Day 8: Tour Picture and opening of Burlington Park

Day 8: Tour Picture and opening of Burlington Park. 

On day eight of our Netherlands tour, we woke up and ate breakfast in our uniforms at 8:00. Most of our breakfasts consisted of toast with chocolate sprinkles and orange juice. We then got on the busses and headed to The Palace Het Loo for our tour picture. Once we unloaded the truck and got everything we needed, we formed into our marching band sevens. Just before we went to take our picture, we did a warm up. Whenever a command was given to the band, the peacocks got frightened and made tons of noise... I don't think they liked it when Stobie gave the band the commands to turn... We marched to the location where the picture was to be taken, and people lined the path taking pictures. The area in front of the Palace Het Loo is surrounded by gardens filled with stunning flowers. Getting set up for the pictures was both tedious and tiring! Once we got everyone in place (which took a good hour- at least that's how it seemed...) we took the pictures and went on our way. By the time we got everyone on the bus, there was no time to change, so we stayed in our uniforms and continued on to the opening of Burlington park in Apeldoorn. As we marched down the street there were people holding Canadian flags and cheering us on to the site of the park. When we got to the park we played a few of our standstills and listened to the speeches given by the mayor of Apeldoorn, and the mayor of Burlington, Rick Goldring. After the official unveiling of the park, we marched to the traffic circle for an impromptu concert which the community loved! We then left for the barracks where we ate dinner followed by free time. It was an other fun filled and packed day!! We can't wait till tomorrow!   

By: Maggi Djurdjevic (first tour)

May 7 - Holton Canadian War Cemetary / Apeldoorn

Thursday May 7th:

This morning the band woke up for our usually 8 o'clock breakfast. As the band finished up, we headed out to go to the Canadian War cemetery.  Upon arrival to the cemetery, we were greeted with our lovely tour guides. To start off our time there, we participated in a wreath laying ceremony including two minutes of silence as well as a playing of the Last Post by drum major, Andrew Stobie. Many of the staff and band members including ourselves, were very moved by the respect that was displayed and the atmosphere. Following the ceremony a guide took us around and told us some stories of the men that were laid to rest at that site. He added that the only woman at the site lies buried next to her husband at the cemetery. Later on, several veterans arrived and we were given a chance to speak to some of them. It was very touching to hear about their experiences and to have been able to thank them for their services.

Following the visit to the cemetery we were given some free time to explore downtown Apeldoorn. We were stopped by some locals who complimented the band and asked about our upcoming performances and time in the Netherlands. We then headed back to the barracks for dinner and afterwards went to a perform in front of city hall in Apeldoorn. It rained a lot in the beginning so we were very surprised to see how many people there were that showed up to watch the performance. The weather cleared up and the audience seemed to have enjoyed it. Afterwards the band was invited to a reception hosted by the Mayor of Apeldoorn. We mingled with the 48th Highlanders as well as members of the city. A few of us got to speak to the Mayor who extended warm welcomes and praised the bands hard work and dedication. It was excellent to speak to the Mayor and hear first hand how he feels about Teen Tour.

There was a surprise presentation by the Mayor of Apeldoorn where Rob was awarded the City of Apeldoorn's Silver Medal for his 4 visits to the city with the Band.  They say it is the highest honour the City can bestow on someone.  At the nightly meeting Rob said as with all awards we, as a band, share them as it is not one person that makes the band, but we all do!

Overall we had a very educational but fun day in the Netherlands and hope to continue to learn more about the history and origins of Canada's strong relationship with the Netherlands.

