9th April 2010
Friday 3 October 2008
The trip home did not happen without it's hitches, one of them resulting in the second group now also being able to add Copenhagen Airport (Denmark) to their points of reference! All is well that ends well and the flags and welcoming faces of our families and friends were all that was needed at the end of our long and VERY busy journey!
Thank you moms and dads and everyone else who helped to make this happen. We loved every moment and saw and learnt a lot!
Wednesday 1 October 2008
And you thought the tour was over! After dropping the first group off at the airport, the second group made their way to the Vaskivuori High School in Vantaa, where we were served lunch and taken on a tour of the school's excellent facilities (mentioned earlier). The kids made a recording in the school's professional recording studio and also saw the radio and TV studios.
After a game of table tennis they will have the same body percussion workshop that the other group had on their arrival in Finland and enjoyed so much. It certainly beats sitting at the airport again!
Tuesday 30 September 2008
What a divine last day we had! Mr van Zyl didn't make us rehearse for too long this morning and we had almost three hours to go shopping! Both lunch and dinner were served by our hosts at the Cathedral and our children paid them the ultimate compliment by finishing their food without needing any encouraging!
In the afternoon we had a bus tour of Tampere that included quite a lot of walking. We had an excellent guide who managed to keep our attention despite the fact that we've now been touring for 18 days and are altogether in a state of general exhaustion!
The last concert was excellent and we are also being spoilt rotten by our host families! We heard somewhere that Fins are supposed to be rather silent, but our experiment has found the opposite to be true!
Tomorrow we start the long haul home. It has been a long, but very successful tour. We have made many new and wonderful friends and, thanks to Skype and MSN Messenger, we will stay in contact and look forward to meeting them in South Africa again in the near future!
Monday 29 September
We were sad to leave Jyväskulä this morning after such a short time. Most of us saw hardly anything of the town renowned for its importance in the development of education in Finland. Our hosts nevertheless made the most of our time together to spoil us rotten!
The trip to Tampere takes about two hours by bus through the most amazing countryside. The only time you see a break in the treeline is when there is a lake and there are quite a few! The autumn colours are now in their full glory and it is really something to see for us South Africans who are not used to this yearly display of colours.
Driving into Tampere it is obvious that this is an industrial city. It is quite a bit larger than Jyväskylä and we look forward to our sight-seeing tour tomorrow morning. I am writing from the school where we will be performing soon. They treated us to a lovely lunch of potatoes with a choice of two sauces. Hopefully we will have time for a bit of baseball after the performance, before going off to meet our hosts for the last two nights of the tour.
Can you believe it is nearly over?
Sunday 28 September
By most accounts most of us managed a bit more sleep last night, with some kids in bed by 8pm already! Some made use of the later meeting time this morning to get some ice-skating practice and others went for a walk in the woods, while a couple of lazy bones slept until the last possible moment. The hosts are wonderful as always!
We had a lovely concert and the Vox Aurea Choir made us very welcome with their introductory pieces, even singing a traditional Zulu song! We were bowled over by the presence of two South African audience members - from Johannesburg and Potchefstroom respectively. After the concert the two choirs were treated to a meal together. The spaghetti bolognaise was an extremely good choice!
Tomorrow morning we leave for Tampere, where we will be visiting and performing at a school before meeting our last host families. It is hard to believe that we are about to visit the last place on tour. We have experienced and seen so much that it will take a very long time to tell all.
Saturday 27 September
After the excitement of the first two weeks of the tour (yes, we've been gone almost two weeks already!) today was exactly what we needed. Firstly we did not have to be anywhere at the crack of dawn with the ferry leaving at the very decent time of 11h00.
The relaxing ferry ride was, once again, enjoyed by all and the shops received due attention. We are becoming just a LITTLE concerned about weight on the return flights...
The bus ride of about 170km to Jyväskylä took us past beautiful lakes and woods with the most beautiful autumn colours imagineable. It is suddenly cold (about 8 degrees Celcius) after the unusually warm weather in Tallinn and we will finally need some of the warm clothes we've been carrying along so diligently! Our reception, however, was very warm and we are sure the children and adults alike are being spoilt rotten already!
Friday 26 September
The fact that we had a bit more time to sleep did not seem to have too much of an effect and a very subdued and bleary-eyed choir met us this morning! Getting to bed so late for such a long time with such a busy daily program is definitely catching up!
