TMK Nussdorf in America, September 2009

Translated from the German website.

After a full year of preparation, a dream became reality for fifty musicians from the TMK Nussdorf am Haunsberg and their five accompanying persons as their Austrian Airlines flight, packed with instruments, folklore costumes and enthusiastic musicians took off from Vienna Airport.

Just an hour after arrival in Toronto, Canada, the musicians were visiting the CN Tower, then travelled on with their bus to the hotel in Niagara Falls. In the four days spent there, in addition to visiting the falls and all the other attractions, the band performed at the company anniversaries of the Salzburg crane manufacturer PALFINGER and and the Swiss specialty motor vehicle manufacturer FRF.

The musical high point of the stay was the Oktoberfest of the Donauschwaben Club in Toronto, where hundreds of guests marched through the city along with the band, listened to the marching music, then celebrated far into the night with festive sounds from Austria.

After a restful Sunday in Niagara with a tour of a local Canadian vinery, the band crossed the border to the USA at Buffalo and travelled on with the bus to Boston, where they spent an unforgettable two days. One of the highlights was the "Whale Watching" cruise, where whales and dolphins could be seen swimming directly alongside the ship.

The next destination was New York, to a hotel directly in the heart of Manhatten. Among the many points on the program were visits to the Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty and many other sights, and a visit to the Austrian delegation at the United Nations.

The musical accents in New York were set by participation in the German American Steuben Parade on the 19th of September, the Oktoberfest in the "Blaue Gans (Blue Goose)" in Manhatten and the north German Ompah Festival in Brooklyn.

The trip ended on September 21st with the flight back to Vienna and the bus ride back to Nussdorf, where all arrived happy and filled with memories and unforgettable impressions.

Heartfelt thanks from the band goes to our travel agency Cultours Europe (Carl & Karin Pfliegler,www.cultours-europe.com) in Salzburg, who arranged everything from entry formalities to restaurant menus and all the large and small challenges that are part of each travel day with the utmost professionalism. Thank you - it was a great experience for us all.