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So, the trip is done, and I am safely back to the wonderful land of Canada.

All in all, I had a blast and more importantly learned a lot. Sure, I had my ups and downs. Travelling by one's self means an awful lot of time spent on trains and planes and in stations by yourself. Evenings were usually pretty non eventful. It can be hard to find people on a similar wavelength in hostels. Most of them are either stoned or drunk or both. Especially if you are in Amsterdam. Mind you, I certainly met some bright and interesting people and had great conversations with them. Here is a list of nationalities that I met (that I can remember)

Dutch/German/Austrian (Duh!!!)

Irish

British

French

Portugese

Spanish

Italian

Serbian

Greek

Hungarian

Bulgarian

Romanian

Argentinian

Brazilian

Uruguayan 

Nigerian

Icelandik

Korean

Singapore

plus many others that I can't remember now :)

What did I learn?

First, Southern really does have an amazing organ. I already knew that, to some degree, but this really reinforced my understanding. It is amazing how similar in sound Collegedale is to Jakobi and Martini. The same? no, but, very satisfying. I won't be disappointed to play there again. And, in many ways, as hard as it was to play, the Oude Kerk organ was where I think playing a tracker organ and technique really dawned on me!

Second, travel is good. It gets you out of your comfort zone. I had some very interesting hostel experiences and talked to some very very interesting people. Europe, like Canada and the US is a very colorful place because of the people that call it home

Third, culture important to celebrate and keep unique. It is sad to me to see the invasion of Mcdonalds and Starbucks etc. and the corresponding downfall of the side walk cafe. I think that might have been one of my favorite memories of europe. Sitting at a cafe in Haarlem for like two hours drinking coffee to stay awake because I'd been awake for 36 hours and there was an organ concert I just had to hear. It was interesting to see business people sit down and not pull out an iPhone and solve the worlds problems. Instead, many sat by themselves an enjoyed their cappuccino. Culture needs to evolve, yes, but, to forget the your history is a travesty. 

Fourth,  Mrs. Glass is an amazing organ teacher. Well, I already knew that, but, it was interesting to walk into old instruments and know exactly what to expect and to be confident playing them. Also, it is amazing to be talking to people and they ask who I studied with. And, most know and remember. Comments like "i remember once 30 years ago…." Or, "She studied with Heiller, right? Yah, I remember, we met in…." Or, in Martini on wednesday night I was talking to some organ fans who were very knowledgeable about music and the organs of Groningen although they were not organists themselves and when I showed a picture of Collegedale's organ they were like "I know that instrument! I have some recordings from there. August Humor recorded the Orgelbuchlien there long ago, right?" It was some very interesting conversations and I'm very thankful for the legacy Mrs. Glass has so to speak handed me. 

Lastly, I'm thankful for friends. I made some new ones along the way. I really enjoyed being with the Schoenmakers and seeing my cousin again. It is fun to make friends!

Viva l'orgue! It's been a great trip and Ill be adding more pictures over the next few days, but this will probably be the last written update.