Fortunately we only had a short concert at School Number 32, before everyone scattered in their own direction to have the rest of the day off. The adults were also relieved to be able to enjoy some sight-seeing of the Old Town on their own (with a guide kindly organised by the hosts). We met many a red jacket on our tour and heard about ice-skating and sailing, so we are sure that everybody had a fun time and, hopefully, an early night!
Sorry folks, no photos today. We were far too busy doing our own thing!
Tomorrow we'll be back on the fast ferry to Helsinki and on to Jyväskulä. We will NEVER forget Estonia!
Thursday 25 September
Today was a very long day. On the bus by 06h30 to travel to Kuressaare on the Sareemaa island. Following behind was the Estonian TV Children's Choir, with whom we are also staying. They will be visiting us in March 2009. The trip includes a ferry transfer of about 40 minutes, bus and all.
Sareemaa is Estonia's largest island and Kuressaare its largest town, with a population of about
30 000 people. We first visited the Kuressaare Gymnasium, a school of about 1 200 children, where we had a short performance shared by a local choir, the ETV Choir and ourselves. Once again the adults (even Louis) were crying their eyes out with the mass performance of the Estonian song. Even though we do not understand the words, the meaning comes through so clearly in the music and one cannot help to be emotional.
After lunch at the school we were taken on a short bus tour of Kuressaare, where the autumn colours are now really starting to make an impact. We walked up to the 12th century castle. It is not a big castle, but very well preserved and it contains interesting exhibitions of life on the island through the ages.
Our evening concert at the Siioni Church was well attended by an appreciative audience and we left the island feeling very happy and contented. Of course the trip back was not quite as exciting as going there as it was dark and we were tired, resulting in most of us getting a bit of shut-eye. Our poor hosts had to pick us up at midnight and everybody will be a bit bleary-eyed in the morning.
Wednesday 24 September (evening)
Words cannot explain the emotions we are feeling now! Tonight’s concert was SO special! Nearly 350 children, from the tiniest 4- and 5-year olds to the outstanding Youth Choir entertained us with excellent music and dance.
Our children sang beautifully – they really did!
The evening was closed by two mass choir items, with Lucretia and a local soloist sharing the solo parts. When the ECCC started their part in Estonian the audience started clapping spontaneously and by the end there were very few dry eyes left in the hall and the song had to be repeated.
Wednesday 24 September 2008 (afternoon)
While you are relaxing at home on the public holiday, we are VERY busy. We had an opportunity to sleep a bit later this morning and have some washing done before hitting the shops. Tallinn is a beautiful city with buildings from all eras blending together in a most interesting way. The old part of town has many different curio shops whilst there are also many large and modern shopping centres. The oldest school in Tallinn is still in use almost 400 years after its establishment! Most of us went shopping, only having to report for rehearsals at 14h30.
At the Estonian Concert Hall there is a buzz of activity the likes of which most have us have never seen. Tonight almost 350 children will perform in this beautiful venue. The Estonians have a very strong choir tradition and the children start their training around four years of age. Training of Estonian TV Choir members includes formal choir rehearsals as well as at least one dancing rehearsal per week. From what we have seen this afternoon they move as well as they sing! Tonight’s concert promises to be a really good one!
Tuesday 23 September
This was another long, but exciting day. We reported at TV House at 06h45 for our performance on Estonian National Television. The conductor of the Estonian TV choir listened in on our performance and was so moved by Tula Mama that she left the studio in tears!
She then helped us with the pronunciation of the Estonian song we need to learn for tomorrow evening’s concert, before we were taken on a tour of TV House. Most interesting was the little museum where we could see everything from the first television screen that was so tiny, that they had to put water in front of it, to act as a magnifying glass to TV cameras, the first cell phones (that weighed a ton and could definitely NOT fit into your pocket!), gramophones, microphones and many more items, some of which we could even operate! We also had fun with all the characters in the children’s studio. Look out for Cheswin and his twin!
At 11 we left by bus to Pärnu, the so-called summer capital of Estonia, well-known for its long, sandy beaches and many spas that provide healing mud-bath therapy. Lunch at the local Hesburger was followed by a short bus tour of Pärnu and some much needed shopping, before getting ready for our concert at the Elizabeth Church. Tonight we appeared with the Estonian Youth Choir and really enjoyed their excellent performance. Our children also performed well and the moms and dads can be proud of them! In the audience we had two special members, namely Lynda (Nicholas’ mom) and Marina (André de Jager’s mom). Tonight for the first time we also did not pick up a suitcase full of lost clothing, earning the kids an ice-cream each. There kids, it’s now in print!
