Tour Blog: France 2024 Archives Archives - The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York

Days 1 and 2 (July 10 – 11)

Hello! I’m Dash Alschuler-Pierce, an incoming Freshman at Williams College, and am part of the MYO France Tour Choir, and I’ll be writing the Tour Blog.

After a year of deposits and anticipation and a five-day music bootcamp, we finally were ready to leave for France.

We each arrived at the airport

After a night of French sirens (and, at least for me, an angry French breakup outside my window), the musicians woke up. The day started with our early wakes—if you couldn’t sleep, I’m sure you heard the wave of 7:00 alarms throughout the halls. Stepping into the 1st floor buffet-style breakfast were hungry, jetlagged

Day 4 (July 13)

We awoke, repeating the first few paragraphs of the previous day. Thus, after eating, we met up with our groups—Anthea, again, standing on the steps, ready with a Marc Antony opening soliloquy. We readied ourselves for the bus to ritzy Monaco—half the girls in pretty dresses akin to our figments of the Monégasque style.

Day 5 (July 14)

I’m sure you can’t guess how we began our day! That was a joke—I’m sure you can. Alarms, elevators, croissants. HOWEVER, that would be our last of our Niçoise mornings, for today, we left for Cannes and later, Aix-en-Provence.

We arrived in Cannes along with 5000 ‘cruisers’ awaiting an unlikely spotting of George

Day 6 (July 15)

Now halfway through our trip, the musicians started with a breakfast buffet at the new hotel, Le Roi René. I later searched who it was named after, for ‘Roi’ means ‘King.’ There was no King René. Of France! However, there was a King René of Naples in the 13th century—of whom oft vacationed in

Day 7 (July 16)

That last, absolutely chaotic, exhausting day, was followed by today: Beach Day! Soon after breakfast, we journeyed to the beach village of Cassis. Our driver, Carmine, took us along the scenic route, allowing us views of the altering vineyards along different heights—something somewhat reflective of Incan terrace farming.

As we arrived, we took

Day 8 (July 17)

Our day really began with the trip to Avignon, a medieval city along the Rhône. Avignon, prior to 1309, was nothing. It was the Church that created the city as Pope Clement V moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon. Lasting for 68 years, the situation was known as Babylonian Captivity, and the 40

Day 9 (July 18)

Today was a day of travel. Leaving Aix-en-Provence, we headed to our penultimate destination and hotel. We gradually edged away from the water, although we traded that privilege for the Alps. However, eventually, as we approached Lyon, its three rivers appeared: the Saône, the Rhône, and, its pride and joy, the Beaujolais. Whilst the

Day 10 (July 19)

Today was Lyon day! We started with a flat tire. It sucked. However, that is travel! It was really fantastic watching the adults get into survival-mode—everyone running around, y’know. It’s a type of competency that is oft rare.

Lyon was magical. It has this Parisian aspect to it: mixes of medieval, neo-byzantine, Belle

Day 11 (July 20)

We left Lyon for Annecy in the morning. It’s actual, well-done, Instagram meat. It’s what Disneyland wants to be but can’t. Sitting on a lake, shadowed by mountains, and overlooked by a castle, Annecy is absolutely stunning. To enjoy a percentage of its glories is a feat of strength, for its sheer dominance ignores

Day 12 (July 21)

There’s a short story called “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, in which, (spoiler alert) the lottery is death. Today, we won a lottery. Despite being in Chamonix for a mere two days, we won the lottery—the rain lottery. Consequently, our cable car ride was canceled; we don’t want a Shirley Jackson-Lottery on our hands.

Day 13 (July 22)

I woke with everyone else this morning: stolen from dreams and infinite time to our inevitable departure. I wolfed down a croissant and packed and left for our last bus. Along the way to the airport, we played games, sang along to Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso before it turned to weird French party music, and