Stop #3: Amsterdam, Netherlands

One of the many canals in Amsterdam, with some of the city's stately architecture behind

Hi readers! The past four days have been incredible for the Dins here in Amsterdam. After a fantastic time in London with West End shows, beautiful sights and English culture galore, we arrived in the Netherlands early Sunday afternoon to an incredible ocean view and an intimate look at Amsterdam's unforgettable skyline. 

Spectacular views of the whole city can be found at the newly-opened A'DAM Lookout

After initially arriving, we met up with the amazing Zwanine, our main organizer for the Amsterdam leg, and immediately put our vocal muscles to work by performing in a spontaneous flash mob at Amsterdam's Centraal Station. Afterwards, we took an amazing trip to the new Amsterdam Lookout tower, where we got to sing again on the tower's top floor while looking at the beautiful scenery. The evening was spent eating dinner at a cozy estate with some of our hosts, including Zwanine, the rest of the Siedenburg family, Edwin and Ken, Noa, and Sophia!

An excellent dinner picnic in Amsterdam's Vondelpark with some hosts and their friends

We spent the following two days exploring the best that Amsterdam had to offer - munching on cheese and bread with our feet dangling by the lovely canals, exploring some nooks and crannies in the historical parts of the city - and all the while pubbing for our show at Nassau Church on Tuesday evening. We even got to take a tour of the original Heineken brewery in Amsterdam, and ended the tour with an impromptu performance in the last exhibit! 

Jacques and Ethan having a mini karaoke session (in Dutch) at the Heineken Experience

Our concert at the church that evening, along with the spectacular accompanying dinner, was one of the highlights of the trip thus far! With the amazing help of the church staff and Zwanine, our show was a success and we got to celebrate with another free day in Amsterdam the next day to explore the city. Whether we were venturing through the Rijksmuseum, admiring the Van Gogh works, or just relaxing by the water and the city's glorious parks, we definitely made the most of our Amsterdam experience.

Hanging out near one of the city's many tram stations

A special warm thanks to our incredible hosts - the Siedenburg family (special shout out to Josine and Fleur for being amazing friends and tour guides during our stay!), Ken and Edwin, and Sophia - for letting us into your beautiful homes the past few days. Amsterdam wouldn't have been the same without you!

DST,

Leon Pan #235

Stop #2: London, England

Touring around the city of London

Hi everyone! The Dins just completed the second leg of our world tour with a couple days in London! After traveling from Iceland on June 1st, we checked in at the Darlington Hyde Park, a cozy hotel right next to Paddington station. Early the next morning, we left on a train for the Dorset area, arriving at the Westbrook house in the small town of Upwey. 

The grounds of the beautiful Westbrook house in Dorset, where the Dins stayed for a night

We spent the day with our amazing hosts, Allen and Caroline Edwards, enjoying the gorgeous grounds and facilities of the house, which ranged from waterfalls and ponds to a tennis court and swimming pool. We also met the Canadian National Sailing Team, fellow guests at Westbrook! That evening, we performed on the patio for a gathering of friends and family before enjoying an amazing meal prepared for us by our hosts.

Dins posing with members of the Canadian Olympic sailing team, shortly after the dinner gig

A full English breakfast at Westbrook before heading back to London for our Harvard Club gig

On the 3rd, it was back to London, after a delicious breakfast at Westbrook! Our first performance that evening took place in the lobby of the Darlington, where we performed for some of the hotel guests.

Posing after our short performance in the lobby of the Darlington Hyde Park hotel

Next up was a performance at the Oxford and Cambridge Club, hosted by the Harvard Club of the U.K. We sold out this luxurious venue, and enjoyed mingling with our audience following the performance.

Matt taking a picture of Tower Bridge

On our last day in London, we spent our time touring around one of the greatest cities in the world. We walked all over, visiting Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Globe Theatre, Borough Market, the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the National Gallery, among other landmarks. That night, many of us enjoyed London's cultural scene, watching various shows on the West End.

In front of Buckingham Palace

London was an amazing tour stop, and it wouldn't have been possible without the help of many people. The Dins would like to thank the Darlington Hyde Park, Allen and Caroline Edwards, Caroline Costin and the Harvard Club, and the Oxford and Cambridge Club for making our visit to London incredible!

Now, on to Amsterdam!

James Baskerville

#232

Stop #1: Reykjavík, Iceland

A few Dins at the historic site of Þingvellir, at the Eurasian-North American continental divide.

