Sunday, June 5, 2011

March 12 2011: IT IS HAPPENING





After my 7 year wait of going on this Europe Band Trip, (yes, I wanted to go on this trip since gr. 5) I was bouncing off the walls knowing that the day was finally here. We all arrived to the sacred place between the Q and R terminal, screaming at one another in excitement. We were then assigned to the instruments we were resposible for, said our sad goodbyes to our families, and spent our time waiting for our flight learning German! The plane ride form Toronto to Munich was a gruelling, yet worth-while trip. I have to say that it was quite enjoyable supporting the people who never flew on a plane before by raising our hands in excitement! Being able to watch movies and eat (for the first time ever) plane food was the icing on the cake! 127 hours, Megamind, Chicken and Rice, Salad, bread, and chocolate cake- simply marvelous!

March 13 2011 Nordlingen Germany, day of excitement!








We're all pooped. The bus ride from the Munich airport to Nordlingen, Germany is where everyone caught up on their sleep-- I got the greatest picture of an entire bus full of passed out people. Our hotel was amazing as we had two floors! I never heard of something like that in Canada. It was even more spectacular when we got to watch Spongebob in German! Despite all of the escitement, we all had to get spiffied up to go on our walking tour and a reception with THE MAYOR. I certanly felt special. The walking tour was amazing as the houses were so gorgeous and historical. Soon after, we had the great opportunity of having drinks with the mayor who informed us that the founders of Nordlingen aided in the founding of Markham and Toronto, Ontario as well-- pretty interesting huh? We then ate dinner at a little restaurant in town which had horrible service yet delicious food. I guess they just weren't used to such a large group. We also had the great opportunity of celebrating my good friend, Perrin's birthday here! We ate salad, chicken and gravy, potatoes, and zucchini! Then, during free time, we explored the town at night which was quiet and scary, but beautiful. Walking on the wall at night was an amazing experience. I love my band family so much and I'm glad this was just the first day.

March 14 2011: More Nordlingen aka DON'T BE LATE








Our very first full day in Europe, YAY! Today we learned the very valuable lesson about punctuality. When Mr. Jatiouk says that we have to be on the bus by 8:30am, he means 8:30am, NOT 8:45. We learned this the hard way as he gave us all a very stern lecture about being late; even leaving behind around 10 people for their tardiness. Those punctual people however, had the excellent opportunity of touring the area around Nordlingen. We saw this beautiful church with a ceiling that made anyone want to cry with its beauty. We then saw Mayan ruins and the First Wallerstein (aka a really cool castle). We then travelled back to the hotel to get ready for lunch. A few others and I ate at this German fast food restaurant called 'Kockleffor' where I had this delicious tater-tot type thing.
Soon after, we had our very first (and best) concert! It felt like the entire town came out to see us and we even got to play with the Nordlingen Boys Band, a group of European boys with the same passion for music as we do-- cue the screaming girls! We were lucky enough to have social time with them where I can easily say I made many new friends, even though the language barrier was somewhat an issue. We then went to the town square to see the town caller and then to McDonalds with our new new friends to sit and chat (not to eat however because we all vowed to try new things). We then walked back to the hotel where we played the amazing card game called MAO. As we were all very tired, my room mates and I decided to go back to our hotel room only to discover that we were locked out. However, because of our gracious friends, we were able to have an enjoyable time sleeping over in another room! This was certainly a day I could never forget.

March 15 2011: Arrival to Stuttgard, Germany






After our amazing time in Nordlingen, it was a bitter-sweet goodbye as we departed for Stuttgard. On our journey, there was lots of traffic, we were hit by a truck, and we were even pulled over by the border police; could it get any worse? NO IT COULD NOT! We arrived to the Stuttgard Music School which was located in one of the most beautiful areas in the world. After rehearsing a few times with a conductor at the school, we got to explore the streets of Stuttgart where we saw these eccentric trees, cute shops, beautiful buildings, heard the most amazing street music, and ate spinach pie and peach yogurt gelato, YUM! We got back to the music school for our second concert where we heard the incredible Brass ensemble (conducted by the famous Mr. Gassi!) and played incredibly, even with a conductor we weren't very familiar with. We all made some very nice Stuttgard friends as well. The bus ride home to our hotel was probably the best moment of my life! The band decided to sing our entire concert while gazing out the window at the beautiful scenery-- simply priceless. My band family is amazing!

