Prayers and Paris

Before we left Omaha and the Normandy region this morning, we stopped at Pont-du-Hoc, one of the sites overlooking the beach that had been occupied by the Germans during WWII. It was still surprising to me how serene and beautiful the grounds seemed despite the fact that the bunkers and structures from the war still remain there today. After having time to walk around and reflect on the time we had spent in Normandy, we continued on to Lisieux, the home of St. Thérèse.

As a choir, we had been praying a novena to St. Thérèse since the beginning of the trip; we sure had a lot to pray for! Given Mrs. Campbell’s own devotion to St. Thérèse, and by association, the choir's, our journey to Lisieux gave us a sense of what it's like to participate in pilgrimage.

The town of Lisieux is very small, and although I had been there before, I never cease to feel amazement at being in a place of such incredible meaning. One can't help but feel a sense of awe when in places where such good, really sacred people once lived, prayed, and worked.

After visiting St. Thérèse’s tomb and spending some time in the Carmelite chapel, we walked up the hill to the house where she lived. The tour was short, but we were able to many interesting things, like the school books and toys from St. Thérèse’s childhood as well as her hair! (She had her hair cut when she entered the convent, since it was difficult to wear a veil with long hair)

Next, we drove to the cathedral where we would be singing. After rehearsing in the beautifully and colorfully mosaiced lower basilica, we performed our third concert of the tour, featuring our all-female piece, Thérèse’s Canticle of Love. What an honor to sing finally sing it in Lisieux! Surprised yet again, we gave an encore to our audience, and afterwards, one of the priests at the basilica congratulated us, saying that he hoped that music like ours greets him in heaven.


Before we left, we took a quick peek at the beautiful and ornate upper cathedral and then practically ran to the bus to make our way to Paris! Most of us couldn't help but catch a little shut-eye, but our tour guide woke us up just in time to see our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower dominating the landscape of Paris.

Immediately, the landmarks I had seen during my previous two trips to this wonderful city flashed through my mind, reminding me why Paris is one of my favorite cities in the world. I couldn’t wait to begin experiencing it again. We all had a late dinner and went to bed full of anticipation for our four day whirlwind tour of La Ville-Lumière!

Victory and a Veteran

We were certainly ready to celebrate America today as we remembered those who fought in WWII, especially those who were a part of the D-day Invasion.

We began our day at the National Peace Memorial, a museum dedicated to educating about every aspect of the World Wars, especially WWII.

In one sense it was depressing, to see so many instruments of war and violence. What pain and sorrow a world at war causes. I was especially touched by the many letters written by soldiers to their loved ones and the prayer books and hymnals that were on display.

As we walked through the museum, it was hard for any of us to grasp the difficulites - the harshness of life for the soldiers of WWII. My grandfather hasn’t told me much about his time in WWII and his involvement at Omaha, but he’s said enough for me to know that thinking and talking about events that happened almost 60 years ago are still a burden. Knowing that he was right here, and being surrounded by such vivid pictures of the sacrifices he and his friends made for our country made the day’s experiences even more emotional and real for me. How blessed we are in America!

In the afternoon, we visited the American cemetery at Omaha. Mrs. Campbell always reminds CCVA travelers that we wouldn’t really appreciate the significance of what we’ve seen until we get home and “absorb” it all. I have to admit that something felt much different when I stepped onto the grounds of the cemetery for a second time. I was incredibly moved by the endless rows of crosses that marked the burial places of thousands of brave men who died in service of their country and the stories that accompanied them.

After our tour of the grounds was over, we convened at the central memorial for our brief outdoor concert of American music. During the concert, we were interrupted by the cemetery superintendent. As it turned out, it was his day off, and he had been woken from a nap by our singing.

During our chat with him, he asked if we could do him a favor and turn ourselves to face both the cemetery and the wall behind us. He explained that while it was wonderful that we were singing towards those buried at Omaha, he would also like for us to sing to the memorial of names behind us: names of those soldiers who are still missing in action. It was a beautiful request.

