Tour 2000
Organs in France

At some point in 1999 I decided it was time to lead a tour group to visit pipe organs in Europe. We—all four of us—had lived in Nice, and I had enjoyed access to several historic organs in the past, so I thought I could put this trip together.

That’s a performer’s ego, or maybe a PhD’s ego, at work. Thanks to Jan Cordell’s efficient work, we did get there and back safely, and we did get some hands on experience with organs in France. Overall, though, my best contribution was probably coming up with an old photograph of the Clicquot organ in Poitiers to use in advertising the trip.

It’s now 201 7, and in reviewing this trip I’m surprised we all survived! We covered a lot of France, from Normandy south to Poitou and east as far as Alsace. We had two free days in Paris, but we also had a fairly tight schedule on the days we visited organs. We ate well most of the time, but there were a couple of days when we wondered if we would ever get another meal.

Hindsight being what it is, I would certainly do things differently now. On the whole, though, our trip was a success, and I’m glad we did it.

The journal pages are sparse, taken from a web site almost two decades old. I’m reformatting them as I go, and if it’s possible to find all the original photographs and my notes, I’ll be sure to include larger scans of the photographs.

And if you happen to have been on this trip, drop me a line with your memories. I’ll be happy to include them here.