2012 Colorado Ambassadors of Music

My teens were honored by being chosen by their respective band directors, to travel to Europe with other high school musicians. So begins my writings of the adventures in Europe, from my point of view that is! :) We added on the Greece extended tour, making our total travel time 20 wonderful days throughout Europe, with the young people playing and singing for the locals in 5 countries. Yes, THIS, the music, was the difference between Any of the other travel offers that the kids were invited on.

The travel group (Vouyagers International) was very organized, even if it didn't always feel that way. Their organization would be revealed daily, as we traveled by plane, bus, boat and taxi. We were the Brown bus. We nicknamed our bus the "Mocha Coach". There were a few students from the Front Range (Denver area), but the majority of kids were from the Western Slope (Grand Junction, Ridgway, Delta, Montrose).

**Travel Tips: You can never take too many pictures. Take pictures of the hotel rooms, the food, the hotel lobby, etc. Bring plenty of SD cards and photo storage capabilities. Charge your cameras every night. Take notes, right into your phone if you want to, but take notes nonetheless.

We had some "hurry up and wait" events. I guess when you have 350 people all going the same direction, yet staggered as we went, it's not surprising. And HEAVEN FORBID I would be the one to make the group wait, or miss something wonderful. So sometimes I would sit (for instance, on the Venice Plaza) and wait and watch, rather than get lost in the little alley ways!

But, actually, the phrase for the tour would more likely be, "Hit the ground running" !! And, the minute we got off the plane, waited a bit for our coach, and embarked, it wasn't long before we were touring Windsor!

The flag was up, which means the Queen was in residence! She was there for horse races. This place was royal, majestic, historical and seemed to be far back in time. I had a "pie", which is like a chicken pot pie folded over, like a calzone with American chicken pot pie inside. It was pretty good. Too bad no pix of it.

From there it was on to our hotel for roommate assignments (we did that en route to the destination), a quick shower, dinner and a nighttime walking tour of London! It was awesome! The info we learned on the trip was mind-boggling and brain overloading. Amazing!

The Greece Extended Group ~ We traveled by plane everywhere together

The kids entertained themselves on our waits, by playing cards, drumming, singing and playing guitar.

Silly kids on the trans-continental plane!

At Windsor Castle

Alex and Philip

The Queen was in residence, Dah-ling! The flag is flying!

Add caption

The Mocha Coach!

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The "Wibbly Wobbly Bridge", the Millenium Bridge

Nominated!!!

Over the years, my children, as with many children, have gotten the invitations, etc. to go on some really cool trips with school organizations.  You know, Italy, France, Costa Rica, Washington, D.C. We have read the emails, gone to the informational meetings, all that good stuff. We gag and cough as we leave the places, as we are shocked to hear the prices of these adventures.

Well, about a year ago, in the spring of 2011, BOTH, I repeat, BOTH kiddos were nominated by their two respective band directors for a trip. Not just any trip. But, I daresay, the trip of a lifetime. Colorado Ambassadors of Music trip to 7 countries in Europe, with an add-on trip of a Greek Island Cruise.  WOW! NOMINATED! Because of their responsibility, ability and character. Oh, yeah, this is one proud mama. It seemed like destiny, to have both of our kids nominated by two different directors, for the same trip. Destiny...

So, yes, we did go to the informational meeting, readying ourselves to faint or cough from the price. Yes, we did both! :) But, to have the experience to go to Europe, visit 7 countries, play American music in every country for the locals, BE ambassadors for our country all over the land, get encore requests from the same locals, for their favorite, "Stars and Stripes Forever", as the director explained, well, can we pass this up? A DEFINITE NO! We cannot pass this up.

So, I began to find every bit of savings, annuity,  and 401K loans, and enlisted family and friends' help (by 'sponsoring' my teens' trip to Europe) and scraping it all together to get them there. And, well, I AM a teacher, who has summers off, so I decided to tag along. Not as a chaperone, as a paying adult.

So, I guess you could say that Scott and I are giving our kids the trip that my mother (and my father's savings - even though he was gone to Heaven at the time) gave my sister and me, when Mom and the two of us girls took off to Europe one summer during our high school and college years back in 1978.

This is the French straw hat that
I HAD to have while in
the French countryside!

The Notre Dame Cathedral

The Italian Coliseum in Rome

At the Moulin Rouge in Paris: Suzie, Franco Fontana
(our Italian tour guide who spoke 4 languages),
Mama Johnnie Myers, Roberta ~ Summer 1978

My shot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
back in the summer of '78.

So, it seemed like a LONG time away, as we left the meeting, and began filling out all kinds of paperwork, receiving newsletters, calling and asking questions for clarification, etc. But, it's unbelievable that the Excellent European Experience is upon us in a few short weeks. Yes! That's right! A few short weeks! We leave from Denver International Airport on June 21, 2012!!!! I am so excited, scared, full of anticipation and trepidation, thrilled for my kids and myself, nervous to be a world traveler again after really so many years, proud, and I'm sure I will think of some more adjectives as we roll along with the adventure.

But, for now, we are wrapping up our preparations; passports - check; emergency paperwork - check; trip paid in full - check; super fun "spinny" luggage - check; extra fuel charges from several places :( - check; uniforms purchased - check; tickets for a London musical!!!! - check.

Still to go? Blow dryer and various other assorted electronics converters and adapters. I'm still confused on this. Gotta do some research at Radio Shack! Neck holders for our passports... British pounds...Swiss Francs...European Euros...wardrobe assessment...music practices for the teens...rehearsal weekend preparations and reservations. Well, as you can see, there are a thousand things finished and a thousand thing to go, to get ready for the Big Bash.

So, just so you know, my best laid plans for the trip is that I will update you through my Suzie's Corner WEBlog while we are in Europe. I plan to post videos to Youtube.com/suziescorner  (and link those to my blog and to my Facebook account) so that you can experience this adventure with us. It should be pretty painless for you. It may be that my super-ambitious plan such as this will go by the wayside, but I surely will try. And, if by chance it doesn't happen when we are in Europe, you can bet that I will send lots of pictures and videos your way upon return.

So, for now, I will be signing off on the first installment of our Excellent European Experience!

Ciao, baby!

Grace is the first one on the edge playing
her flute.

Philip is the second from the left playing snare.