Wow, what a day of exploring! We started early so as to fit in as much as possible – there is such much to see and learn in this amazing area! On our way down from the Malick’s home this morning, we chaperones felt like Pied Pipers. The singers seemed to just appear out of each of the neighboring homes! It was quite charming seeing all of Ensemble, in matching white polos, congregate and walk together down the cobblestone pathways to our bus at the bottom of the hill.

We started our day of tours at the Audi factory, which is at the confluence of the Neckar and Sulm (so the name of the town is Necakrsulm). We arrived around 8am, which gave us some time to explore the fun cars on the floor (most kids ran to the 2nd floor, which had the fancy sports cars) and gift shop. Julianna, Helena, and Ruby all piled into one of the cars with Ruby at the wheel for a selfie photoshoot! For the tour, we split into three different groups, and were given head sets so that we could hear our tour guides on the noisy factory floor. We made three stops at three different sections of the factory. Singers especially enjoyed what our tour guides called the “marriage” part of the assembly, which is when the impressive engine is placed inside of the frame. Abby and Roxie even hummed a bit of “Here Comes the Bride” while we watched the men, and remarkable machinery, do their work. To end the tour, we all enjoyed a 12 minute 3-D video about Audi production, before the singers had a few more minutes of shopping time (where they discovered the Audi gummies that came with purchase. Yum!)

We boarded the bus at 11am to head to the charming old town of Bad Wimpfen. On our way, our amazing host, Sue Malick, told us a Grimm’s Fairy Tale about a local castle that you should all ask your signers to relay to you J. She also explained that any town beginning with “Bad” means “Bath” or “water source” – often, the Romans would put Roman Baths in these towns. Bad Wimpfen is a historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Wurttenberg region of southern Germany – it lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river of Neckar. It is believed that around 98 A.D., the Romans secured the area in south-western Germany conquered by Domitian – and there are still portions of the Roman wall there today, which we had the opportunity to see! Upon arriving in Bad Wimpfen, we enjoyed a tasty lunch at Lukulos Restaurant. We had the option of a few different dishes, including some local German delicacies like Schnitzel and spätzle. The food was delectable, and the view arguably even better.

Following lunch, we all congregated at a charming little fountain, where chaperone Katrina showed us her impressive conducting skills, leading Ensemble in two songs, including Homeward Bound. All of the locals loved it, even coming out of restaurants and shops to enjoy the music. Singers then had a bit of free time to explore. Most of us headed right to the ice cream shop, which Sue pointed out as her husband John’s favorite! Aubrey was a huge fan of the Hasselnuse (Hazelnut) and even went back for seconds.

Our last stop of the day in the land of castles was a visit to the impressive Guttenburg Castle and tower, where we experienced a Raptor show! Most of the singers were enthralled, shrieking in delight as the various birds of pretty soared above us, often dangerously close. Annie and Phoebe made a game of naming each of the birds, and Kai even got lightly “booped” on the head by one of the birds, which we all decided was good luck. Following the show, we had a bit of free time to explore the castle grounds. Many of us climbed the many, many flights of stairs to get to the top of the tower, which doubles as an impressive museum full of artifacts from the wat the turn of the 15th century.

After an incredible day of learning, discovering, and plenty of walking, we were all excited to head home for dinner and festivities with our host families. One of the hosts, with whom Owen is staying, is hosting a party for many of the singers. The chaperones are headed to dinner at the Count’s Schloss (“castle”)!

Singing at in Bad Wimpfen: https://youtu.be/7TJsI5IyVYI

Impromptu backyard party performance: https://youtu.be/8KqUBortWnk

Click through the slideshow below for highlights: