Goodness me! Marrakesh is a wild place! Here are some highlights:
Jamaa El Fna
This the most famous square in all of Morocco. It is everything a square should be; it has nothing in it. Well, that is until it is filled with wild excitement. Almost 24 hours a day, every day of the week something is going on there. First, there is the 'entertainment' section. This part of the square is filled with street performers, acrobats, snake charmers, fortune tellers, story tellers, musicians, street boxing matches, hema artists, magicians, witch doctors, and on and on. Crowds of people surround each sight and clap and cheer, and of course give money to the performers.
--- Just a side note here, I was ALWAYS the first person that was asked for money. In fact, most of the time I was asked for money within 15 seconds of arriving to watch. There are a few things to consider however. These performers are aware that tourists are good money. About being a tourist: I think I dressed pretty normal. I had no straps, fanny packs, cameras, stupid hats, flags, pins, or anything that should have separated me from any other man there. The problem arises with my skin colour, but even more so my hair colour. I was the only blond for miles. I got stared at from miles away. SO, all that considered, I had to turn down many a street performer's request for money.---
The snake charmers were almost like you see in cartoons. There is a man playing a horrible sounding oboe type instrument (one of which I now own - for all my snake charming needs you know...), other men playing drums or just making noise to grab your attention, still other men who are putting snakes all over themselves, putting them on tourists, kicking at the cobras, pretty much doing anything to make a crowd gasp. They even had snakes in a box (I know, not a clay pot, but close) which they would tease. Now, you could feel free to take a picture, but almost without a doubt, one of the above mentioned men would see you, and then bring a snake over to you so you could pose with it and take more pictures. At this point, you are trapped. Once you are satisfied, they ask for money. Feeling obliged, you offer some change. No matter what you give them, it is not enough and they make a scene. One snake charmer repeatedly yelled 'MONEY' at me for about 2min straight because he wasn't happy with what I tried to give him. Too bad for him, he ended up with none. You learn very quickly to avoid the snake charmer bullshit no matter how dramatic they are.
The dentist man is unbelievable. There is a creepy old man in with a small old cart sitting in one part of the square. On his cart he has a mountain of teeth, some animal, many human. Next to the tooth mountain are some crude dentures which he has constructed. Locals come to this guy when they can't afford anything else (I assume...) to get a tooth pulled. He only had a few things to get the job done: pliers, knives, and some sort of stone that he puts in your mouth once the tooth is out (to stop bleeding or pain I suppose). Then (and I am speculating somewhat here) if the tooth is usable, he places it into a set of homemade dentures for another customer.
In another part of the square are the food and drink vendors. Every night around 100 food vendors set up a tent and portable kitchen and cook up everything under the sun and sell it to the public for cheap. There were probably 20 identical orange juice stands side by side, all selling glasses of orange juice for 3 dirham (about 40 cents). Oranges grow all over here - in some places they are falling off the trees and rotting on the ground. Other rows of vendors sold fresh fish, squid, kababs, salads, and breads. Still others cooked up Tajine. Tajine is the name of the dish that the food is cooked in - a pyramid shaped lid on a shallow bowl all made of clay and cooked on fire. There are many types and flavours of Tajines, all called by the name of the dish. One night I ate dinner for 8DH. I had a bowl of 3DH soup at one stand, liked it so tried another stand selling the same thing. Then I was generous and tipped the man 2DH because he took a picture for me. 8DH is about a buck. I then paid 20DH for a coke to gain access to a roof top terrace to see the square from above. It was worth the over priced coke. Other things being cooked up? Whole sheep heads, cauldrons of snails, and other unknown Moroccan delicacies.
Hamman
A Hamman is a public bath. Sort of. There are many types of Hammans, they range from a room with a tap with warm water for washing yourself, to a full on day spa with all the luxuries. We asked our tour guide which place he recommended. Without doing any further research, we headed to our Hammam. Now, there is the tourist price and the local price. The local price grants you access to the Hammam and that is it - you'd go there to wash and bring your own soap and towel, etc. The tourist price includes the soap, towel, wash cloth, and your own masseuse.
Three of us guys went for the full on experience. After paying, we were ushered into the change room where we left everything but our bathing suits. We were then ushered through a few empty but steamy chambers until we reached the last one. A guy splashed a bucket of water on the floor and then told us: "Dormir" which I translated for the other two: "lay down!" So we lay on the floor of an empty hot steaming room for a while until we began sweating like mad. We were then ushered into another empty, wet, but somewhat cooler room. Again, we were told to lay down. A man came and dumped a huge bucket of water on my head.
Since there were three of us, and only two dudes to massage us, me and Terry (a great Aussie on my tour) had to share. I had the pleasure and the horror of watching him go first. Our masseuse was an ever so slightly balding, mostly naked, ever so slightly chubby, ever so slightly moist Moroccan man. First, Terry got rubbed down with the 'soap'. The soap was a black ball of slime. He then got half pinched / half tickled all over. At this point, I was starting to giggle, but unsure of the etiquette of a Hammam, I just lay in my puddle on the hard floor and stayed quiet.
At one point, the guy pulled Terry's arm straight back in the air and started making a very loud puckering kissing sort of sound while slapping Terry's muscle. I watched in horror as Terry groaned in pain. This happened over and over for each limb in a whole number of different positions. The guy put Terry on his stomach, pulled both his arms back in the air, then stepped on his spine with his foot! Then, he grabbed Terry's leg and pulled it up behind his head so far that Terry started sliding accross the slippery wet floor. To get Terry back to his spot, the guy just grabbed his foot and drug him back. At this point I burst into laughter - the sight of Terry being drug around on the wet floor coupled with the fear of going next was unbearable, I had to react.
My turn was much of the same. That guy stepped all over me, slapped me, kicked me, made lots of kissing sounds, poured many buckets of water over me, and even let his armpit drip in my face. I came out feeling kind of clean, kind of beat up, and kind of confused...
Those are a few highlights of Marrakesh. There are many more, but I have to jet. I'm on my way home now! See you soon!
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Southern Morocco
From Fez, the group headed south to the dunes of Erg Chebbi in the Sahara desert. We stayed in the town of Marzuka (I think) in an Auberge, which falls somewhere between a hostel, a hotel, and a trailer. The auberge sat right on the edge of the sand dunes: the front of the place was all rocky with some palm trees, and the sand dunes came right up to the back of the place. We wandered around the dunes in bare feet for a bit, looking at the mountains of sand. We arrived in the evening so the hottest part of the day had past, but it was still in the high 30's. After dinner, we were treated to some traditional Berber music, from a bunch of Berber brothers (Berbers are the native people of Morocco). One of the guys asked me to play with them (so cool) and then he spent some time teaching me some different rhythms.
The following day, after a small amount of sleep (it is too hot to sleep well), we saddled up our camels and headed straight into the desert. Let me tell you, camels are not comfy - you sit right on top of the hump. OH, and by the way, we actually didn't ride camels at all, we rode dromedaries. The difference? Camel - two humps; dromedary - one hump. Nevertheless, we called them camels, they are just the Arabian type. SO, we headed straight into the dunes. As far as you could see there were mountains of sand, some up to 300m high! We went up and down, over and around the sand dunes on our camels for about an hour and a half before reaching our desert camp for the night. The camp consisted of a couple Berber tents and a cooking shack. I decided before I left that nature would not call me while out there, and luckily it did not. We ate dinner under the stars, then curled up on a mat in the sand. There was really no need for flashlights (or torches that is, if you're from Austrailia) because the moon was so bright. I was generally comfortable, but a little concerned about the desert creatures. We saw some sand bettles on the way in - they were huge. I didn't know what other types of huge creatures were around, so I tucked my pants into my socks to protect myself. We rose with the sun and rode our camels out of the desert very early in the morning.
We spent two nights in the Torda Gorge - a beautiful oasis compared to the desert. We learned how the very precious fertile land is divided and shared amoung the local families. The land in the valley is good for growing crops because it is irrigated by the Torda river. Growing crops otherwise is near impossible - too hot and dry. Our hotel here sat right on the river and we ate breakfast and dinner on the patio by the pool while listening to the river flow by. Our entire group made a special effort to obtain beer and wine - we had to send our driver into town on a special trip. I had two local Moroccan beers.
Leaving the green valley behind, we headed back into desert territory to Ait Ben Haddou - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old Kasbah (fortress) is sits on a the side of a hill next to a dried up river. There is still no power or water (and likely never will be) but people still live in this fortress just as their ancestors have for the last 1000 years. I may or may not have bought myself some cool dishes here...
Now we are in Essaouira which is on the Atlantic coast. The temperature here is much nicer - it was 25 when we arrived. This is a real typical coast town - there is a fortified, old section of city with a big wall built to protect the place during times of war. There is a port with tons of fresh fish, boats, and shady people. And of course the long stretch of beach. We've had some time off, and I have just found myself wandering around the old medina (city) in awe of the way of life here. Within one block you can find, chickens dead or alive, butchers, fruit stands, shoes, clothes, restaurants, drug stores (kind of), spice shops, etc... you should see the electronic stores!! There are people right in the middle of the street selling anything and everything - remote controls, mint leaves, pants, little packs of tissue, drugs, cookies, melons, cactus fruit...
Thats a small taste of what I've been up to. Tomorrow to Marakesch!
The following day, after a small amount of sleep (it is too hot to sleep well), we saddled up our camels and headed straight into the desert. Let me tell you, camels are not comfy - you sit right on top of the hump. OH, and by the way, we actually didn't ride camels at all, we rode dromedaries. The difference? Camel - two humps; dromedary - one hump. Nevertheless, we called them camels, they are just the Arabian type. SO, we headed straight into the dunes. As far as you could see there were mountains of sand, some up to 300m high! We went up and down, over and around the sand dunes on our camels for about an hour and a half before reaching our desert camp for the night. The camp consisted of a couple Berber tents and a cooking shack. I decided before I left that nature would not call me while out there, and luckily it did not. We ate dinner under the stars, then curled up on a mat in the sand. There was really no need for flashlights (or torches that is, if you're from Austrailia) because the moon was so bright. I was generally comfortable, but a little concerned about the desert creatures. We saw some sand bettles on the way in - they were huge. I didn't know what other types of huge creatures were around, so I tucked my pants into my socks to protect myself. We rose with the sun and rode our camels out of the desert very early in the morning.
We spent two nights in the Torda Gorge - a beautiful oasis compared to the desert. We learned how the very precious fertile land is divided and shared amoung the local families. The land in the valley is good for growing crops because it is irrigated by the Torda river. Growing crops otherwise is near impossible - too hot and dry. Our hotel here sat right on the river and we ate breakfast and dinner on the patio by the pool while listening to the river flow by. Our entire group made a special effort to obtain beer and wine - we had to send our driver into town on a special trip. I had two local Moroccan beers.
Leaving the green valley behind, we headed back into desert territory to Ait Ben Haddou - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old Kasbah (fortress) is sits on a the side of a hill next to a dried up river. There is still no power or water (and likely never will be) but people still live in this fortress just as their ancestors have for the last 1000 years. I may or may not have bought myself some cool dishes here...
Now we are in Essaouira which is on the Atlantic coast. The temperature here is much nicer - it was 25 when we arrived. This is a real typical coast town - there is a fortified, old section of city with a big wall built to protect the place during times of war. There is a port with tons of fresh fish, boats, and shady people. And of course the long stretch of beach. We've had some time off, and I have just found myself wandering around the old medina (city) in awe of the way of life here. Within one block you can find, chickens dead or alive, butchers, fruit stands, shoes, clothes, restaurants, drug stores (kind of), spice shops, etc... you should see the electronic stores!! There are people right in the middle of the street selling anything and everything - remote controls, mint leaves, pants, little packs of tissue, drugs, cookies, melons, cactus fruit...
Thats a small taste of what I've been up to. Tomorrow to Marakesch!
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Morocco!
So much has happened!
I arrived in Gibralter on Wednesday, found my hotel and headed towards the rock! Gibralter is a British coloney situated on a huge rock on a peninsula in the southern most part of Spain. You need to show your passport as you enter because it is considered a seperate country. Not only that, the instant you have crossed the boarder, everyone suddenly speaks English and with a thick British accent! Amazing! I took the bus to the cable car and went to the top of the rock. The views were amazing! Equally amazing was learning a little about the long and complicated history this place has had. It was a stronghold in nearly every thinkable war for the last few hundred years. During each war, caves and tunnels inside the rock were used for a wide variety of purposes. I toured St. Michael's Cave - the formations inside were impressive, along with the space used as a concert hall!
The next day I took the ferry from Algiceras, Spain, to Tangiers, Morocco! Arriving in Tangiers, I realized that I only had a vague idea of where my riad was (riad means 'rich house' in Arabic and many of them are kind of like hotels or hostels). On exiting the ferry terminal, several men approached me asking if they could show me around, take me places, etc, etc. I got a local guy to take me to my place. He winded me up and down tiny streets, crowded markets, and through alleys. Finally I arrived. He wanted money of course, but I had realized that he was trying to turn me around along the way and then wanted me to continue to use him. This pissed me off so I told him where to go and got rid of him. My place was FANTASTIC! The most beautiful place to stay. I wandered around the Medina of Tangiers overcome by the spectacle! Shops and salesmen, liter small streets only big enough for pedestrians. I was in awe! I did nothing but wander around all day!
I met up with my tour in Casablanca. There are 10 of us in the group, plus our tour guide. The group is great - a couple from Austrailia, a couple from New Zealand, four other girls from random English speaking countries, and my roomie from New York. We toured the Hassan II Mosque which holds 25 000 worshipers normally, and during special days, 80 000 more can fit in the square outside!
Yesterday we did a city tour of Fez. Another amazing experience! We walked up and down and through the markets or souqs as they are called. A souq is a working market where the things that are sold are made right in the street. We toured a pottery place, a textille place, a tannery, and a carpet store. The tannery was AMAZING! hundreds of basins built centuries ago where hides are washed and dyed are crammed into a small square. Workers get right inside the basin with the hides and work with them. The carpet stores are an experience too. The merchants are very good at their jobs and try various techniques to get you interested in thier rugs. I had been through several of these experiences already, but somehow, I ended up buying myslef a magic carpet.........
Today we toured Volubilis - some ancient Roman ruins. Very similar to Pompei in Italy. I enjoyed it alot - I like using my imagination to reconstruct the ruins and picture how life was 2000 years ago! Also went to Meknes today and did some other sight seeing.
The Moroccan food is tasty - cous cous is a very popular dish and I have certainly eaten my share of that! Tagine is the name of a dish named after the name of the dish it is cooked in (if that makes any sense). Had a bunch of that too! The fruit juices here are amazing, and I have only shit my pants for one day so far! Since this is an Arabic country, alcohol is not common. There are many cafes, but the drink of choice is mint tea (which is pretty good, but not on a hot day when you'd love a beer). Speaking of hot, it gets down to about 30 at night and the daytime temperature has been about 38.
Tomorrow we head to the Sahara dessert. Last week it was 56C there. I've heard that it has since cooled to about 45 so that is good...
I arrived in Gibralter on Wednesday, found my hotel and headed towards the rock! Gibralter is a British coloney situated on a huge rock on a peninsula in the southern most part of Spain. You need to show your passport as you enter because it is considered a seperate country. Not only that, the instant you have crossed the boarder, everyone suddenly speaks English and with a thick British accent! Amazing! I took the bus to the cable car and went to the top of the rock. The views were amazing! Equally amazing was learning a little about the long and complicated history this place has had. It was a stronghold in nearly every thinkable war for the last few hundred years. During each war, caves and tunnels inside the rock were used for a wide variety of purposes. I toured St. Michael's Cave - the formations inside were impressive, along with the space used as a concert hall!
The next day I took the ferry from Algiceras, Spain, to Tangiers, Morocco! Arriving in Tangiers, I realized that I only had a vague idea of where my riad was (riad means 'rich house' in Arabic and many of them are kind of like hotels or hostels). On exiting the ferry terminal, several men approached me asking if they could show me around, take me places, etc, etc. I got a local guy to take me to my place. He winded me up and down tiny streets, crowded markets, and through alleys. Finally I arrived. He wanted money of course, but I had realized that he was trying to turn me around along the way and then wanted me to continue to use him. This pissed me off so I told him where to go and got rid of him. My place was FANTASTIC! The most beautiful place to stay. I wandered around the Medina of Tangiers overcome by the spectacle! Shops and salesmen, liter small streets only big enough for pedestrians. I was in awe! I did nothing but wander around all day!
I met up with my tour in Casablanca. There are 10 of us in the group, plus our tour guide. The group is great - a couple from Austrailia, a couple from New Zealand, four other girls from random English speaking countries, and my roomie from New York. We toured the Hassan II Mosque which holds 25 000 worshipers normally, and during special days, 80 000 more can fit in the square outside!
Yesterday we did a city tour of Fez. Another amazing experience! We walked up and down and through the markets or souqs as they are called. A souq is a working market where the things that are sold are made right in the street. We toured a pottery place, a textille place, a tannery, and a carpet store. The tannery was AMAZING! hundreds of basins built centuries ago where hides are washed and dyed are crammed into a small square. Workers get right inside the basin with the hides and work with them. The carpet stores are an experience too. The merchants are very good at their jobs and try various techniques to get you interested in thier rugs. I had been through several of these experiences already, but somehow, I ended up buying myslef a magic carpet.........
Today we toured Volubilis - some ancient Roman ruins. Very similar to Pompei in Italy. I enjoyed it alot - I like using my imagination to reconstruct the ruins and picture how life was 2000 years ago! Also went to Meknes today and did some other sight seeing.
The Moroccan food is tasty - cous cous is a very popular dish and I have certainly eaten my share of that! Tagine is the name of a dish named after the name of the dish it is cooked in (if that makes any sense). Had a bunch of that too! The fruit juices here are amazing, and I have only shit my pants for one day so far! Since this is an Arabic country, alcohol is not common. There are many cafes, but the drink of choice is mint tea (which is pretty good, but not on a hot day when you'd love a beer). Speaking of hot, it gets down to about 30 at night and the daytime temperature has been about 38.
Tomorrow we head to the Sahara dessert. Last week it was 56C there. I've heard that it has since cooled to about 45 so that is good...
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Sweet Seville!
I woke up at my cousin´s place this morning in Zeist, The Netherlands. He gave me a ride to my bus pick up point. I took a bus to somewhere, then another bus to the Weeze airport. I waited around for 4 hours before I could check in - the only thing there was to do was drink beer. I bought a beer from every establishment possible, then checked in. Then I bought one more beer and left my passport sitting on the bar. Luckily the bartender was friendly and brought it back to me.
Ryanair is truely a no frills airline! I got nothing - not even a hello. Half way through my flight I felt dizzy, light headed and very sick - I think too much beer.
I arrived in Seville and knew I needed to get to hostel - everyone was crowded by a bus, so I hopped on and it took my withing 2 blocks of my place.
This hostel is sweet! I´m in a room with 3 others. I have free internet, air conditioning, free coffee and tea, and a very helpful receptionist. There is a pubcrawl tonight which is tempting me, but I am having flashbacks of my last Spanish pub crawl........
Haven´t eaten in a while - going to find me some tapas!
Ryanair is truely a no frills airline! I got nothing - not even a hello. Half way through my flight I felt dizzy, light headed and very sick - I think too much beer.
I arrived in Seville and knew I needed to get to hostel - everyone was crowded by a bus, so I hopped on and it took my withing 2 blocks of my place.
This hostel is sweet! I´m in a room with 3 others. I have free internet, air conditioning, free coffee and tea, and a very helpful receptionist. There is a pubcrawl tonight which is tempting me, but I am having flashbacks of my last Spanish pub crawl........
Haven´t eaten in a while - going to find me some tapas!
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Kinderdijk - A UNESCO World Heritage Site - 19 windmills prevented the surrounding land from flooding by pumping water over a system of dijks. Very interesting!!
Marching the choir through Amsterdam en route to Anne Frank's house.
Europa Cantat Utrecht Festival - On opening day, boats carried entire choirs through the canals of Utrecht as they sang for the observers...
The Choir watching the choir boats go by. It was pink choir t-shirt day. Yes, I wore one too.
While I was waiting at the bus stop...Picture highlights
Mmmmm fresh, warm, giant stroopwaffle.
This is the choir that my girls were in while in Utrecht - they sang Latin American music and the concert was FANTASTIC!
This needs no explaination.
This is Cecile, my new Dutch conductor friend. She laughed at everything I said. The glasses belong to her kids.
A fantastic meal prepared by my cousins... It is great to be back here spending time with the family on this side of the ocean.
This is Cecile, my new Dutch conductor friend. She laughed at everything I said. The glasses belong to her kids.
A fantastic meal prepared by my cousins... It is great to be back here spending time with the family on this side of the ocean.Europa Cantat Utrecht 2009
I am writing to you after 10 days of choral madness at the Europa Cantat Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands! What an amazing time! The festival is for anyone who likes to sing. 2500 participants gather and form many different choirs which rehearse throughout the week, and perform a a concert at the end.
Of course, I started the festival with my Girls' Choir and parent team. After some initial arrival confusion, we figured out where we were sleeping, eating, and hanging out. I always find that moment of confusion somewhat humorous... The Girls sang in the Latin American choir while I took in the conductors program. So, while they rehearsed tangos and merenges with girls from all over the world, I went to reading sessions, workshops, visited choirs, and shmoozed with conductors from around the world. The rehearsals and workshops were every morning, while in the afternoons, we attended many different choir concerts, and musical events. After 5 days of preparation, the Girls' and their new friends put on their concert. It was fantastic! The salsa rhythms and generally fun music made for a great concert. We, the MHC Girls Choir, also got to put on a performance of our own. I was very proud of myself and the choir for all of our accomplishments and the sounds we made.
So after 6 days, the Girls all headed home. They were exhausted and out of money so none of them complained. I continued at the festival for another 4 days. More concerts, workshops, and listening. I think I heard a total of about 30 choir concerts in the last week. I also got to sleep on a sailing ship! My accomadation changed mid-week and I ended up sleeping on a sailing ship parked in a canal in the town of Maarssen. Pretty cool.
Some quick highlights (and some low points depending on how you look at it)
1) wooden shoe and drumstick rhythmic dancer show
2) open singing - 2000 people sight-reading choir music
3) drinking La Chouffe with Hoop
4) Latin pronounciation workshop
5) African Children's Choir concert
6) MHC Girls' Choir performance
7) Having Dutch family come to my concerts
8) sleeping on a sailing ship
9) taking a PACKED bus full of hot sweaty Germans singing at the top of their lungs
10) Riding on the back of the bike of a Dutch woman
11) making 2 phone calls all bymyself
12) eating a fresh stroopwaffle
13) beer o clock
14) free van ride with Germans to Zeist
I don't think any of what I've just wrote makes any sense, but it could be due to the fact that I've averaged about 6 hours of sleep a night for the last two weeks. I am back at my Netherlands home however - the corner room at my cousin's place - and I hope to get some rest here before the next leg of my adventure begins!
Broodje.
Of course, I started the festival with my Girls' Choir and parent team. After some initial arrival confusion, we figured out where we were sleeping, eating, and hanging out. I always find that moment of confusion somewhat humorous... The Girls sang in the Latin American choir while I took in the conductors program. So, while they rehearsed tangos and merenges with girls from all over the world, I went to reading sessions, workshops, visited choirs, and shmoozed with conductors from around the world. The rehearsals and workshops were every morning, while in the afternoons, we attended many different choir concerts, and musical events. After 5 days of preparation, the Girls' and their new friends put on their concert. It was fantastic! The salsa rhythms and generally fun music made for a great concert. We, the MHC Girls Choir, also got to put on a performance of our own. I was very proud of myself and the choir for all of our accomplishments and the sounds we made.
So after 6 days, the Girls all headed home. They were exhausted and out of money so none of them complained. I continued at the festival for another 4 days. More concerts, workshops, and listening. I think I heard a total of about 30 choir concerts in the last week. I also got to sleep on a sailing ship! My accomadation changed mid-week and I ended up sleeping on a sailing ship parked in a canal in the town of Maarssen. Pretty cool.
Some quick highlights (and some low points depending on how you look at it)
1) wooden shoe and drumstick rhythmic dancer show
2) open singing - 2000 people sight-reading choir music
3) drinking La Chouffe with Hoop
4) Latin pronounciation workshop
5) African Children's Choir concert
6) MHC Girls' Choir performance
7) Having Dutch family come to my concerts
8) sleeping on a sailing ship
9) taking a PACKED bus full of hot sweaty Germans singing at the top of their lungs
10) Riding on the back of the bike of a Dutch woman
11) making 2 phone calls all bymyself
12) eating a fresh stroopwaffle
13) beer o clock
14) free van ride with Germans to Zeist
I don't think any of what I've just wrote makes any sense, but it could be due to the fact that I've averaged about 6 hours of sleep a night for the last two weeks. I am back at my Netherlands home however - the corner room at my cousin's place - and I hope to get some rest here before the next leg of my adventure begins!
Broodje.
Friday, 17 July 2009
Delft, Amsterdam, Utrecht
In a hot stinky basement of a corner store in Amsterdam right now typing this...
Had a great time in Delft! We took a canal tour and learned about some Delft history, and ended up at the Delftware pottery factory. You know those blue ceramic plates your grandmother has?... usually with a windmill or boat on them? Well, those are all made at this factory. It was cool to see how each plate (and everthing else) is handpainted by some guy. I liked watching how it is all made, but I'm not too fond of the actual end product.
We headed over to Delft's Old Church and warmed up and set up for a concert. It was such a fantastic experience to sing in a church that was built in the 1200's! And the church was HUGE! The girls' voices ressonated for a good 4 seconds. Many tourists stopped and listened, and we all had a great time.
After the concert we headed out the the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kinderdijke. This is a place in the Netherlands where a system of 19 windmills pumped water out of a low-lying area to keep it dry. This dry area, which was originally part of a river, is called a polder. It was truely amazing to see how the technology used in the 1700's is very similar to the technology still used today. Nothing much has changed except for the source of the power that drives the pumps.
Of course, that makes for one long day, so dinner and beers were in order. Beer of the day was Dommelesch, and each one drank got you a free hat. I will not tell you how many hats I got.
Today we woke up very early and got on the road to avoid the traffic. Our destination: Anne Frank's house. This is a very interesting and very heavy museum to visit. You have to deal with simultaneous feelings of horror, peace, joy, and disbelief. Anne Frank and her family were Jews who survived almost two years hiding from the Nazi's in an attic in Amsterdam. Eventually, a Dutch informant found out about their hiding spot and they were sent to Auschwitz. They all died except for Otto Frank, the father of the family, who was the one who worked so hard to try and protect them...
And now, we have a few hours of "shopping" time. This is the result of touring Europe with a bus-load of girls. Shoes, clothes, trinkets, chocolate, candy, and even booze are being bought up in large quantities while I sit here and type this. I've been mostly on my own, roaming Amsterdam and just taking it all in.
Tonight we head to Utrecht for the start of the Europa Cantat International Music Festival. 2500 singers are coming together to make music! It should be a fantastic time!
See U singing.
Had a great time in Delft! We took a canal tour and learned about some Delft history, and ended up at the Delftware pottery factory. You know those blue ceramic plates your grandmother has?... usually with a windmill or boat on them? Well, those are all made at this factory. It was cool to see how each plate (and everthing else) is handpainted by some guy. I liked watching how it is all made, but I'm not too fond of the actual end product.
We headed over to Delft's Old Church and warmed up and set up for a concert. It was such a fantastic experience to sing in a church that was built in the 1200's! And the church was HUGE! The girls' voices ressonated for a good 4 seconds. Many tourists stopped and listened, and we all had a great time.
After the concert we headed out the the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kinderdijke. This is a place in the Netherlands where a system of 19 windmills pumped water out of a low-lying area to keep it dry. This dry area, which was originally part of a river, is called a polder. It was truely amazing to see how the technology used in the 1700's is very similar to the technology still used today. Nothing much has changed except for the source of the power that drives the pumps.
Of course, that makes for one long day, so dinner and beers were in order. Beer of the day was Dommelesch, and each one drank got you a free hat. I will not tell you how many hats I got.
Today we woke up very early and got on the road to avoid the traffic. Our destination: Anne Frank's house. This is a very interesting and very heavy museum to visit. You have to deal with simultaneous feelings of horror, peace, joy, and disbelief. Anne Frank and her family were Jews who survived almost two years hiding from the Nazi's in an attic in Amsterdam. Eventually, a Dutch informant found out about their hiding spot and they were sent to Auschwitz. They all died except for Otto Frank, the father of the family, who was the one who worked so hard to try and protect them...
And now, we have a few hours of "shopping" time. This is the result of touring Europe with a bus-load of girls. Shoes, clothes, trinkets, chocolate, candy, and even booze are being bought up in large quantities while I sit here and type this. I've been mostly on my own, roaming Amsterdam and just taking it all in.
Tonight we head to Utrecht for the start of the Europa Cantat International Music Festival. 2500 singers are coming together to make music! It should be a fantastic time!
See U singing.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
From France to the Netherlands!
Hey all,
Lots has happened in the past few days! Here are some highlights...
In Paris, we saw the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Louvre, did a boat tour, and of course had to do some shopping with all the girls. We performed a concert in the Luxeumbourg Gardens in a gazebo. It was very well recieved and we had a big crowd! It was super hot wearing a tux in the middle of summer!
And, of course, we went to Paris Disneyland! And, yes of course, we also did a concert there! That was really fun too! We performed on a very Disney-like stage, complete with light effects, a forest set, and a sound system. Not sure how many people stopped to listen, but the choir and I had a fantastic time.
Today we made our way from Paris to Delft, the Netherlands. We stopped in Reims and took a tour of the Champagne cellars and had a good taste of the stuff. Then we went to Vimy Ridge and learned about the WWI memorial. We sang a few songs on the steps of the monument and it was a very moving and fantastic experience.
I've had a few Heinekens, some French wine and Champagne, and a Grand Marnier Crepe from a street side vendor. Also ate some pretty nice food while in Paris. All in all, things are going great!
Looking forward to the Dutch part of our adventure! Until next time...
Lots has happened in the past few days! Here are some highlights...
In Paris, we saw the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Louvre, did a boat tour, and of course had to do some shopping with all the girls. We performed a concert in the Luxeumbourg Gardens in a gazebo. It was very well recieved and we had a big crowd! It was super hot wearing a tux in the middle of summer!
And, of course, we went to Paris Disneyland! And, yes of course, we also did a concert there! That was really fun too! We performed on a very Disney-like stage, complete with light effects, a forest set, and a sound system. Not sure how many people stopped to listen, but the choir and I had a fantastic time.
Today we made our way from Paris to Delft, the Netherlands. We stopped in Reims and took a tour of the Champagne cellars and had a good taste of the stuff. Then we went to Vimy Ridge and learned about the WWI memorial. We sang a few songs on the steps of the monument and it was a very moving and fantastic experience.
I've had a few Heinekens, some French wine and Champagne, and a Grand Marnier Crepe from a street side vendor. Also ate some pretty nice food while in Paris. All in all, things are going great!
Looking forward to the Dutch part of our adventure! Until next time...
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Paris, Day 1
Hello World!
I have made it to Paris and so have all the Girls Choir members, chaperones, and parent fans! Here is the quick update:
I left Calgary on time, with an uneventful flight sitting next to a friendly Quebecois couple. I knew I had be fast in Montreal as I only had 1 hour to make my connecting flight to Paris. After finding my way through the termanal (and peeing of course), I found the AirFrance counter and told them I was tight on time. I got in shit for that. They checked me in and told me to run. I got in shit for that. I tried to excuse myself through the security line, which yes, I got in shit for. I had to take my belt off because it makes the metal detector ring and then I didn't have time to put it back on becuase I heard the final boarding call for my flight! So I literally sprinted down a VERY long corridor and barely caught my flight!!!
I arrived in Paris's Charles de Gualle airport at 7:30 Saturday morning French time. I couldn't find the guy I was supposed to meet, thus starting the ever so typical airport confusion. I wandered around for a bit, then decided to try and meet my Girls Choir who were arriving a few hours later than I did. Success.
