch, then rejoined together at the hotel to leave for the afternoon and evening. Thursday afternoon, we went to a large open air museum called Zaanse Schans that featured windmills, clog and cheese museums. We then went to the church where we would be performing that night. After a rehearsal and a wonderful dinner provided by the church, we had our first concert, which went wonderfully. The space was very acoustically pleasing, which we all enjoyed. After the concert we conversed with the congregation a bit, then headed to the hotel for the night.
Friday morning, we went to the Rijksmuseum, which has a massive collection of art, sculptures, and other items. Many famous paintings are in the museum, and it was phenomenal to see in person. We were able to explore the exhibits for several hours, then found lunch in the area before leaving for Haarlem. In Haarlem, we first went to the church where we would perform that night for a short rehearsal, then went to the Great Church of St. Bavo. Then, we had a few hours to explore the town, which is one of the best shopping areas in Holland. For dinner, two of the church members made Indonesian food, which was phenomenal. Then, we had our concert in a sanctuary, again with amazing acoustics. The reverb in the hall after some of our songs would continue for 5 or 6 seconds, which created an otherworldly feel to our music. After the concert we once again took some time to converse with the congregation, then headed back to the hotel to turn in for the night. That concludes our first three days here in The Netherlands! -Devin Miller
Saturday, May 18
After a final breakfast at our hotel, we will head from the province of North Holland, to the province of Friesland. To get there we will travel over the Afsluitdijk (cutting off dike), a 32 kilometer (20 miles) dike built between 1927 and 1932. We will stop in the small Friesian towns of Witmarsum and Pingjum. Outside of Witmarsum is where the baptist reformer Menno Simons was born. In the town of Pingjum we will see a small hidden church where there will be a presentation about Menno’s life. We will also see the church where he served as a priest before leaving the Catholic church to join the baptist movement. Mid-afternoon we will visit a small fishing village and likely take a cold walk on the beach. Then on to Joure, a town which has been on every Hesston College choir tour of Europe since 1982! Tonight will be the first of three nights in our first home stay!
Sunday, May 19 – PENTECOST
After breakfast in host homes, we will meet at Park Heremastate in Joure to participate in an ecumenical Pentecost worship service. Pentecost is the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, everyone understood each other with the coming of the Holy Spirit, despite speaking different languages. How wonderful to worship in the Netherlands on Pentecost, a day that is observed as a national holiday in Europe! Relax with host families this afternoon. At 5:00, we will perform a Garden Concert where guests may arrive by boat and sit at the riverside. There will be a potluck with host families following the concert.
Monday, May 20
Today’s activities will be planned by the host families. Details to come, but the hosts in Joure always have some fun surprises for the choir!
Joure is lovely. The landscape is beautiful and the people are even better. Everyone has been so kind and hospitable, which has been so wonderful. Our hosts are also fantastic. Joy, Jamie, Lily, and I have had such a fun time having a barbecue, going to see cows, having late night conversations, and going to the park with our hosts. We even had fun when we got soaking wet on the boat ride Monday afternoon. There have been tons of laughs, fun memories, and really good discussions. We will miss them a lot, but look forward to seeing them again at some point! -Rylee Weishaupt
Tuesday, May 21
We say goodbye to our Joure hosts and head into Germany. At noon, we arrive in Köln (Cologne) where we will visit Der Kölner Dom and the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. After an early supper in Köln, we will depart for Neuwied. We will stop at St. Boniface Church to rehearse for our concert which will be held in this unique venue the following evening. We will then take the short drive to the Ev. Mennonitengemeinde Neuwied to meet our hosts for the next two nights.
After an early morning Europe Choral made our way into Germany! As we drove we saw the beautiful landscape. As we pulled into Köln we were met with an amazing sight, the Der Kölner Dom and the Basilica of the Holy Apostles! After a fantastic rainy day in the city we made our way to Neuwied for our concert. With bellies full of delicious food we sang in a beautiful atmosphere with wonderful people. In the morning we made our way up stream on the Rhine River on a fantastic River Castle Cruise full of beautiful views. Luckily no one was drawn in by the mystical siren Loreley. We made our way back to town to sing again! Full of great food and fantastic memories we hope for more to come! -Ashleigh Williams
Wednesday, May 22
Following breakfast in host homes, we will depart for Boppard where we will board a boat for a Rhine River Castle Cruise. Relax and enjoy the scenery! We will get off the boat at Bingen, load up the vans, and head back to Neuwied for a walking tour led by the pastor of the Mennonite church, Martin Schmitz-Bethge. After supper at the Mennonite church, we will take the short drive to the St. Boniface Church to present this evening’s concert.
