by Hannah Coombs | Jul 21, 2015 | South Africa 2015
I have had such a good time sharing my experiences with you all during the tour and I don’t want it to end. So I thought, why should it? We have so many friends across the globe who – I assume – would like to keep updated on our activities throughout the year and to hear all about the developments for our next tour. Therefore, to keep you informed I am going to continue to blog posts. I hope you all keep reading and enjoying. Thanks for all your support so far. –...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 21, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Now that tour 2015 is over we have time to reflect and one thing I keep thinking about is how many amazing people it takes to put something as elaborate as a 17 day concert tour together. I would like to take the time to thank as many people as I can for making South Africa 2015 such a great experience. It has been over two years in the making and the biggest forces diving the planning and preparations have been all of the orchestra’s Directors. Our Tour Manager Euan Terras has sent email after email chasing up leads and making sure everything has been in place ready for our arrival, and he did a superb job. As have Kathleen Terras, Wallace Galbraith and David Moore. The tour isn’t possible without adult supervision to keep an eye on us and we had so many great Tour Parents with us on tour this year. Each Tour Parent brought something different to the trip and helped to make it a wonderful tour. What makes a tour are the people around you and there were so many fantastic personalities in the orchestra and we all got along so well. It was great to get to know and talk to so many people that we haven’t spoken to before. We really do become one large family during tour. A large part about tour is travel and this wouldn’t have been possible without the many bus drivers we had from both ProTours and Dodds. Every driver we had was friendly, helpful and professional. Stewart Travel did so much work for us before we left...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 19, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Post tour depression is real folks and it hits even the best of us. We come home from tour and being so used to being around people 24/7 to being by ourselves in our rooms uploading tour photos to Facebook. We may be happy to sleep in our own beds, have uninterrupted WiFi and our Mum’s home cooking but we still miss living out of a suitcase. But its won’t last long as we will have a reunion in just over a week for the League of Astonishing Strings concert in Ayr Town Hall. The sun set over Arran may be beautiful but can it compare to the sun rise over the hills in Kariega. –...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 19, 2015 | South Africa 2015
We landed in London Heathrow early in the morning with some very tired looking faces. We didn’t have a lot of time between flights and we still had to get through border control and security all over again. By now we were experts and were able to get through reasonably quickly and made it to the gate on time. Our second flight was spent signing various tour folders with personalized messages and writing our names on tea towels. The bus home from Edinburgh airport was much the same, we stopped at a service station to switch the folders to the other buses and buy lunch. But this time with Pounds instead of Rands, that was weird. The bus journey felt short, but that may have been because I barely looked up from tour folders. But before we knew it we saw the smiling and waving from our loved one, all excited to see us. We were home! –...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 19, 2015 | South Africa 2015
We were all packed and ready to go, but that didn’t mean we wanted to leave. It was our last day and it was going to be spent shopping in a local mall and craft fair before heading to the airport of our over night flight. The craft fair was great with loads of stalls filled with perfect souvenirs and gifts for friends and family. And all for the right price, if you know how to haggle. I think I saw almost all of AFO there and we definitely confused some of the stall vendors a bit walking around with our matching polo shirts on. They might have thought the same people just kept walking by all the time, not know just how many of us there were. We then hunted for lunch, no Zebra today unfortunately, just a Subway for me. We then went for a walk around the mall and my small group found a few members in a sport shop buying some rugby jerseys. Myself, Scott, Ronan and Kirsten then went to the arcade to see what we could find. We ended up spending the rest of our time playing mini golf. But not just any mini golf. It was lit up by neon painted statues and if you were afraid of clowns this was not the game for you, but we all had a great time. Then it was back to the buses for one last time in South Africa.We checked into the airport, in possibly the quickest time we have ever done and had some free time to shop around. Some people even stopped for...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 19, 2015 | South Africa 2015
After a few showers to get rid of the Elephant smell and some free time we all got dressed and ready for Tour Awards. As one of the senior members of the orchestra it was part of my duty to help organise the tour awards, which I can happily say went off without a hitch. The events coordinator at the Hotel Lee-Ann was amazing and got everything we asked for together in no time and the hall looked beautiful. After blowing up some balloons and laying out our certificates and sashes the place was ready. As people started to arrive they were greeted with cheese and crackers on the balcony and a photo station with our banners maned by the wonderful Douglas Clark and his camera to take group photos of everyone from our tour families to section and friend groups. The meal provided by the venue was amazing, a scrumptious starter with a buffet style main and a chocolate mousse desert. After desert the venue staff took to the floor to show off their moves before inviting us to join in. We all thoroughly enjoyed learning an African style dance. After we had all settled down the awards portion of the evening began. Our hilarious host Douglas Veitch kicked off the evening with an introduction that practically had us rolling on the floor with laughter, as did most of his jokes throughout the night. Some of which were his own rendition of Mr G’s jokes that we have all heard a thousand times before. But somehow this time they were actually funny. Our senior players then took it...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