Samantha Jones (bells), Jessica Sadlowski (drumline) Brittany Wells (flute)

May 5 - the Big Parade

May 5^th 2015

 

The day started off with breakfast at the barricks, which meant cornflakes and bread, yum! We gathered all of our equipment and uniforms and loaded up the buses for the busy day ahead. After a sleepy hour long drive to Wageningen we arrived at the site for the Liberation Day parade. Once at the marshelling area, we unloaded the truck then endured multiple types of weather in a very short period of time. At lunch time we made our way through the enourmous crowd of veterans and festival goers to the lunch tent at the other side of the park. You can probably guess what the lunch was… ham and cheese sandwiches! (FYI parents, I promise you that by the end of the week we will never want ham and cheese again.)We walked, no, ran back to the buses in a torrential down pour but ultimately it stayed sunny for the parade! Before stepping off we had the opportunity to interact with other local bands and take in the excitement that surrounded us. When we finally stepped off there was a lot of marking time, however it all payed off because marching down the streets of Wageningen filled us with a sense of pride as we saw all of the smiling faces that we passed by. Half way through the parade another floud of emotions came over the band as we marched by several Canadian and European veterans that fought for freedom. It was also an extremely fufilling experiencing to see our Prime Minister and some of the Dutch Royal family applaud us as we marched passed. When the parade was finished we had a very fast turn around and had to load everything on to the buses and stay in uniform so that we could arrive in Beekbergen on time. Once there we quickly formed up and stepped off in a timely manner. At first we thought that not many people were attending the parade as we only see the odd person lining the streets. However, as we continued marching in to town we noticed a crowd beginning to form. Although we didn’t know it at the time, the entire crowd fell in behind the band and marched with us to the liberation festivities. We made our way to a  brand new soccer field that we were given the opportunity to open. Once there, we preformed several stand-still pieces and marched around the field. The crowd seemed very appreciative of our presence. After the performance we marched to a replica of a WWII liberation camp where we were fed a delicious dinner that consisted of rice, spring rolls and pork sauteed in a peanut sauce! Once we had finished our meal we loaded up the truck and headed back to the barracks/Hostel. Everyone was extremely tired and excited to get in to our comfortable beds and get a good nights rest, dreaming about ham and cheese and the experiences that we have to look forward to.  

 

Lauren Woolfrey – Saxophone – 4 years

Gillian Wilk – Saxophone – 6 years

May 4 - Dutch Remembrance Day

Day 4: Dutch Remembrance Day

   Today, we woke up a little later than intended, but still made it to breakfast by 8am. After a breakfast filled with chocolate sprinkles, and of course fruit, we loaded the buses for our first activity of the day. An hour later we arrived at the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery. There were over 600 soldiers and civilians buried on this site. All graves were marked whether the bodies were identified or not. There were also descriptions of age, rank, and religion. It was shocking to see how young some of the soldiers were (18-19 years old). Reading the messages some families left on the tombstones put the amount of loss in perspective. Each grave had been looked after by the Dutch despite the nationality of the soldiers. While walking around, there was silence due to the band members reflecting on why we came to represent Canada in such an important role.

   We then visited the Airborne museum where there was a mixture of displayed and hands on exhibits to educate visitors of the battle of Arnhem. We learnt a lot about the people living in the area at the time, and even got to (somewhat) experience it. One exhibit was a life-size depiction of what it was like in the town after the battle. Jamie got pretty scared because of the loud noises and fake army men with their guns. Riley managed to lead Jamie and Brenna(Flute section leader) out of the exhibit.  While waiting for our buses, everyone took pictures with the tank displayed outside by section and even the full band. However, you can’t tell we’re in front of the tank.

   After getting back to the Barracks, we changed into our uniforms and headed to the Cathedral in Apeldoorn. We lined the streets outside and followed the crowd to Orange Park where a ceremony was held to honour the fallen soldiers and Dutch civilians who lost their lives during the occupation and liberation. We loaded the buses and drove back to the Barracks, most of us falling asleep.

   It was amazing to get to experience the importance the Dutch put on their Remembrance Day. It was a privilege to be a part of this national holiday. We were proud to represent those in Canada as well as educating ourselves and becoming aware of how big the role of Canada was at the end of the war. We’ve had nothing but a warm reception from the Dutch and hope it carries on throughout the

by Jamie Thomblison and Riley Genier .

(It’s Riley’s first tour and she’s really excited.)