I felt so blessed to be able to sing Amazing Grace in the place where my grandfather and so many others fought, and was even more honored to assist eleven other choir members, who were selected to participate in the flag lowering ceremony.

Just before the ceremony began, however, we learned that one more person would be joining us: a WWII veteran. He told us his story about his time serving in Germany and his subsequent careers as a teacher, principal, and superintendant of schools in California. What was so much more striking, most impressive to me, was the way his eyes seemed to shine when he talked about America and how lucky we are to live there. What courage. What loyality. Truely, the Greatest Generation.

And what of those serving right now in Iraq and Afganastan? Isn't their sacrifice as great? Greater, at a time when service is more likely to mean working in a soup kitchen or building a house in an inner city neighborhood, where love and honor of country seems harder to find? This place gives all who visit a deeper appreciation for all those capable of the Greatest Sacrifice.

We lowered the two flags on the grounds and then sang once again for our new veteran friend. He sang right along with us, with joy and gusto, and thanked us profusely for making his trip to visit his fallen brothers even more significant. His thanks was the greatest gift we could have been given that day.

We made a quick trip to Omaha beach to collect sand before going back to the hotel for dinner and an evening in. As we had been anticipating, Lisa and I took advantage of our “privileged room”, relaxing, journaling, and reflecting on the trip so far with our robes, slippers, and free sodas of our choosing. What a wonderful end to a powerful and emotional day!

Monastery and Mass

This morning we woke up early, but promptly slept for practically the entire bus ride to Mont Saint Michel. Even though our exhaustion meters were registering at their highest levels, I was thrilled to see the island monastery again. It was great to see the looks on everyone’s faces as we approached this fascinating structure; it really is one of the most remarkable sights I’ve seen in Europe - especially on a day as beautiful as this. (In case you haven't noticed, the weather has been spectacular!)

The town built up on the island is an imposing figure on the otherwise vacant landscape. It would be fascinating to see it entirely surrounded by water when the tide comes back, but it would certainly be much harder to reach! Instead, sand stretched for miles on all sides. We were warned not to walk to far out on it, since there are many areas of quick sand!

After our arrival, we had free time to walk around and get lunch. Navigating the lower levels of the medieval city felt like being in some sort of fantasy setting like Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter flims or Pirates of the Caribbean’s Tortuga. I think it would be wonderful to live in a place like this, but I wonder if the residents of Mont Saint Michel find it exciting? For sure, a leisurely walk here is called a hike back in the States.

Soon, we began our trek up the many, many steps to the monastery chapel at the top of the mountain. From the previous trip, I remembered the walk being an almost impossible "feat," but this year, I hardly seemed to break a sweat. Regardless, even the most difficult climb would be worth the view from this lovely, high vantage point.

After taking some pictures, our tour guide took us through the other levels of the monastery, explaining some of the many religious symbols embedded in the building’s architecture. What a beautiful and inspiring place in which to live and pray! I especially enjoyed hearing the story of one monk who, when creating a manuscript of the Bible, inserted a short “hello to whoever is reading this” message into one of the calligraphy designs. It was only recently discovered by high-power microscopes, and we were all amazed that someone could write something so small!


After walking back down the mountain, we stopped at a cookie factory renowned for its butter cookies. Of course, I could not miss an opportunity to buy some extra special cookies that were filled with chocolate and caramel to take back home! The whole bag didn’t survive, however. Lisa and I liked them way too much!

Finishing up at Mont Saint Michel, we drove directly to the Church in Bayeux where we would sing for Mass and give our second concert.

L'Eglise St. Patrice was small and beautiful, as was Mass. We sang three songs during the liturgy, but the best part for me was the times during which we were not singing.

Practically the entire congregation joined in singing with the cantor, and it was clear that the small parish was a close-knit community. It was also exciting for me to be able to understand so much of what was being said during the Mass. It’s nice to know that four years of French class have indeed, come in handy.

After the Mass, we got ready for the evening’s concert. Many of the people from the earlier Mass came back and the audience was even more enthusiastic than that of the previous evening. Despite only having a short time for rehearsal, the concert went very well, and we were surprised to receive another request for an encore!

After the concert, the parish priest asked to take the group’s picture outside and, with some help translating, told us how our performance touched him.

Citizens of the Normandy region of France have an appreciation and love for Americans that differs from the rest of the country, a result no doubt of having been directly liberated by American troops after the WWII D-Day Invasions. He wanted us to know how much the parish appreciated the beautiful music we made, but more than that he stressed that we were continuing the friendship between the French and the Americans that was forged by generations before us. It was nice for the group to hear. Though we have been received warmly since our arrival, here was real proof that our visit reinforced the best among people and in this case validated a long-standing relationship more than sixty years old. Now that's living history!

We checked in at our new hotel and had a late dinner at 10:30 p.m.. Although Lisa and I went to our room wishing for more sleep than could be had before wake up, our spirits were lifted as we discovered that we were somehow assigned one of the hotel’s “privileged rooms.” Robes and slippers were laid out for us on our beds, and better yet, we discovered that everything in our room’s mini-bar was free! Too tired to take advantage of it that evening, we collapsed into a comfortable sleep, dreaming of the free Cokes we would enjoy the next evening!

Castle and a Concert

This morning we visited Chenonceau, one of my favorite castles. Just as exciting as the prospect of visiting Chenonceau is the history behind it. We learned of the inner conflict of Henry II, who found himself torn between two women after falling in love with one and then the other. He had given Chenonceau to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, but after his death the Queen, Catherine de’ Medici, had her expelled and took the castle for her own. Henry’s conflict is evidenced throughout the castle. The “logo” Henry II had created can be seen frequently in Chenonceau. It looks like an intricately designed H intertwined with a C, for Henry and Catherine, but if one looks closer, a D can be seen as well. Talk about royal intrigue!

Unfortunately, when we arrived, scaffolding was covering much of the castle’s front façade. Since it is so large,however, there is almost always a good shot from some angle.

The best features of this leisure castle are on the inside. I always find going through all the chambers and rooms to be fascinating and certainly wouldn’t mind living in a house with Chenonceau’s style of décor!

I have always been particularly drawn to the bed designs in such castles, and remember my own childhood canopy bed with fondness. The extensive kitchens were beautiful, and seeing as we just renovated the kitchen in our own house, I took some pictures for my parents. (I still like our new kitchen better!)

One of the new things I discovered on this trip to the castle was a room filled with sketches and other artist renditions of Chenonceau and its grounds. Since I traditionally collect sketches of my favorite places to visit in Europe, I was impressed by the number of charcoal pieces in the room. I enjoy a full color painting as well as the next person, but I think that there’s something to be said for the way the stark contrast of black and white brings out the architectural details of a building.

After we finished touring the castle and its extensive gardens, we visited the home of Leonardo da Vinci, which featured models of many of his inventions. At the Academy of Notre Dame I took an AP Art History, during which I had an opportunity study to his work as an artist. It was refreshing to get a glimpse into a different part of his life. The house and gardens were beautiful by themselves as well, and we enjoyed some extra time taking in the scenery.

After that evening’s dinner, we got ready for our debut concert in France! I was already excited for it since we had such a wonderful experience during out small village concert last year in Italy, and Vendôme, host town of our first French concert, was just that sort of venue. From what I could tell, the church was almost full, and the audience was very receptive to the choir, smiling and nodding after each song. Because the program ran a little long, we left several selections out, but as soon as we exited the church, we heard a steady, rhythmic clapping.

When we asked our tour guides what was going on, we were informed that it was the French way of asking for an encore! So, for the first time in my five years with CCVA, the choir re-entered the church and sang an encore. It was a fabulous way to end the first concert of the 2010 tour and a moment that I won’t soon forget.