Thursday, May 23
Today we say goodbye to Germany and drive towards Switzerland. Before crossing the border we will stop in Speyer, Germany. Speyer, known in English as Spires, is located along the Rhine River and is home to the Speyer Cathedral, one of the most significant examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe. By mid-afternoon we are on the road again to our destination of Basel, Switzerland, the location of tonight’s concert and home stays.
On the 23rd of May, we drove from Germany to Switzerland, Basel, to be exact. I was super excited, and I wasn’t disappointed! The people that we met were lovely, and the audience for our concert was very welcoming! I even got to meet the pastor of rhe Evangelische Mennonitengemeinde Schänzli, and it turned out, that he was from Paraguay as well, and that we knew who we were, which something quite exciting. I even got to drink a bit of Tereré! Daniel, Devin, Larry, and I, we stayed at a lovely host home. The couple was very welcoming, and made this stay one of the best for me personally. We were truly blessed, and I hope our ways cross again in the future! -Hadassa Friesen
Friday, May 24
After breakfast in host homes, we will head out to explore the city of Basel. Basel is located along the Rhine River and is considered to be the cultural capital of Switzerland. Its medieval old town centers around the Marktplatz, dominated by the 16th-century red sandstone Town Hall. Be sure to check out the Münster Cathedral, built over 800 years ago. After lunch, we will travel into the French-speaking part of Switzerland in the Jura Mountains to the small village of Moron, Switzerland. The town has more cows than people, but the church will be full with people from the area coming to hear the Hesston College Choir once again. Like Joure in the Netherlands, this congregation has been on the itinerary of almost every HC Europe tour. Into the mountains for home stays tonight.
Our second stop in Switzerland was the beautiful town of Moron. This small village sits at about 3,300 feet up in the mountains and is located in an area of Switzerland that primarily speaks French. Upon our arrival we were immediately greeted by the sound of cowbells and a beautiful backdrop of Swiss mountains.
After meeting with the church members and having a short rehearsal, we enjoyed an amazing meal of rice and chicken, apple, and pineapple curry. We also got to try an apple cider pudding with whipped cream.
Thankfully the rain cleared out just in time for us to line up for the concert, which began at 8 pm. This was a congregation that had heard the Hesston College International Chorale sing many times in past years so getting to perform for them was a really special experience. We had such a wonderful and engaging audience and we ended up receiving a double encore.
My host family for the night lived in an old renovated church building. The church still has services there once a month and it was a really cool space to stay in. Our hosts, who were absolutely lovely, spoke mostly French and a little English, but we all understood the universal language of dessert and cookies.
The next morning we packed the vans yet again, said goodbye to the wonderful people of Moron and departed for Bern, Switzerland. -Lily Corkill
Saturday, May 25
Enjoy visiting with your hosts over breakfast before we meet at the church for the hour drive to Bern, Switzerland.
Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, is built around a crook in the Aare River. It traces its origins back to the 12th century, with medieval architecture preserved in the Altstadt (Old Town). In the afternoon we will continue our journey to Langnau im Emmental, home of great cheese, chocolate and apple juice! This evening’s concert is in the oldest continuous Mennonite church in the world, dating back to 1530.
Sunday, May 26
After breakfast in host homes, we will meet back at the church for the short drive to Kambly Erlebnis in nearby Trubschachen. This might be a good place to stock up on some edible souvenirs! We are soon on our way again, heading to beautiful Interlaken where we will stop to eat our lunches. If there is time, we will visit Trümmelbach Falls in Lauterbrunnen. It will soon be time to catch the train that will take us up the mountain to the village of Wengen.
A ski village in winter and center of hiking in the summer, this is the starting point for all things outside! Our home for the next two nights will be the Hotel Falken, one of the historic hotels in town, dating back to 1895. It is old-world charm at its best.