Belgium - May 3rd

Click here for daily photo posting of the days events

 

 

Belgium: Sunday, May 3^rd

 

Sunday, May 3^rd was much anticipated by all band members.  This was the first full day of the tour, as it followed the exhausting travel day.  Although we may have been sleep deprived, each and every one of us enjoyed Belgium just as much.  When breakfast was finished we departed at 9:30, and began the trip to Antwerp, Belgium.  We arrived and were given instructions and usual rules, and the band set off to explore.  The rain occurred on and off, showing the diverse weather.  The gentle rainfall made our journey quite serene.

 

As we travelled downtown towards the main swuare, we felt that each and every restaurant was very inviting, especially to tourists.  We stopped for lunch at a quaint café, “Happy Ginger” that made meals with a unique twist on traditional Dutch food.  It was so lovely to be treated with kindness and admiration, and although the language barrier may have separated communication, there was no doubt that we were welcomed by all. 

 

In the heart of the Old City, we felt a truly authentic experience.  Most band members were trying some of the delicacies in Belgium.   

 

The centre of town is also home to city hall.  The historical Landmark was incredible to see ourselves.  While enjoying the sights, it was apparent to us that the other band members were also enjoying the delights.  It was not difficult to see them, as you couldn’t miss the “sea of red”!  Antwerp is also home to the Mire, the main shopping centre.  To us, it served as a shelter from the rain and an excellent place to shop!

 

The beauty and culture the band members were exposed to during our venture in Belgium will not be forgotten.  We were extremely fortunate to spend some time in such an incredible place. 

By Keara Evans, Lauryn Harrison, Sarah Dimatteo

Day 2

May 2^nd

Monkey Farm

                First we got on our buses and met our fabulous bus drivers (shoutout to Bert for teaching us Dutch and making bad jokes). The trip to our living accomidations was fantastic. Tulips, windmills and sleep. Evvvvveeeerrrryyyywhhhheeerrre. As we arrived to our destination, we settled in to our better than expected rooms. We had our first meeting of the tour and met Jan and Henk who personally have been taking care of the Dutch end of the tour. After the meeting we went on a little walk down the street to the Monkey Farm. Half an hour later, with aching feet and tired eyes (we’ve been awake for almost 24 hours at that point), we finally arrived at the Monkey Farm. We not only got to see and touch monkeys, but we got to be monkeys ourselves with cool rope swings and radical slides and such. After coutless hours of looking at monkeys’ behinds, we finally got to go back to our living quarters, only after walking back. When we finally got back after the walk, we were treated to a wonderful meal, only after waiting a little bit more, just a little. Finally, we had our first Dutch meal served by our wonderful, bilingual chefs. After our meal we were scheduled to have a practice. We fell asleep too many times during dinner and we highly doubted we could make it through a practice. Thanks to our spectacular managing director Rob Bennett we didn’t have to practice!!! And then we went straight to bed.

Xoxoxo love you mom and dad and liam

Co-written by: Rebecca Mitchell and Connor Lawrence.

Netherlands Tour 2015

 

Do not forget to visit https://picasaweb.google.com/103105200259609983542 to see some of the daily picture of the band on tour.  these are only a small portion of the daily picture more will posted after we return!

 

Travel DAY 1 - May 1

While arriving at the music center our excitement went through the roof. Seeing all the band members, family and friends with smiling faces was heart warming. Pulling out of the Music Centre parking lot that’s when it really hit us that we are going to a different part of the world with our best friends. Arriving at the airport the excitement continued. While we were waiting around in all of the different lines, it hit us. We’re going to a different part of the world, and to get there, we need to go on an airplane, some of us don’t like airplanes. Getting to our seats preparing for take off the nerves sets in. The take off was bumpy which made out heart beat sky rocket. Once we reached altitude, we finally calmed down, with refreshments every hour. Eventually they dimmed the lights for us to sleep. Then, one hour later, they turned them back on for breakfast. Let’s just say that sleeping wasn’t on the menu. As we touched down, we were finally relieved that we were on solid ground. It’s surprisingly busy in an airport at 6 am, and we were surprisingly awake at 6 am. Let us clarify, their time. That’s 12 am our time. So that concluded the first day with excitement nerves and joy to be there.

Co-written by: Rebecca Mitchell and Connor Lawrence.