Relax then Rave

According to the original itinerary, the group was supposed to travel on the TGV, France’s high speed train. But, as is common in France, the transit workers had announced a strike the day before. So instead, we woke up much earlier than planned and braced ourselves for a nine hour bus ride into the Loire Valley. The unexpected travel time was certainly long and tedious, but we were all able to catch up on some much needed sleep. And as Mrs. Campbell noted, we were afforded a beautiful view of the French countryside that we wouldn’t have been able to observe on the TGV: the scenery would have been nothing but a blur! (She always seems to find the silver lining in a difficult moment.) Even so, I have to admit that I did not see very much of it.

We arrived at our hotel in Ambois and were given some time to freshen up before dinner. Out of the many experiences I had during the last CCVA tour of France, this evening’s meal was one of my favorites. You may be wondering what is so special about a group dinner, but this was no ordinary experience.

The restaurant itself is inside of a cave, and the establishment does nothing to disguise its location and does its best to highlight the ambiance.

The ceilings and walls are rock and it is cold and slightly damp, but the staff there creates such a warm and welcoming atmosphere that you quickly forget that you are eating underground.

The best kept secret of this small restaurant, however, is its discothèque. None of us had known about it the last time we ate there, and we were shocked when a door on the back wall of restaurant opened into a dancehall complete with disco balls and strobe lights.

I rode the bus to the dinner hoping that my fellow travelers would have the same wonderful experience I had five years ago. The food, especially the bread that they make fresh in their brick ovens, was fabulous. And as I hoped, the owner opened the discothèque to us again!

It was a good thing we had gotten plenty of rest on the bus, because we all got a serious workout, dancing for about an hour. It was so nice just to spend time with everyone on the trip and have fun. Definitely worth the long travel day!

Lourdes and Languages

Our wakeup call this morning was at 6 a.m., which came as a "rude awakening" to many of the new members of the choir. First on our itinerary was the International Mass in the underground basilica in Lourdes. We were just one of many participating choirs from around the world. Well, "choirs" might be an overstatement. Although “the black machine” arrived forty five members strong with almost as many in our traveling entourage, the average "choir" is composed of just four or five pilgrims from various countries.

Rehearsal went better than I had expected. On our previous trip, CCVA experienced a few ... shall we say "difficulties" with the Lourdes music director. Perhaps we were too young. Older adults form the overwhelming majority of the other choirs, and many are men and women religious. Perhaps our group had been too imposing or just maybe we were victimized by that old "ugly American" syndrome.

On this visit, the music director remembered us from 2005. We were well received and Mrs. Campbell and I were thrilled with our success!

If I hadn’t been there before, I would have thought it impossible for the enormous basilica to be filled with pilgrims, but the choir watched in awe as the church slowly began to fill. It was heart-breaking to see so much sickness in one place, but it also served as an inspirational reminder of the power of our Catholic faith. Just as important - a reminder of why the Mass is so often described as the "source and summit" of our faith.

Each time we travel in Europe, CCVA celebrates the Mass, and I always love experiencing its universality. No matter what country we’re in, no matter if we understand the language or not, it's comforting to follow the form of the Mass and know exactly what is happening.

The Lourdes International Mass made that reality even more clear. Before the Mass began, there was a procession of pilgrimage groups who asked to be seated in advance. They were truly from every corner of the globe, and the Mass was said in just as many languages. We listened to the readings of the day in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and many other languages. It was absolutely remarkable to see and hear.

Just as universal as the Mass is the universality of music. Even without being able to speak the same languages as the people singing with us, it felt as though we were connected, sharing smiles and nods of encouragement. The constant turning of pages to find which Mass part we were currently singing was a little chaotic, but we were well prepared and left feeling that we had helped to create a prayerful atmosphere for such a unique Mass.

Changing out of our dresses and tuxedos, we were ready to walk down to the grotto, where Mary had repeatedly appeared to Saint Bernadette. Though this was my second visit, it's still difficult to describe the feeling of being in such a sacred space. As I prayed and collected water to bring home, I thought of my family and the miracles for which we had and continue to pray. I suddenly felt a rush of solidarity with the pilgrims at Lourdes, one that I didn’t fully experience my first time there. Although I cannot pretend to understand their pain, I understand the fervor of their hopes and prayers. The realization was overwhelming.