Tomorrow morning the kids will spend with their hosts, hopefully using the free time to sleep a bit later and getting some washing done. Yes, we do indeed have to take care of everyday things too! Already we know that some kids will be spending time at an Estonian school and, of course, many will go shopping!
Monday 22 September 2008
On the ferry, the luxurious M/S Superstar, the children lounged around in the chairs like seasoned travelers and (of course) the shopping mall on the lower level attracted LOTS of customers! It was, like yesterday, a beautiful day, with the maximum temperature for Tallinn at 18ºC. The ferry is extremely stable on the water and hardly feels as if it is moving, so we luckily did not have to contend with any sea sickness!
Upon our arrival we immediately boarded a bus with an English speaking tour guide on board and started an extended bus tour of Tallinn. We first visited an open air museum where they have relocated original buildings from many eras and regions of Estonia . This included an Estonian lesson in a 19th century school house. Congratulations to Dewald who managed to spell and unpronounceable word correctly on the first try! The bus tour was interrupted by a delicious lunch at the TV House, where we will be appearing on local television tomorrow morning. It was during lunch that Nicola and Rory both admitted to wanting to go home, but only to hand out the presents, before returning here right away! Rory reckons this is as close to paradise at it comes! Sorry moms, they don’t seem to be missing you at all!
Estonia is a densely forested country, even within the city limits. To us the forests are enchantingly beautiful and we hope that we will have some opportunity to take a walk in one of them.
We are all hoping that they will get an early night tonight, as tomorrow has another early start and we are, at this point in the tour, quite exhausted!
Sunday 21 September 2008
We all got to sleep a bit later this morning (the adults at least were most grateful!). We met at the Kauppatori Market Place from where we took a 10 minute ferry to Suomennlinna , Finland ’s fortress island.
It is a beautiful island with many trees and expansive lawns, making it a favourite picnic spot for Helsinki inhabitants. The weather was PERFECT, not a cloud in the sky and hardly any wind, something that is apparently not too common for the island. After a short film about the history of the island we had a while to enjoy our packed lunches before a guided tour of the fortress. The tour took us into the fortress and we were glad for the flashlights borrowed from our hosts. It was cold, dark and narrow and altogether not a healthy place to live!
We hardly made it back to the ferry in time (the way these children are spending money one would think South Africa has not a single shop!) before busing off to the St Laurentius Church and the neighbouring restaurant for a traditional Finnish lunch of potato and salmon soup. Thank you to our hosts who kindly dropped off the concert clothes at the church so that we would not have to carry them around all day. Some girls even had their clothes washed AND ironed! Although our concert was technically quite a difficult one and Prof Troskie had to work on his fitness levels up and down the stairs, the choir did not disappoint and provided the appreciative audience with some classic South African sunshine through their music. A number of audience members commented on the choir’s wonderful sound and Lucretia once again received many compliments.
Tomorrow we have an early start and the ferry ride to Tallinn . The excitement levels just don’t drop!
20 September 2008
DON’T for a moment think that we went to bed after the party last night! Some went ice-skating, others went to see a basketball game and some enjoyed their hosts’ array of digital toys until long after bedtime! See the photo album – some of us REALLY travel in style here in Helsinki!
This morning we had a quick, but informative bus tour of Helsinki. Some points of interest were the Senate Square with the imposing Tuomio Church, the ice breakers that make sure the Helsinki Harbour is operational 365 days of the year, the Olympic Park, where the 1952 Summer Olympics were held and the monument built in honour of Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius. Lunch at MacDonalds was followed by shopping with the hosts and some more sight-seeing. Andre Visser and Dewald even ran all the way to the top of the Marathon Tower on top of which the Olympic Flame burnt during the Olympics!
Most definitely the highlight of the day must have been tonight’s concert, though. The Temppeliaukio church was built out of the granite rock face, and looks like nothing from the outside, but absolutely stunning from the inside! The choirs made good use of the wonderful acoustics and Prof Troskie loved the organ! Altogether the perfect birthday present for Mr Van Zyl.
19 September (evening)
Wow, what a busy day we're having! The two school concerts went very well and we really enjoy their school lunches! After lunch we played basketball for a while before busing off to the Heureka Science Centre for the afternoon. Whether the children had more fun than the adults will forever remain a question! See some of the fun photos I've loaded.
As I am writing, our kids are having a party with live music presented by one of the Vaskivuori School's bands. At 8 we go back to our host parents and I know of at least one pair of boys who still have ice-skating to look forward to tonight! One promise we make is that they WILL need their sleep once back in S.A.!