March 16 2011 The 'based gods' in Stuttgart, Germany





This morning I woke up to eat the best breakfast ever! I ate an amazing smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich (of course stashing a handful of nutella packets in my pocket in the process)-- I love breakfast buffets! All dressed in our black concert clothes, we travelled to the all-girl's school on the other side of Stuttgart. I'm sure after seeing us girls scream and giggle when we had our experience with the Nordlingen boys band, an all-girl's school would be a nice change of pace for our boys. We had an amazing concert (as usual) which was followed by a few boys being mobbed by some very beautiful German girls! They were all very nice and wanted to take so many pictures of us Canadians!

Soon after, we went back to our hotel to change quickly because we were going to the famous, MERCEDES BENZ MUSEUM! We were given a very interesting lesson on the history of the car where I hit my head on a horse! Nonetheless, the museum was an amazing experience.
We then had our free time in downtown Stuttgart which was absolutely beautiful. It was so much fun shopping despite the rain!


We then travelled back to our hotel where we had the best night ever telling ghost stories and talking about our dreams in one small room. This was surely going to be a new ritual!

March 17 2011: Journey to Switzerland












Well, it's been 5 days since we said our goodbyes to family at the airport and I can tell that everyone is not missing Toronto! Sorry, but we are all having too much fun! There has certainly not been one moment of boredom and I am sure it will stay that way.


Today, we left from Stuttgart, Germany and made our way to Lucerne, Switzerland. On our way there, we had a very enjoyable GROUNDERS game on a playground that overlooked the Swiss scenery. Upon our arrival in Switzerland, we were all pretty upset that there was so much rain! But did that stop us? NO! We still went on our walking tour around the city where we went to the Bucherer (where we got free souvenir spoons which was my souvenir for my mother!), which is also known as the SWATCH and Swiss knives store. I'm pretty sure that many people blew their Swiss Francs in that one store buying souvenirs. We then had free time around the city to explore and do more souvenir shopping! YAY! We obviously bought delicious chocolate and took pictures in front of the beautiful buildings. After getting back to the hotel, we had a few minutes to get ready to set out for dinner. Dinner was at the Rutli Restaurant, just walking distance from the hotel. And I must say, it was absolutely wonderful there! It was in a cute little room that looked like the dining room at Hogwarts! Dinner consisted of pea soup, chicken, and this amazing strawberry dessert. It was delicious and we all had fun telling our usual riddles at the dinner table.

Soon after, a few others and I decided to explore the town. We had the best time talking really loudly, being silly, and getting approached by a drunk Swiss man who had the best laugh. We then had the incredible experience of fitting over 75% of the band in one room as we told our very scary stories in the dark with the windows wide open. Of course, we concluded the night with a fun game of truth or dare and a sleepover. The bonding was certainly one of my favourite parts of the trip! Switzerland is an amazing place.

March 18 2011 Lucerne and Zurich Switzerland








I woke up again today to have my usual delicious breakfast of a croissant, egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich! I knew I had to get all of the energy I could because we were going on a beautiful walking tour of Lucerne, while it was still sunny. On our city tour, we were fortunate enough to see the beautiful buildings, the surrounding Alps, and the exquisite bridge over the water. Unfortunately, it was raining but you know a place is gorgeous when it could be pouring cats and dogs and it could still be beautiful. The tour was even more exciting when we figured out we could drink straight from the pretty fountains! After the tour, we separated at lunch where a few of us were very adamant in getting tattoos-- something I could only do in Europe! Unfortunately, there was a 3-4 month waiting time so we decided to buy the SWATCH instead :) We spent the rest of our time shopping, and of course, eating gelato! Soon after, we went back to our hotel where we had to change for our next concert in Zurich, Switzerland.

