Tour to Europe

Essay by Louis Minders (Matric 2006)

Before I give you a run down of the amazing experiences we had whilst on tour I can almost assure you that my words cannot and will not come close to accurately describing what an amazing time we had. I will however attempt to give you, the less fortunate reader, a taste of Europe. What also made this trip extra special was the fact that we all could freely interact with the opposite sex – a rare chance for Wykeham girls and Hilton boys.

Although I did mention that this was a Europe tour we did spend a lot of time in airport buildings and airplanes. The first port of call was Johannesburg of course where we endured what we thought was South African inefficiency and utter uselessness. We later discovered that this is an international phenomenon that plagues even the Middle East (already plagued by so much – shame!) and the Austrians. Naturally the Germans would never stoop so low as to even be one second late but that is of course just how they are.

Our first so-called concert was in Doha’s airport building (which is all we ever saw of it) and consisted of a few people intent on disturbing the peace at 2am (Qatari time of course). It is expected of a bunch of choir folk to suddenly break out in song and entertain a captive audience which consisted of some of our choir members too tired or too embarrassed to actually join in. It was then that we had our first half-hearted applause that made the endeavour worthwhile.

To cut a long story short we landed in Munich a while later with morning breath in three different time zones which was very quickly eradicated in one of the most sophisticated bathrooms we have ever seen in our entire lives. That bathroom, I estimate, has more technology than NASA in the paper towel dispenser that left many baffled. Our bus was absolutely massive and was our home for the infinite time we spent on the road and at border posts. To all the cynical South Africans traveling to our neighbouring countries I assure you that borders all over the world are a nightmare!

Our first real sight-seeing opportunity was the Austrian city of Salzburg. This amazingly beautiful, stunning, cool, etc. city was really a highlight. The fact that it was out first stop could have made it even more so; but nonetheless we had an amazing time. One thing I would like to point out is that coffee-holics looking for a caffeine fix should avoid Austria unless they have a vast amount of money or can control this thirst. The city’s claim to fame is that it is the birth place of Mozart and his legacy is definitely visible, as well as edible which I enjoyed much more in the form of Mozartkugeln (pardon my spelling). The buildings in the old-town dated back to as far as 1330 which makes Hilton College sound like a new-born baby in comparison. Here again we had an impromptu performance, undoubtedly inspired by our visit to the gardens that a scene of “The Sound of Music” was filmed in. This time it was at least in a church and the audience slightly more enthusiastic and Musica Corde-free. Our return to Munich was a time to catch up on lost sleep or to simply sing Kumbaya until you did. That night we traversed our way through Munich in search of a VERY German restaurant – the beginning of an eternity of soup for starters! The reason I call this restaurant VERY German is not solely because of its efficiency but the fact that the waiters were wearing lederhosen. It was a good thing for the poor lederhosen-wearing waiters that we were to tired to make fun of them and at that time had a very German sense of humour which we later came to know as having no sense of humour. Pardon my generalisation, but our guide, Andreas, had a very poor sense of humour. By poor of course I mean none at all. The sights we saw on the journey to and from our rather dodgy-looking hotel and the deflated Father Christmas on its roof were about all we ever saw of Munich.

Prague was our next stop – that is of course apart from the 2-3hr border stop – and once again we were astonished by the beauty of these European cities. Our first real concert took place in a very big house-cum-palace and went off rather well. Prague itself was a maze of little streets (and some bigger ones) that left the more adventurous feeling like they would never return. Here, we had our first real experience of the Christmas markets that we would come to know so well and that sustained us and made us broke. We performed in the market square and in an amazing church but the reason we were actually there – the competition – took place in a city hall. The reason I remind you of a purpose is that we ourselves forgot about that! The celebratory banquet was enjoyable and would have never have been the same without our true South African spirit – it went from “death warmed up” to a real “jol”. Our time on the boat (another party we livened-up) was also a time for the worst of our dancing skills to be shown off! If there is one thing you must do before you die it is to see Prague by night – there is nothing more beautiful and astounding.   

We left Andreas in Prague and drove to the Polish city of Krakow. This city was home to our ORANGE hotel and so much more. Here it was all about old buildings, castles, old churches (some of the most amazing you’ll ever see) and shopping in the undercover market. Krakow is definitely one place everyone must visit – especially us financially impaired South Africans that have to normally multiply by ten – as it is a very cheap, yet utterly amazing place. While we were there we visited Auschwitz. This was a very sobering experience that allowed us to get a true feeling of what the Holocaust was like and made even the most dull-sounding tale of survival seem unbelievable! The display rooms of shoes, suitcases, several tons human hair and gas cans used to exterminate the inhabitants of Auschwitz were amongst the most shocking as well as the shooting-wall where many prisoners were also executed. On our way to Zakopane we stopped and the Salt Mines of Wielzika. These mines, although not operational anymore were a truly amazing sight. The numerous carved out chapels (victim to another impromptu), the statues and the crystallised salt on the “ceilings” make it so unusual.

Zakopane – Poland’s skiing capital! Unfortunately for the whole of Europe us South Africans insisted on taking the weather with us and we subsequently left Zakopane without snow by the time of our departure. This little town was stunning – the small cobbled streets, the snow (when we just arrived there) and the numerous shops were a dream. Our visit to the top of a (then abandoned) mountain by funicular was an experience and a good time for a few snow angels-turned devils and a snow-ball fight that even Mrs Boeke got involved in – Well done Mevrou! This is another stop that we will never forget for the sights and the unforgettable times we had. Our concert in Zakopane was very well received and we really enjoyed it.

Budapest is the capital of Hungary and our home for two days. Although our hotel was in a dodgy area and it itself dodgy (with live wires running through my room) Budapest was an amazing city that I came to love. The Langos (deep fried bread with sour cream and cheese – very nice) and the shops were amazing. One of my highlights was the visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. Although the majority chose to avoid this and went either ice skating or to the mall which we visited the night before I believe they missed out. At this very museum was the largest van Gogh exhibition in one hundred years – a rare opportunity to see as many of his works in one place! Oh and we also had a concert here that resulted in the loudest rhythmic applause we had ever heard.

Vienna – truly the city of any sane human being’s dreams! Although we were only there for one night it stuck out as one of the highlights of our trip as a result of the sense of awe the city gives you. We attended a concert and had dinner at a restaurant – both very good – but what stuck out for the vast majority of us was the cosmopolitan vibe, the ancient buildings and the endless shopping opportunities. Our hotel was perfectly situated in the middle of town and was a far cry from our experience in Budapest! Lest I forget, the airport was amazing in every respect with a massive duty free area that had a Haagen-Dazs and for that matter any shop one could think of! It was a good thing we had so much time there. The trip back to SA was much the same – airplanes and airports of Doha (where’s that?!) and Johannesburg.

All-in-all this trip was an experience of a life time and one that none of us will ever forget. Thanks must go to all the staff that made this trip possible.