Monday, May 27
FREE DAY! Get up early and go with Russell on SUPERHIKE for the full day or only part of the day. Or get up a bit later and follow Ken to Kleine Scheidegg for a spectacular view of the Jungfrau Mountain. If you want to spend the ca. $200 for the ticket, you can take the train to the Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe, with the last hour going through the mountain! An amazing feat of engineering! Or sit and read a book and take in the views. It’s all your choice!
Our two days in Wengen were some of my favorite of the whole trip. How exciting that the only way to get there was by train – Ken informed us while we were waiting at the Lauterbrunnen train station that the village was above us, beyond our sight. The ride was only twenty minutes to Wengen, followed by a short walk up to the Falken – an elegant historical hotel. I have at different points noticed how security does not seem like much of a concern here, and the hotel was no exception, with the fact that everyone leaves their keys on an open shelf at the bottom of the stairs. Dinner that evening was amazing, though its three courses lasted about two hours. The arugula salad was the best, complete with mozzarella pearls and a light dressing.
At 5 a.m. the next morning we woke up energized, anticipating a full day of the legendary “Superhike.” It sure lived up to the lore, and I would say exceeded the stories in some respects. After taking the train to Grindenwald, we began hiking (almost completely uphill) at around 6:30 a.m. Almost immediately we were stunned by the incredible views of the Swiss Alps. It felt like every few minutes we were turning around to take photos. One of my favorite things said in those first few hours was by Devin, as the views continued to get better the higher we climbed: “There’s more?” I’m grateful the morning was clear and relatively dry, and I appreciated the well-maintained and marked trails that we hiked on. Eventually, we got high enough that we were trudging through snow for hours only to cover little distance—rather, post holing as it was warm enough to be actively melting. But, we had a solid group (all about the adventure of it, just content to be outside and in the mountains) so spirits remained relatively high. Even though it began to rain in the late afternoon and the downhill parts felt rough on the joints, we pulled on our rain gear and continued to enjoy the experience.
By evening we were able to refuel at the grocery store, then off on another 10 miles over a pass to take us back to Wengen. I was beginning to feel quite tired, as we had been hiking for over twelve hours. But, slowly by slowly, we made our way along. Those last miles many of us were ready to be done. One can imagine the relief we all felt when the lights of Wengen finally came into view in the distance—it reminded me of the end of the Lord of the Rings series. We were in pain and exhausted, our shoes full of water. We all slept hard that night when we got back to the hotel just after midnight. Though at the end of Superhike many of us were slightly miserable, we have since all agreed it was fully worth it and we would do it again in a heartbeat. I am definitely going back to further explore the Alps someday. -Eva Perry
Tuesday, May 28
Today we must leave our mountain holiday and take the train back down to Lauterbrunnen where we will load our vans once again. We journey on to Zurich, Switzerland, stopping for lunch enroute. In Zurich, we will have a walking tour of the beginnings of the baptist movement during the time of the Protestant Reformation. It was here that Ulrich Zwingli was starting his Swiss Reformation, while his young disciples such as Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, argued he wasn’t moving quickly or radically enough. In 1525 they broke with Zwingli and started their own church, the baptists, often known as the Radical Reformation. After the walking tour, we will check into our hotel near the Zurich airport. This evening we will celebrate the experience of our first ever alumni and student choir tour to Europe. The alumni group will be flying out of Zurich tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 29
Today the alumni and students bid farewell to each other as the alumni portion of the tour ends. There will certainly be strong bonds formed through our musical experiences, as well as through our shared love of Hesston College. Thank you for joining us! Tschüss!
For the students, a morning drive will take us to the Dachau Concentration Camp. We will catch lunch enroute. From there, we head to the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt, the home of the car manufacturer Audi. Tonight’s concert will be at a local Lutheran church in Ingolstadt. Then on to meet our host families for the evening.
Thursday, May 30
Enjoy breakfast with our Ingolstadt hosts. We will then meet and drive to the Prunn Castle in the Altmühltal, one of Bavaria’s best-preserved medieval castles. Following that, we will take a trip by ship through the Danube breakthrough from Kelheim. When we return, our hosts will provide a barbecue meal at the Mennonite church in Ingolstadt.