Hello everyone! This is Everett here, Din #236, reporting from Reykjavík!

Iceland has been an absolutely amazing first stop on our world tour. The very first night that we arrived, we were amazed by how bright the sky was, even at 2 am. With the snowy mountains in the distance, we quickly unpacked our things and got some rest before our first full day in the city.  

Some brave spelunkers/snorkelers

The day started with some members taking a guided snorkeling trip looking down at the tectonic divide between the North American plate and the Eurasian plates. Others toured the city of Reykjavík, climbing to the top of Hallgrímskirkja, the biggest church on the island, and exploring the local cuisine and stores. We later met up with Bartónar, a 30 man a cappella group that was born out of a nearby bar, and were immediately drawn towards their amazing personalities and great fashion senses. The entire time, Svavar Knútur, a local musician and friend, took us under his wing and introduced us to Bartonar as well as two wonderful Icelandic jazz singers, Andrea Gylfadóttir and Kristjana Stefans. The evening performance turned out to be a fantastic success, filled with camaraderie and laughter.  

On our way to our first gig in the city

For day two, the Dins set out on the classic Golden Circle Tour of Iceland's beautiful backcountry. There we enjoyed picturesque settings filled with rugged mountains, powerful waterfalls, mesmerizing geysers, and winding rivers. In the distance, glaciers dominated the horizon of this land of ice and fire. The tour guide spoke of the history of the country, including how Iceland has the oldest continuously operating parliament in all of Europe, and also stopped to allow the Dins to pet some local horses. After the day trip concluded, the Dins immediately traveled to a restaurant beside one of Iceland’s famous black sand beaches, where we indulged in lobster bisques and cod. There we sang for a local audience and learned more about the amazing singing culture that is found everywhere in Iceland. For example, in a local town of only 1,500 people, there are more than 4 choir groups!

Matt poses in a field with an Icelandic horse

Today, the last full day of the trip, we sang at the nation's largest radio station and had the opportunity to meet one of the radio DJ's. Afterwards, Svavar guided us around Reykjavík and introduced us to Café Rosenberg, a restaurant where we will be performing tonight. I can't wait to sing with my fellow Dins one last time in Iceland at Rosenberg, and I definitely will miss the wonderful time that we have spent on this island.  

Shout out to Ása Hjálmarsdóttir and Brynjolfur Magnusson (Billi) for helping the group nail gigs and coordinate moving all 11 of us around.  Also, thank you so much Sam Schoenberg for joining our group for this stop and London! 

Here is to 12 more countries and countless memories together!

Signing off,

Everett Sussman #236

First Post and Official 2016 Tour Announcement

The Dins of 2016

Hello and welcome to the official blog of the Harvard Din & Tonics! Here you'll receive updates on the Dins' movements and adventures as we sing and travel around the world (in just under 80 days).

For our first order of business, we are very excited to announce our 2016 World Tour! Since the early 1990s, in each even-numbered year the Dins have gone on a ten-week summer tour bringing our unique blend of a cappella, jazz, and comedy around the world. You can read more about tour traditions and see some pictures from previous tours here.

In just a few short weeks, we will be embarking on our next journey and we want to take you with us! Throughout this coming summer, we will be sharing our best stories, photos, and other memories from each location we visit with you through this blog. Be sure to check it often to stay up-to-date with our worldly exploits.

We'll be making our first official tour post around the time we get to our first stop in Reykjavík, Iceland. In the meantime, here's a list of dates and locations for this tour:

May 28 - June 1: Reykjavik, Iceland
June 1 - June 5: London, United Kingdom
June 5 - June 9: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
June 9 - June 14: Switzerland
June 14 - June 18: Strasbourg, France
June 18 - June 22: Paris, France
June 22 - June 24: Luxembourg
June 24 - June 27: Monaco

July 1 - July 5: Osaka, Japan
July 5 - July 7: Tokyo, Japan
July 7 - July 9: Choshi, Japan
July 9 - July 12: Shanghai, China
July 12 - July 13: Beijing, China
July 13 - July 20: Hong Kong
July 20 - July 24: Bangkok, Thailand
July 24 - July 31: Singapore
July 31 - August 5: Sydney, Australia
August 5 - August 8: San Francisco, USA

If you happen to be in any of these areas at these times, let us know via e-mail or our Facebook page and we'll give you a list of performances! We are thrilled to have the opportunity to spread our music to all these places, and even more so to be able to share our experiences with you.

Signing off,
Ethan Craigo #237