Trip Overview

I still can't believe I'm going to be in Europe for 27 days!  Pinch me, I must be dreaming is exactly the way I feel right now!   This 27 day trip all begin with a generous grant to attend the summer course at the Orff institute in Salzburg, Austria.  I've been attending summer courses out of SMU in Dallas the last four summers to learn about the Orff approach.  I'll explain more about this philosophy of teaching music in a later post.  Since the grant paid for my airfare to Europe, it seemed logical to use this opportunity to stay and travel in Europe a little longer.  I will leave the states on Monday, July 1st and will arrive in Sweden the next day.  In college I met a dear friend, Ede, that grew up in Vaxjo, Sweden and now teaches music in the Tulsa area.   She returns home every summer to visit her family, so I will actually start off my trip in Sweden with her in her hometown.  I'm looking forward to taking in the Scandinavian culture while I'm there, and seeing where she grew up.  I leave Sweden on July 5th and fly to Salzburg, Austria to sight-see for the weekend, which will include the "Sound of Music" tour and then touring some of the countryside of Austria.  My class starts Sunday night and will go through Friday.  I absolutely can't wait to see the Institute, and study under some truly brilliant teachers.  I'll fly out of Austria on Saturday, July 13th to Rome, Italy and meet up with Lance, and Chris & Mel (brother -n- law & sister -n- law) to help celebrate Lance's 30th birthday!  We'll also travel to Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terre while we are in Italy together!  They will be heading back to the states on Sunday, July 21st and then I'm actually traveling to London, England to meet two teacher friends, Amy and Jenna.  We'll be staying in London for the majority of the week, with a two day trip to Paris, France.  The three of us will travel back to the states together and will arrive Saturday night, July 27th.  This will be a whirlwind trip, but I am beyond excited and incredibly grateful for this opportunity.   I look forward to using this blog to keep everyone back home updated throughout my trip, as I'm periodically pinching myself of this reality.