The countryside scenery is just beautiful!

I'm really enjoying this thread. Every afternoon I check in to see the pictures of where you're at that day. I can't wait to see what you guys are up to next! Thanks for posting!

Aimee

These pictures are just amazing. Please keep us posted on anyone else who would be
willing to share their photos. I see lots of cameras on everyone in the pictures.

We are all really enjoying our "mini tour".

Don't forget there are lots more pictures posted on our Facebook Page

More picts from BritishJim
These are all in Vienna.

Yes, the background is real. In fact it is at a rest stop.

Hi Frank,

Thanks so much for all the pictures.

There's one of a piano with rows of round objects (gray and white I think) just above the keyboard. It the fourth one from the bottom.

What type of piano is it and were you able to play it?

Beautiful scenery.

Hi musdan,

That is a Janko keyboard, developed to allow you to play big intervals by simply
playing ajacent keys. I didn't get to play this particular one, but I did get to
touch one in another museum in Germany.

Many more pictures On Our Facebook Page

I am so glad the weather held out most of the time for your trip, and so sorry to see the trip end. I so much enjoyed meeting all of you in Vienna. What a super group of people! In my view, all of the beautiful scenery in your photos were just a pretty backdrops to the real gem of the trip, which was all of you people!

Unfortunately our trip ended with my car breaking down just outside Miami airport.
Stuck for the weekend in Pompano Beach, FL until at least Monday.

We broke down in the middle lane of rte 95 north at rush hour, that was an experience!

Very limited access to Internet now, more when we can get on.

Thanks for the info Frank. All of you will share many happy memories.

Safe travels back to the USA

What a shock it is coming back home. Germany and Austria were just so beautiful and the whole trip like being in wonderland.

Nice to meet my new piano friends and experience our piano tour together. And Guenter our guide was the best.

I stayed a couple more days, for Vienna sites and the Melk Abbey and touring on a ship down the Danube with Canada Rita.

All day coming home and exhausted, so will write more and share pics as I can catch up with life back here. Kitty is calling...

Oh no Frank. Get out from under that grey cloud!

LL

Going to be here another day at least, they discovered more problems (alternator is shot, a/c is leaking).
That's the bad news, the good news is they realized I still had time on my extended warranty so it will be covered.
Hope to be back Tuesday night, will post more picts and stories then.

OK, guess I'll be the first one home to post a few pics each day. I just uploaded a few pics from the Bosie Factory to share.

Might I first say that each and every one of the piano factories that opened their doors to us treated us royally. They were all so gracious to show us and explain to us how their pianos were built, what made their pianos unique and their history.

Here are some pics of the Bosie Factory. Located outside of Vienna in a what seemed to be a industrial ctr, their entrance was flanked by a wall of windows covered by an outside shade material. Approx 25x50ft. Might anyone guess what is made inside? LOL!



The new mgr on right and tech in black who both were part of the tour guides. Frank, PW in white.



The important wood pile selection which is cured outside for many years before being used.



Much care is given to the veneer. The taping helps stabilize the veneer during the gluing process.



The all important artisan who does the pin block chipping.



Rim cutting for curves (yes, I know I am not saying this correctly but you get the idea). Notice the close notches for the tighter curves.



I could show you many pics of 'parts lined up'. I always love viewing them. They are the backbone of our pianos!



There was a most impressive selection showroom. I can't remember if there were 3 or 4 rows of every style made to select from. We were all impressed with how many Imperials plus concert size grands as well as all the other models that were offered. And yes, we did get a chance to play some! Luckily one of our tour members already owns an Imperial!



More coming!

Frank,

Rosannadannadanna use to say "if it ain't one thing it's another".

The good thing is that you will have many happy memories of your trip.

Great picks, lilylady! I just LOVE the Bosie factory building exterior, which was so much more modern looking than I expected. I was also surprised to see all that wood being stored outside for curing. Those little aluminum roofs sure seem like pretty flimsy protection from the elements, but what do I know?

We saw some shocking interiors.

One was the Bayreuth (pronounced By roit) Margravial Opera House from ca 1750. Opulence to the extreme inside.

The square - note the building with the statues on top:





Inside foyer - simple faux painting gives no hint as to the inside opulence:



We could not take pictures of the stage, nor use flash but I took my little Canon pics and then used Irfanview to brighten them up to share.

Yes, it is striking gold gilded!















Yes, performances are still offered regularly!

Bonn, Beethoven's early years and the Schumanns' grave.

Beethoven was born in an apartment behind this street front house in Bonn.



On the second floor, now overlooking a courtyard and garden.



By the age of 11 he was an assistant organist at this church









By the age of 14 he was the principle organist at this Lutheran (?) church.



Not the original organ but we did see parts of it in the home museum



Square (look at the last left buidling)



where he was seen having his morning coffee regularly (some members ate lunch there)



Tour split - some ate, some shopped, some went to the grave sites of Robert and Clara Schumann.

