Arrivederci Firenzie!

After spending the morning touring Florence (followed by a bit of shopping) we have enjoyed another great lunch and are now on the way to Rome. Not a bad way to spend the last day of 2012!!

Mass at the Church of the Holy Trinity

The Select Ensemble singing mass in an incredible gothic cathedral in Florence, Italy

On the road to Florence

Venice was one of the most amazing places I have ever been, and so far, it has been a great trip! We have had many interesting adventures from hunting for coffee shops, gondola rides, and singing in San Marco Square. The food is so good here, and I swear that the Italians are trying to fatten us up with three course meals and tons of gelato. One of the best things we did was go to a glass blowing place where they created handmade glass vases and figurines. I was so impressed at the glass blower's ability to craft items at an amazing speed! The pieces were so detailed that it was hard to believe that they were done by hand. One of the best experiences I have ever had was performing in San Marco Square. We began singing that night in the square, and within a few minutes, we had a huge crowd around us! Singing for the public really completed a fantastic day in Venice. I miss my parents and sister back home, and I love y'all!
- Sara Stuart


Venice was beautiful. After a LONG day of travel, it was great to be able to explore the city. We had an exciting time trying to navigate through the narrow streets to find places to eat and shop while avoiding the obvious tourist traps. Italian pizza was amazing! It's unbelievable to think that many of the buildings and sites we have and will see are older have been around for hundreds of years longer than anything in America. Cody Sims is the greatest person in the world. I've had a great time attempting to understand where everything is and find my way through shops, restaurants, and the city, while trying to avoid the always present street vendors who will take as much as you have for a rose or small toy. So far, Italy is fabulous, and I know it will only get better!
-Susan
PS- Hey Savvy! Wish you were here! Love you!

Mass at the Church of the Holy Trinity

Our students sound spectacular as the sing for the evening mass! More later...

What a day!

Well it is 11pm our time and everyone is tucked in their rooms safely and soundly. After walking all around Venice... and I do mean everywhere, our choir sang like angels for the evening Mass at St. Marco's Basilica! It was wonderful to see some familiar faces in the crowd.

We have had one awesome day, with a gazzzzzzillion pictures. I too am about to fall fast asleep. I promise to update this as we drive to Florence tomorrow morning! Keep checking back to hear some blog entries from our students!!

I just wanted to let our parents know we are safe and to express how proud you should all be of these young men and women. Not just for their beautiful voices tonight, but for their incredible attitudes and maturity each displayed all day long! Bravo

Out first full day begins

What a difference a night of sleep makes! We are all rested and after a beautiful boat ride into Venice we have landed in Mirano as we witness the timeless art of Venetian glass blowing! From here we plan to walk the entire city of Venice!

All tucked in!

Each of my exhausted world travelers and the brave chaperones are all checked in their rooms for the night. After experiencing our first Italian meal our stomachs are for sure stuffed. How could they not be with a pasta dish to begin, followed by veggies and veal cordon blue and topped off with some vanilla gelato!!!

Droopy eyed and fading, we all concede to our exhaustion and jet lag as we say goodnight and look forward to our early morning (6:30am) wake up call.... We will spend the entire day exploring the majestic city of Venice. Picture this 48 SkyHawks maneuvering the ancient canal streets of Venice in gondolas! It's happening!!

Buonanotte

Checked in..

We have all successfully checked into our first hotel after meeting Massimo our guide and Alessandro our driver. With just around an hour to freshen up before we do some exploring near the hotel, jet lag is poised and ready to be our first major obstacle! A challenge that will be met and conquered for sure!

Now let me freshen up myself.. Ciao!

A "Fresh Perspective"

I'm writing this as I'm on the second flight in the past 12 hours to Venice, Italy. The first flight was so long but you don't even realize that you have been sitting in one spot for 9 hours because of the people around. Most of us got a pretty solid 2 hours of sleep, but the rest of the time was spent watching The Campaign or Total Recall(one exception was Jae who was watching Sparkle...?) RANDOM! But Mr. Hillard just pointed out these huge unexpected mountains(The Alps) below us on the plane...and don't worry family, I'm taking a thousand pictures. I'm really not one for being cheesy, but these mountains are probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I just looked down and saw little villages in the cracks of the mountains...this is incredible. The plane is currently shaking like crazy and its freaking me out and it's really hard to type but I'm trying. There's these huge villages with little cottage houses topped with orange roofs down below. One unfortunate thing that I know everybody. Right as I boarded the second plane, my ears cleared up from the last flight. I'm so excited and we have only been to the Germany airport so far. German is one cool language, I promise that at one point the flight attendant said "oompanshloompan." It's so strange thinking that I'm in a whole new side of the world and that people actually do exist in little towns out of South Carolina. I know that this will be an amazing trip because every single thing I've seen so far is incredible. Apparently we are landing after only like 30 minutes, got to go but just know that everyone's safe and extremely happy. Mom, I'm safe, warm, happy, and excited to do what I love(singing for people!)


Lots of love,
Maggie

Everyone arrived safely in Venice!

Guten Morgen...

A very easy flight... Biggest issues was trying to sleep! Too much energy and excitement... We have checked trough customs and waiting eagerly to board our plane bound for Venice!

We are boarding!!! Bound for Munchin

After singing to the packed international terminal and receiving a roaring applause the Select Ensemble boards our Lufhansa flight bound for Munich, Germany!!

Spirits are high and we are ready to take off!!

Checked in at Charlotte!

That was the quickest check in and security screening I have ever experienced in my travels... And with 48 of us! Good things are ahead if us!

I will post when we are boarding for the next post! Everyone is all smiles and energy! The hard part will be convincing them to sleep on the plane! 😁😜

Goodbye Columbia!

The excitement is evident! It's official!!! The 2012 Select Ensemble International Tour has begun!! We have departed from Hammond and on the road via the brand new SkyHawk Express!! Next stop Charlotte Douglas International Airport!!

27 hours to go!!!

I hope everyone has had a merry Christmas! Now its time to get excited for ITALY!!!!

Weather in Venice (as of today):
Friday: 40% chance of rain with highs near 45 and lows of 35
Saturday: NO RAIN! High near 43 and lows near 32 (burrrrrr)

Weather in Florence
Saturday: NO RAIN and sunny! High of 53 and Low of 34
Sunday: Clear and sunny. High 52 low of 32

Weather in Rome:
Sunday and Monday: Sunny with high near 58's and lows of 38
Tuesday: 20% Chance of rain, Partly Cloudy high 56/low 43
Wednesday: looks like rain (60%) High 55/ Low 44

Thursday: (we leave so early... it doesn't matter! HA)


I am getting pumped about our trip! Last minute reminders: CHECK YOUR EMAIL RELIGIOUSLY!

Where is your passport? ;)

See you in about 24 hours! Be at school BY noon (early is on time... especially for this)!!

Hillard

One Week Until Departure!

Final rehearsal in the USA

We are excited to have our final rehearsal today at St. Joseph's Catholic Church! This will give us just a small taste of what glorious sounds will resonate from our choir as we sing in some of the oldest and most amazing cathedrals in Europe! We owe a gracious amount of thanks and gratitude to Janet Marks and St. Joseph's for allowing us the time to come in and rehearse!

After today the next time we raise our voices together will be in St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, Italy!