For our last full day before we head home we spent the morning with some Elephants. It was a 40-minute drive to the Elephant Sanctuary and as we stepped off the bus we could already hear and smell the elephants. After a short introduction form the guides and handlers – during which we were provided with a drink, crisps and a muffin each – we walked through a small enclosure of monkeys to reach the elephants. We were split into two groups; one had some people that wanted to ride an elephant (for an additional charge) and some extra people to even out the numbers. My group first went to get up close and personal and touch the elephants. The guides and handlers were very organised, friendly and professional in dealing with such a large number of people and they were constantly concerned with the animal’s safety and well being. We went in pairs and the handlers would explain different parts of the elephant as you touched them. It was interesting to hear and feel the different skin types on the elephant. We then posed for a picture while holding the tusks. Some lucky people even got an elephant kiss. After everyone had a turn we walked the short distance to another elephant that was pretty hungry. After a demonstration we all had a few turns of feeding the elephant. To finish off the visit the guides gave a short presentation on the anatomy of elephant, we were all thoroughly impressed with all our new knowledge of elephants. We then walked back through the...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Dinner after the theme park was a new experience for all. We were in a carnivore restaurant surrounded by pictures of animals and sitting on seats patterned in zebra print. The serving staff would bring round huge – what I could only describe as swords – with different varieties of meat on them. I tried them all. We had Pork, Beef, Impala, Zebra, Crocodile, Antelope and Veal. My favourite was Zebra with crocodile coming in last. During the meal the kitchen and serving staff gave a small performance of music and dancing, it was very entertaining and made the meal even more enjoyable. It was a great experience unlike anything I have had before and I much as I loved seeing animals out in Kariega Game Reserve, I hope to eat some more Zebra again some day. ...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
About a year and a half ago I had an email from our Tour Manager Euan Terras, with a link to a theme park in Johannesburg, asking for my stamp of approval, as he knows how much on an enthusiast I am. It looked good and I have been looking forward to it ever since. We had 5 hours in the park before it closed, which was plenty of time as it isn’t the largest theme park. Once inside we set off in our groups to try out the rides. The first one I went on was a version of the Tower of Terror; with no queue it was the perfect ride to kick off the day. We all wore our AFO branded t-shirts while in the theme park, so it was easy to spot each other and in a place like that you were always less than 50 meters from someone from AFO. We then proceeded to go on every ride we could, while stopping for a bite to eat on the way. We saved the best for last, Anaconda. By the end of the day I had been on it 4 times and if I had more time it would have been a lot more. Others and myself brought home mementos from the day in the form of pictures of our windswept faces during the rides; none of these pictures are particularly flattering. My most memorable ride has to be the water rapids; this will stick in my brain for a while. It was a circular boat travelling down a river and it...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Our last stop of the day was spent venturing down into caves. When we arrived we all put on our very lovely protective hairnets and helmets. We then met our guide for the tour and made our way to the cave entrance, only stopped twice to get a bit of back-story about the caves. Occasionally while in the caves we had to duck, slide and crawl to make it through, which proved to be a bit difficult for the very tall people or those still in their kilts (Mr G). Our group even managed to have a ceilidh in the caves, Kathleen played some AFO music on her phone while we jumped about as much as we could. ...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
After our morning performance at the church we took a drive into Soweto and got off the buses for a short walk before lunch. In the whole world there is only one street on which two Nobel Peace Prize Winners have lived and it is in Soweto. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu lived on Vilakazi Street. Mandela’s house is now a museum, however we did not have enough time to visit. As we walked JP stopped every so often to tell us more about the history of the place and the Apartheid. He also explained that many of the videos that we saw while at the museum were from around that area. It was interesting to find out more and expand on what we learned from the day before; the stories are both heart breaking and heart-warming at the same time. There was so much tragedy in a time not too long ago, but with people such as Mandela and Tutu so many good things have happened since. The things we learned we will never forget....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
We began our day at morning mass in a Catholic church in Soweto. Personally I have never spent much time in Church so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. But I am glad I had this opportunity to witness the spectacular singing from both the choir and the congregation. The music rang out through the magnificent church with its high ceilings and stained glass windows. Everyone there very well appreciated our music; they even called for an encore. We participated were we could with smiles on our faces, and as we walked out of the church at the end of the service many of us were stopped and complimented for our contribution and we had many conversations about the orchestra, everyone seemed very interested in what we had to say. ...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
