By: Susan Walker
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| Our home in Amsterdam - 3rd & 4th Oct |
We were
the ' T16' ... The 2016 Esk Touring Choir, 30 in number, some first -time
tourers, all high on the joy of anticipation as we arrived at Brisbane's
International Terminal ready to embark upon our much awaited Tour of Europe.
Arriving in Amsterdam via Abu Dhabi following some 30 hours of plane travel,
this morphed into the joy of extracting ourselves from the confines of the
sardine-like aeroplane seating from whence snatches of shut-eye were measured
by the receipt...or not...of ice creams or muffins at meal intervals. However,
presented with a card full of well-wishes from our delightful Etihad flight
staff and the dimpled smile of our Tour Shepherd, Ondra, greeting us at our
point of disembarkation in this beautiful buzzing city, running the gauntlet of
international travel was soon forgotten though the promise of a soft pillow was
certainly not far away.
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| Ondra Strejcek |
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| Klaus Babic |
It is
imperative at this early juncture that I must formally introduce Ondra, our
Tour Leader, along with his right hand man Klaus...well, left hand really as
this being Europe, the debonair Klaus, our softly spoken Viennese driver did
fastidiously glide us around from the left side of his huge Panorama Bus.
Ondra, who hailed from the Czech Republic, became our indispensable companion
and friend over the 18 days duration.
Versed as he was in the needs of a Choral group having himself had an
extensive musical background and with a capacious knowledge of history he
became
our font of information and our 'True
North' anticipating our every need.
Having
arrived in Amsterdam on the cusp of autumn, it appeared we had made it just in
time to feel the chill of the Northern Hemisphere change in temperatures. However, with our 'Roger Jackets' at the
ready, the bracing mornings only served to invigorate and invigorated we were
as we headed off on our bus on day two to experience the sights, the sounds, to
suss out some specific herbal cookies for one highly motivated choir member and
enjoy the rich culture of this beautiful city before our first performance at
the English Reformed Church.
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| T16 Choir at the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam |
To perform
in a Church is always an overwhelming thrill.
To experience our very first performance in such a beautiful church,
lying silent among residences given to women in 'unfortunate circumstances'
ie unwed; This church which, since the Reformation in 1607, has been under the
guardianship of English speaking worshipers was for each of us the closest thing to Heaven and our voices spiralled as we sang to the enthralled onlookers. Our hosts' gracious
hospitality was the embodiment of their motto, "Within these walls let
no-one be a stranger".
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| Alice and Johanna |
Equally
emotive was our Johanna's much awaited reunion with her long lost cousin,
Alice, and our encounter with two Aussies from Sydney who happened by when they
spied our poster and by co-incidence had recently parked their Caravan
overnight in Esk, for them a tiny town made memorable by the cows' early
morning wake-up call at their caravan door.
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| Bike...bike...bike...!!!!! |
"BIKE!!"
became the catch-cry as we were guided around a city where car traffic was
completely outnumbered by bicycle riders who seemed hell bent on mowing us down
in cold blood, prone as we were to some untimely stepping out.
From her tiny hiding annex which she and her family
called home we followed the story of Ann Frank, a 14 year old, wise and
courageous beyond her years; we marvelled at the Masters on show at the Van
Gogh Museum; we bussed around the bridges, canals, delighted in the decorations
on house boats, learned of the manual operation of those giant windmills, so
synonymous with Amsterdam and culminated with a delightful not-so-little hot
chocolate or coffee and bagel at a Harbour-side cafe. With a cache of keepsakes and a store of
wonderful memories, we boarded the bus for the 2.5 hour journey to our next
port of call, Antwerp in Belgium.
Now our
seating on the bus, being that this was the predominant mode of transporting
the touring party around Europe thankfully was not a case of its allocation
being decided on the basis of survival of the fittest, but a smooth process of
the placing of bottoms on seats by natural selection. Up the front sat Ondra who, on microphone
daily, painted a backdrop of history and features for our upcoming day. Alongside Ondra, Klaus the driver, behind
whom sat our own 'Thelma and Louise' aka Leah and Joan who had special needs to
ride 'shotgun'. A little further back sat a small group who wished to enjoy the
passing parade, endlessly jotting scraps of information, a whisper of a story,
the colour of the sky, snapping photos, chewing the fat. Filling the
centre sat 'the couples' and bringing up
the rear were the group who were to become affectionately known as the 'hen
house' ably led by the cacophonous cackle of
Suzanne. And with this, the
wheels of the bus happily went round and round.
Antwerp,
the second largest city and largest port in Belgium is renowned for its charm,
fashion, art, particularly that of Pieter Paul Rubens who called this city
home, its diamond trade, startling medieval architecture including its famous
cathedral, and its cultural contrasts.
However, for all this, our Hotel sorely in need of an upgrade, was
surely from the Fawlty-Towers period right down to a 'dining room Sybil'
sliding red plates under our breakfast bowls faster than a toupe in a hurricane.
Blocked sinks, narrow openings on showers, keys not working and a very
harrassed 'Basil' being the only employee in attendance necessitating his
having to send his own 'Manuel' up the road to replenish depleted alcoholic
supplies. However, despite much of the
city being destroyed during World War II, its reconstruction and retention of
'Old City' relics was truly impressive.
A highlight was our visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Plantin-Moretus
Museum - seemingly unlike any typical museum until one wanders the rooms of
this medieval building which houses, amongst other things, priceless
manuscripts and original typesets for the world's oldest printing presses
dating back to 1622. The exquisite
central garden, also dating back to this time, was the setting for our second
performance where our voices reverberated off the old stone walls to the
enjoyment of many inquisitive observers.
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| Brugge |
Back on
the bus we headed for one of the best preserved medieval towns in Belgium- nay
Europe - beautiful Brugge. This, a
smallish port city on the very large harbour whose population swells by
thousands each day as tourists flock to its city squares and cobbled streets to
wonder at the giant spire on The Church of Our Lady, caretaker of
Michelangelo's Sculpture - Madonna and Child; to stock up on chocolate, beer,
laces and wonderful experiences and it was near-impossible to leave without
bulging carry bags and a growing appreciation of beer and European
history.
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| Gent |
About an
hour out of Antwerp on the following day, we were discovering Gent, reputedly
Europe's best kept secret. It was difficult not to be awestruck by the
ornateness of the Cathedral of St Bavon which dates back to 942 (though not
fully completed until 1569) transforming the old Romanesque features to the
elaborate Baroque elements and Gothic style.
Similarly was the stunning form and character found in the church of St
Nicholas. Many wandered down to follow
the river to the Castle of the Counts and surround themselves in its medieval
past. Others fossicked around Markets or
found warm places with the locals to sip hot drinks and sup on waffles.
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| Margaret sizing up the throne |
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| Margaret sizing up the waffles |
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"Oooee! That Yellow Siberian Liqueur
sure has a kick" |
However,
Brussels awaited and buoyed by such a beautiful day along with the contents of
Klaus's bus beverage supply, including some ostensibly inoffensive little
yellow thing possibly invented to restart the hearts of frozen Russian soldiers
sent to the Siberian salt mines, it was back on the bus for the one hour drive
before we hit Brussels... literally!!
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| Klaus protecting our bus. |
I
know...but you'll just have to wait until the next installment as I leave you
here on this high heading for bustling Brussels, our final Belgian stopover.
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| Amsterdam, The River IJ |
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| Canal in Amsterdam |
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| Windmill on the outskirts of Amsterdam |
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| A peaceful way of life on the River IJ Amsterdam. |
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| Everyone got on really well and there was not arguing over who should be in the front row for a photo. |
See more of the T16 Tour