After lunch, we were given a more comprehensive tour of Lourdes. The group was given time to walk through the Lourdes cathedral where we would be singing that evening. I am always so impressed with churches that are primarily decorated with mosaics. I can’t imagine the planning and execution that must be required to practice such a complex art form, but the hard work certainly paid off.

The interior of the cathedral was spectacular. After, we walked to Saint Bernadette’s house, the tiny two-room building that she and her family lived in during their time of poverty. Then, we went up to the fortress of Lourdes, where we were treated to a beautiful view of the entire town.

Many, many photo ops. are arranged by Mr. and Mrs. Schmitt. These get harder and harder for the group as the pace of the trip picks up and our collective patience with each other thins just a little. Remember .... these will be priceless to us in just a few months time.

That night after dinner, we participated as one of the choirs at the evening candlelight procession. The rehearsal process was much like the morning International Mass, but with more groups joining us to sing.

It was simply incredible to see the entire square in front of the cathedral fill with candle light and wheel chairs, and even more inspirational to see everyone praying the rosary and singing together. The sense of solidarity is overwhelming. This is what Catholicism is! And yet again, I am at a loss for words to describe this heatfelt emotion, so hard to contain. All I can do is hope and continue to pray that some of the pilgrims with whom we shared the evening will receive the miracles for which they pray and the healing they need.

So, how do you get to sleep after a day such as this? It doesn't take too long to recall that another early morning wake-up is in our future. Tomorrow will begin with a nine hour bus ride!

Count Down to Tour Number 5

It seemed as though I had been waiting for an eternity to embark on this year’s tour of France with Chester County Voices Abroad. This year marked my fifth tour with the choir, and was, in fact, almost an exact replica of my first CCVA trip.

In a way, I was coming full circle in my CCVA experience. Over the past five years with this amazing group, I have made so many new friends, many of whom have become the most wonderful people I know. I was thrilled for the opportunity to spend one more year traveling, singing, and learning with them.

As is customary, travelers congregated in the Saints Simon and Jude Church parking lot on a hot June afternoon to say goodbye to our families. Not so customary was our number - 82, the largest group ever. Together we would begin the longest travel day in CCVA history - 22 HOURS!

Sooooooo, we're just a little excited to get going.

Lisa (left) and Emily (right) promise to have a good time.

After a comparatively quick two hour bus ride to Newark, our sea of blue and khaki checked in at Newark Airport, where that day’s World Cup game was thankfully available on one of the Lufthansa televisions. CCVA has always expereinced excellent service from the German airline. Today was no exception and soon we boarded our first flight to Frankfurt.

Thanks to the wonderful powers of Benadryl, the flight was over before I knew it! Unfortunately, a second countdown, one for the five hour layover until our commuter flight to Toulouse would take flight, was the next agenda.

Even in our travel-induced, sleep deprived delirium, the wait went quickly, and an hour and a half on a plane later, we were meeting our tour manager, Angelique, at the airport in Toulouse. With her help, we all grabbed our suitcases and boarded another bus for a two hour bus ride to Lourdes. I’d like to say that I spent the time looking out the window and appreciating these first views of France, but my body clearly did not have the same goal as my mind!

When we arrived, it was almost six o’clock in the evening, so we all quickly checked in, got changed, and met up for dinner in our hotel’s restaurant. We were staying in the same hotel that the group did on the first France tour - the Hôtel Gallia et Londres; it was a very surreal experience for me. People always say that these trips are "once in a lifetime" opportunities. They really are, and so I feel twice blessed to be in Lourdes for a second time.

As I reflect on who I was five years ago and remembering what my first CCVA trip felt like, it's hard to repress a smile. This year’s trip already means so much more to me! For a second year, I am with my wonderful roommate, Lisa. Were it not for her encouragement (and my parents), I might have passed up the opportunity.

The two of us fell asleep easily on our first night in France, despite great anticipation for what the morning would bring.