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...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 10, 2015 | South Africa 2015
As we turned the corner to the church in which we would have our evening performance we were greeted by many of the smiling and waving faces from the Hout Bay Music Project. They all seemed very excited to meet us and the feeling was mutual. After taking all of our things off the bus we joined the Hout Bay musicians for lunch and straight away both orchestras were talking and getting to know each other. Not long after we finished eating we all took to a near by field for some fun and games. There was Frisbee, Rugby, Football and Scottish dancing. The Hout Bay musicians even taught some of the girls some of their songs and dances. Everyone was smiling as this cultural exchange took place; it was quite a sight to see. After a few group photos we headed back into the hall to play some music. The rehearsal was in the form of a workshop, after playing the South African National Anthem together we split up into our different sections and learned some African tunes by ear. Then we all came back together to hear the complete arrangement. Before dinner the orchestra had a small gesture to offer the Hout Bay Music Project. Over the last few months before departing for our tour, one of our senior players Ciaran McHugh spent time raising money and buying items to put into gift packs for our orchestra to present to the Hout Bay Music Project. They were very well received and it was wonderful to...
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 10, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Many had a long lie in, as we didn’t leave the hotel until 10 for Table Mountain. After the short drive we boarded the cable cars for the journey to the clouds. As this is exactly what we saw, clouds. Unfortunately for us visibility was low and the majority of what we could see were clouds, but it did clear long enough to snap a few pictures of the town below and vast ocean. After a trip to the Café and the gift shop we were all very happy but the best was yet to come. In true AFO fashion a ceilidh ensued at the top of the mountain. All other visitors and staff were thoroughly impressed with our energetic dancing and fast paced music. As it was a very special day for a very special person, as Mr G would say, we all sang Happy Birthday to Fraser Graham as he stood on top of a table on Table Mountain. The cable car back down had a slightly better view as the clouds began to clear, overall a good time was had by all, but this day was only half way through. We then travelled to Hout Bay....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 8, 2015 | South Africa 2015
It was a good start to the day; we all had a lovely breakfast before leaving for a day of sightseeing. We started at the Cape of Good Hope, for once again another group photo and a few laughs as people tried to climb over rocks to get as far out as they could go. I was walking next to Dave when we slipped and I had to pull him up, he also happened to be holding my camera at the time, luckily it was unharmed. As was Dave. Afterwards we drove round to Cape Point and made the climb to the top. The view was breath-taking and we even saw a Whale in the sea – well it wasn’t actually a Whale it was a rock but it could have been a whale. Then we saw an Elephant – well it wasn’t an elephant but it was a Dassie which is the closest relative to an elephant. Then we went to see the Penguins – don’t worry these were actually penguins. Our last stop was the beach. The weather was not great, the sun was hidden behind the clouds and wind had picked up. We had lunch in a lovely little café style restaurant right on the sea front before some brave people paddled in the water. I went in myself and I have to say it might have even been colder than the water back home. After a few ice creams we drove back to the hotel for some free time before dinner....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 7, 2015 | South Africa 2015
After leaving the beach by the Wilderness hotel the buses left for Cape Town. It was another long trip but was split up by a few stops. For lunch most of the orchestra opted for some home comforts in the form of KFC. Which was delicious. The landscape on the road as we drove was beautiful and we often whipped out our cameras and leaned out the window to snap a few pictures. We even came across a few elephants in the distance. The on bus entertainment was much the same, with one exception. After a short discussion between Joely and myself she somehow challenged herself to see how long she could hold my foot and leg up for, and she was very determined. She managed to last one hour and 15 minutes. We were all quite impressed. We arrived in Cape Town just before dinner and had a few minutes in our rooms – which were lovely and had balconies with good views – before we jumped back on the bus and headed to the V and A Waterfront for dinner. Many other members of the orchestra and I ended up in a lovely Italian restaurant. The meal was lovely and I had a nice conversation with the owner about the orchestra and what we were doing there. Then after another group picture it was back to the best western for the night. A good nights sleep was needed for the busy day ahead....
by Hannah Coombs | Jul 6, 2015 | South Africa 2015
Our night’s accommodation for our pit stop on the way to Cape Town was the Wilderness Hotel Resort and Spa. This was a big step up from our ‘prison’ the previous two nights. We all tucked into a wonderful buffet before heading off to use the wifi and relax in our rooms for a while before bed. Or in my case watch X-Men. Then it was an early night as we were all very tired from the early rise. I managed to have a full 9 hours of sleep, which has greatly helped me to recover from my cold. After breakfast and packing the bus, we all walked down to the beach for a quick paddle in the ocean, a game of frisbee and to take a few pictures before we headed back to the buses for our drive to Cape Town. This was a great idea, enjoyed by all. Except when we had to get on the buses with sand in our shoes....
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