The music hall was incredible as it had great sound, great seating, and even the stands were pretty high-tech as well. We then went for dinner where we had delicious pasta and salad while we had the best time gossiping about who would end up together after the trip. We travelled back to the theatre, more pumped then ever. Unfortunately, the audience for this concert was certainly less than satisfactory as only 8 people showed up. Mr. Jatiouk looked very upset, but we decided to go through with the concert anyways. We could never pass up playing a concert! This night, I can honestly say that we played the best we ever had despite the circumstances. Like a coach who takes their team out after a loss, Mr. Jatiouk and Mr. Gassi did just that. They took us out for gelato after and told us how proud they were that we played regardless of who our audience was. It was one of my favourite memories of this incredible trip.

March 19 2011: Lugano, Switzerland!

Although we were all upset that we were leaving Switzerland, we knew that being in Italy would be worth it. I woke up to eat the usual, delicious breakfast sandwich consisting of a butter croissant, egg, bacon, and cheese. We then packed up all of our gear for our 2 hr busride to Italy. In this 2 hr bus ride, we experienced all 4 seasons: a snow storm, rain, and sunshine-- only in Europe! On our way to Italy we made a very worth-while visit to Lugano, Switzerland; the most beautiful place in the WORLD. We had an amazing tour which was then followed by our free time and lunch. Because we were in the southern part of Switzerland now, we were speaking Italian while eating the most delicious pizza I have ever had IN MY LIFE. We ate an arugala and marscarponi cheese pizza and a margarita pizza-- YUM. Then all of a sudden after all of the beautiful weather, it got incredibly rainy to the point where we had to find shelter underneath the umbrella of a gelato shop to wait for the bus; we got some gelato anyways!
We then bussed to our hotel in Como, Italy which was very confusing. If anything, it was more like a hostel. After getting settled, we went to mass at an Italian church that was very solemn and beautiful but we could not understand a word. Most of us had to guess when to sit, stand, and kneel! We then walked to dinner which was a gorgeous experience. We had an incredible dinner where we ate pasta with meat and walnuts and for dessert, strachiatella gelato! Not only was the food amazing, but being able to sit with such hilarious people made the experience so much more incredible.

March 20 2011 OMG Shopping in Milan :D

Today was spent in Milan (the shopping capital of the world) and Voghera, Italy! As told the night before upon our arrival in Como, this was a long, yet amazing 15 hour day that consisted of long bus rides, tours, shopping, more long bus rides and of course, a concert performance. This morning was also very eventful as we spent it throwing balloons at a very good friend, Natasha because it was her birthday :D Soon after, we began our tour in the Castello Sforzesco castle in Milan. We were fortunate enough to have great tour guides who ensured to thoroughly inform us about this castle; we even got to see some funny-dressed guys who were part of a marching band.
Next, we walked down to La Scala, the internationally famous opera house in Milan where they say "If you're successful in performing in La Scala, you can make it anywhere in the world". Although it was gorgeous, I felt myself slowly falling asleep with every stop we made!
The walking tour was followed by a visit to Basilica of St. Ambrose,the gorgeous church made entirely out of marble! Then, we had the great opportunity of going inside La Galleria where we saw the first ever Gucci store and a really fancy Mcdonalds. It was now time for what we came here for-- SHOPPING! I was fortunate enough to be with girls who were adamant in shopping as well so it was all the more enjoyable. I bought khaki pants and a polka-dot dress from a very Italian store called Berksha, an 'I heart Milano' shirt and a Milan bracelet from a street vendor, and shorts from Tally Weijl! The sun, the smell of roasted chestnuts and coconut, the scary moving statues, and the accompinament of great friends made our time in Milan truly short lived. We had some business to take care of now; a concert!