The cemeteries over there are beautiful and quite ornate compared to ours.

Map location









It made me sad to be there thinking about his tormented later years.

On the way back through the square those who went to the cemetery grabbed a quick sausage sandwich in the marketplace. The first of many!




before traveling to Beethoven's honorating statue in the middle of this square.



They say that some of his manuscripts are buried under the statue including the hand written 9th!

must be a pic limit....see below!

Great pics, lilylady! The Opera House is stunning and I concur with your Schumann thoughts. Thanks for the tour.

Great pictures Lilylady, thanks.

Those sausages looked pretty good, taste better with a cold beer.

Huh!

Little did I know what trying out German beer was all about!!!

Lilylady great picture - I can "hear" the om-pa-pa band. Is that a beer-garden? I've seen pictures of them and it looks like fun.

Trying to share as I view and label the pics before I forget where I was! I was and am on overload!

PW gave us a paper travel journal to log into each day. Most of us did the day after morning journal as we were on overload each day and too tired to log each night. Thankfully, the bus trip and friends helped us to log some previous days events. Next time, I'll log into the journal book a heck of a lot more than I did this time!

There is so much to share, I hardly know where to start next.

I did post a fun Frank's new piano here:

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthrea...tml#Post1700582

If the new listing doesn't come up - just go to the end of the pic journal

Sharing the talented Robin Goldsby, PW's PIANO GIRL below. Robin was nice enough to share her castle as well as her talents too! LOL! Robin plays at Schlosshotel Lerbach in Cologne Germany and lucky they are to have her. What a gig!

She did readings from PIANO GIRL and her latest book, WALTZ OF THE ASPARAGUS PEOPLE, a follow up. After each reading she played her own pieces to delight us.

I know that others will have more pics of Robin and even better videos as mine was just taken from the Canon 950.

I bought two books for me and two CD's as gifts.

Robin reading:



The castle:









Members touring the grounds where they found a black swan in the pond!



Let's see if a video shows up here. There are three more links below as well.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyZeF1yZCGo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdZONwQt6E8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8sOrC3Ew4M


Robin is a member of PW with a long thread on the fun of playing at weddings. Her sense of humor shows very quickly. Her books are like that too!

http://www.pianoworld.com/foru...opics/1215363/1.html

Lilylady - thanks so much for the pictures and it was good to see and hear Robin.

Thanks for posting Lilylady.

LOTS More Pictures Here!

And Here!

Plus These Posted by Bart in a Photo Gallery



Hoping other members of the tour will continue to post pictures, videos, and comments too.

Are you all still on overload? I am trying to organize and label photos but am stuck on a few and waiting for you guys to post pics with LABELS so I can do mine! I am using Irfanview (free on the internet to crop and brighten or whatever) and then group label them. Thank goodness for 2 days of rain for this gardener!

We saw so much, and sometimes too little was written in our sparkly PW notebook.

Trying to do some each morning and nite to share.

Looking forward to all the others pics taken by members that will share too. Come on you guys!

Frank, we need our tour member's email list please, as soon as you have a free moment to do so! Some pics will only be of interest to fellow members (like of themselves!)

Yes, definitely on overload. Came home to reality and dealing with my office move. Haven't even had a chance to think about pictures. Maybe next week. (Don't forget, lilylady, I have some things that belong to you!)

Added A LOT more pictures to the collection on Facebook!

There are two collections there now, with more to come.
Eventually I'll add lots more pictures to the forums as well, it's just easier to post on Facebook (don't have to re-size them).

The first of 4 piano factories (they were all gracious and welcoming!)

Hamburg Steinway





Greeted warmly, and warm it was! At 9 I think it was pushing 80.





And we took turns next to this sign. I think we have a group shot from the area too. Maybe more than one. ISn't this the place that Guenther was loaded up with 10 cameras? After that we tried to just have Jim, the photographer take a shot to share with us.

Here is Ann



Although we could not take pics inside the factory, we could in the big hall of choice. This particular day, there was a concert pianist coming to choose his artisan concert grand I think for a performance. Only a few of us got to try one out before it was time to vacate the hall.



Frank



And Eric



I did get to play one. My second Hamburg Concert Grand!

Another note of interest. We had cookies at the cafeteria with the workers. There was a table with youngsters, my guess around 14-16. In Germany they have an apprentice program instead of straight schooling. Some of those youngsters might soon be making YOUR Hamburg Steinway one day!

I am sure that others will have better pictures coming but since this was a piano tour, we must see some historical musical instruments, right? And THAT we did! A few musuem's worth! It was just amazing to see so many old pianos, clavichords, christofori's, harpsichords, virginals, organs and mechanical instruments. Phew!

Here are some from just one museum.

Now, which one was it? Musical Instruments Museum, where?

I'll have to load up a few replies.

A partial line up





There were tags for the instruments.
In German!













Frank's new toy... (Janco?)