Today was largely a travel day, and we commuted across the country from Leipzig to the Koblenz area in western Germany. Koblenz means confluence, and the city appropriately sits at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. I spent most of my day on trains today, first taking a 3-hour ICE train from Leipzig to Frankfurt, then taking a 2-hour regional train from Frankfurt to Koblenz. As we began to near Koblenz, the track started to run alongside the Rhine, and the rest of the ride was gorgeous! The number of barges on the river surprised me, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the barges that pass alongside Louisville on the Ohio River. There were several gorgeous churches, but even more beauty awaited us once we got to Koblenz.
When we arrived in Koblenz, a representative for the choirs that we will perform with met us at the train station and we departed by bus to our lodging in neighboring Engers. Rather than staying in a hotel, we are staying at the Landesmusikakademie Rheinland-Pfalz, a music academy for various music education programs throughout the year. Our lodging is split between a dormitory and a castle! I’m in the dormitory, and while it would be extremely cool to stay in the castle, the rooms are more modern and spacious in the dormitory so I’m still more than satisfied by the living accommodations.
Over the next few days, we’re performing with various regional choirs, so following a welcome dinner at the academy’s dining hall, we rehearsed our a cappella concert repertoire in a rehearsal space overlooking the Rhine! It wins the award for most scenic rehearsal space I’ve ever been in, and it was nice to get back into gear on our a cappella rep after focusing on Psalm 42 and Die erste Walpurgisnacht our last few days in Berlin.
Following the rehearsal, several members of the choir relaxed together, watched Netflix, and played Uno in a gathering space in the basement of the castle. After spending some time there, I closed the night with a walk along the Rhine (there’s a paved path), and I’m hoping to get a run or two in during our time here as well. We have lots of fun concerts and events the over next few days, including performing in the Cologne Cathedral, embarking on a Rhine river cruise, and taking a cable car up to a larger castle in Koblenz! It’s hard to believe the trip is already entering its last few days, but I can’t wait for our upcoming activities in the Koblenz area.
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