We had another long bus ride that took us to Voghera, Italy. At this church, we had the amazing opportunity of changing in a cold, dark back room and peeing in a broken toilet- wonderful. Nonetheless, our concert was great as usual even with the upsetting conditions of the church AND the improvised performance of two new songs, Gabriel's Oboe and the Italian National Anthem. After the concert was amazing as well because I got to talk to very cute, Italian boys. Overall, our day was fantastic, fabulous, and just simply draining. But then again, that's what we signed up for. I love the tour life.

March 21 2011: Last Day in Italy and first All-nighter EVER

Today was probably the most beautiful day of my life. After the rainy weather in Como, we could finally see what this town truly had to offer: beauty. We started with a bus ride around Lake Como before boarding a boat to Bellagio, a small little village with a great view. What we saw was breath-taking and I couldn't believe that something like this existed. When we arrived, we had incredible band-geek photo shoot in front of the exquisite mountains and palm trees. Then, we were given free time to eat lunch-- only 45 minutes to order and eat; it felt like we were running a marathon! I ordered this delicious spinach, cherry tomato, and prosciutto pizza. To top it off, I had delicious gelato for only 1.5 euros. After taking the boat back to Como, we were fortunate enough to see GEORGE CLOONEY'S HOUSE. I recall all of the girls running to one side of the bus just to see it. The views didn't stop there. We travelled back near our hotel and went on the funicular to the top of the mountain. Combined with the sunny weather, we had the clearest view of Como, with mountains on the back ground and the lake in the foreground. It was quite funny seeing Mr. Hathaway squirm at the sight of heights.

We then went back to our hotel to change into our concert clothes for our very last Europe concert at Centro Congressi Medioevo :( Luckily, the Italian students we played with were incredibly nice (although their english made it incredibly hard to communicate. The hall was also incredible. It felt like we were performing at Hogwarts! For dinner, we ate delicious steak, spinach, gnochi, pistachio pudding, AND MY FIRST ESPRESSO! That espresso was very much needed as I was falling asleep every time I remained still for a few moments. Unfortunately, I was very hyper after. We watched the band from Como play some great songs, including YMCA, and a unique drumming presentation. It was such a great show that lasted until midnight.

Because we were aware that we would be on a bus for 9hrs the next day, myself and a few other new but great friends decided to pull an all-nighter-- MY FIRST ALL-NIGHTER EVER. It was so fun playing Truth or Dare, the game of LIFE on Angel's iPad, having girl talk, being completely delusional, eating breakfast extra early, and leaving the hotel before anyone else to stalk up on junk food for the long bus ride! This very long day was one of my best memories.

March 22, 2011 Day of Travel

Today, we travelled all the way from Como, Italy to Salzburg, Austria. WHAT A LONG TRIP. Actually, although we were told it would be a 9 hr bus ride, the combination of friends, dares, naps, and food made the trip feel a lot shorter. After pulling my first all-nighter ever, sleeping on the bus was heaven.

March 23 2011: Zell Am See

Today was the day that everyone went skiing/snowboarding on the beautiful Austrian Alps-- everyone except me :( Well, it was me and everyone else whose parents thought they were going to die on the Alps! This morning, we woke up bright and early to travel an hour and half bus ride to the ski resort, Zell Am See. When we arrived, we were separated by our activity. I was lucky enough to have two really great friends who weren't allowed to go skiing either so we decided to go explore the town. We bought souvenirs, ate at an exquisite restaurant, went shopping, and we even had the opportunity to go all the way up the finicular to see the beautiful view. I had an amazing time singing 'The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music" in Austria, on the Alps. It was an incredible experience, even if I didn't get to ski. We arrived back to the hotel in Salzburg in the evening for dinner. Afterward, we had some free time of which most of us spent at the bowling alley/pool hall/mini put area near the the hotel. The concerts may be over, but we have been reassured that this trip is not over yet!