The last concert of tour was our best one yet. The orchestra we so energetic it was night and day form our first concert in which barely anyone smiled. The second violin section definitely out shone the first violins with their synchronised dance moves. It was a full set and we were delighted to be joined with some members of the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra for a few numbers, they are all fantastic musicians who kept up with our fast pace Scottish tunes superbly. It was a sad concert for some of the senior members of the orchestra as for them it might be their last. I know they have all had an amazing time on their last tour and don’t want to leave their AFO family behind. However I don’t think I am quite ready to go yet, so I might just stick around for a while. In true AFO fashion the last concert of the tour called for a practical joke to be played on our musical director David Moore. Many of the senior players and myself put our thinking caps on about an hour before the concert and came up with a plan. During our final number Eightsome Reels we stopped about a third of the way through, following which our drummer rocked out and was then joined by our bass guitarist Niall McHugh, our lead guitarist Ross Brain and our piper Andrew Spence. Once they had finished their set three senior boys lifted David off the stage and I put down my double bass, came to the front of the stage and conducted...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 15, 2015 | South Africa 2015
It was a harrowing and sobering day as we walked through the museum with JP – one of our Johannesburg guides – as he talked and explained the events surrounding the Apartheid. We were all very shocked that we hadn’t heard much about it before the museum, as it was such an influential topic that changed so many lives. By the end I was very eager to find out more and might do some of my own research when I get home. Unfortunately we had limited time there and didn’t get a chance to see everything, so it would be nice to go back one day and spend a lot more time reading the stories and watching the videos. We ended our time at the museum at the gift shop and café while thinking back on everything we had just learned. P.S. We were not allowed to take any pictures inside so i only have a few from outside....
by AdminAFO | Jul 13, 2015 | International Tours, Reviews, South Africa 2015
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 10, 2015 | South Africa 2015
We left Cape Town for our final destination, Johannesburg. It was a normal travel day for us, filled with buses, airports and planes. Everyone was very patient even with all the long waits and travel and it was well worth it when we arrived at our last accommodation. Within 2 minutes of being off the bus we were greeted with African music and dancing form the hotel staff’s children. They were amazing and had us all smiling and clapping along. We then thanked them the best way we know how; with a quick Dashing White Sargent. We then quickly got our keys and went to see our rooms. The staff were incredibly helpful with our room keys and finding our rooms, and I would expect nothing less from the great people of South Africa considering the generosity we have been met with so far in this tour. The rooms are lovely and big, with great views of the amazing surrounding area, I can’t wait to see it all in full daylight. Our first meal was a delicious buffet with many people going back for seconds, and some may have even had thirds. We will have a quite evening in tonight before going to see the sights of Johannesburg....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 10, 2015 | South Africa 2015
The afternoon after Robben Island was spent in a local high school with members from different orchestra’s in Cape Town. It was a similar set up to the day before with joint numbers and a workshop to follow, the sound that came of the two groups playing together was phenomenal. One of the senior violinists from the Cape Town orchestra, Sia, led us in a song Pata Pata. He was very talented and managed to get every AFO player smiling and moving about and that is no small feat. Just like everyone we have met in South Africa they were very friendly and welcoming and we had a great time chatting and sharing stories with them. The audience at this concert was the best I have ever seen, many of them were from Scotland and recognised some of our more famous pieces and joined in. Others got up and danced. The Hout Bay Music Project members surprised us by showing up to support us and they were great and showing other the dances they had just learned the night before. During the interval I was speaking to a few women from the Cape Town Caledonia Society many of whom were originally from Scotland. They were very enthusiastic and happy to have us bring a little bit of their home to them, they also enjoying using some Scottish slang and talking about where we lived and the local areas. parental locks It was great to hear that after 33 years in South Africa all of them still...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 10, 2015 | South Africa 2015
If you live in South Africa you might have seen some of our orchestra members on morning TV on Thursday the 9th of July. Seven senior players along with Kathleen and David left the hotel at 5am to head to the TV studio for an interview and performance on live TV. For the orchestra members back in the hotel we woke up at 6am to watch their smiling face playing the songs we know so well Kenny Gillies and Dashing White Sargent. After recovering from all the excitement we went back down to the V & A waterfront to catch a boat over to Robben Island to see the prison and surrounding area where Nelson Mandela and so many others served time. It was a 45 minute boat ride to the island and when we arrived we were met by Glen (his English name) a former prisoner. He shared his story with us and was very open to any questions we had about it. Then he walked us around the prison and told us about the day-to-day life there, we even got to see the cell Nelson Mandela was in for his 18 years there. Just before the end of our walking tour Ciaran McHugh played Nelson Mandela’s Welcome to the City of Glasgow in one of the halls of the prison, it was a very emotional moment. After the walking tour we got on buses for a driving tour of the island, which I am very sorry to say I fell asleep for most of it. But from what I did see...
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