We started our day at the Colosseum. The students were in awe as we stepped into the interior of the majestic, ancient structure. I heard Doug DeVries exclaim incredulously, "I'm here! I'm here! Right here in the Colosseum!" (Click picture for larger.)

From the Colosseum, we continued on to the Forum with is columns and structures still standing where they have been for thousands of years. Right at the entrance there were some brand new marble columns. It looks as if they are rebuilding the monument to Aphrodite. Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain where we had a little free time to explore. Some shopped, some took a "gelato" break, and some just relaxed.

Then we continued on to the Pantheon. Matt Otto said that he "totally geeked out" there. He had seen the History Channel program on the Pantheon, and he was in his element explaining it to others. Since it was Sunday, and the Pantheon is a church, there was a small organ playing. Music has a way of enhancing beautiful experiences. It was delightful.

Our next stop was Piazza Nirvana. What a fun stop! There were artists everywhere, and we made good use of our time to buy the great gelato.

It was now time for us to set up for the evening concert next to San Angelo Castle at the literary fair. Han Lin and William Lee, percussionists, helped Janet and me set up the stage for the evening's concert. Then we had a little time to rehearse. There was a very good audience for the concert. Some people had waited for an hour to hear us. They had heard the rehearsal and didn't want to miss the concert. As I was conducting and hearing all this beautiful music, I could watch the statue of the Archangel Michael on the top of the castle, and the orchestra got to watch the Tiber River. We did two or three encores. The audience loved the concert, and we were moved too.

The lady in charge of the literary fair had great things to say about the concert. I understood "Perfecto" and there were other words that sounded like she was thrilled. There were a few tears from the kids, lots of pictures, and some real excitement after our last concert in Europe. As we left the concert site and headed for the bus, we had a view of the Vatican framed by the deep blue of the twilight sky with Venus twinkling above.

We got back to the hotel at 10 p.m., dinner time in Italy, to a wonderful dinner of baked salmon, roast pork, rice, green beans, mineral water, Coca Cola on the table, and ice cream for dessert. What a wonderful end to a beautiful day!

Tomorrow is our last day in Europe. We might not call with a report as we will have a lot of preparation for our trip home.

We would like to express our deep appreciation to all who have supported us on this trip. The students have been truly overwhelmed with their experiences with history, art, music, and the joy of bringing beautiful music to others. Your generosity has left a profound and indelible impression on their young lives.

Webmaster's note: The orchestra's return flight is on Tuesday, July 10, on Lufthansa flight 456 from Frankfurt to Los Angeles. The flight will arrive at 12:35 p.m. (noon) in the Bradley terminal.

Before you leave for the airport, you should check the actual arrival time. We will try to give you updates on arrival time here on the website or you can check directly with the Lufthansa web site.