March 24, 2011 Salzburg, Austria

Today, we started our day wonderfully later (although it didn't seem like it) than we usually do- 8:30am :) After eating an amazing breakfast sandwich consisting of Austrian cheese, ham, and bacon, we packed the trailer with our luggages and headed out to the salt mines! When we first arrived, we were told to put on these giant, white jumpsuits that made us all look like the Michelan Man! Our tour guide then brought us to this train that quickly brought us far into the mountain and way under ground. Our tour guide walked us through the mine, explaining the creation and importance of it, which I unfortunately missed the whole concept of because I was too excited for what we were going to do next-- go down a huge slide on our butts. Who could say they slid INSIDE a mountain?

We then headed to downtown Salzburg for more tours and free time. Arriving in downtown Salzburg was pretty amazing. We toured around and learned about the history of Mozart, all of the places where The Sound of Music was filmed (one of my favourite movies!), the fortress in Salzburg, the beautiful cathedral and many other things before we had our 3 hours of free time. During free time, I was fortunate enought to get a huge pizza pretzel! One of my favourite parts of the trip was eating that giant pretzel under a bridge, merely basking in the sun and looking at the beautiful scenery. I will never forget it! We finished up our day with a walk back to the bus and a 2 hour bus ride to Munich, Germany, our last stop.

March 25 2011: Munich, Germany











We awoke in Munich, the last city of our tour and our final day of fun :( We started the day off by visiting a school also called Mary Ward in Munich. At every Mary Ward band trip, we make every effort possible to find a school with the same name, and obviously the same beliefs as we do. We toured around the all-girls school and got to learn a little about how the school system works. Afterward, we visited the palace right in the backyard of the school, and the beautiful gardens. I have never heard of a school with a palace in their backyard! crazy! We were told by our tour guide that this palace inspired the creation of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, amazing huh?





The next stop was to the Munich Olympic park where there was something very similar to us all. Doesn't the building look like the CN tower? Here, we had the best time eating giant hot dogs and crepes, while sitting near a beautiful pond playing with ducks. Although we spent a very short time here, we can all agree the simplicity of it all made it very memorable.




Soon after, we had our solemn visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp. We watched a documentary about what life was like for a prisoner, and then we walked around the camp. We visited the massive barracks and ended our visit by seeing the gas chamber and ovens. The entire experience was full of sadness but also hope for humanity.






We then went into the city center of Munich to have some shopping time! It was honestly an amazing experience walking around town, eating at numerous gelato shops, and talking about how much the trip would truly be missed as we watched the sun go down. This was a very sad yet memorable experience. We then went for dinner at the Hofbrauhaus where we were treated to an amazing dance and music performance on stage. Dinner was good-- half a chicken and apple struddle (but extremely slow to come, taking an entire hour to get to us). On the bus ride back to the hotel we watched a slide show full of pictures of the trip put together by the teachers and when we arrived at the hotel we spent some quality time together as a group. We went around the band, each sharing our favourite moments of the trip. Sadest moment ever. We all got a little gift from the teachers and spent the rest of the night bonding with one another for that one last time by playing truth or dare!















































































































March 26 2011: flight back to Toronto a.k.a UTTER SADNESS :(

Today, we flew back to {ugly} Toronto, Ontario and to the reality of responsibility and boredom. The picture of me on the left is a perfect depiction of my sadness (and my tiredness after pulling my second all-nighter ever) of having to go back home. Many said it was a bitter-sweet goodbye as the past 14 days would be missed, but families were missed as well. For me however, being in such amazing places, playing beautiful music, with the best people in the world made missing my family or home impossible. How could I ever leave knowing what I have experienced in Europe? Having my first espresso in Italy, seeing George Clooney's house in Como, eating chocolate and buying watches in Switzerland, and going up the Austrian Alps in a Finicular




will never be forgotten. As we flew into Pearson Airport, seeing the dreaded sight of snow and the grey of the sky made the depression of having to go back even harder. All I can say is that I had the best 2 weeks of my life touring Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, and I will never forget any of it. The creation of a time machine would be greatly appreciated! I would love to live this experience out over and over again.