Without a stop, we went straight to Versailles (on a double decker bus which really excited the younger generation) and did a tour of the palace. I was sure to remind the girls that the only conducting causualty happened there: Lully stabbed himself in the foot with his very large baton and died of gangrene. We also got to see the fountain show in the Garden of Versaille - very cool, and something I hadn't been able to see on my last visit here.
We ate dinner at a brasserie, I've had a total of 3 Heineken already. We had a choir parent meeting to decide on how to handle meeting points, etc. tomorrow as we venture off into downtown Paris. I am very tired, but everything is well. The Girls are incredibly exhausted!!! I've never seen them so mellow and grumpy! So, after 30+ hours of being awake, I am off to my huge hotel room. Night!
I have made it to Paris and so have all the Girls Choir members, chaperones, and parent fans! Here is the quick update:
I left Calgary on time, with an uneventful flight sitting next to a friendly Quebecois couple. I knew I had be fast in Montreal as I only had 1 hour to make my connecting flight to Paris. After finding my way through the termanal (and peeing of course), I found the AirFrance counter and told them I was tight on time. I got in shit for that. They checked me in and told me to run. I got in shit for that. I tried to excuse myself through the security line, which yes, I got in shit for. I had to take my belt off because it makes the metal detector ring and then I didn't have time to put it back on becuase I heard the final boarding call for my flight! So I literally sprinted down a VERY long corridor and barely caught my flight!!!
I arrived in Paris's Charles de Gualle airport at 7:30 Saturday morning French time. I couldn't find the guy I was supposed to meet, thus starting the ever so typical airport confusion. I wandered around for a bit, then decided to try and meet my Girls Choir who were arriving a few hours later than I did. Success.
Without a stop, we went straight to Versailles (on a double decker bus which really excited the younger generation) and did a tour of the palace. I was sure to remind the girls that the only conducting causualty happened there: Lully stabbed himself in the foot with his very large baton and died of gangrene. We also got to see the fountain show in the Garden of Versaille - very cool, and something I hadn't been able to see on my last visit here.
We ate dinner at a brasserie, I've had a total of 3 Heineken already. We had a choir parent meeting to decide on how to handle meeting points, etc. tomorrow as we venture off into downtown Paris. I am very tired, but everything is well. The Girls are incredibly exhausted!!! I've never seen them so mellow and grumpy! So, after 30+ hours of being awake, I am off to my huge hotel room. Night!
Thursday, 9 July 2009
The night before!
I think I have everything. Who knows...
Leaving Canada at 12:15 tomorrow. I have a really quick connection in Montreal - I have one hour between arriving and departing. Got to be slick and quick. Six hours after I meet all my Girls in Paris and we're going to Versailles!
Next post from Paris hopefully.
Leaving Canada at 12:15 tomorrow. I have a really quick connection in Montreal - I have one hour between arriving and departing. Got to be slick and quick. Six hours after I meet all my Girls in Paris and we're going to Versailles!
Next post from Paris hopefully.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Getting the ol' Blog up and running again
Hello World,
Time for another worldly adventure, which means time to dust off the Blog and get going! You know the drill, check back for updates and pictures while I'm away.
Itinerary:
July 10 - July 23 -- Medicine Hat College Girls' Choir Europe Tour!
-- France; Belguim; The Netherlands
July 23 - July 27 -- Europa Cantat International Choral Music Festival
-- Utrecht, The Netherlands
July 27 - Aug 1 -- mucho travel adventure
-- Seville, Spain; Gibralter; Tangiers, Morocco
Aug 1 - Aug 16 -- Morocco Tour
-- Casablanca, Fez, Meknes, Sahara Desert, Essouira, Marakesch
Time for another worldly adventure, which means time to dust off the Blog and get going! You know the drill, check back for updates and pictures while I'm away.
Itinerary:
July 10 - July 23 -- Medicine Hat College Girls' Choir Europe Tour!
-- France; Belguim; The Netherlands
July 23 - July 27 -- Europa Cantat International Choral Music Festival
-- Utrecht, The Netherlands
July 27 - Aug 1 -- mucho travel adventure
-- Seville, Spain; Gibralter; Tangiers, Morocco
Aug 1 - Aug 16 -- Morocco Tour
-- Casablanca, Fez, Meknes, Sahara Desert, Essouira, Marakesch
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Waaaa
It is been more than a year since my last post. That is because the Two Koops haven't gone anywhere for a very long time.
I want to go back to Europe and visit the family.
I want to go back to Disneyland and ride space mountain.
The best I can do is post a picture of a big-ass tipi from Medicine Hat.
I want to go back to Europe and visit the family.
I want to go back to Disneyland and ride space mountain.
The best I can do is post a picture of a big-ass tipi from Medicine Hat.
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