19 September
Yesterday we left Würzburg very early in order for the first group to catch their plane to Helsinki. Upon their arrival they were brought to the Vaskivuori School where they were given a most delicious lunch and then taken on a tour of this high-tech school, where you can study anything from music to cinematography. The school has its own TV and radio stations and studios on the premises, all run by the children.
They were then taught a couple of Finnish folk songs and dances, having had a lot of fun.
Group two booked our luggage in early and then took the sky train to Terminal 2 of the Frankfurt airport where we spent the mornings in a HUGE MacDonalds. The photos will show you that even the teenagers still like to play!
Although only 8 degrees in Helsinki, it really does not feel all that cold. There is no wind and they haven't predicted rain either. The hosts have been wonderful to the children and the children are overawed by the technology at their disposal.
Of course, a very typical Nordic pastime is the sauna, or steambath. Quite a few of us have already experienced it!
Today we have concerts at two schools before visiting the Heureka Science Centre this afternoon. This is an interactive science centre and promises to be a lot of fun.
18 September 2008
And here we are on our way to Finland already! It is unbelievable how time flies when you’re having fun! The Würzburgers have definitely shifted the benchmark to almost unattainable heights where hosting is concerned and we hope to continue our relationship on both continents long into the future.
Yesterday morning the choir had a long rehearsal, part of which was in the cathedral. Technically this was a really difficult performance for us as the accoustics are VERY different from anything most of our children have ever encountered. In addition, the organ is situated out of sight of the choir and conductor. Communication is through a microphone and camera, but Prof. Troskie did not take long to figure out what to do.
After the rehearsal they had shopping time before spending the afternoon with their hosts. Judging from the weight of their backpacks, shopping was definitely good!
In the afternoon we attended a function, in our honour, by the mayor of Würzburg. We entertained them with Sithi Alleluia and Tula Mama. We are absolutely blown away by the Würzburgers’ excitement and pleasure to have us.
A buffet in the cathedral’s cloister garden started our preparations for the evening’s concert. The concert was extremely well attended and very successful, even by the conductors’ very high standards. The harp and cello accompaniment to Magnificat was beautiful and we so wish we could have recorded it, but it was not to be. It was wonderful to start the tour concert program with a standing ovation!
FINLAND, HERE WE COME!
16 September 2008
We met some really big smiles this morning, with the children seeming to compete about who had the most sleep and whose breakfast was the best!
We first had a cultural tour of the city, including the Old Birdge with statues of all the saints, many of whom managed to have their lives ended by losing their heads! Quite interesting was the town council chambers where the walls are painted to reflect the rich history of Würzburg - a good reminder of the importance of the councillors' job!
Lionel took opportunity of the beautiful surroundings to warm up the children's voices and entertained the guides with a short performance. Next up was a visit to the Franciscan Chapel where statues by the famous Würzburg artist, Tilman Riemenschneider, can be seen. Of course we just HAD to test the accoustics here too!
From here we saw the magnificent Residenz (the residential palace of the Prince Bishop) from its gardens while enjoying a picnic lunch, followed by a tour of the inside of the building. Amazingly, a large part of the building was destroyed during the Second World War, but was since rebuilt as an exact replica. Most of the movable items could be saved and the rooms and ceilings are breathtakingly beautiful. Sorry folks, they would not allow our cameras, so you'll have to arrange your own visit one day! Oh, and I almost forgot the impromptu performance that was very much enjoyed by the other tourists! Nothing like a bit of marketing the day before our big concert!
15 September 2008
And here we are. Almost at the end of our first day. Monika was ready with the bus as we exited the airport at Frankfurt this morning and wasted no time in introducing us to some German history, landscapes and beautiful architecture, when she showed us the beautiful Castle Mespelbrunn, a 15th century castle in the hills amongst the woods, completely surrounded by water. Even the compulsory swans were there!
Breakfast in Würzburg (prepared by the lovely girls from the Cathedral choir) was followed by a tour of the St Kilian's Cathedral (where we will be having our concert) and then it was time to meet our hosts! A shower and a soft bed and activities like walking and cycling for those who still had some energy left, turned us all into new beings!
All the pre-hosting nerves have settled and every single chorister thinks THEY've landed the dream hosts! As I am writing the two choirs are hard at work rehearsing for Wednesday's performance. The exciting news is that Magnificat will be performed with the original harp and cello accompaniment!
14 September 2008
up, up and AWAY!!!
