Monday 9JUL2007            Click HERE to listen to a selection from Jazz I performance on 9JUL07


    

 
Bonjour mes amis,
    As of this moment I am writing you all from a tunnel in Grindelwald, Switzerland smelling like cigarettes, tree moss, and chocolate- but I couldn’t be happier! Now, I am a fan of the outdoors and nature, but nothing (and I mean nothing) can describe the utter beauty and tranquility that one can find here in Switzerland. We’ve seen the breathtaking Swiss Alps, felt the not-completely-unpleasant-but-close rain on our backs and feet, and I even reluctantly rode the little gondola up to the top for a few more pictures.  But did the fun end there, NO WAY!! Then, we few and proud decided to experience the trail down the mountain instead of a safe and clean ride back, on a just-barely-pounded-but-scary-as-heck trail. I don’t think there were any casualties, but I’m sure there were plenty of muddy shoes and dirty rumps to go around. If such a place exists, I am sure that Switzerland is heaven on earth, and I only hope that the thousands of pictures taken here can even remotely show the true peace and flourishing life that abounds in this place.

Love to all, and a special sorry for my mom who is probably quite steamed at me for having not called even once (oops!!) as of yet- remember that I LOVE you and that is what really matters in life. Hopefully you will see this journal entry before any meltdowns, life-changing decisions concerning myself, or diatribes are planned in the future.
Au revoir,
Mary Vickerman

                          

Wassup,
    Sorry, I’m not as fluent as Mary. Ou sont toilette. I’m pretty sure that means, “Where is the restroom?” Well anyway, Switzerland really IS all its made out to be. Despite the fact that I lived here for the first five years of my life, and that I’ve visited many times since then, the beautiful landscape and the cordial people continue to amaze me. Everyone speaks very good English (something that one does not find in France). Today, as Mary said so very well above, we took a hike down the wet mountain. It was beautiful; I’ll leave it at that, for any attempt to describe its beauty on my part would not do a justice. Just imagine big mossy trees, fields of flowers, and waterfalls all around.  Besides that, I bought a huge cowbell for my mom and a beautiful necklace for my “significant other” and had a scrumptious breaded sausage at a local bakery.
    On another note, I’m sure that I, along with my peers, have taken great interest and perhaps, a liking to the European culture. Walking everywhere has not been hard, no one has had a hamburger in days, the cars are “cute” (as I’ve heard many girls describe them), and its quite possible that many of us have not seen so many naked bodies before in our lives. What’s not to like? Ha Ha. Just kidding. You parents would be glad to know that your kids are taking in all this culture shock in a very mature way. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that the man trying to sell me miniature Eiffel towers was, within a couple seconds, being chased across the street by two French policemen. Just a side note.
Switzerland=Green……….France=Fancy shmancy.          Ok that sums it up.

Hi Mom and Dad and Carin and Erica and Jordan. I love you all. I wish you could all be here with me.
    Au jous sauce,
            Marc Gilfry

         


Hey everyone,
Marcie here!  Today is the fourth day of our Europe tour, and a lot has happened since then. The first two days were spent touring Paris, France, and for me, being the first time that I’ve gone there, everything seemed amazing. Most of the jazz kids acted like straight-up tourists, taking pictures of everything they saw, but that was okay, because well you know, we ARE tourists! In Paris, we visited the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower.

The Cathedral was amazingly rustic-styled and the fine-detailed sculptures were   incredible. It was great seeing the Eiffel Tower up close for the very first time. It looks much bigger in person than on the postcards anyway. (laughs)  The line to take the elevator up to the top of the tower was humongous, so many people chose to get a bit of exercising done on the trip and climb their way up instead.  At around 10pm, the lights on the Eiffel tower light up the sky, and were truly an amazing sight to behold. And to end the nigh t perfectly, Jarrett surprised me with a single red rose. Awww… Isn’t that sweet?! Yes it was. Well anyways, the next day we traveled to Lyon, France, and
(Jazz II) performed the first concert of our tour at a beautiful local park.

The concert went well despite a few post-performance jitters, but everything still went well. The audience even demanded an encore! Enough said on that.
Today we traveled to the city of Grindelwald, and the views that we saw there were absolutely breathtaking. After a “short” hike down a huge mountain, we shopped for a while, and looked around. Later today, we will go see Jazz I perform, and tomorrow Jazz II will take the stage. Wish us good skill! Well that’s all I have for now, so hope you guys liked it, and catch you all later!
        Adios for now,
             -Marcie