Austria March 2018

By Emily & Adam Luker, Eaglebrook Music Department
We were so very excited to have had the opportunity to travel with 14 Eaglebrook boys on a spring break adventure this past March 2018 to Austria. The trip's primary focus was to expose students to the incredible amount of music history and culture of the arts in the two main cities of Salzburg & Vienna.  The Mozart & Beethoven sites were plentiful, and we had exciting adventures every step of the way.  
 
We departed along with all of the other Eaglebrook students on the first day of spring break. Flying out of Boston via Reykjavik overnight, we landed in Munich, Germany, to meet our tour guide and set off on our short drive to Salzburg where we were ready to take in the sights of day one. It was pretty magical strolling through the cobblestone streets of old Salzburg as the church bells were tolling at dusk.
 
We had two main highlights before we departed Salzburg. The first was a trip to the Hallein Salt Mine-- one of the oldest Salt Mines in the world. We had an exceptional time putting on our "white suits" and riding the train into the mine. Wooden slides leading us into different sections of the mine could have held the boys' attention for hours. Another highlight of Salzburg was our Mozart Dinner Concert. The concert was lit by candlelight with a menu that would have taken place in Mozart's time. The performers wore authentic period costumes, which made for an incredible authentic evening in Mozart's birth town.  
 
We already had schnitzel a couple of times before making the beautiful drive through the Alps towards Vienna. We had a few stops at adorable villages as well as the amazing panoramic view from the Melk Abbey before arriving in the big city of Vienna. We were happily overwhelmed with the incredible amount to see. Our walking tour had everyone looking and taking photos in numerous directions... it was hard not to when seeing everything from the St. Stephen's Cathedral (where Mozart was married) to the famous Graben shopping street. 
 
Vienna brought so many different cultural stops for our students. Highlights included seeing the infamous gravesites of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert as well as Mozart.  
 
We were lucky to have had a morning to ourselves to tour and discover the behind-the-scenes of the Vienna Boys Choir boarding school at Augarten Palais. Upon entering the gate, we immediately started discussing "Eaglebrook needs a maze garden..."  "Eaglebrook needs hedge trimming for a Saturday Morning Activity.... "  etc. It was a special experience being here as they do not often do a guided tour or let schools in. We were able to go into the boarding area and see the boys’ quads and room layouts. Our particular tour was through the "Schubert quad." We were able to experience a typical rehearsal of the boys’ choir--an absolutely angelic and overwhelming experience being in that room.  It was also neat to hear the instruction given only in German. We then went to the Vienna Boys Choir "canteen" where we were able to eat a typical school lunch amongst other boy choir students and staff members. Everyone was buzzing talking about the amazing sounds we just heard. It really was a morning that we will never forget.  
 
In the midst of all of our other sites (Mozart's apartments, Franz Joseph Haydn's working palace in Eisenstadt including his apartment and tomb, and the Vienna State Opera House), the boys were able to have several afternoons of free time all to themselves in an area of Vienna. It was wonderful to see them heading off in different directions to explore. Some were able to take in the Viennese coffee house culture as they were spotted ordering their own special coffee drinks and slices of cake. We had numerous evenings where everyone ate the special Sacher Torte-- the infamous chocolate cake with apricot filling that had been prepared for a Viennese prince. 
 
Some of our last stops towards the end of the trip included a museum called "Haus der Musik." Every single exhibit here was meant to be interactive and hands on. From the moment you walked in on the "piano stairs" that sounded as you walked on them, to the room that allowed you to relieve the sensations of being a child in the womb, there was so much to explore. The other hit of the museum was the area where you could conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with your interactive baton. Going too fast/slow would cause the orchestra to either boo at you or cheer you on for finishing well.  
 
Not to be overlooked, we had a very powerful experience on our last day going to Beethoven's final home in Vienna where he had lost all of his hearing and composed in full deafness. This home was especially memorable because it was the site where Beethoven wrote his 'last will and testament', which is now called the Heiligenstadt Testament. We wrapped up with a final goodbye dinner of a traditional Austrian meal of “Fiakergulasch” with dumplings, sausage, egg, and pickles. The restaurant was especially charming with the old brick walls and the best part was the live music going around from table to table.... accordion & violin.  
 
We all left Austria with many memories. We were so happy to have started spring break on this fantastic trip and hope all brought back a new appreciation for the meaning of music and arts in their lives. See photos from the trip here
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  • Jamie Wheeler
    Great article!
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