St Edmund's
Austrian Adventures: Music, Culture, and Community
Day 1
After a long and mostly traffic free coach journey, we arrived, safe and sound at Hotel Josef in Huttau. The pupils had a good splash in the hotel pool before having dinner at 6.30pm, followed by a free evening.
Day 2 – Salzburg
After a good breakfast and rendition of happy birthday for Thomas M, we set off for Salzburg in the pouring rain. In good spirits, and after some refreshments, we performed a beautiful programme of sacred choral music lasting half an hour to an appreciative audience in the Cathedral. A visit to Salzburg is not complete without a visit to the Mozart Museum where we viewed lots of interesting pictures, manuscripts and walked around Mozart’s accommodation. Thankfully, it had stopped raining by the time we returned to the hotel for dinner. In the evening, St Edmund’s pupils won 7-1 in a football match against German pupils, followed by a preparatory rehearsal for the following day and then enjoyed some free time.
Day 3 – St Gilgen
After an early start, breakfast and a brief rehearsal at the hotel, we set off on our journey to St Gilgen. Before stopping for lunch, we had a lovely boat trip across the lake, admiring the beautiful view of the mountains. Our performance venue in the afternoon was spacious and covered; a good thing considering the inclement weather. After a rehearsal at the music pavilion, we performed a mixture of orchestral, band, choir and solo items to a good sized and appreciative audience before returning to our hotel for a late dinner.
Day 4 – Merengarten
After a super early breakfast at 6.45am, we departed the hotel to pick up lunch en route to our final excursion, the Ice Caves at Werfen. The first part of the excursion required us to walk for 20 minutes up to the cable car, then for a further 20 minutes to get to the ice caves. This was an exciting morning, with an hour spent underground admiring the spectacular rock and ice features by lamp light in freezing cold temperatures. After lunch, we travelled to our final concert destination at Merengarten, only to be delayed on the way by dozens of professional cyclists on their Tour of Austria. The final concert drew a good audience and our varied 1-hour programme of orchestral, band and choral items, was well-received.
Days 5 & 6: The Journey Home
After thanking and presenting our tour manager and drivers with gifts, pupils were given honorary awards for their notable contributions to the trip during a late morning breakfast. It was also time to say goodbye to the lovely staff at Hotel Josef. With the abundance of beautiful scenery around the hotel we will also miss the good food, accommodation and facilities that this great venue has to offer. It is always a sad time when we have to say goodbye to our amazing Upper Sixth, although I am sure that everyone will take away fabulous memories of the trip and we look forward to the next one – watch this space!