Ingolstadt was such a fun place to be! It was very fun to see where our friend Jakob Lehmann got to grow up and attend church! Our hosts were amazing as well! Rylee and I stayed with this lovely family of four. Lars, Lena, and their sons were the most welcoming and kind hosts! We got to try classic Bavarian food as well as play soccer and jump on the trampoline with their kids Levi and Liam. We also had a wonderful tour of a medieval castle (which was one of my favorite parts), as well as a boat tour through the Danube! Overall, I would say it was a wonderful experience that I will never forget! -Joy Jones
Friday, May 31
Following breakfast in host homes, we will drive two hours to Rothenburg, Germany to explore this well-preserved medieval city. A possible Night Watchman Walking Tour in late evening. Lodging in hotel.
I think many of us were exhausted by the time we were heading to Rothenburg. We had given a series of concerts in a row and our days were filled with activities. I’m sure some of the group knew exactly where we were headed and what we were planning to do there, but I was more inclined to read the itinerary morning of (or not). Thus, when we pulled into the quaint, fully walled city of Rothenburg I was ecstatic and surprised. Ken detailed facts about the city (in true EuroKen fashion), then we were turned loose on the city.
For some of the group it was straight to Käthe Wohlfahrt: the wonderful and seemingly endless Christmas store. For others (me), coffee was the priority. The group I was with spent some time walking around the wall and seeing the city before using some much needed rest time to sit in bed and rot. The city’s gardens, walls, and statues made me feel like I was in a fantasy story, a feeling only enhanced by the rain and the knowledge that the city was truly centuries old.
For dinner, most of us went to a wonderful döner place with massive portions for less than €10!
The quaintness of the town was heartening, all the way down to the heavy metal key used to open our hotel room. Many souvenirs were purchased, and and good rest was had by all! -Daniel Miller
Saturday, June 1
After breakfast at the hotel, we will travel from Rothenburg to Leopoldshöhe, Germany. This is a first time visit for a Hesston College group and one that was coordinated by a friend of Hadassa’s mother! Enjoy learning to know new friends in Germany!
Leopoldshöhe was tons of fun! We performed in the morning church service, hung out during the afternoon, and had our last concert of the tour in the evening. Ashleigh and I were hosted by Silv and Steven, a young couple who made us feel right at home. We bonded easily over shared interests, played fun games, and chatted about cultural differences. During our stay, the choir got to enjoy recreational activities and connect with church members and their youth group. We ate lots of delicious food, made good conversation, and walked away with many new friends. -Jamie Krehbiel
Sunday, June 2
Eat breakfast in host homes; then ride with host families to the Mennonite church to participate in the Sunday morning worship service. This Mennonite congregation is one of the oldest congregations established after WWII. PAX-Boys built the oldest part of the church building and some of the houses around the church in the mid-1950’s as conscientious objectors. Maybe even some young Mennonite men from Kansas were part of it! The noon meal will be at the church, followed by an afternoon of exploring the area. We will meet back at the church for supper and to perform our last concert of the tour. Lodging will be in host homes.
Our time performing in Europe came to an end on Sunday at Mennonitengemeinde Bechterdissen. In the morning we participated in Sunday morning service by singing four songs, and afterwards enjoyed a very good meal of different kinds of German Sausage, Pastas, and much more. Most enjoyable was afterwards where the students and our leaders got to fellowship with the congregations youth group members and their leaders in various indoor and outdoor activities. I personally had a great time playing 1 on 1 and 2 on 2 basketball with them. Finally, to end our time here, we performed Veni Sancte Spiritus one last time at the Church to an audience—already primed with the wonderful time spent in fellowship—that received us with love and gratitude. Afterwards, the students and leaders all agreed that performing at Mennonitengemeinde Bechterdissen was a great way to end our wonderful time in Europe. -Larry Ruffin
Monday, June 3
Today we travel back to where it all began in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The vans will deliver the group to the hotel; then Russell and Ken will drive on to Luxembourg to return the vans. Holly and Doug will stay at the Amsterdam hotel with students.
Tuesday, June 4
Breakfast at the hotel. Take airport shuttle from hotel to airport and fly home!